Putin: Turkey's downing of jet a 'stab in the back'

Russian warplane crashes in Latakia province in Syria, with two pilots seen ejecting from the aircraft.

24 Nov 2015
President Vladimir Putin has said Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane near the Syrian border was a "stab in the back" committed by "accomplices of terrorists".

The Russian warplane was shot down near the Syrian border for violating Turkish airspace on Tuesday, Turkish officials said.

Turkish officials told Al Jazeera it was shot down by the Turkish military according to the rules of engagement, but Putin said the jet posed no threat.

"Today's loss is linked to a stab in the back delivered to us by accomplices of terrorists. I cannot qualify what happened today as anything else," Putin said in televised comments.

What is the Sukhoi Su-24?

The Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jet, also known by its NATO codename Fencer, is an all-weather attack Russian-made supersonic jet operated by two pilots. It is armed with laser-guided missiles as well as three gun pods capable of firing 9,000 rounds per minute. It is also armed with guided air-to-surface missiles, guided bombs, cluster bombs and incendiary bombs. [Photo: Reuters]

"Our plane was shot down over the territory of Syria by an air-to-air missile from a Turkish F-16 jet. It fell in Syrian territory four kilometres from the border with Turkey. Our pilots and our plane did not in any way threaten Turkey."

Reports said the plane, believed to be a Russian-made Sukhoi Su-24, crashed in Syrian territory in Latakia's Yamadi village.

A Turkish military statement said the plane violated Turkish airspace in Hatay province and was warned "10 times in five minutes".

"Our two F-16 planes on air patrol duty intervened ... on November 24, 2015, 9:24am, according to the rules of engagement," the statement said.

Rebel forces have told Al Jazeera that bodies of both pilots were recovered.

The deputy commander of a Turkmen brigade, located close to where the plane crashed, said the two Russian pilots were shot dead as they parachuted to the ground.

"Our comrades shot at them in the air and they were dead when they hit the ground," he said. "They...died in the air."

A Russian helicopter was also shot as it took part in the search for the two pilots near the Turkish-Syrian border, opposition groups in Syria said.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey had a duty to act against anyone violating its borders.

"Everyone must know that it is our international right and national duty to take any measure against whoever violates our air or land borders," Davutoglu said in Ankara.

Turkey's foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned representatives from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to brief them on the downing of the Russian fighter jet, a Turkish official said.

The Russian defence ministry was quoted by TASS Russian News Agency as saying: "A probe is in progress into the circumstances of the Russian plane crash."

It said the plane had stayed within Syrian air space and that "objective monitoring data confirm this".

Turkey's Dogan news agency said witnesses reported that the warplane crashed over tents built in Yamadi village and that the pilots bailed out with the help of parachutes.

Davutoglu has ordered the foreign ministry to consult NATO, the UN and related countries on the developments, his office said in a statement on Tuesday.

Last month, Davutoglu said Russia had described its warplane's violation of Turkey's airspace as a "mistake".

A Russian aircraft had entered Turkish airspace near the Syrian border, prompting Turkey to scramble two F-16 jets to intercept it and summon Russia's ambassador in protest.

"The Turkish armed forces are clearly instructed. Even if it is a flying bird it will be intercepted," Davutoglu said at the time.

He warned Turkey's enemies and allies not to infringe on its airspace but he dismissed the notion of tensions with Russia.

The alleged violation by the Russian warplane according to Turkish authorities

Watch Syrian Rebels Blow Up a Russian-Made Helicopter

BY HENRY JOHNSON-NOVEMBER 24, 2015

The same day that Turkish forces shot down a Russian jet for allegedly violating Turkey’s airspace, Syrian rebels affiliated with the Free Syrian Army published a video purporting to show their fighters blowing up a stationary Russian-made helicopter on YouTube.

The video shows Syrian rebels launching what arms analyst Elliot Higgins, who runs Bellingcat, a website for open-source analysis, identified on Twitter as a U.S.-made TOW (tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided) missile at a helicopter sitting exposed in a field some distance away.

The First Coastal Division, the group that uploaded the video, said it destroyed the helicopter after forcing it to land with an earlier missile strike, according to Reuters. And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a watchdog group monitoring the conflict in Syria, told Reuters that at least 10 passengers evacuated from the helicopter after it landed, escaping the second missile strike that ultimately destroyed it. It’s not clear whether the crew was Russian or Syrian.

Russian military officials have confirmed that two of its Mi-8 helicopters were dispatched on a search and rescue mission for the pilots who parachuted from the Russian jet downed earlier on Tuesday, and that rebels destroyed one of the two helicopters. “During the operation, as a result of small-arms fire, one of the helicopters was damaged, and forced to make a landing on neutral territory,” Lieutenant-General Sergei Rudskoi toldreporters on Tuesday.

