Srisena Shift, Maithri-Mahinda Moment? – Recomposing The MS-MR-RW-CBK Equation
Posted on July 13th, 2015
Vichara Bandara
In an attempt to supplement the very proficient analysis by Dayan J., of the complex relationship of the above mentioned fearsome foursome, I like to add the another aspect of the relationship which is the conflict of culture between MS and RW.
RW and CBK are from a decadent urban background and with strong family influence perhaps with an evangelical bent and with many common interests. In fact RW boasts that they were playmates in childhood.
MS and MR have deep rural roots. Their political ideologies social outlooks are congruent. Whereas MS had been a militant left winger in his youth and has been a liberal socialist. RW and CBK are western oriented and have little religious upbringing whereas MS and MR are wary of the West and is a strong Buddhist.
There is a Sinhala verse which says ‘’Ya deka noratha ratha, Samaga Ekweemek natha.” Which means that a cold piece of iron does not fuse with a hot iron. The contrived relationship between MS and RW which was brought about by the not too honest broker CBK was a forced liaison between two persons of contrasting cultural backgrounds. It was essentially a liaison between a rustic Sinhala speaking peasant and an English eduacated, suave urbane mahaththaya’ who was blatantly manipulative. It could not have lasted very long.
MS, who was peeved with the denial of the premiership and alleged obstruction from Basil R over his pet projects, was an easy prey for the scheming RW and CBK. RW wanted a convenient cat’s paw and CBK had been holding a long term grudge to settle against MR. This was a golden opportunity to get even. CBK and RW were also key players in the Western game of evil, of Regime Change. The two objectives coincided perfectly.
It was a matter of time when the peasant who was gifted with a keen native wisdom and in the terms of Premadasa ‘hondata themparadu wechcha realized the malevolent intentions of the urbane mahaththaya’ and the scheming broker.
Early signs of controversy surfaced in the implementation of the Manifesto and the 100 Day Work Programme. While the Manifesto was the sacred text of MS, the 100 Day Programme was the grand strategy of RW.
In the MS Manifesto it was envisaged that the 100 Day Programme will be implemented through a National government comprising the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the United National Party, Jatika Hela Urumaya and people’s representatives all other political parties.
Note that Sri Lanka Freedom Party had the pride of place of being cited first as a participants of the National Govt. What really happened was when in accordance with the election promise RW was made the Prime Minister, he formed his government primarily with the members of the UNP. A few unimportant Ministries were offered to the SLFP to call it a National Government.
In the all important Chapter of the Way Forward” the MS Manifesto indicated the implementation of three key changes i.e.
a)abolition of the Executive Presidential System with unlimited power;
b)amending the electoral system;
c)abolition of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution and replace it with the establishment of independent Commissions.
In the implementation of the promise to abolish the Executive Presidential system MS stated that he would take into account the proposals of Venerable Sobhitha and Venerable Rathana. He said in passing that he would also consider the changes proposed to these proposals by the United National Party.
MS qualified the above statements by adding that he will not touch any Constitutional Article that could be changed only with the approval at a Referendum.
While RW is a lawyer and an expert on Constitutional issues he ignored the wish of MS of not even to ‘touch’ amendments which require a referendum went ahead in an attempt to usurp the powers of the President and make himself an Executive Prime Minister. The Supreme Court turned down this stab in the back.
The second step in the Manifesto of MS was the abolition of the preferential system at elections and to ensure the existence of at least one MP in each electorate.
RW conveniently pushed this aside to the back burner and gave priority to the 19th Amendment which combined the chopping of the powers of the President and the establishment of independent Commissions.
RW also gave the same treatment to the proposed Right to Information Act and the Audit Act.
The Manifesto of MS did not envisage a witch hunt to go after all cases of bribery and corruption. His proposal was to punish those responsible for technical offences in such projects irrespective of the status of the offenders.”
But RW found that indiscriminate hora” chase was the best line of attack to get political mileage and appointed an illegal Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID)directly under a Cabinet sub committee chaired by him.
When the Central Bank Bond scam was revealed, RW appointed his own committee of investigation, when it should have been a Presidential Commission.
RW is not a person who likes to consult others than his own close clique of friends. One reason that MS broke away from Mahinda was he could not tolerate Mahinda changing his pet proposals. When so many aberrations were contrived by RW in the program of MS there was no surprise that the worm would turn.
