Sunday, May 14, 2017

Mahinda Rajapakse Acolytes need to topple the government – Chameera Perera.

12 Little Known Laws of Karma (That Will Change Your Life)

May 14, 2017

Addressing the press conference held at CSR on May 14 Left Centre Co-convener Chameera Perara said that government should take action against the hidden agenda of Mahinda Rajapakse Acolytes topple the government.

“Mahinda never accepted that he was defeated by 6.2 million voters during the last presidential election. He needs to come to the power again for safeguard their family members and henchmen who were guilty for corruption, disappearance and killings.

Rajapakse Royal Family is suffering from a endless power hunger.Therefore we urge government to take immediate action against culprits who were responsible for killing and disappearance of journalists and other malpractices,” said Perera.

“Government should stick to the January 8th mandate rather than dealing with Rajapakse acolytes,” he said.

Sujeewa Chandrasiri, convener of land people of Piliyanda said that proposed Shakyapura project ethically wrong according to Buddhist teaching as the Lord Buddha left everything including mansions in favor of enlightenment. This great teaching lay on good of living beings. Therefore we urge the President to reconsider this in vane project and make use of this in favor of landless poor people in the area. There are over thousand homeless people in the Kesbewa divisional secretariat area.

Chamaka Nakalanda, convener of Paraparaka Balaya said that there was news in print media saying that former president Mahinda Rajapakse would keep silence if the government takes action to release from all kind of cases against their family members.

Photo and reported by Lawrence Ferdinando

Modi who begged for a meeting with Modi treated like a beggar !

(Lanka-e-News - 14.May.2017, 11.00PM) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his arrival in Sri Lanka , following an earnest request made by deposed president Mahinda Rajapakse met the latter on the 11th (night ) . Based on reports from Diplomatic sources , though the meeting was short between them , Mahinda had to face a long tirade from Modi.

After the dinner hosted by president Maithripala Sirisena , Mahinda was given an opportunity by Modi to meet him at the residence of the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka .

Mahinda in fact secured the appointment only after making pleas to the Indian High Commissioner .This was because Mahinda was not given an appointment based on the agenda of the Indian P.M.

Poor Mahinda arrived to meet Modi with Gotabaya and G.L.Peiris . With the Indian P.M. were the Indian High commissioner to S.L, Indian security adviser Ajith Kumar Deval and foreign secretary S.Jayashankar, and a group .

Mody who ignored G.L.Peiris and Gotabaya ,and did not speak a word with them , spoke only with Mahinda and that was to sternly warn him. Modi had warned Mahinda not to obstruct the development programs of the government , and not to incite racial tensions citing the ETCA agreement.

Modi had categorically told Mahinda not to arouse racial disharmony in order to oppose the new constitution which is being prepared to build reconciliation among the races.

When Mahinda was trying to give an answer , Modi without paying heed had forestalled it by expressing his regrets over the attempts made at Mahinda’s Galle face green May day rally to provoke the people to hoist black flags against Modi’s visit .

Mahinda who became red faced and was sweating did not know where to hide his face . He was so panic stricken and guilt ridden he forgot even his own cursed shawl on him which he could have used to hide his face and wipe his sweat. Though Mahinda tried to defend himself by explaining , it was told by one of the speakers on stage ,Modi had disdainfully ignored him.

Following the brief 30 mins. meeting , even when he was leaving Modi did not talk to Gota or G.L.

No matter what , Mahinda who never fails to give a ‘voice cut’ even if he fails miserably in everything else , was like a dumb person just admitted to the deaf and blind school after the meeting . He did not utter a word about what transpired between him and Modi , after his much longed for meeting with Modi .

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by (2017-05-14 18:27:13)

Modi addresses a delighted, cheering crowd of 30,000 in Hatton

By Namini Wijedasa-Sunday, May 14, 2017

“India beats in your hearts,” visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared to jubilant Sri Lankans at the Norwood grounds on Friday, moments after declaring open a multi-specialty hospital in Dickoya built with Indian funds.

Alluding to them as “Indian-origin diaspora”, Mr Modi told the estimated 30,000-strong crowd that their progress was India’s pride. “We take much joy from your accomplishments in various walks of life,” he said. “We rejoice at the success of the Indian-origin diaspora as they leave a mark across the world, near and far.”

Thousands of Indian origin Tamils—all of them now Sri Lankan citizens—climbed into buses early Friday morning and were driven to the Norwood grounds to hear Mr Modi speak. Villages were festooned with orange, white and green streamers, the colours both of the Indian national flag and the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC).

The Indian Premier arrived at 12.45 p.m. And when he opened his speech with a few words of Tamil, a loud, delighted cheer rose from the crowd.

“You have kept your bonds with India alive,” Mr Modi said, switching to English (a translator was at hand). “You have friends and relatives in India. You celebrate Indian festivals as your own. You have soaked our culture and made it your own. India beats in your hearts. And I am here to tell you that India fully reciprocates the warmth of your sentiment.”

Premier Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka, his second since the Sirisena administration took over in 2015, is significant in the face of growing Chinese influence in the country. Indian origin Tamils have for 200 years worked on Sri Lanka’s tea plantations, ensuring the growth and survival of its most famous export.

The Indian Prime Minister was quick to note the fact. He called the plantation workers “that indispensable backbone of the thriving Sri Lankan tea industry”. And he referred to his own special association with tea—he was once a tea-seller—as a point of commonality with those gathered before him.

The forefathers of Sri Lanka’s Indian origin Tamils were men and women of strong will and courage, Mr Modi said. They never gave up. The prevailing generation then encountered “the stiff challenge of making your own mark and identity in a newly independent nation”. But they faced it boldly, he remarked, fighting for their rights peacefully.