One Russian soldier died in the incident, and “the downed helicopter was destroyed by mortar fire from territory controlled by armed gangs” Rudskoi said. It hasn’t been confirmed whether the video below depicts the helicopter referenced by Rudskoi or if it’s of a separate incident.

Check out the video here:

At least 14 killed after bus explodes in Tunisian capital 

Explosion reportedly occurred on Tunis' busy Mohammed V Avenue, killing at least 14 people

Mohammed V Avenue is a busy thoroughfare at the heart of the Tunisian capital (Wikicommons) 

Tuesday 24 November 2015

At least 14 people were killed and 11 people wounded after an explosion hit a bus carrying Tunisia’s presidential security guard in Tunis late on Tuesday, the country’s interior ministry said.

The attack occurred on the busy Mohammed V Avenue, a key thoroughfare in the capital, reportedly as the bus passed the headquarters of the RCD, the political party of former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia Live reported.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack which comes a day after the interior ministry said Tunisia’s ex-president Moncef Marzouki had been the target of an assassination plot.

Marzouki's security had been under the jurisdiction of the a special presidential unit, but over the past two or three weeks had been taken over by the interior ministry, according to his former campaign manager, Adnene Mancer.

"When Dr Marzouki's protection was reduced, the terrorists probably thought that they could act," Mancer said on Monday. "If the threats had been carried out, it would have triggered chaos in the country," he said.

Two attacks earlier this year claimed by the Islamic State group targeted foreigners - at the National Bardo Museum in March, killing 21 tourists and a policeman, and at a resort hotel in Sousse in June, killing 38 tourists.

Dozens of members of the security forces have also been killed by mlitants since 2011.

1 in 5 Brit Muslims’ sympathy for jihadis

Support ... Brit Jihadi John who went to Syria

 23 NOVEMBER 2015

NEARLY one in five British Muslims has some sympathy with those who have fled the UK to fight for IS in Syria.

The number among young Muslims aged 18-34 is even higher at one in four.

1 in 5 Brit Muslims’ Sympathy for Jihadis by Thavam Ratna

Bangladesh poised between agony and ecstasy: the choice depends on us!

Bangladesh poised between agony and ecstasy: the choice depends on us!

It beggars belief a country the size of England and Wales somehow containing and supporting 160 million souls – 10 million more of them, guest workers beyond these shores.

Tuesday 24 Nov 2015
Certainly the capital city Dhaka feels full, full to overflowing. Ten thousand new people moving in from the countryside every single day. A good proportion of them have been dispossessed by climate change, the waves of the rising seas eroding their land, much of it subsiding altogether. The many rivers are doing as much to destroy lifestyles that survived centuries.

Though the rickshaws and their gas-powered motor relatives are everywhere, so are the cars. Gridlock is a way of life. City dwellers are relaxed about a journey that at midnight takes 10 minutes, but in rush hour takes an hour or more.

Yesterday there was a traffic-relieving general strike. The second in a week. They both protested against the execution of two former opposition leaders, who had been charged with war crimes during the bitter violence and war that accompanied independence in 1971. There are serious questions about the conduct of the trial. Hence the strikes. Security has been tight, Facebook shut down for long periods, and the media somewhat restrained in what they discuss.

But beyond that, this is both a stricken and  a beautiful country. As I sat having breakfast today a brahminy kite swept down at speed, tilted, revealed its gorgeous chestnut wings with their black tips and spun away again.

This is indeed a green but disappearing land. Disappearing by the year. The palm-strewn riverbanks in the Delta region are eroding and submerging. The rivers are silting as fast as they deepen with the rise in sea levels. Thousands are displaced each year.

Two million are forecast to flee these lower water-logged lands in the next 30 years. The beauty hides this terrible truth. But it’s a truth peasant farmers have had to live with and adjust to. Many of them have simply become fishermen. Consequently Bangladesh has become the fourth fishing power in the world.

Urbanisation continues apace. Much of it concentrated upon the electronics industry assembling electronics for China, Japan, and Korea. Above all, manufacturing cheap – and some expensive – clothes for western consumption.

Since the horrific collapse of the Rana Plaza garment block two years ago, which killed more than a thousand, and from which 2,500 were rescued, conditions have improved, laws passed and the rest. But there is still a long way to go. And many of the workers have the insecurity of knowing either that their homes are already flooding or that they soon will.

Bangladesh is poised between the agony and ecstasy of life. Sadly she is closer to the agony than to the other. But which way she swings depends upon us. This is an able, beautiful, intelligent people. A sumptuous green place, despite its grubby urban streets.

