An open letter to President Gothabhaya Rajapaksa on the proposed new Constitution. -Part 11
Posted on September 19th, 2021
Dr. Sudath Gunasekara Retired Secretary to PM Sirimavo Banmdaranayaka Ex-President SLAS (1991-94) and President Mahanuwara Sinhala Baudha Jestha Purawesiyange Sanvidhanaya
I apologize to my readers for deviating from the above Headline in this article as I wish to discuss few important issues where President Mahinda Rajapaksa erred between 2010 and 2015 as they have a direct bearing on the post-2015 political ramifications in this country including those faced by the Present President which will be discussed in the essays that will follow.
In the wake of the 2009 war victory, people expected President MR to take some historic decisions like,
1) The abolition of the curse that is the 13th Amendment and Provincial Councils imposed under the provisions of the JR/Rajiv Accord of 29th July 1987 at gunpoint by India and passed by Parliament illegitimately under coercion and using MPP as hostages to destroy the territorial integrity and political stability of this Island nation and make it a part of the Indian subcontinent as they have been dreaming from the days of Rama, with the final objective of erasing the Sinhala Buddhist civilization from the face of this planet Earth.
2) Abolition of the Rajiv/JR Accord of July 29th 1987, so that the following treacherous, illegal and undemocratic decisions taken under the Accord will automatically be null and void
a) Declaration of the Northern and Eastern Provinces as the Traditional Tamil Homeland (never existed in the history of this Island Nation)
b) Accepting of Tamil as an Official Language in the whole country (again illegal, undemocratic, and treacherous as Tamil had never been the official language of this country’s 2500 history or even in India where 70 million Tamils live)
c) All Citizenship is given over an affidavit to all Indians living in Sri Lanka on the appointed date including illicit immigrants (kallathonese) violating all accepted legal procedures followed by any country in granting citizenship to foreigners.
d)The power to merge two or more Provinces, the Kavutillyan intrigue imposed by India to merge the NP first EP and CP, Sab and Uva later as the next step of taking over Sri Lanka.
e) Above all the 13th Amendment proposed by it
3) The Abolition of the National list that has killed the spirit of representative democracy in this country that opened a back door for Party leaders to bring their henchmen numbering another 29 persons as MP to Parliament, by a Constitutional Amendment bypassing the legal process of electing MPP and thereby also increasing the 196 to 225, adding a further burden to the national coffer just to add more privileges to {Party leaders to consolidate their power in Parliament)
4) Consolidation of the war victory on the ground like what
Dutugemunu and Vijayaba 1st did after the wars against the Chola invaders
5 Abolition of Political Parties based on Ethnicity, Religion and region agitating separation leading the way to disintegration of the Island
6 Restore the name of the country ‘Sinhale” as it was the name of the country that was ceded to the British Empire in 1815 (as it had been there from the inception of the history of this country)
7 Abolishing the District MP system by reintroducing the former Electorate-based MP system and also the proportional representation and the preferential voting system to make elections more democratic and simple.
8 Abolition of Multi-Member Electorate system as that tends to polarize minority communities
9 Increase 5 % to12 % for a Political Party introduce by President Premadasa which again discriminates against the majority and hinders social integration and reconciliation He could have done all these things without any problem as he had a 2/3 majority in the house and the Executive Power as the President Above all he had the support of the majority in the country
A Big Tragedy
But it is a big tragedy none of these great expectations of the Sinhala Buddhists were fulfilled.
Instead, he held the Northern Provincial Council election and paved the way for extremist communalists like Vignesvaran to start a vigorous pro-devolution, anti-Sinhala, anti- Buddhist, anti-government and pro-separation agenda. He also spent over 75 % of the national budget on infrastructure development in the North and the East expecting to win over the Tamil votes like the proverbial fox that followed a goat expecting its dangling testicles to drop to satisfy its hunger and finally got killed with a kick from the goat. In the same way, you know what happened to MR in 2015.
Had he listened to wiser advice and taken the correct decisions as given above at the correct time he would have been the leader of this country for life. The people would have made him even their King giving new life to our 2500-year-old tradition.
I made an analysis of this national tragedy in my article ‘Where Mahinda Rajapaksa went wrong” published in Lankaweb 24.2. 2016.
MR’s problem was, first, I opine he overestimated his war victory and mixed up his development priorities. Also either he had no wise advisors or he desists from such advice, for reasons known only to him. Neither he nor his so-called advisors had any acumen or the vision of statecraft of that level. He also paid less priority to the aspirations of the Sinhala Buddhists and paid more attention to Tamil and Muslim people. One such classic example was making Rauf Hakeem the Minister of Justice and everybody knows the damages he did to the entire judicial system by meddling with it to promote his community.
These were the reasons why a historic war victory of a nation ended up as a tragic abortion due to the follies of a leader where both the mother and the child got finally succumbed to death. Most leaders run blind when they get power. I do not know whether that was his problem as well. He had the 2/3 in Parliament and the whole nation (except the extremist Tamils and Muslims) acclaimed him almost as a king. But, sadly he did not know that the priorities he has selected and the advisors hanging around him have made him a King wearing new clothes. Unfortunately, there was not even a tiny tot by the wayside to shout Mum look the King is going naked’ I feel very sorry for his predicament as well as that befell my motherland in 2015. In spite of all this personally, I still like him as a populist leader.
