Reality will dawn on the 15th of November. Election promises should become legally enforceable

November 11th, 2024

By Raj Gonsalkorale

Government has no wealth, and when a politician promises to give you something for nothing, he must first confiscate that wealth from you — either by direct taxes, or by the cruelly indirect tax of inflation. –John Wayne

Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when there are no rivers – Nikita Khrushchev

These two quotations, one by a famous US actor John Wayne and the other by former USSR Premier Nikita Khrushchev symbolizes the reality of election promises. There are many more quotes on election promises that are appropriate to describe the fallacy of many promises made during election time, which has aptly been named the silly season”.

Whoever who wins the election and forms the next government in Sri Lanka will have plenty of promises to keep, if they were serious about them. The NPP manifesto released during the Presidential election was some 290 pages and that’s a lot of promises. It is an extensive document, and it presents the overall theme and program of President Dissanayake’s presidency, and it will be the guiding governance document should the NPP win the general election.

Whether the NPP forms the government or an Opposition party or alliance forms the next government, one hopes that as a first step they will reflect their manifesto promises in strategic action plans, spread over 5 years indicating what they will be doing, how they will be done, who (which ministry) will be doing them, by when over the 5 year period, and how funds will be obtained for implementation of their plans. If such a plan is not presented, their promises will not be worth the paper the manifestos were printed on.

Ideally, such plans should have preceded the elections and should have been integral to their manifestos so that the voters could have made a more informed decision when they voted. This not being the case, one should now look towards the future and discuss what perhaps should happen in the future.

Two factors are relevant to the subject of election promises. Firstly, it’s not about making promises, as its part and parcel of a silly season, but why voters make decisions without questioning the promises, and secondly, about the lack of a methodology to hold those making promises accountable to the promises made during the silly season.

In a society that has inequality and inequity, with many having no recourse to hold politicians responsible for the promises made, except believing promises by another set of politicians at the next election and believing them, and many ending up without opportunities for their advancement due to the failings of politicians, life does not change for them except going further downhill.

The country does not have a political mechanism for people participation in governance except every five years at an election, although that participation is limited to going for or being ferried to political campaign rallies to listen to criticism of a governing party and promises about what contending parties would do, if elected. The art and mastery of public speaking rather than the substance of what is said matters at most rallies and rallies are generally extravaganza’s for entertaining people and giving them imaginary hope.

A general opinion does exist today that voters are more circumspect today than they were some years back although without a mechanism in place for participation in governance, it is difficult to assess this circumspectness on the part of voters. Voters of today are probably more informed thanks to a wider TV audience and the proliferation of social media. However, this information, readily circulated by voters, is a mix of fact and fiction without any questioning of whether it is one or the other.

A change to the governance structure, a system change, therefore, should be a priority for whoever wins government on the 15th of November. The centrality of the national Parliament for governance must be questioned as its not the building on Diyawanna Oya that is important but who is inside it that matters.

It’s a much-hackneyed phrase, but very relevant to this day, is that every five years, voters become masters for a day and servants for the next five years. If governance is to improve and people are to participate in governance, this conundrum, if one could call it as such, must change.

This participation mechanism has many key elements. Firstly, it must be there to tell the truth to the people. Truth about the economy, truth about the country’s financial position.  Whether it is at election time or during the interim five years, governance must be based on truth and people attuned to what is possible and what is not possible based on truth. People’s expectations should not be based on untruth.

Secondly, participation in governance should be decentralized and broad based as too much centralization, with just a majority of the 225 parliamentarians making decisions on behalf of the entire country is not only unjust, unwise and even foolish, and recent events have shown that it has not worked for the country as well. Submitting a parliamentary bill and having them passed by a majority in parliament does not give an assurance that such bills have been passed after discussion, amendments made based on such discussions, and the implications of the bill has been considered with careful thought as to its immediate and longer-term effects and benefits to the people.

In regard to a methodology to hold those making promises at election time accountable to the people, any promise that has a direct dependency on funding should provide information on how such funding will be found to implement the promise. In this regard it is suggested that such promises, made by any political party, at a general election or at a Presidential election, should compulsorily be submitted to an independent financial body whose task should be to check the costings of the promise as well as the veracity of the estimated expenditure and the source of funding.

Admittedly, manifestos contain promises that are directed towards changes to political and social culture, as well as changes or new proposals that have a direct financial implication. An overall change to the design and content of manifestos may have to be considered to differentiate promises that have a direct and immediate financial implication and others that do not have such an implication or they are very long term implications.