The Prime Minister said India would fund the construction of 10,000 houses in the estate sector, in addition to the 4,000 already pledged. The emergency ambulance service will be extended to all provinces. “We will help you overcome the challenges of your past to realize the promise of your future,” he vowed.

Spectators largely welcomed Mr Modi’s visit. There were numerous placards and hoardings displaying his photograph alongside that of President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and incumbent Indian origin Tamil leaders of Sri Lanka. There was strong competition between CWC’s Armugam Thondaman and Palani Digambaram, leader of the National Union of Workers. Some minor scuffles also broke out. “It’s just as well the wine stores are closed in these areas today,” said a local journalist.

“India didn’t know that there were Indian origin Tamils in Sri Lanka,” remarked T. Ravi, a 39-year-old bus conductor who attended the meeting. “They thought Sri Lankan Tamils meant only those of the North and East. But now they know about us and can do something for us also.”

Several of the spectators reiterated that India had paid attention only to the issues of the Tamils of the North and East. Like Mr Ravi, some felt that it was not even known the Indian origin Tamils existed as a unique group in Sri Lanka. But they were also eager to stress that they were citizens born and bred in Sri Lanka.

“We have relatives who returned to India,” said J. Prabhakaran, the 34-year-old deputy principal of Vivekalaya Tamil Vidyalaya. “Those are the ties we have now. No other. We are Sri Lankan citizens. Even when we fill out forms, we put ourselves down as ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ and write ‘Índian origin’ only within brackets.”

“Some are saying that only the Jafffna people are real Tamils because we came only later,” said 31-year-old J R Prasad, deputy principal of Belgravia Tamil Vidyalaya in Talawakelle. “We don’t think like that.”

Mano Ganesan, the only Indian origin Tamil to address the gathering, also emphasised the ties his community now had to Sri Lanka. “The people assembled are the most recent segment that arrived here since 1800s,” he said. “It is why we are considered as the most recent Indian Origins who even identify their root villages in India. But, today, our loyalty to our motherland Sri Lanka is not a divided loyalty.”

But there were broad expectations of further Indian assistance towards their community. “They give our children scholarships,” said one elderly man sweating in the sweltering mid-morning heat. “Could they not help set up a university for our children in these parts? Then they don’t have to undergo difficulties in Jaffna or in Peradeniya.”

After Prime Minister Modi, his Sri Lankan counterpart Mr Wickremesinghe and President Sirisena left the grounds, the vast crowds once again made their way out. They left the grounds strewn with plastic water bottles and crumpled green, orange and white paper hats. And then they walked more than five kilometres to their respective buses which had been barred from parking anywhere nearby.

“We are a bridge between our two nations” – Mano GaneshanIn his speech welcoming the Indian Prime Minister, Minister of National Co-existence, Dialogue and Official Languages, Mano Ganeshan stated that the people assembled to hear him speak were the most recent segment of people to arrive from India in the 1800s.

“But our loyalty to our Motherland Sri Lanka, is not a divided loyalty,” he insisted. “We are in a position of being a bridge between our two nations, and also, we make the relationship between our countries more meaningful,” the Minister opined.

He noted that while most Sri Lankans of recent Indian origin speak Tamil, there were small segments who spoke Malayalam, Telugu, Guajarati and Hindi. A large number also spoke Sinhala.

Alluding to the religious and historical bonds between the two countries, Mr. Ganeshan observed that Buddhists from Sri Lanka go on pilgrimage to Buddha Gaya in India, while Hindus from India visited Sri Lanka on the Rama trail looking for Sita Vanam and the Rama Temple.

He stated that never in the country’s history had Tamils of Indian origin felt as confident, assured and recognised as they did at present. This was because under the National Unity Government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, “this country looks beyond politics and beyond generations.”

CB Annual Report 2016: Bold in critical analysis and proactive in policy recommendations

Monday, 15 May 2017

Release of CB Annual Report 2016

The Monetary Board released its Annual Report on the state of the economy in 2016, commonly known as the Central Bank Annual Report, two weeks ago. The Governor and the senior officers of the bank had in person handed the copies of the report to the three key persons in the administration - the President, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance at three separate meetings. Meeting them personally to hand in the report would have served two purposes.

Need for coming out with a realistic assessment of the state of the economy

One would have been the opportunity the Governor and others got to keep the three key personnel informed of the true state of the economy – a crisis by any standard – at the present juncture. The other would have been to draw their attention to the main policy reforms which the report has recommended for adoption if the Government wishes to come out of the crisis permanently.

In fact, the role of the Monetary Board has been to give this advice to the Government impartially and objectively taking an apolitical stance.

Finance Minister N.M. Perera wanted CB to be impartial and objective

That was the piece of wisdom which the left-wing Minister of Finance, Dr. N.M. Perera or NM, left with the Central Bank senior staff when he addressed them in 1971, according to a report in Ceylon Daily News and reproduced by the bank in its 60th Anniversary Commemorative Volume.

NM is reported to have said that the bank should make “independent reports on economic subjects to the government and not reports (that) merely suit the political complexion of the government in power” and “he would value reports (of the bank) made dispassionately and objectively.”

NM’s wisdom should not be ignored

NM’s wisdom contained in this piece of advice should enlighten all his successors since then as to how they should deal with the Central Bank. Thus, a finance minister with foresight and wisdom should not get offended when the Central Bank makes a critical analysis of the prevailing state of the economy. Indeed, he should welcome such critical analyses since they allow his government to take remedial measures before it becomes too late.