And turn it did. The native wisdom of the peasant saw through the disingenuous maneuvers of RW and CBK.
July 13th, 2015 at 7:01 pm
SLFP could have turned tables on UNP and even Sirisena during their high by bringing in a motion to abolish executive presidency. A referendum would have to be called and most voters would support it. That would have removed Sirisena as president and given the Mahinda group the momentum to win the general election in a landslide too.
Executive presidents have done more harm than good for national security and unitary status. As the north and east open up for full voting, minorities will further manipulate the executive president to get their demands. This is a worsening trend.
July 13th, 2015 at 7:24 pm
I don’t know if a Presidential Commission would have been necessary to investigate the bond fraud – the COPE report did a pretty good job, and even the CID could have done better than Ranil’s phony independent commission, as it appears all it took to expose the fraud was interviewing Central Bank staff that objected to Mahendran’s actions.
July 13th, 2015 at 8:18 pm
I don’t fully agree with Vichara about MY3’s intentions. I still believe MY3 wants Ranil to win the election and be the PM. If My3 wanted to prevent Ranil winning, all he had to do was not to dissolve the parliament until the no confidence motions against Ranil and Ravi to go through and destroy their political carriers.
Once a traitor, will always a traitor.
July 13th, 2015 at 9:15 pm
HOGWASH: United National Front for Good Governance
The FOG of confusion envelops the JUNTA of BACKSTABBERS of the UNFGG which I will now re-label as the UNFOG:
UnPatriotic Non-National Federation of Odd Goofballs
STILL laboring under the DELUSION that they can be the Kingmakers in the upcoming Election!
The people of Sri Lanka have now seen the DESTRUCTION they have wrought:
the National ECONOMY in tatters,
National Infrastructure Development at a STANDSTILL,
NO HELP from the Neo-Colonial Western Powers who EGGED them on to TREASON and engineered a coup-de-etat for a pittance paid to NGOs,
Tamil Separatists behaving as if they ALREADY have their Separatist State of Eelam,
MOST PROMISES of the 100 day Yahapalanaya program ABANDONED,
Government Officials looting the National Treasury and the Central Bank,
the UNELECTED but APPOINTED UNP behaving dictatorially as if they had an electoral MANDATE and promising DEVOLUTION to separatists,
the value of the Sri Lankan rupee zooming downwards and the COST OF LIVING rocketing upwards,
and a full blown WITCH HUNT of Political Opponents underway AS NEVER BEFORE in INDEPENDENT Sri Lanka!
This has been the PRICE of Electoral Myopia !
Who in his right mind would AGAIN VOTE for, or pay HEED to, these SERIAL BUNGLERS who having MISLED the Voters of Sri Lanka ONCE in January, 2015 at the Presidential Election want to REPEAT the same performance in August, 2015 at the General Election?
The Sri Lankan people have HAD ENOUGH of these INEXPERIENCED BUNGLING IDIOTS who destroyed the war-winning government that was developing our Motherland at a breakneck pace!
They know NOW the MONUMENTAL FOLLY of trusting these addle-pated JOKERS and greedy puppets of FOREIGN powers!
Come August 2015, the Voters of Sri Lanka will LAUGH these JOKERS PERMANENTLY out of office!
May the FOG of CONFUSION reign only in the minds of the UNFOG cartel, and not in the minds of the General Voting Public with their minds NOW CLARIFIED by the Antics and Bungling since the last Election.
The SURVIVAL of our Motherland, hallowed in our time by the blood of tens of thousands of our dead patriotic sons and daughters, who have sacrificed their lives offering the last full measure of their devotion to their Motherland, now lies in your hands!
Rathna Deepa, Janma Bhumi
Lanka Deepa, Vijaya Bhumi
Mey Apey Udaara Wu
Mathru Bhumi-yayi
Mathru Bhumi-yayi!
Aadi Sinhale, Ae Apey Meemuthun Layin
Saara Wu, Udaara Wu
Mathru Bhumi-yayi
Mathru Bhumi-yayi!
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MOU to form the United National Front for Good Governance in Sri Lanka signed
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
July 12, Colombo: The coalition partners, who contributed to the victory of January 8th election of President Maithripala Sirisena, have come forward to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections with the United National Party (UNP)as a new front and accordingly, have formed the United National Front for Good Governance.