Manifestos are necessary and a serious part of an election as they represent the essence of a social contract with the people who vote in a President or a government. It is therefore or should be, a legally enforceable document which should provide an opportunity for a voter to take legal recourse should an elected President or a government fails to make good on their promises to the people unless it can provide good reasons for not doing so. If the governance mechanism is based on a methodology of governance based on truth, and it is decentralized to allow greater, effective participation by the people, manifestos and the earlier mentioned strategic plans based on manifestos, could be used as resources for discussions with the people.

Finally, the question is about the mechanism political parties are willing to introduce to bring in greater  accountability to their part of the social contract they have with the people via the manifestos, and are they willing to make their manifestos legally enforceable documents so that election promises are based on the truth, they are realistic, they are widely discussed and their financial implications are assessed by an independent entity  accountability to the people.

A system change will be meaningless unless governance participation is taken to the people in an effective, practical way not just during elections but in between them as well.

Comrade Austin Fernando’s belly is black and flat – part 2

November 11th, 2024

C. Wijeyawickrema

Appended below is a copy of the (email) essay I sent to comrade Austin via, editor of the Island newspaper in December 2020. He or the Christian Marxist Dayan Jayatilleka, now in the doldrum, are not fools to know that the 13-A is only one step below the target called a separate Eelam state in the country known as Sinhale (English man pronounced as Ceylon). With Tamil migrants pouring in via the land bridge that Milinda Moragoda is now busily working on as a (new) Path Finder for peace, the island will be engulfed with border wars from Mannar to Kataragama, with Malayanadu in the center with a bonus of all Tamil plantation housing estates, another brainchild of Ranil W. RW got his hand burnt on the Indian Land Bridge plan, but MM is working with can you believe with an Australian ex-PM and Bernard Goonatileka & Co.

It was Dayan Jayatilleka, who fooled MahindaR to hold the Northern provincial council elections with his favorite candidate Vigneswaran, a Tamil moderate. In my view there are no moderate Tamils. They are like R. Paskaralingam who tricked R. Premadasa and left immediately to join the Eelam crowd in Australia when his puppet master was bombed by a tiger cell operated within RP’s house itself. Dayan served as a member of the Vartharaja Perumal cabinet and escaped to India when he got the signal that RP was going to arrest VP.

Later this chameleon-like, DJ received a pardon from RP and served him as an advisor. To DJ, RP was a marvelous president! DJ was an invitee for the Wigneswaran oath taking ceremony and he, MR and the entire cabal saw stars when Wigneswaran started his non-moderate game of accusing the MR govt of Tamil genocide etc. Even though Arun Siddharth points out how these Vellala caste Tamils use the PC setup to discriminates against the lower caste” Tamils (subjugated Sinhala people?), no comrade not even the new comrade Austin writes not a single word about that issue.

Comrade Austin is fully aware of all these, but in his recent Island writeup Austin sing the same song of praising India’s Jaishankar and the devolution panacea. He must be trying to creep into AKD administration, because JVP-NPP 2024 election manifesto had direct reference to continuing the 2017/18 Orumitthanadu draft of Ranil-Sumanthiran and the core Marxist JayapathyW. That draft is related to Mrs. Chandrika’s 1995-2000 package deal and the APRC majority report of Tissa Vitharana (2006-7) which was a sell out of Sri Lanka to Eelam agents. TV was stupid enough to think that he could cure cancer by feeding it!

In comments to the Island on April 15, APRC chairman Vitharana, who is also an LSSP parliamentarian, blurted out the committee’s real purpose. In an appeal to the Sinhala extremist parties, he declared: I would like to emphasise that the best way to defeat the LTTE is to isolate them by winning the Tamil people to the side of the government through the APRC proposals.” In other words, the APRC was part of the government’s propaganda effort to win the war.

We have a duty to remind our readers a little bit of this past record. As Prabakaran once said Sinhala peoples’ memory span is only 2 weeks!

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Attempts to exhume the provincial council cadaver: a reply to Mr. Austin Fernando

Posted on December 30th, 2020

C. Wijeyawickrema

To:Members and secretary of the expert committee to draft a new constitution
Minister of Justice
Secretary, Ministry of Justice
Secretary, Ministry of Defence
Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara, Minister, Public Security
Editor, Island Newspaper
Sagara Kariyawasam, (List-MP), Secretary, SLPP

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Attempts to exhume the provincial council cadaver: a reply to Mr. Austin Fernando

Introduction

This letter has two purposes:

1. Bring to your attention, a reply that I sent to Mr. Austin Fernando on the topic of 13-A (Part-A); and

2. To present an alternative path on how to handle the political hot potato called the provincial councils for consideration by the Romesh de Silva committee (Part -B).