CB should not be a policy owner

The current annual report could be rated as a departure from the annual reports released by the Central Bank in the immediate past few years. Those reports, as this writer had observed in a previous article in this series (available at: http://www.ft.lk/article/382895/To-regain-lost-credibility--Central-Bank-should-act-as--impartial-spectator--and-not-as--policy-owner- ), had analysed the economic situation having taken ownership of the policies implemented by the government. Such analyses made by the bank as an insider of the government had denied it of the opportunity for being an “impartial and an objective critic”. It not only caused to mislead the Government in power but also to misinform the members of the public.

Minister of Finance should respect CB’s role

The Central Bank has been created by society to function as an apolitical institution and not a branch office of the political party in power. It can perform this role only by being an outsider and not an insider.

The government in power, especially the Minister of Finance, should appreciate this role of the bank. There is ample historical evidence in Sri Lanka as well as in other parts of the world that a subservient Central Bank is the main cause of the downfall of the government in power. In the opposite, an independent central bank would help a Government to identify its own follies and take corrective action in time.

AR is a product of a ‘collective brain’

The Annual Report of the Central Bank is a joint production by the economists of its Economic Research Department working on the direction of its Director. They are being supported by all other departments in the bank by supplying data and making analyses of given economic issues.

The work relating to the data collection and analysis starts in about October in every year and goes on till about March of the following year. The preliminary reports prepared by junior economists are vetted and edited by senior staff causing an endless back and forth movement of drafts before they are submitted to the Monetary Board as a final product. Thus, it is not a single brain with a single view that contributes to the production of the annual report. Rather, it is done by a multitude of brains with differing views on economic issues. Hence, all officers in the Economic Research Department should get credit for the success or blame for the failure of the annual report.

A reader can get the gist of the report from the first chapter alone

The first chapter of the report, a preserve of the Director of Economic Research, is in fact an executive summary of what is presented in subsequent chapters plus a run-through of the economic weaknesses and the necessary remedial measures which the Government should take. Hence, if anyone reading only this chapter will enable him to make a realistic grasp of the state of the economy and what action should be taken to remedy the ailments.

A frank admission of the sorry state of the economy

The first chapter in AR 2016 starts with a candid admission of the poor performance of the economy during 2016 on all fronts. Growth has slowed down from 4.8% in 2015 to 4.4% in 2016; per capita income, which has increased in rupee terms from Rs. 522,355 to Rs. 558,363, has fallen in dollar terms from $ 3,843 to $ 3,835 due to the depreciation of the rupee. Inflation, measured in terms of the Colombo Consumers Price Index, has accelerated from 2.2% in 2015 to 4% in 2016; to make matters worse, core inflation which is free from weather or price control effects on food items and, therefore, measures the level of the money aggregate demand is on the increase; though the budget deficit has been contained at 5.4% of GDP in 2016, the central government debt has increased from 78% of GDP in the previous year to 79% of GDP in 2015; exports have declined, trade deficit has expanded and the balance of payments has recorded a deficit for the second consecutive year; the rupee has been under pressure for depreciation, while foreign reserves have declined from $ 7.3 billion at end-2015 to $ 6 billion at end-2016.

Warning to the government: address the deep-rooted structural issues promptly and consistently

All these numbers demonstrate a worsened macroeconomic imbalance in the country which started to show itself up as from around 2012. Based on these findings, the report has given the first warning to the government: address the deep-rooted structural issues if the country is to progress steadily toward a higher growth trajectory.

This higher growth is the attainment of a minimum of an average annual growth of 7% over the next 30-year period as envisaged in the Economic Policy Statement delivered by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe in Parliament in October 2016. If this growth rate could be sustained by Sri Lanka over the next 30 year period, it could increase its national output by about eight times of what it is today and join the rich country club by about 2045.

The report has emphasised that the necessary policy package involves attracting foreign direct investments, boosting local investments and joining global production networks. This policy package, says the report, should be started swiftly and implemented with consistency. These recommendations fall in line with what this writer recommended in a previous article published in this series just before the onset of the current year (available at: http://www.ft.lk/article/587456/Economy-2017--The-alarming-signs-should-not-be-ignored).

Admission of the folly of abolishing ‘direct placement system’

A very bold feature in the Annual Report 2016 is the admission by the Monetary Board, for the first time, that abolition of the direct placement system by the bank in February 2015 has had a deleterious effect on its ability to manage interest rates on government securities in the two years that followed.

Says the annual report: “The impact of replacing the mixed system of auctions and direct placements to raise funds for the Government with a purely auction based system where direct placement of Treasury bills were made only with the Central Bank, also contributed to the increase in interest rates on government securities (pp 15-6).”

An unintended consequence of the abolition of the direct placement system, according to the CB annual report, has been the elevation of the whole interest rate structure in the financial system. Thus, the cost has been borne not only by the Government but also by the private sector.

Past Monetary Boards justified the abolition of direct placement system

When this writer made the same observation in a previous article in the series (available at: http://www.ft.lk/article/553934/Direct-sale-of-government-securities--Demon-or-servant-), the Monetary Board which functioned under a different Governor hotly disputed this writer even to the extent of making personal remarks.

In a statement, the Monetary Board said: “Wijewardena, during his tenure as Deputy Governor, introduced the so called private/direct placement window for issuance of government securities in 2008 by justifying it to the Monetary Board in view of circumstances of unwarranted increase in interest rates on government securities prevailing at that time.”

This was a gross misrepresentation of the facts since direct placements were started not in 2008 but in 1997 when the primary dealer system was introduced. Hence, it is heartening that the CB annual report for 2016 has put the record straight even at this last stage.