Her own efforts as one of the world’s leaders in the use of solar power, for example, are a shining example. For the rest Bangladesh depends massively, more than any other non-island state, on next week’s UN meeting of world leaders at the COP 21 Climate Summit.

If the leaders dare to be ambitious, Bangladesh can work on in hope. If they settle for modest restraints on global warming, I do not want to have to be the reporter sent to see the unfolding tragedy.

Follow @jonsnowC4 on Twitter

Nuclear club eyes Indian inclusion, but risks Pakistan's ire

A surface-to-surface Agni V missile is displayed during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, in this January 26, 2013 file photo.

A policeman walks on a beach near Kudankulam nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu September 13, 2012.

Diplomats have quietly launched a new push to induct India into a club of nuclear trading nations, but rather than increasing stability in South Asia, the move could escalate strains with rival Pakistan.

The chairman of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) visited New Delhi recently to meet Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj as part of a diplomatic "outreach" that seeks to build a consensus to admit India at its annual meeting next June.

Membership of the 48-nation club would bring India into the nuclear fold 41 years after it tested its first nuclear bomb, and give the nation of 1.25 billion a vested interest in curbing the world's most dangerous regional arms race.

"It's a very delicate process, but I think there is less and less justification for the impasse," Rafael Grossi, the Argentinian ambassador to Vienna who heads the NSG, told Reuters in an interview.

Yet there are doubts. For one, India has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT, which seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

And Pakistan, an ally of China, also aspires to join the NSG. With a history as a proliferator, Pakistan's accession would be a tough sell.

Because the NSG operates by consensus, admitting India alone would mean it could then bar its western neighbour from the club, potentially pushing Pakistan further to the fringes.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has been testing missiles that can reach all of India, and very short-range missiles that it insists could be used only if Indian troops cross onto Pakistani soil.

A seat at the NSG would strengthen India's geopolitical clout and help it capitalise on nuclear trade and technology transfer opportunities, while also raising concern in Pakistan.

"India has a nuclear deal with the U.S., with France, it will soon have deals with Australia and Japan. So all this will of course complement its effort to get into NSG," said a senior Pakistani security official with knowledge of nuclear issues.

"But people don't understand that India will use all this additional fuel (through civil nuclear deals) to make energy and have a lot more left over to use to make weapons.

"So at the end of it, the need for even more deterrence from our side will grow, not decrease."

UPPER HAND

Pakistan sees a nuclear lead as vital insurance against possible aggression by its larger neighbour, and it appears to be gaining the upper hand over India in the nuclear contest.

Analysts Toby Dalton and Michael Krepon estimate Pakistan is producing 20 nuclear warheads a year to India's five.

Yet defending that lead is a "losing proposition" that imposes huge costs on Pakistan's economy and strains its social fabric, they said.

In a report for the Carnegie and Stimson think tanks, Dalton and Krepon argued Pakistan should abandon its goal of "full-spectrum" deterrence against India and satisfy itself with "strategic" deterrence, or the ability to launch an effective counter-strike in the event of an attack.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence and partition in 1947, two over Kashmir. Their disputed frontier is one of the world's most heavily militarised regions. Border clashes and incursions pose a constant risk of escalation.

The U.S. State Department declined to comment on specific discussions over Pakistan, but an official said Washington had not entered into talks on a civil nuclear pact with it. Nor was it seeking a waiver for Pakistan to trade with the NSG.

The United States was continuing to integrate India into the "global non-proliferation mainstream", this official also said, adding that Washington supported India's membership in the four multilateral export control regimes. One of those is the NSG.

COMFORT LEVEL

India's long road to nuclear legitimacy began with a bilateral deal with the United States in 2005 that, three years later, yielded an exemption allowing it to trade in sensitive nuclear technology with NSG nations.

New Delhi expressed its interest in 2010 in formally joining the nuclear club.

But India's lobbying has met with scepticism from European countries like Austria and Switzerland, who have questioned its refusal to sign the NPT and give up nuclear weapons.

Indian negotiators now detect a change of tone, and are focusing on winning over European sceptics. That, in turn, could bring round China, they calculate.

"We are optimistic; there is a desire within the NSG to bring this process to a conclusion sooner rather than later," one Indian diplomat told Reuters. "People are comfortable with India."

Despite two summit meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing has yet to signal its assent and may not agree, analysts caution.

Despite those concerns, India is upbeat: "France joined the NSG before ratifying the Non-Proliferation Treaty," said the Indian diplomat.

"It's not about arms controls. It's about export controls."

(Additional reporting by Mehreen Zahra Malik in Islamabad, Idrees Ali in Washington and Adam Rose in Beijing; Writing by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

EU extends invitation to ex-Thai PM Yingluck – but will the junta let her travel? (UPDATED)

Workers unload rice from a truck in northeastern Thailand. Pic: AP..