Part – A

Austin and Orumittanadu

The reply that I sent to Mr. Austin Fernando, regarding his promotion of the, 1996-2000 Package Deal authored by Chandrika-GL-Neelan, and Jayampathy W, who is now hiding in Geneva, is attached as a pdf file. In his Island newspaper essay, on Dec.25, 2020, Austin suggests indirectly that the scheme proposed in the Orumittanadu draft constitution (2015-19), prepared by Sumanthiran-Ranil and Jayampathy, the Marxist, could be copied as a guiding framework by the new Romesh de Silva Committee.

Secret map of the Package Deal

The disastrous Package Deal was an attempt to divide the island into a union of regions, 7 to 11. Main objective of it was to satisfy the desire of Neelan Thiruchelvam to have a mono-ethnic Tamil region, with loopholes to expand and legally link it with the Indian Tamil electorates in Malayanadu. On the other hand, he did not even want to consider the Pondicherry model of allowing Sinhala or Muslim islands within a Northeastern new Tamil region, because it creates a moth-eaten like Tamil map! Thus, Chandrika’s intention was to implement an idea, germinated in 1921/24, fertilized by her father and Stanley de Zoysa in 1957 (B-C Pact), secretly improving it further by Dudley and JRJ in 1965 (D-C Pact), and finally, forced down the throat of JRJ by a car-racing Indian boy in 1987, so that the Eelam dream becomes a reality during her own lifetime. While this plan was progressing, following R. Premadasa, she even offered the NP on a 20-year lease to Prabhakaran. Additionally, there was the P-Tom and ISGA along the path of the infamous 2002 CFA of Ranil.

Why it is necessary to remind all of you of a few salient points of this history, is that in 2015 Chandrika boasted that the Orumittanadu plan was exactly her plan prepared in 2000! Now imagine, the gravity of the innocent-looking advice offered by Austin who was also a behind-the-curtain administrative supporter of the Orumittanadu drama and the Ranil-Mangala 30/1 Geneva betrayal.

‘You cannot legislate against geography’

13-A is a death-trap that will make the Island of Sinhale, a Palestine in South Asia, balkanizing it into warring pieces, thus ending the 2,600-years old Sinhala Buddhist civilization, a world heritage. So many fact-based essays are available on the Internet demonstrating the dangers of this illegally passed, immoral law. The physical geography of the island, its hydrology, ethnic population distribution map, historical, economic, and political geography, and geopolitics, are all against this plan, which is based on what Colebrooke designed in 1832 as a colonial strategy to administer a rebellious Kandyan mindset.  Still in 1848, there was another uprising with a dozen or more minor skirmishes between 1818-48.

Even in 2021, black-white politicians have not yet digested the truth that in Ceylon (Sinhale) there is no ethnic problem, but a mismanagement issue of spatial inequity and lack of equal access of opportunity. Thus, I did not have the opportunities that Vigneswaran in Colombo or Michael Roberts in Galle had when all of us were in school. From a poor semi-urban village in Panadura, I had to swim against the current. In Buddhism, no two persons are the same. It is the social and physical environment that makes the difference, by providing equal access to them to realize their different potential via political decision-making.

Non-majoritarian devolution trap

 13-A, is a devolution-trap” along the lines of how to solve minority problems, nurtured under the divide-and-rule strategy of colonialism to manage ethnic groups, for the purpose of exploiting the resources of the colony. Now, with remote-controlled new colonialism, they come back not with the bible and sword (and bottle)-arrack), but a new strain of non-majoritarian solutions to protect minorities from the majority. Donald Horowitz, who did field work in Ceylon as a Fulbright scholar, was the key promoter of this idea. But his concept (linked with Joseph Nye’s soft power idea) failed in all the countries it was applied, and Sri Lanka is no exception. For us, it erupted with vengeance.  Vigneswaran used the opportunity as the CM of NP to pass two dozen resolutions against the Sri Lankan government accusing it of a policy genocide against Tamils since 1948! Even a simple ‘devolution’ gift by Maithripala to allow the national anthem in Tamil ended up as one more victory for an eternal Eelam fight. Now, it is sung in both languages in the South, but only in Tamil in the North. So much for the fake conciliatory bribes by the Yahapalana crowd. In this regard, I feel that the research paper authored by Dr. G. H. Peiris, on the subject of the failure of federalism as a remedy to ethnic conflicts, and the impractical nature of it as a solution to the Sri Lankan situation, reprinted in the Island Newspaper (September 8-15, 2005) deserves to be translated into Sinhala and Tamil as reading material for high school and university students.