Realistic medium-term growth projection

The medium-term growth prospects have been revised downward to a more realistic projection by the bank in the annual report for 2016. Even as late as January 2017, the bank had entertained the high hope of the economy bouncing back to the preferred growth of 7% by 2018. This was quite contrary to what the IMF and ADB had projected for the country. Now in the annual report for 2016, which has been prepared in March 2017, the bank has made a slower recovery projection for the country in which the 7% growth target has been postponed to 2020. This will not happen automatically but through explicit corrective action to be introduced by the Government without delay. A set of such policy measures has also been recommended in the annual report for 2016.

Policies that are needed

The report has emphasised that the attainment of the medium-term growth path is contingent on addressing the deep-rooted structural issues that has prevented the country from making headway in the growth fronts in the past. It has said that both monetary policy and fiscal policy should work hand-in-hand in a supportive manner to attain this goal.

Poor performance of export sector

Sri Lanka’s exports have been performing poorly since around 2005 and the blame had always been placed on the sluggish demand for them from foreigners. While not discounting this also as a reason, this year’s annual report has drawn attention to the failure of the country to convert its export industry from simple technology to complex technology. This was a point made by this writer in a number of previous articles in this series which was not taken into account by the authorities concerned. The annual report for 2016 has the following remark to make: “Producing more complex, high value added and more technologically intensive products, while integrating with regional and global production networks would act as a catalyst in Sri Lanka’s transition toward becoming an export oriented economy.”

Get FDIs and join global supply chains

The key to this strategy is getting FDIs of worth and joining the global value chains. This has been further elaborated in a long box article under the title ‘National Strategy towards Export Promotions’ from pages 155 to 159. Having highlighted the outperformance of Sri Lanka by neighbouring countries, the box article has focussed on areas where immediate attention should be paid by the country.

A realistic exchange rate is a must

They include the need for adopting a proper exchange rate policy in which the real effective exchange rate is maintained at a stable level over the years by allowing the currency to depreciate according to changes in the country’s inflation rate over that of trading partners.

Then, maintaining the inflation rate at the proper level will depend on adopting appropriate monetary policy by the Central Bank and a budget that is sustainable in the long run by the Minister of Finance. This calls for close collaboration, cooperation and joint complementary action by both the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank.

Finance Minister’s public outbursts need to be restrained

This is where it is evident, according to public outbursts by the Minister of Finance, that there is a major policy dispute between the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance. It is absolutely necessary for the Prime Minister, who is now in charge of the whole economic policy of the government as well as the Central Bank, to see that such unproductive public outbursts do not take place. They may be pleasing to the local voter base but would not be taken kindly by the international community to which it matters.

R&D should be followed by entrepreneurial innovations

The other policies suggested are the need for continuing with a liberalised foreign policy to facilitate trade, allowing greater trade openness to enable export growth and diversification of the product mix, improvements in logistics such as development of export hubs and infrastructure, promoting research and development and innovation, and attracting worthy FDIs to get technology as well as a place in the global supply chain.

These policies are prerequisites for Sri Lanka to attain a high economic growth on a continuous basis and should not be ignored by the Government.

On balance, the annual report of the Central Bank for 2016 is instructional to the Government especially to the Minister of Finance. Since it is written in technical language, it may be useful if it is explained para by para in simple language to all Parliamentarians.

(W.A. Wijewardena, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, can be reached at waw1949@gmail.com).

FCID expedites probe against Dilan Perera

May 14, 2017

The FCID has all of a sudden expedited investigations against higher education and highways state minister Dilan Perera, reports say. A related probe into affairs of the Bureau of Foreign Employment during the previous regime was shelved recently.

The resumption of the investigations follows Perera’s having criticized actions of the ‘Yahapaalana’ government. The matter was discussed at the last cabinet meeting too. The president said it was surprising that mega deals during the previous regime had been covered up, while probes into SLFP MPs supporting the government have suddenly resumed.

The president aired similar sentiments when the vehicle misuse accusation against state minister A.H.M. was investigated. He is of the stand that MPs supporting the government should not be investigated.

Comfort Of Delusion Preferred To Bitterness Of Truth

By Sarath de Alwis –May 11, 2017

Sarath de Alwis

This essay is about learned beings, who seek solace and refuge in the comfort of delusion, for they cannot confront the cruel truth. In his essay ‘What is this fuss over crowds’ Mr. Shyamon Jayasinghe an argumentative but a very learned man and a Trotskyite to boot in his days at Peradeniya blames me for calling an impressive gathering of people a crowd. In his logic crowds attend UNP rallies.

He begins his indictment with an unreasonable twist of reason. “Can any rational bystander make any sense about these cries of “Hurrah? We are winning!” while pointing out to relative crowd strengths at political meetings? To begin with there were no Hurrahs in my public musings of May Day. It is time he is exposed to a counter statement, a refutation of his make-believe fantasies. Mr. Shyamon Jayasinghe a proud product of the University of Ceylon – Peradeniya and a public servant of reasonable repute. Now, he carries a pouch full of prejudice and leaps far and wide with illogical reasoning. He is now domiciled in Australia. His admonitions are similar to the mama Kangaroo who threatens the young one in her pouch ‘now be quiet or I will come in there!’ Getting in to his own pouch seem to be his current concern.

What is the responsibility of the intelligentsia? Making truth conspicuous by exposing lies is the responsibility of the intelligentsia. Chastising charlatanry is the responsibility of the intelligentsia.

Mr. Jayasinghe is not alone. Several others like him were offended by my earlier commentary that was published immediately after May Day under the title In Imminent Immediate Distress May Day! May Day! Being wise after the fact, it seems that I should have been more specific and said May Day! May Day! Our Nation is in distress.