Thailand's former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Pic: AP.

by Saksith Saiyasombut- 24th November 2015 

A LETTER appearing to be an invitation by European Union parliamentarians to former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to talk at the EU is being circulated in Thailand, sparking speculation about her future whereabouts amidst criminal charges at home and implications for the relations between the EU and the Thai military.

EU Extends Invitation to Ex-Thai PM Yingluck – but Will the Junta Let Her Travel (UPDATED) by Thavam Ratna

Canada's exclusion of single male refugees may exacerbate Syrian conflict

Refugees and migrants hold up Christian crosses and banners as they wait for permission to cross the border between Macedonia and Greece. Photograph: Georgi Licovski/EPA

Patrick Kingsley, migration correspondent-Tuesday 24 November 2015

If reports are correct, the trickle-down effects of Justin Trudeau’s decision may force young Syrian men to choose between the lesser of two evils back home

Justin Trudeau’s decision to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada before the end of the year has been widely welcomed by refugee advocates, but one aspect of his plan has drawn criticism: the widely reported decision to exclude single men from the resettlement program.

In some respects, this is an understandable move. The resettlement of 25,000 human beings from one continent to another is not an impossible task – to put it in context, more refugees arrived in Greece during each week in October – but it still will involve a great deal of coordination and tough decision-making.

Given that there are around 4 million desperate Syrian refugees still stuck in the Middle East, it won’t be easy to assess which 25,000 of them are most deserving of Canada’s generosity – particularly in such a short space of time. Restricting the field to families would arguably be a pragmatic way of making the choice more straightforward for Canadian officials.

Then there’s the security argument. Amid fears of the threat posed by Syrian refugees, perhaps Trudeau feels it would be easier to win over skeptics if the refugees he welcomes are parents with children. In the western id, the image of a doting father is much easier to swallow than one of a potentially disaffected youth.

But there are good reasons why it might have been better if Trudeau had held his nerve. An unmarried young man may not have a family to support. But he may have been a dissident in Syria – an opponent of both President Bashar al-Assadand his jihadist enemy, the Islamic State. His case should be considered on its merits, rather than being dismissed at the stroke of a pen.

Secondly, by excluding young Syrian men, you risk separating them from their families. An unmarried 19-year-old is technically an adult, and as such would not be eligible for a Canadian welcome. But his parents and young siblings might still qualify.

It remains to be seen how exactly Trudeau’s system will work in practice – but it could conceivably see vulnerable teenagers left thousands of miles away from their mother and father. Technically they’d be able to fend for themselves. But in reality they’d have been severed from both their emotional and financial support networks.

Thirdly, 20-something Syrian males arguably form one of the groups that are most at risk in the areas of Syria still controlled by the regime. Since his army is shrinking, Assad is press-ganging reluctant young men into the military. But many of them neither want to fight for a man who has overseen the deaths of over 200,000 of his own citizens, nor join forces with rebel militias, many of which have troubling links to extremism.

On the migration trail this year in Europe, the Guardian encountered several young men who say they need asylum because the only life left to them in Syria is the prospect of death on the battlefield. Majd, a Syrian schoolboy interviewed in Serbia, will soon turn 18 and so be ineligible for resettlement in Canada. But Majd’s story highlights the vulnerability of many refugees of his age and gender: he knew that if he stayed at home until adulthood, he risked being press-ganged into Assad’s ranks. He said his only remaining options were to either to fight for the rebels or leave Syria entirely. So he chose the latter.

“I wasn’t sure who was right and who was wrong, and I didn’t want to just join the army,” said Majd. “So I left.”

Walking alongside him, Nizam, a 24-year-old computer scientist, gave a similar account of why he fled Syria. “They want us to be rabbits in their war,” said Nizam. “But I’m a peaceful man and I don’t want to fight. The government is against us – and Isis and Jabhat al-Nusra [two of the main jihadi groups] want to kill us.”

If young men like Majd and Nizam are led to believe that they have little hope of gaining asylum through formal channels, there are two potential pitfalls. The first is that they will simply continue to walk through the Balkans to Germany, adding to the chaos at Europe’s borders. The second: they may conclude that they have no option but to pick a side in the Syrian war, worsening a conflict that many diplomats now accept can only be resolved politically.

3D printing helps surgeons plan life-saving operation

The 3D model revealed the twists and turns in the cerebral blood vessels

Tuesday 24 November 2015

A 3D-printed model of the blood vessels inside a woman's brain has helped surgeons practise life-saving surgery.

The surgeons needed to operate to correct a weakness, or aneurysm, in a blood vessel inside the patient's head.