Isn’t it the same story repeating now with President Gotabhaya as well? If Gotabhaya, on whom 6.9 m people had so much hope is also going to be inflicted with the same malady, finding a remedy to rescue this nation will be another Covid 19 operation.
(The next article of this series will appear soon in this column as part 111)
September 19th, 2021 at 4:48 pm
Changes to the constitution will not make any difference as long as there is family control, uneducated, crooks and thugs are in the parliament. The reason Rajapaksa family is in control, promoting Namal Baby is because there are not many educated professionals to take over. Set minimum qualifications, get rid of the perks to discourage the crooks, drug lords and thugs seeking elections. The president should show some courage and leadership like the Cardinal, and do the right thing. Bring the Bond Scam thieves and Easter Sunday culprits before the courts even if they are powerful people before seeking another term.
September 20th, 2021 at 5:08 pm
The poor 69 lakhs!
The majority of Sri Lankans have no alternative in politics other than Gotabhaya, for Sajith or P C Ranawaka are no substitutes for the post of Presidency by a long margin.
Born Agains and mala fide Christians have ring-fenced the Rajapakses. Many Rajapakses have married into these viruses and they are all around and most importantly they are now in the family. For all what it is worth, they well placed if necessary to blackmail them.
69 Lakhs who voted didn’t count on Ali Sabris, Jayanath Colombages, Milinda Moragodas, Nivad Cabraals, Godahewas and the list goes on of all those who sit around Gotabhaya and Mahinda telling them what to do. Kings seems to have become prisoners in their own castles. Is this what the 69 lakhs voted for? They may look highly educated, erudite and professional, but the harm they can do to his Presidency and the nation using their positions of power in the administration is immense!
Outside forces are spending millions trying to oust Gotabhaya Presidency. Cardinal has reverted back to the normal position of the Catholic Church – anti Sinhala , anti Buddhist and pro sessesionist; his Tiger Tail is peeping from below his cassock. Very soon he will align himself with the Wahabbis if it suits him to denigrate and eventually oust Gotabhaya.
Bond Scam will now never see the light of day with Ajith Cabraal within the Cental Bank. He will make sure that no incriminationg evidence remains that can point fingers at either Rajapakses, Ranil and his UNP or himself! The Sugar Scam is the other. As long as this scam now over 18 months old will continue to be a millstone around Gotabhaya. Those responsible for the Bond Scam and the Sugar Scam must the brought to book and punished accordingly.
The 69 lakhs expected Gotabhaya to run Sri Lanka with a firm hand. He has the necessary 2/3rd majority in the parliament and topped with the 20th Amendment. His inaction and weakness in not leading his own government will be his downfall. What more does he need to act on errant politicians and fraudulent businessmen? What keeps him hesitant to act will do his Presidency in!
The background doesn’t bode well for Gotabhaya. If the situation continues the fortunes of Pohottuwa will not be far away from those of Born Again Christian infected Sri Lanka Cricket! It is rare in history a person is given power and position to rise and shine. Those who squander will are never treated lightly by history. Only the brave and the willing will be remembered! Others will be left as chaff of history – left to rot die and feed the maggots!
September 20th, 2021 at 9:49 pm
I like to read the interesting articles of Dr. Sudath which are filled to the brim with patriotism.
How ever to my mind Covid-19 that has affected the whole world is a natural thing which our western medics (and other nations too) trying to figure out an elephant like a blindfolded man. Its a natural thing that comes every 100 years and go away in about three years as per records.
About our prez, did we not write eulogies in this forum giving a picture of our ancient king Gotabhaya. But when we did so we knew his weakness like taking the side of rich and famous disregarding the rights of people like those living at Rathupaswela. My own brother who lived in that place and died of cancer was one such person. Anyway we had to take that calculated risk like those 69 lacks as the alternative would have been worse. And I still think so.
But, like every dark cloud has a silver lining, what this government doing by building firewalls ( fortress like 20A) around him and bringing extra armory into it may be a good thing for a future leader who may have genuine intensions.
One more thing: the assertion that Christians are anti-Buddhist is rubbish. What is Christianity?. Its philosophy is kindness and compassion to all, the same thing Gauthama the Buddha preached before Jesus (or Isah) who came to India some five hundred years later. He may have excluded the kindness to animals as that was the way of life in the area he lived. Though Christians constitute about 8% of our population they are mixed up with Buddhist to such an extent that the total that sympathize with the 4/21 may be very much larger. And they all were with our man at the last presidential poll. So, I ask the writer and others not to think that the Christians (excluding those eelamists) are less patriotic or working towards the destruction of the country. To do so is a national crime!.
September 21st, 2021 at 12:27 am
To prove my point about my last para above, listen to this song by one of our famous singers in the following link:
“https://youtu.be/oNdsoXYkTMc”
September 21st, 2021 at 10:36 am
In the shadow of the harsh covid policies a new Constitution loses its power. The overriding factor of economic shutdowns, enforcement of masks and social distancing to the mRNA shot is that these are the policies of global organizations imposed upon nations. That’s why Constitutions have lost, and may never regain the status they once had .
When the (WEF) World Economic Forum, the (WHO) World Health Organization and the Bill Gates Foundation can override liberties and freedoms guaranteed by Constitutions then sovereignty lost. Everything else seems like petty squabbles. I wish there is more discussion on the global impact of Covid regulations.