Are we to pretend Ostrich like, that Galle Face did not fill up on 1st May 2017? It did fill up and it appeared to be full. It was due to good organization. After the performance on May Day, several retired military types with declared allegiances to Gotabaya were heard exulting on a job well done – ‘Kohomada Apey Wadey?

A good part of the crowd was brought to Galle Face. Another good part of the crowd went to Galle Face not because they enjoyed getting baked in the hot sun but because they were sick of being chilled in the cold comfort of undelivered good governance.

Mr. Jayasinghe laments “Just imagine well-known writer Sarath de Alwis writing to the Colombo Telegraph pointing to the conclusion that “Mahinda is returning,” after looking at the Galle Face attendance last May Day.

What did Sarath de Alwis write about the last May Day crowds?

He said “Mahinda and his Joint opposition had the biggest, largest and positively preponderant collection of people…… Now should Sarath de Alwis choose his adjectives to suit some commentator busybody in Australia?

Sarath de Alwis continued “The SLFP filled a pitcher at Getambe. The UNP filled a jug at Campbell Park. In Galle Face the joint opposition filled a far larger receptacle a bucket nay a barrel, proving that Mahinda is the master of politics of emotion.”

Mr. Jayasingnhe’s problem is that the success at Galle Face was an unmitigated disaster for Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe who just a few days earlier was taunting the joint opposition to demonstrate their public support.

Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe declared his democratic credentials by announcing that he was prepared to allocate the largest expanse of free public space in metropolitan Colombo to the joint opposition under Mahinda Rajapaksa. He did so expecting Mahinda to fall short. That did not happen.

Ranil , being the prudent politician that he is, has wisely avoided the subject of comparative crowds. Yet, in the process, he has put the Consensus President in a bind. The official SLFP has got an object lesson in Mahinda mystique. So much so, that both factions now claim that Getambe plus Galle Face should be the logical way forward.

Being a student of Philosophy Mr. Jayasinghe should be familiar with Aristotle on the subject of what is truth. “To say of what is that it is, or of what is not that it is not, is true.”

Facts on ground at Galle Face on 1st May 2017 seen, experienced and then reported visually was proof of “what it was. Facts on ground in Campbell park and In Getambe –Kandy seen, experienced and reported visually was equally proof of what they were not – as large as it was in Galle Face.

Just as Mr. Jayasinghe , I too am disconcerted with that outcome. I have no desire to return to those days of guided democracy and open kleptocracy.

Yet that reluctance should not catapult me to a world of fantasy. I will not obstruct Mr. Jayasinghe withdrawing to the world that was explored by Lewis Carrol in ‘Through the Looking Glass.’ “Contrariwise,’ continued Tweedledee, ‘if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.”

This writer is grateful to Mr. Jayasinghe for precipitating this discussion. The current government that was installed by a miraculous coalition. The oppressed ethnic and ethno religious minorities [who made the difference] and nearly half the majority community who wished to breath freedom combined to elect President Sirisena. Half the present Cabinet wanted to retain Mahinda. If Susil Premjayanth and Anura Priyasharshan Yapa sided with President Sirisena after 8th January 2015 the SLFP story would have been different. What Galle Face and Gatrmbe demonstrated was that hunting with the hound and running with the hare is not only possible but indeed is demonstrably feasible.

By Myat Moe Khaing-May 14, 2017, 9:21 pm

I am one of those people who will walk ten steps away as soon as someone lights a cigarette. The smoke causes me headache and at times even nausea. But things are worse for those at the other end of the smoke, especially those who are trying to quit smoking. Our genuine concern for them and that we will support them regardless of whether they choose to continue smoking or not are the first messages that need to be conveyed. There is no best way to quit smoking. While they're struggling with it, we, as friends, can come in handy with the right information and support.

WHY YOU? A friend of mine once let me know of his decision to quit smoking. He seemed nervous. All that he wanted was help, though it was not clear what exactly he expected me to do. However, being reached out to made me feel closer to him. It is important to understand the kind of friendship you have with them that helps you set your boundaries.

WHY THEM? The reasons to quit smoking vary from person to person. Maybe it's the health concern or maybe the idea of having a limit to an addiction. Or maybe, it's an emotional thing. If someone tells you "I'm thinking of quitting smoking", embrace the idea with zero judgement.

If you are an ex-smoker, you can draw from your own experience of quitting. Ask your friend to write down the reasons why he/she wants to quit smoking. This helps them contemplate their decision. If they decide that they are not yet ready to give up smoking, it is really important to respect their decision. Assure them of your help and support when they decide that they are ready to try. However, they must quit smoking for themselves; they cannot do it for us. Otherwise, a sense of self-deprivation is created, which grows with each challenge and guarantees defeat.

GETTING STARTED It is important to set a date to give up smoking. How else can we celebrate anniversaries of our right decisions? Encourage them to pick a date when they are not under too much pressure, and it is really important that they stick to the date! A smoking diary can document the plan to quit. This will help the smoker to become aware of their smoking habit by identifying when and where they most feel like smoking. It can be the basis of how to go through those times without smoking.

ACTUALLY QUITTING

The drill is to take one day at a time. Essentials need to be ticked off the list. Regular exercise, plenty of sleep and improved food habit are a must. While you encourage your friends, arrange your social activities at places where they can't smoke; lighters and ashtrays better be out of the way. Ask how they are feeling, not just whether they have managed to quit.