Scans of the aneurysm revealed that the usual approach surgeons would take to fix it would not have worked.

3D printing is increasingly finding a role in medicine to either help doctors prepare before carrying out procedures or to make prosthetics.

Plastic tissue

After suffering vision problems and recurrent headaches, New York state resident Theresa Flint was diagnosed with an aneurysm that, if left untreated, would have proved fatal.

An aneurysm is a bulging blood vessel caused by a weakness in an artery wall that risks rupturing.

The usual way to treat such problems is to implant a metallic basket that strengthens the artery wall, said Dr Adnan Siddiqui, chief medical officer at the Jacobs Institute in Buffalo, New York, who directed the treatment.

However, scans of the weak blood vessel revealed that this approach would not work, Dr Siddiqui told the BBC.

"It was a serious problem from the standpoint that she had an extremely irregular brain aneurysm that would be tricky to treat with micro-surgery," he said.

The scans showed that the blood vessels were severely twisted and, as a result, very difficult to reach.

"There are some commonalities between all human beings," said Dr Siddiqui, "but at the end of the day our vascular tree is as different as our fingerprints."

3D-printed organs such as this heart aid training by mimicking the textures of human organs-Image copyrightNottingham Trent University

To help the surgeons work out the best approach, the scans taken of Ms Flint's brain were turned into a 3D model with the help of 3D-printing specialist Stratasys.

It helped make a replica built of a polymer that mimics human tissue allowing the surgeons to plan their approach and practise the operation.

"While we were doing that mock procedure we realised that we had to change some of the tools we wanted to use, given her anatomy," said Dr Siddiqui.

"The day of surgery came and we tried out exactly what we thought would work best," he said, adding that Ms Flint had "done great" since the aneurysm was corrected.

Dr Siddiqui said 3D printing was increasingly being used to help plan procedures and make models of human anatomy that give surgeons a better idea of what they will encounter during an operation. Many hospitals have now established relationships with 3D printing firms to help surgical staff.

"It may not be needed for the majority of routine cases," he said, "but here its help was immeasurable."

Government regains forward momentum

By Jehan Perera-November 23, 2015, 7:17 pm 

It was the post-presidential election period this year that saw dramatic changes in the polity. The fear of government backed death squads and mob violence was totally eradicated to the relief of political dissidents and ethnic minorities who had been under threat. These positive changes at the ground level were accompanied by the major political reform of the 19th Amendment which divested the presidency of much of its arbitrary power and strengthened the system of checks and balances. However, in the aftermath of the general election in August a sense of stagnancy in government became pronounced. For the past three months in particular there had been a sense of drift in the government. The main slogans centering on good governance that had propelled it to victory at two successive elections held in January and August appeared to be in abeyance.

In addition, in the past few weeks the polity became focused on infighting between members of the government on issues of corruption and conflict of interest. There was no change in the country that could capture the popular imagination except for the government’s co-sponsoring of the resolution of the UN Human Rights Council. On the one hand this eased the tensions that Sri Lanka had with the Western countries and paved the way for its return to their economic fold. But this agreement was a double edged sword as it was also attacked by the political opposition as being a betrayal of those who had fought against the LTTE. The visit of US Ambassador the UN, Samantha Power, to Sri Lanka at this time when the world is focused on what is happening in the Islamic countries and Europe is an indication that Sri Lanka is being given a special status and may even obtain extraordinary US support as a result. Ambassador Power is known as a close confidante of US President Barack Obama.

In this context there have been two developments that have given the government a new impetus. One is the announcement of the budget which has made concessions to the masses of people. Those living on the margins cannot appreciate long term investments which will bring them economic benefits in the longer term. The reduction in the price of basic foodstuffs and cooking gas will give an immediate boost to their purchasing power. It can also politically stabilize the government and create the space for it to take more controversial political decisions, such as necessitated by the co-sponsoring of the Geneva resolution which calls for a plethora of political reforms.

FAST PROCESS

The government’s announcement that it will be going in for constitutional reform is also likely to generate positive sentiment amongst the people. In its announcement the government has highlighted the need to abolish the executive presidency and to change the electoral system. Both of these propositions are generally accepted by the general population. Although a more long term view would note that the problem of centralized government existed even before the promulgation of the present constitution in 1978, most people see the presidency as the root of the over-centralization of power that took place in the country and got worse as time passed. The second reform that is sought is that of the electoral system which is presently based on the proportional system of voting with large districts as electorate.