The Memorandum Of Understanding to form the United National Front for Good Governance was signed at the Temple Trees Sunday. The United National Front for good governance was signed under the patronage of the leaders and members of UNP, a section of SLFP, JHU, SLMC, Upcountry Tamil Alliance and Democratic Peoples’ Front.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe and General Secretary of the UNP Kabir Hashim signed the MOU on behalf of the UNP. Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka and Venerable Athuraliye Rathana Thero signed it on behalf of the Jathika Hela Urumaya.
Meanwhile, another MOU between the UNP and the Progressive Group of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) was also signed at the Temple Trees. Ministers Rajitha Senaratne, Arjuna Ranatunga and M K A D S Gunawardena signed for the Progressive Group of the SLFP.
The political party leaders said that they decided to establish the Front to prevent the reversal of the political revolution that took place on the 8th of January.
Noting that for the first time in the history, the United National Party is contesting the General Election as a broad Front, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe said they signed a new agreement to take forward, strengthen and implement the January 8th revolution. And the new government will establish good governance.
He further said they have to face the attempts by former President Rajapaksa and his regime to disrupt the January 8th revolution and to grab the power again.
The Prime Minister said that they decided to form a United Front to protect good governance and it has to work as a political movement. The United National Party will contest under the Elephant Symbol at this election and no one will lose their identity.
He said that they have given the opportunity to be present in Parliament as separate groups. All communities in the country should be united. The democracy in the country should be strengthened and the country should move into a modern era, he said.
July 14th, 2015 at 2:40 am
Exactly Sarath W. My3 is now kissing the hand he could not cut. He seems to be in an eternal fear of the west and wants Ranil to protect him from them. Anyway he has amply demonstrated that he is not made of presidential quality material and sooner he decides to go better for him and the country.
July 14th, 2015 at 1:08 pm
Somarama Sirisena’s way of “REMAINING NEUTRAL” is exemplified by the following news article in which he says he OPPOSES MR … STILL! Clearly, MR’s Nomination was IMPOSED by SLFP/UPFA MR supporters on Somarama Sirisena … and he could not stop it …. that is all!
This also gives LIE to Facebook Lorenzo’s claim that Somarama Sirisena has “joined hands ” with MR to contest the Election, the Patriots should not criticize him …. as an ELECTION strategy! More TRICKERY from the ARCH-TRICKSTER!
Lorenzo is STILL trying to defend and protect his DARLING Somarama Sirisena for whom he campagined VOCIFEROUSLY in the Presidential Election!
ONCE a BACKSTABBER, ALWAYS a BACKSTABBER ….. that goes for both Somarama Sirisena and Facebook Lorenzo!
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I continue to stand against Mahinda Rajapaksa – Sri Lankan President
July 14, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena today stressed that he was against giving nominations for the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections under the United People’s Freedom Party (UPFA), of which he is the leader.
Making a special statement to media, the President said he informed the UPFA leaders including Dinesh Gunawardena and Vasudeva Nanayakkara that he was against granting nominations to the defeated president.
“I continue to stand against Mahinda Rajapaksa,” the President said. “He will be defeated again,” he asserted.
He noted that some have criticized him for taking the leadership of UPFA but all his government achieved was possible because he was the president of UPFA and its main constituent party, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).
The President added that if he resigned from the leadership of the party, anyone Mahinda Rajapaksa wanted would have received nominations for the elections.
If the SLFP wins the elections there are other SLFP seniors who could be appointed as the Prime Minister, the President said.
However, the UPFA has already indicated that Mahinda Rajapaksa will be the Prime Minister if they secure the parliament at the August 17th elections.
President Sirisena expressing his commitment to conduct a free and fair election said whoever wins the next election his sincere wish is that they would implement the wishes of those who voted for him on January 8th.
The President, who faced severe criticism for his decision to allow the party to nominate Rajapaksa, said during the past two weeks he was called every possible name and labelled him as a traitor.
President Sirisena said he applauds those who criticize him as criticism is an important aspect of a democracy.
However, he cautioned that although he was happy that he was able to restore the freedom of expression in the country, that freedom should be enjoyed with a sense of responsibility.