Playing sports, taking a walk, playing with puppies are all good distractions. Put together a "quitting kit" with a few items, such as chewing gum. Some triggers and cravings are unavoidable. Help your friend or family member prepare by thinking of ways to distract themselves until the craving passes. Most cravings only last a few minutes, so making a short phone call or finding a task to keep them busy might be enough.

LECTURES ARE BORING Smokers are as aware of health risks associated with smoking just as we are, if not more. Reminding them of what smoking is doing to their body might even make them feel that we are judging them. Lectures, nagging, and scolding will not help your friend to quit smoking.

Counting the number of cigarettes they smoked can be stressful for them. It's normal to have a bigger appetite from withdrawal. Often nicotine withdrawals make a person moody. Supporting someone who is trying to quit smoking can be frustrating and exhausting. It's important to not let their moods affect you personally. Saying it was easier to put up with their moods when they were smoking can ruin every effort made so far. Instead, suggest sitcoms and games to uplift their mood.

CELEBRATE SUCCESSES, BIG AND SMALL Staying smoke-free for one day, one week, or one year are all reasons to celebrate. So are throwing out all of the ashtrays in the house, ditching any reminder of cigarettes, and passing on an after-dinner cigarette. A compliment on how they look can go a long way.

BE EASY The challenges of quitting smoking don't end when a person puts down their last cigarette. While the worst of it will have passed in the first few weeks, they may let their guard down after a while. That's when the cravings may rear up to cause them to slip back once more. Be sure to stay in contact with your friend and find out how they are coping with quitting. When smokers go back to smoking while trying to quit, it is called "relapse". In that case, think of it as practice for the next time. We can always praise them for trying to quit, "You didn't smoke for two weeks. Now you know you can do that; you can get even further next time."

When/if your friend or family member slips at some point and smokes a cigarette, they will likely feel guilty. Taking a puff or two is pretty common when a person is trying to quit. Help them come up with a plan for dealing with the craving if it happens again.

Quitting smoking is about them, not you. This is their life choice and their challenge, not yours. Quitting is NOT an easy process. Supporting someone on that journey is not easy either, but it can make things less difficult.

Above the Law: Israel’s Non-implementation of UN Resolutions on Occupied Palestine

May 4, 2017

Half a century has elapsed since Israel established its brutal occupation of Palestine, and almost seven decades have passed since the 1948 Palestinian Nakba, which constitutes the beginning of discrimination, dispossession and displacement for Palestinians and their persistent suffering. Since then, the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people have figured prominently on the United Nations (UN) agenda. Nonetheless, the plight of the Palestinians continues.

Read: US to end UN’s ‘obsession with Israel’

In the light of this, Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) has commissioned a report – “Above the Law: Israel’s Non-Implementation of UN Resolutions”. The report assesses Israel’s implementation of resolutions concerning Palestine and Palestinian rights adopted by the main UN bodies – the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and ECOSOC – from 1948 to 2017. The 330 page study builds on assessment by UN experts, governments and civil society actors, and draws on field observations in Palestine. It focuses on six selected thematic areas, which are periodically addressed in UN resolutions:

Palestinians’ right to self-determination
Legal, geographic and demographic status of Occupied Palestine
Palestinian refugees and displaced persons
Governance, natural resources and economy
Militarisation and military operations
Palestinians’ human rights

The main finding of the study is that Israel has blatantly disregarded all UN resolutions criticising its illegal activities and their dire consequences for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people since 1948. The study also finds that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is intricately linked with its apartheid system. Israel’s distinction between Jewish nationality and the “citizenship” or “residence” statuses of Palestinians forms the basis for discrimination against Palestinians. This system is also interlinked with Israel’s increasingly anti-democratic policies and practices targeting political opponents, including Jewish Israeli dissidents.

The right to self-determination

The report shows that the groundwork for Israel’s illegal policies and practices characteristic of colonialism and apartheid was laid almost seven decades ago, with the 1948 Nakba. Overriding the partition resolution, Israel had extended its borders beyond the UN-designated partition lines and annexed West Jerusalem, which had been envisaged as a city under an international regime. After having imposed its military occupation on the remaining territory of Palestine in 1967, Israel furthered administrative and legislative measures aimed at establishing permanent control over occupied Palestine, notably through its settlement policy. In recent years, Israel has taken actions subverting Palestinian self-determination in retaliation for explicit recognition of this right by the international community.

Legal, geographic and demographic status

Pursuant to its establishment in 1948, Israel was quick to develop the legislative framework for the expropriation of Palestinian land and property for the sake of Jewish settlement – first within Israel and from 1967 onwards in occupied Palestine – in an effort to alter the character, status and demography of historic Palestine illegally. On grounds of discriminatory domestic property laws, military orders and an apartheid zoning and planning regime, Israel has unabatedly confiscated Palestinian land and expropriated or demolished Palestinian property inside Israel and in occupied Palestine to construct and consolidate illegal Jewish settlements. These measures run counter to innumerable UN resolutions determining that Israel’s construction of settlements has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace. Rather than constituting a novel policy, Israel’s retroactive “legalisation” of outposts hitherto considered illegal even under Israeli law, which allow for the expropriation of private Palestinian land, is a continuation of longstanding violations.

Read: Dismissing Israel apartheid report is abuse of power

The settlement policy, in conjunction with the erection of physical obstacles, undermines the contiguity of Palestine and fragments Palestinian communities in small disconnected enclaves controlled by the Occupying Power and surrounded by massive Israeli settlement blocs, walls, checkpoints and vast security zones and roads for the exclusive benefit of Israeli settlers. Appeals by the international community, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ), dissolved into thin air in the face of Israel’s unabashed settlement and Wall construction, which deepened the fragmentation of Palestinian land and tore families apart.