Such a focus on constitutional reform can reassure those who voted for the government on the basis of its promises of good governance. They have been disappointed that the government has not been following up with zeal and punishing those whom it has accused of corruption and impunity. The problem for the government is that the Rule of Law to which it is committed is a slow process as it calls on the prosecutors to first build up a strong case which is backed by concrete evidence. Experience from other countries shows that anti corruption cases against those who are powerful in the polity can take a long time. In countries such as Philippines and Indonesia which had authoritarian and corrupt governments for long periods, it took many years before the money stolen in a corrupt manner was located and brought back. Not all the money could be brought back. In addition criminal cases where the legal right of defense is available to those accused can take a long time. This same phenomenon is also likely to occur in cases of war crimes and human rights violations. Countries such as Indonesia and Cambodia took as long as a decade to four decades for prosecutions to be completed.

In contrast to the long time frame of legal prosecution the government leadership has chosen a short time frame of six months within which they hope to complete the task of constitutional reform. In implementing constitutional change the government leadership appears to be banking on the fact that it enjoys a 2/3 majority in parliament due to the formation of the National Unity government. This government is jointly led by President Maithripala Sirisena who heads the SLFP and by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who heads the UNP. The teaming up of these two political parties, which have traditionally been bitter rivals, is unprecedented. The uniqueness of the present time may suggest that the maximum use be made of this opportunity.

SEVERAL PITFALLS

On the other hand, if too much stress is placed on the partnership it is possible it may collapse and bring down the government. This was the fate of a previous government headed by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga. When the draft constitutional bill of 2000 was rejected in parliament, her government collapsed. Therefore the stakes are high with regard to the success of the constitutional reform project. There could be several pitfalls ahead. To begin with, the executive presidency is not universally rejected. It is the one electoral institution in which the entire country will vote as a single electorate. Whether voters are in the North, South, East or West, they all have to vote for one set of rival candidates. This provides an invaluable focus for national unity in a country which is divided on ethnic, religious and regional lines. By way of contrast in parliamentary elections, voters will vote only for candidates from their area. They will not be considering the candidates in other areas. This means their perspective will be limited to their own region and will not embrace the country as a whole, unlike in the case of election of the president.

The creation of a new constitution will also bring up the issue of devolution of power and of inter-ethnic power sharing. These have been highly contentious issues in the past that brought down governments by generating uncontrollable nationalist sentiments on all sides of the ethnic and religious divides. So far there has been little or no discussion about a post-war political settlement. The formation of a new constitution can lead to this discussion coming to the fore again. The hope will be an elite consensus between the president and prime minister who represent the two major political parties, and the leaders of the small parties that represent the different ethnic and religious minorities, which transforms itself into a sustainable political solution.

On the positive side it appears that the government’s plans to engage in constitutional reform enjoy the support of the small parties also. The TNA, SLMC and JVP have not come out strongly to criticize the government of having made its announcement of constitutional change. They have not criticized either the process or the short time frame of six months. This may suggest that there is an informal agreement amongst themselves regarding the forthcoming constitutional changes. What binds them all together is their commitment to good governance, the linchpin of which is accountability, ascertaining the true state of affairs and engaging in reform. This is what is lacking in the wider world today, where those who make decisions are not held responsible for what they do. The visiting US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power made it known that the United States supports Sri Lanka because it is a positive example of a country in which good governance has a broad support from all sections of the polity and is therefore sustainable.

Vapours of cleverness

Tuesday, 24 November 2015

It was a calculatedly choreographed media event. It was a dismal reminder that the Maithri-Ranil coalition prefers the opaque to that of transparency in governance.  
President Maithripala Sirisena with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe volunteered to be grilled by a patently patronising inquisitor – media personality and UNP politician Upul Shantha Sanasgala on a live TV show ‘Wenasaka Arambuma’ [Genesis of a change]. The Sinhala program was telecast on all channels on 21 November, the first anniversary of his shock decision to contest as the common candidate at the New Town Hall on 21 November 2014.
The President and the Prime Minister were flanked on either side by Venerable Rathana Thero, Field Martial Sarath Fonseka, Azad Sally, Ministers Patali Ranavake, Arjuna Ranatunga, Faiszer Mustapha, Duminda Dissanayake and Rajitha Senaratne.
As silent sentinels of ‘change’ they adorned the dais and watched and listened to the inane profundities on the purpose and power of unusual promises and politics as usual. To subject them to be witness to the cynical exercise was rather clever. After all much water had flown under the Butterfly Bridge of the Diyawanna. The Minister of Justice has dubbed the Field Martial a ‘Vel Vidane’. Minister Ranatunga has redefined ‘competence’ as the sharing of his own DNA with that of his nominees.