Meaningful devolution-empowerment of people

Robert Blake, Hilary Clinton, Manmohan Singh, Banki Moon, all these R2P saints fought for meaningful devolution under 13-A or for police and land powers to NPC, according to the father of 13-A plus in Sri Lanka, Dayan Jayatilake. Under this scheme, the demand by Sumanthiran and Sambandan, is for a transfer of legislative power from Colombo in such a manner that it cannot be taken back (forever). Under 13-A, Sri Lanka is already a federal state according to a supreme court decision, and any tinkering by a new set of lawyers would be a case of feeding a cancer to cure it. The devolution path to a mythical Tamil homeland has now to adjust to an expanding lebensraum of Vigneswaran from a thesis of Devanam Piyatheesan, say in 2014 to one of blessings bestowed to the Island by way of five Siva lingams brought during pre-historic times in 2020. Present day actors, politicians as well as constitution-making lawyers will not be available to accommodate such dreams.

Decentralization or empowerment of people

Meaningful devolution should be empowerment of people at the lowest spatial level possible, represented by our Gam Sabha system, based on the socio-economic Trinity of -village- water tank – and the temple. This or the Indian Panchayathi concept was completely missed by Horowitz and other western professors; they simply provide feedback or fodder to the R2P saints lurking in the dark (for example, if Muslim corona body-burning issue becomes another July 1983, American war ships are ready to land marines; one large school building with hostel facilities was declared open recently by the American ambassador in Kattankudy, and a second such school cum camp is on its way. Presumably, such fortresses like building is needed to handle any future tsunami threat; this is the ghost of MCC, denied). Sri Lanka’s forced marriage with PCs has proven that it did not save people from politicians’ grip. Instead, local politicians’ class in the South, and a handful of Tamil Eelamists in the North used it as a gold mine gifted by Rajiv Gandhi to thrive at the expense of suffering masses.

Montesquieu standing on his head

Capitalist representative democracy has been a failed experiment in Ceylon. It was mismanagement, pure and simple. For 73 years it was a classic case of the tragedy of the commons. Politicians abused everything and anything they could touch for short-term selfish gain, destroying long-term survival of the country. Party politics is not suitable for Sri Lanka.

What Montesquieu meant was the distribution of the sum-total of governmental powers to as many spatial units as possible, and not a strict separation of powers at the center as in the USA, which has now reached a laughable stage of a constitutional crisis. The sovereignty of units at the small is beautiful level is demonstrated by the system of independence of the chief monk of a village temple. As the Ven. Prof. Induragare Dhammaratana points out the surname of a monk is a name of his village.

The majority report of the APRC in 2006, went on to the extent of making a lunatic suggestion of stationing a Tamil policeman in Sinhala villages to protect Tamils in the South! The ethnic distribution map of Sri Lanka is like a scrambled egg. Thus, if what we need is village -level empowerment of people with sufficient self-governing powers to handle their day-to-day affairs, guided by a central government. This egg comparison has now reached an unexpected critical level due to the revelation, that Arab funded Sharia agents are creating Muslim population pockets (with a war of wombs) within or near the Sinhala villages, in a systematic fashion, with a village mosque to be used to store swords, to cut grass on the premises. 

Part – B

Coming out of the well from the mouth of the well

Any new constitutional plan will be dead on arrival, if it is a case of applying lipstick to a pig. The learned lawyers need to come out of their 13-A prison or tunnel and do justice to all based on the Buddhist foundation of the Middle Path. What is the simple solution?

1. Re-demarcate the GSN (grama seva niladharee) boundaries using natural geographic criteria. Was this what King Pandukabhaya did covering the entire island or the populated portion of it? Do you believe that Prabhakaran used GSN unit as his spatial planning unit? I saw his land-use maps on the Internet at that time.  In New Zealand, local government units are identified using river basin boundaries. This is a constitutionally mandated requirement.