The report, moreover, reveals how Israeli activities since 1948 have eroded the traditional status of Jerusalem as the centre of Palestinian political, cultural and social life and continue to subvert the future status of East Jerusalem as capital of a Palestinian state.

Refugees and displaced persons

Notwithstanding landmark General Assembly resolution 194 (III) of 11 December 1948 and Security Council resolution 237 of 14 June 1967, as well as innumerable related resolutions, Israel persists in its denial of the rights of Palestinian refugees and displaced persons, particularly their right of return. In the absence of a just solution, many face immense suffering and deplorable conditions under occupation and in exile marked by vulnerability, dispossession and perilous socioeconomic situations. Israel’s population transfer and recurrent military operations result in incessant displacement among the Palestinian population, for which accountability and compensation remain absent.

Governance, natural resources and the economy

A further thematic area of UN resolutions whose implementation is assessed is Israel’s interference with or obstruction of Palestinian governance, economy, social development and infrastructure, which violate Palestinian political, social and economic rights.

Governance: After 1967, Israeli military forces attacked, detained or deported Palestinian politicians and attacked or closed down government institutions. The Oslo Accords entrenched the political occupation because the Palestinian Authority became dependent on Israeli funding and bound by the provisions of the agreement. Until today, Israel continues to interfere in Palestinian governance through, inter alia, the withholding of funds, the prevention of development projects, the closing down of institutions and offices, the curbing of political activity and the restriction on movement of Palestinian government officials.

Natural resources: The discriminatory system of control over Palestinian resources lies at the heart of Israel’s exploitation of Palestinian natural resources for the benefit of the Israeli economy and population, including settlers. Israel’s closure policy and movement restrictions further obstruct Palestinians’ use of their own natural resources.

Economy, social development and infrastructure: Israel lost no time in gearing the Palestinian economy towards Israeli interests. Under the 1994 Paris Protocol, Palestinian economic dependency on the Occupying Power became entrenched. Israeli restriction on the movement of people and goods, rigorous sanctions, the discriminatory zoning and planning regime, military actions and the suffocating blockade on Gaza have devastated the Palestinian economy and caused lasting socioeconomic hardship as well as a protracted humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Militarisation and military operations

The continued refusal of Israel to apply the Fourth Geneva Convention since 1967 created a situation in which a defenceless civilian population faces a vast and powerful military sustained financially by the Israeli state and supported by the Israeli government on a daily basis. Israel persists in its prolonged military occupation and frequent devastating operations, particularly in Gaza, marked by excessive use of force affecting Palestinian civilians disproportionately. These cause unquantifiable loss and suffering, further deprive the Palestinian people of a dignified life and deepen despair.

Human rights

The widespread violations by Israel against the Palestinian people constitute the longest outstanding, serious human rights issues on the UN agenda. Regardless of repeated appeals by the international community since 1967 to apply its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law in occupied Palestine, Israel has entrenched its deliberate, organised and institutionalised violations of Palestinians’ human rights, which have been criticised regularly in UN resolutions:

The use of excessive and often lethal force by Israeli occupying forces and the failure to prevent settler violence violate Palestinians’ fundamental right to life.
Israel continues to conduct large-scale arbitrary arrests and detention under untenable conditions of imprisonment and under the use of torture, to impose collective punishment, most deplorably in the form of its blockade on the entire population of Gaza, and to displace and deport Palestinians forcibly.
The Occupying Power arbitrarily and violently interferes with the right to property by destroying homes and vital infrastructure on the basis of discriminatory laws, military orders and an apartheid zoning and planning scheme.
Severely infringing on Palestinian freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and the right to participate in public and political life, Israel, inter alia, closes down institutions, disperses peaceful protests violently and arrests human rights defenders.
Israel limits Palestinians’ right to education, inter alia, through restrictions on school development, demolitions and closing down of educational institutions, movement restrictions, military raids and settler violence.
Restricting freedom of movement, Israel imposes curfews on entire areas and has constructed and maintains the Wall, the system of checkpoints and other physical obstacles and the associated permit regime.
Undermining the right to residence and family life, Israel enacts discriminatory laws governing entry and residence as well as family reunification, and perpetuates practices that discriminate against the Palestinian population, inter alia, the denial and revocation of residency statuses.
The Occupying Power, furthermore, violates the freedom of religion and worship, notably through access restrictions and “archaeological excavations” imperilling the maintenance of Holy Places. Frequent incursions, provocations and incitement by government officials, religious leaders, occupying forces and extremist settlers violate the historic status quo and sanctity of Holy Sites.
Through its policies and practices, Israel deprives Palestinians of the right to an adequate standard of living. Its actions imperil livelihoods, heighten poverty and food insecurity, deny Palestinians social services, restrict access quality medical care and have hurled Gaza into an entrenched humanitarian crisis.

General assessment

While Israel has continued to defy international law and human rights law with utmost impunity throughout almost seven decades, Palestinians see their inalienable rights disintegrate in the face of prolonged occupation, asymmetrical warfare, power politics and political expediency. The unrelenting efforts by several UN Member States to introduce necessary forcible measures under UN Charter Chapter VII through the Security Council to force Israel to comply with its international obligations have been blocked repeatedly by the veto of the United States.

The report concludes that the only way to end violations in the region is to dismember the brutal system of occupation. The liberation of Palestinians from the shackles of occupation and apartheid and the dissolution of discrimination against ethnic and increasingly political minorities within Israel would give way to real democracy and just peace in the region. To finally achieve this aim, all actors who are genuinely concerned about human rights and peace must act as a united front to bring to an end an inhumane system that threatens the humanity of, and justice for, all of us.