President Maithripala Sirisena

A deft political act by the President
It was also a deft political act by the President. He asserted his ownership of the 8 January change. Prime Minster Wickremesinghe was content to play ‘Kautilya’ to the ‘Lord Protector’ whose term will end only in 2020.
The friendly inquisitor ensured that the questions were nuanced and responses were taken as final and conclusive. The President himself took the initiative at one point. He reminded his TV host, “Why don’t you ask about the appointment of my brother as the head of SLT and his remuneration package?” The moderator obliged. “My brother receives the same salary that was paid to his predecessor and not a dime more. The speculations and rumours were the result of some divergence among the board members.” The TV host was naturally content with the response. He did not dare explore further.
The President was asked if he had met the Chairman of Avant-Garde on 10 January. He did not remember. “They came in their thousands to wish me. How would I remember people in such multitudes?” Sannasgala did not bother to ask if he came in the company of Vajira Abeyawardene!  
That said we must concede that the 8 January change has made some progress. A weekend Sinhala broadsheet on the same day had published a related story on the same day. It claimed that ‘a proposal to enhance the Chairman’s remunerations had indeed been made. It was resisted by some members who have been subsequently replaced with more amenable directors.’
The friendly host asked the Prime Minister for comments on the Central Bank Bond issue. “The three-member committee appointed to investigate the matter had exonerated the Governor.” During elections he had promised that the new Parliament will continue the probe undertaken by the earlier committee. He assured that it will be concluded in due course. The inquisitor did not venture to ask by when.
Upul Shantha Sannasgala, the erudite TV anchor, laced his introductory remarks with some curiously remarkable observations. One who got burnt with a firebrand fears even the glow of a firefly. Conversely those used to the heat of a fire will wince even at a drop of dew.

What is the bargain we made on 8 January 2015?
That brings us to the question that confronts us today. What is the bargain we made on 8 January 2015? Did we elect a Louis Napoleon? On hearing of the surprise election of the nephew of the deposed emperor as the consensus presidential candidate of the Monarchists and Catholics Karl Marx famously said, “Because he was nothing he could appear to be everything.”
That is too harsh a verdict to be made in this instance. This writer still considers that Maithripala Sirisena the first non-elitist national leader can deliver what he promised. In trying to do that he must avoid the mistake made by Louis Napoleon – trying to transform a goose into an eagle. When bad laws are not repealed, they not only continue to be in force but the very failure to repeal them gives it an extra sanctity of public consent.
The Prime Minister explained why those pilloried for wrong doings are still roaming free. “We cannot convict people and jail them,” he explained. “Only a magistrate could do it.” How nice? Do Magistrates comb the countryside for wrong doers? Is it not the business of his Minister of Justice to ensure that the indictments reach the magistrates?
On 21 November 2014, candidate Maithripala Sirisena saw the opportunity gap and seized it. On 21 November 2015, President Maithripala Sirisena pleaded that 10 months in office has seen some progress but there were yet many miles to go.
The Prime Minister explained the raison d’être of the consensus coalition. Though of different colours we were fish in the same pond all surfacing for the same oxygen of democracy. That was clever remark.
Samantha Powers, the distinguished visitor to our shores recently, has written an introduction to the latest edition of Hannah Arendt’s seminal work ‘Origins of Totalitarianism’. Of Arendt’s philosophy she says was not its ‘vapours of cleverness’ but its capacity to improve the human conditions. Today my only grandson turns 15. I live in hope.

Prairie Leafy Spurge Awards to Those Who Reneged on Yahapalanaya Pledge

by Shelton A. Gunaratne

( November 23, 2015, Moorhead, MN, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lanka’s bloated cabinet of ministers, which exceeds the limit of 30 specified by the 19th Amendment, is an example of wasteful public expenditure that the election campaigns of 2015 pledged to resolve but failed to implement. More insidious is the elevation of nepotism on the basis that the appointed relative or friend is “qualified” for the job.

Because citizens have a right to remind the ruling class that nepotism will rarely yield positive results, I wish to offer a hefty heap of Leafy Spurge to the following two political worthies; 

TO: Arjuna Ranatunge, minister of ports and shipping, who continues to justify the nomination of his elder brother Dammika to be chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) because Dammika had enough qualifications, and “family connections should not be a barrier to him being appointed to the post.” (The Nation, 11 Oct. 2015). He has pointed out that a special committee that would include both President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremasinghe would make the final decision on who would head each of the government institutions. However, this explanation does not absolve the minister of the charge of festering nepotism, a fundamental reason for corruption and inefficiency in the bureaucracy. The   issue is not Dammika’s qualifications, but the minister’s attempt to recruit his own brother for the top job under his ministry. It’s pathetic when an ex-cricketer tries to justify family bandyism devoid of a sense of ethical propriety. If his brother is “qualified,” he should offer his expertise to the public/private sector outside the domain of his brother’s ministry. The contrived action of the Joint Trade Union Forum of the SLPA urging the special committee to appoint Dammika as the new SLPA chairman also smells of a rat. 

