Sri Lanka parties scramble to form all party govt
by MEERA SRINIVASAN
Rajapaksas’ parliamentary majority, public anger with political class complicates exercise
Political parties in Sri Lanka are scrambling to form an all-party government, a day after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe pledged to resign in the wake of historic citizens’ protest.
Sri Lankans are living through a harrowing economic collapse, where anti-government protests persisted for three months over the government’s failure to address or arrest the long-simmering crisis.
In a culmination of people’s agitations spanning months, massive crowds on Saturday thronged Colombo’s seafront, where anti-government protests persisted for three months over the government’s failure to arrest or address the long-simmering crisis.
Demonstrators stormed the Presidential palace, Secretariat, and the official residence of the Prime Minister, and occupied the country’s seats of power, in a rare display of public fury. Arsonists also torched Mr. Wickremesinghe’s private home.
The escalation of citizens’ anger pushed the top two leaders to agree to step down, although neither has formally handed in his resignation. Mr. Gotabaya has informed the Speaker that he would step down on July 13. Five Cabinet Ministers have announced their resignation since.
The Hindu for more
The dirty dozen
by HELASINGHA BANDARA
The world has moved away from blindly worshipping a piece of cloth. Yes, there were times when people worshipped nature. That era is gone.
Let us skip our characteristic small talk at the beginning of this discourse and meet the dirty dozen straight away.
1.Chamal Rajapaksha- the codger, 2. Mahinda Rajapaksha-the wolf king, 3. Gotabhaya Rajapaksha- the balloon, 4. Basil Rajapaksha-the seven headed Hydra, 5. Namal Rajapaksha- the young pretender, 6. Ranil Wickremasinghe – the shameless, 7.Maithreepala Sirisena- the betrayer, 8.Wimal Weerawansa-the fake nationalist, 9.wasudeva Nanayakkara- the socialist turned capitalist, 10.Udaya Gammanpila- the smiling hyena, 11. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara thero- the paradox , 12. Magalkande Sudaththa thero-the loudspeaker.
None of the above people hold the country or its struggling ordinary people close to their hearts and minds. Everyone in the country should know, in no uncertain terms, that their agenda is to hold on to power, accumulate wealth and develop their kith and kin. It is imperative that all Sri Lankans understand this ultimate truth if they hope to secure a country for the future generations. Every sensible person in the country should therefore conclude that those people are unfit to hold public office and govern for the people of the country as they do not put their fingers on the pulse of the nation. Their hearts do not beat for the welfare of the people, but for their own luxury, comfort, and selfish endeavours. They have no space left in their heads to think about proper governance, law and order or welfare of the people, as their heads are constantly full of thoughts to invent new lies to keep deceiving the public. Sadly, a section of the public is deceived by such lies time and again.
1. Chamal the codger
Nearing 80, Chamal has long passed the retirement age. The dotage combined with low level education has made him indifferent to the tragedy of Sri Lanka and its people. His immaturity, despite natural aging was manifested when he challenged Sarath Fonseka to a fist fight. He has been an ardent supporter of family rule and has immensely contributed to dynasty building and the trampling of the poor people. Thissa wewa mud project is one glowing example of Chamal’s racketeering.
2. Mahinda the wolf King
Mahinda is better described as a wolf king than a lion king. The lion protects the pride, contributes to a difficult hunt to bring down a larger prey and shares the meat albeit claiming a lion’s share, and is a brave fighter and a dignified animal whereas wolf is cunning, deceitful and in most instances a scavenger.
The common acknowledgment is that Mahinda has not been far-sighted and intelligent but petty-minded and cunning. Mahinda had the best opportunity to change Sri Lanka for the better. He failed to understand the value of the historic moment and to get his name into history books. Vision, innovation, and creativity were alien concepts to him, and he was blinded by a hunger for power, personal wealth accumulation and nepotism that resulted him dragging himself and the country with him into the deepest abyss. He entirely failed to learn from the lesson that the people taught him in 2015 and continued with the same despotic rule with the same humbugs being oblivious to the devastation that his cronies caused upon the country and its hard-working poor masses. He was accused of many financial frauds although the UNP government was not knowledgeable or capable of discovering where people hide black money. The international community has now opened doors through the Pandora papers where to look. The papers highlighted one of the Rajapakshas from Sri Lanka. Hirunica Premachandra alleged that the money hidden by Nirupama is enough for 800 years even if she spent 100000 Rupees per day. That is not hard-earned money!
3. Gotabhaya the balloon
A balloon has a pretty exterior but empty interior. Gotabhaya was a balloon inflated to be exhibited. Although Mahinda and Gotabhaya stole the entire credit for winning the war and advertised at the post-war political campaigns, their contribution was limited to approving funds for the war. He was not a brave soldier who fought at the battle front, nor was he a military strategist that led the forces to victory. He was just Mahinda’s cat’s paw to replace him when Mahinda could not contest for a third term. Gotabhaya does not have the education or experience at the required level nor has he the intelligence and skills to rule the country other than his warped image as a military person who could rid the country of corruption and malpractices and establish the rule of law.
The public were stunned to find out that Gotabhaya is uncharismatic and could have no control over his colleagues. When people realised that the image of a disciplined, straight forward and no hanky-panky leader who would demolish the underworld to create a peaceful Lanka without drugs and crimes, maintain the same law for all irrespective of their caste, creed, social status, or political affiliation, cleanse the parliament and governing apparatus of corruption and enable absolute efficiency, was just a deception, it was far too late to rectify the calamity.
4. Basil the seven-headed Hydra
Basil’s image as a brilliant brain has not been substantiated. After the defeat of Mahinda at the 2015 election, power was transferred to two selfish, backbiting, and incompetent imbeciles. This was a fertile ground for anyone to grow seeds of deception. The Easter bombing made matters worse and the public thought that the country needed a military leader to stop the re-emergence of terrorism. Among the contestants Gotabhaya fitted the bill well with his pre-portrayed illusionary image, and the people elected him with an overwhelming majority. It was not a miracle that Basil performed at all. Rejecting the image of a genius, I would like to portray him as a seven headed Hydra.
“Hydra had poisonous breath and blood so virulent that even its scent was deadly. The Hydra possessed many heads, the exact number of which varies according to the source. Later versions of the Hydra story add a regeneration feature to the monster: for every head chopped off, the Hydra would regrow two heads”.
Basil has no sincerity in his inner nature. People should be blind and mad not to recognise that all Basil led political manoeuvres through 2/3 majority and the 20th amendment etc. were to pave the way for his own trajectory to the political fray. Will such a person bear the welfare of the poor in the forefront of his head or rather the seven heads or will he continue to breath out poisonous breath and blood and grow more heads in the place of chopped ones?
5.Namal the young pretender
Sri Lanka Gaurdian for more (October 31, 2021 article)