~Guest Writer, Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency

Cage director risks prison over refusal to disclose password to police

Muhammad Rabbani says he was subjected to 'digital strip search' during Schedule 7 airport stop in which his laptop and phone were confiscated

Muhammad Rabbani says he has been subjected to Schedule 7 questioning more than 20 times (MEE/Osha Al-Mossallami)

Simon Hooper-Osha Al-Mossallami-Sunday 14 May 2017

The director of a British human rights group says he is facing a possible prison sentence for refusing to disclose passwords for his phone and laptop when he was stopped and questioned by police at Heathrow Airport last year.

Muhammad Rabbani, the international director of Cage, was arrested by counter-terrorism officers on 20 November following a 'Schedule 7' examination which took place on his return to the UK from a trip abroad.

Rabbani told Middle East Eye he had declined to share his passwords because of client confidentiality relating to the case of a torture survivor which he had been investigating.

He said he felt he had been subjected to a “digital strip search” despite being told by police that he had “nothing to worry about” and was not suspected of any wrongdoing.

Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act allows police and immigration officials to detain and question any person passing through border controls at ports and airports for the purposes of determining whether they are involved in terrorism.

No suspicion of involvement in criminal activity or warrant is required, and failing to answer questions or cooperate is a criminal offence.

“Passwords have become very personal intimate things. Although they are only a few letters they are actually like the key to the front door of your house,” said Rabbani.

“With a password you can enter into a person's life. Everything is digitised these days, sometimes going back years and years. So when that is violated and you are forced to surrender a password without reason or suspicion, that really feels like a digital strip search.”

Rabbani said he was questioned for three-and-a-half hours at Heathrow airport before being arrested and handcuffed and taken to a police station. He was released on bail nine hours later but his phone, laptop and a USB stick were confiscated and remain in police possession.

He will learn this week whether prosecutors plan to press charges carrying a possible three-month prison term.

Rabbani said he had been stopped for questioning under Schedule 7 powers more than 20 times but had never previously been arrested. On other occasions police had “acted with discretion”, he said, when he had failed to divulge passwords and not pursued the matter.

“I have never been arrested before. I don't have any criminal convictions so that was something quite difficult to be put in handcuffs, to be taken by police officers through the airport. I asked them, 'Do I need to be in handcuffs?' They were not suggesting that I had done anything violent. All of that is disturbing because I don't think I've done anything wrong.”

Under Schedule 7 powers, police can access and download travellers' electronic devices and collect biometric data such as DNA samples and fingerprints.

A leaflet handed over to people subjected to Schedule 7 questioning says that police officers have the right to request passwords and log-in details and warns that failing to comply with any requests “could result in a prison sentence, a fine, or both”.

Civil liberties and human rights groups including Cage have long raised concerns that Schedule 7 powers are being used as a means of intelligence gathering and are discriminatory against ethnic minorities.

More than 28,000 people were subjected to Schedule 7 examinations in 2015-16 resulting in about 10,000 intelligence reports being filed, according to a report by the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation.

About 500,000 are also estimated to have been subjected to pre-examination screening questions in the same period.

According to 2016 statistics, only 0.02 percent of stops lead to an arrest. An even smaller number lead to criminal charges.

Rabbani told Middle East Eye that the devices seized contained sensitive information relating to an investigation that Cage is undertaking into allegations of the involvement of a western government in the torture of a detainee.

“The result has been interference into an ongoing investigation. My devices are gone. Some of the information that I needed and wanted to use has gone," he said.

"I don't think it's sensible or anyone would agree with government interference in the work of an independent NGO seeking redress for a torture victim.”

Police use of Schedule 7 powers was previously subjected to scrutiny in 2013 when David Miranda, the partner of investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, was stopped at Heathrow while carrying electronic files relating to documents leaked by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden.

A court of appeal judgment in that case ruled that the use of Schedule 7 powers in respect of journalistic information or material was incompatible with rights of freedom of expression.

“The Miranda case ruled that there needs to be some sense of proportion and police need to behave sensibly,” said Rabbani.

“If you a doctor, if you a lawyer, if you are a journalist, in any profession where you are dealing with members of the public you have a duty of care to protect clients' confidential information. The implications of this power are far wider. They do come up against important values for an open society."

London-based Cage, whose directors also include former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg, describes itself as an “independent advocacy organisation working to empower communities impacted by the War on Terror”.

REVEALED: Moazzam Begg used as case study in Prevent training

The organisation has been the target of past attacks by the British government and its supporters, notably after revealing in 2015 that a British citizen, Mohammed Emwazi, who had appeared in Islamic State (IS) group execution videos, had approached it years before to complain that he was being harassed by the British security services.

Then-prime minister David Cameron singled Cage out for criticism in a speech in the same year in which he pledged to tackle the “poison” of Islamist extremism.

The United Kingdom is considered to have some of the most invasive surveillance powers among western nations.

Data-collecting powers granted to intelligence agencies by last year's Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) were described by Jim Killock, the executive director of the Open Rights Group, as “a surveillance law that is more suited to a dictatorship than a democracy”.

But Killock told MEE that powers to demand passwords under RIPA at least required suspicion and an investigation, whereas Schedule 7 allowed for “entirely speculative demands” for the same information to be made.

"Handing over a password means giving access to a whole device and with it our entire digital lives. People should only be compelled to hand over their password if a warrant has been issued because there is a specific reason to suspect them of wrongdoing,” said Killock.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a 35-year-old man had been stopped and subsequently arrested under Schedule 7 powers on 20 November 2016. It said it not be appropriate to discuss details of an ongoing investigation.