TO: President Maithripala Sirisena for allegedly violating “all norms of good governance, go[ing] back on several key election pledges including a vow to end nepotism and cronyism, and severely dent[ing] investor confidence in moves associated with a deal between the troubled telecommunication service provider Hutch and Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the latter now chaired by his brother Kumarasinghe Sirisena.” (Colombo Telegraph, 21 Nov. 2015) The Telegraph has made this allegation on the basis of an investigation done by the Ravaya newspaper edited by Victor Ivan. This is a scam to purchase Hutch for double its market value in hopes of getting a kickback from a massive “over-bid” of some US$ 50 million or approximately Rs 7 billion. This allegation is an example of what could happen if Arjuna gets his brother appointed as the head of SLTC on the basis of his “qualifications.”

[Dr. Gunaratne is a professor emeritus at Minnesota State University Moorhead.]

Juggling with many balls 

Editorial-November 22, 2015

There has been a mixed reaction to the government’s maiden budget Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake presented in Parliament on Friday. The government calls it progressive, but the joint Opposition and the JVP have torn it to shreds.

The Budget 2016, on the positive side, seeks to offer something for everybody. Prices of eleven commodities including gas, and kerosene have been brought down; funds have been increased for research and development, PAYE tax free threshold has been raised to Rs. 2.4 mn per annum; the private sector has been urged to effect a pay hike; undergrads are to be given interest free loans to buy laptop computers; new hospitals are to be built; a call has been made for introducing a five-day week work culture; the education sector is to get more funds; relief has been given to senior citizens; 1980 July strikers are to get Rs. 250,000 each by way of compensation and stamp duty on credit cards for local purchases and the withholding tax on interest have been abolished. These relief measures are certainly welcome. But, it is too early to say whether they will translate into votes at the upcoming local government polls .

On the negative side, the government has proposed to exit either partially or fully from investments in ventures like Lanka Hospital, Mobitel, Grand Oriental Hotel, Hilton etc. It has also decided to introduce a contributory pension scheme for the state sector employees to be recruited from next year. These moves will be grist to the mill of the joint Opposition which has warned of a government move to hand over the expressways to the private sector. Besides selling off family silver, the government is now planning to dispose of brass, copper and steel items (‘lying in the form of scrap’ at ministries and departments)! Farmers are protesting against the guaranteed price for paddy, which they consider low, and the replacement of subsidised fertiliser with a cash grant. The proposal to remove tax on the leasing of land to foreigners etc has raised many an eyebrow. It is also doubtful that schoolchildren will get new uniforms if vouchers are issued to poor parents in penury.

Although the prices of some commodities have been reduced the question is whether they will be freely available at the specified prices except gas and kerosene. If is feared that the proposal for a private sector pay hike will lead to the curtailment of welfare measures and other benefits.

The government decision to abolish the duty-free vehicle scheme for public officials as well as MPs has been hailed as a sensible move in some quarters. But, the members of the present Parliament are believed to have already got their duty free vehicles. Will the government tell the public whether any of the MPs elected or appointed last August will be affected by this particular proposal?

The Finance Minister said the present government had inherited a rupee which had been overvalued due to the economic mismanagement under the Rajapaksa government. But, in justification of the government decision to revise the exposure of government securities for non residents from 12.5 per cent to 10 per cent he said he wanted to provide Sri Lankans with the opportunity to invest more in government securities and help ‘mitigate fluctuations in exchange rate due to sudden withdrawal of funds by non-residents as witnessed in the recent past creating an undue strain on the reserves’. Will the government explain why there were sudden withdrawals?

The rupee devaluation has stood the Sri Lankan exporters in good stead and the government has requested them to bring as much as USD 3 bn they are keeping overseas without letting ‘Mother Lanka’ down. Isn’t the government being naïve?

The government’s declaration that it won’t go ahead with its grand plan to amalgamate the EPF and ETF without the consent of the trade unions and other stakeholders is to be appreciated. But, whether it will remove the two funds from the Central Bank has been left unsaid. The Finance Minister said on Friday that the government had initiated a process to review laws in respect of EPF and ETF among other things. Workers and their unions ought to take cognizance of these proposed reviews!

A proposal has been made to install a traffic encoder free of charge in every registered vehicle in the country purportedly to help manage traffic better, deter theft and improve security. But, will this be the first step towards introducing a road tax.

The proposal to increase the number of police stations in the country from 428 to 600 has puzzled many. Even the Rajapaksa government which was accused of running a police state could manage with 428! The government should explain why it has decided to do so.

Making the budget work is like juggling with many balls. The onerous task before the Finance Minister is to keep all the balls in the air. Each ball dropped will cost the government dear politically.