 R. Premadasa arbitrarily increased the number of GSN units from 4,000 to 14,000. When river basins (and groundwater basins and irrigation water tanks) are used as boundaries, the number of GSN units would get drastically reduced to a reasonable number of Natural Units (this would send the delimitation commission out of the business of partisan politics; Having 14,000 GSN spatial units is different from having several GSNs in a larger Natural GSN unit). The retired geography professor C. M. Maddumabandara, who possesses a lifetime of knowledge and experience on this subject, would be able to handle this task ASAP, if assigned.

With the lowest civil administration unit demarcated as a natural spatial unit (that means language/religion/race-blind), the identification of political/administrative units needed for all other functions/purposes becomes a simple enterprise. For example, in the case of healthcare, now there are 354 MOH units on the island. What if their boundaries are aligned with Natural GSN boundaries? Thus, by aggregating Natural GSN unit as required, educational, police, postal, disaster management etc. could follow the sustainable development model. On the civil administration side, a collection of Natural GSN units would become a divisional secretariate and they in turn form the district secretariate.

On the front of representative democracy one or several Natural GSN units could be a Jana Sabha, where a set of representatives are selected on a non-party political basis. Even otherwise, the 346 Pradesheeya Sabhas and their wards could be based on the basic building block of Natural GSN units. Parliamentary electorates would also have natural boundaries. MCs and Urban/Town councils have wards identified on this basis.

Private needs/wants and public aspirations

Meaningful empowerment of people at the Natural GSN (Jana Sabha) level is the answer to Modi or anybody or Dayasiri Jayasekara, SLFP MP, who thinks that we should hold PC election because of the power of India. This has been the favorite tune of Dayan Jayatilaka for decades. Such shallow fears are unwarranted. If Modi wants Hindi as the Indian mouth to the world, if Tamilnad is forced to learn Hindi by administrative fiat, if the Indian water development plan is reaching Tamilnad with a nuclear power plant already located in the southern tip of Tamilnad, and if he takes Jammu and Kashmir back to an Indian Union, how could he tell us to pave way for an Eelam in this island? Yes, India forced Nepal and Bhutan to dance on the Indian tune, because of their land-locked location, Mody cannot interfere if we follow the Buddhist principles of governance.

Once, Kumar Ponnamabalam was asked to list any problems that Tamils are facing, which are not faced by other communities in general, he was hesitant and said, we Tamils have aspirations! Private needs and wants of an individual (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) are different from aspirations, which are public or politician-created dreams or myths. The trouble with aspirations is that different aspirations of different communities are always in conflict with each other. For example, why does a small town like Kattankudy need over 60 (?) mosques? The fear of Tamils from Tamilnad pouring into a self-governing federal unit called NPC and pushing southward at the borders, is a life and death issue for the Sinhalese. Bill Clinton once said if each ethnic group is given a country there will be 5,000 states in the world. Local and global Eelam supporters believe Sri Lanka with its black-white politics is an easy target to achieve their aspiration of a Tamil state with the Prabhakaran flag and a UN seat.

But, the Sinhalese, Sinhala Buddhists, who did not invade or harm any other ethnic group (1983 clash was a results of JRJ’s Just Society junk, while the IGP, DIGs and even the Chief Justice were Tamils) would not object allowing Tamil politicians to achieve their cultural, social, and economic aspirations, so long as it is not a cover-up for an Eelam dream. The use of language-blind, religion-blind, and race-blind, civil boundary demarcation system spatially, is the guarantee needed to erase the fear of balkanization the island. Similarly, an Eelam-bound mindset of a person, politician or a group wearing a Thesawalamai dress, could only be erased, if he or she begins to see the ground reality that there are no spatial units anymore, based on language or religion. This plus compulsory Tamil and Sinhala language exams from grades 4 to10 would end this game started during 1921-4.

2 Responses to Attempts to exhume the provincial council cadaver: a reply to Mr. Austin Fernando”

  1. aloy Says:
    December 31st, 2020 at 12:36 am

What is the point in making constitutions if thing do not happen according to current constitution( to be put into effect by the executive and the judiciary)?. This is what Hon. Ranjan has been saying in the house day in and day out.

The former Prez himself said in public that so and so CJ asked him to continue with him as CJ, and he will bend the law as he wished; and he did not do so. After a lapse five years we have now sent him to the highest body in the world, the UN, without any shame (hirikithayak nethuwa) after getting approval of all commissions and committees. Nobody said a meek.

We are a shameless set of people in the eyes of the civilized world. Under these conditions who will even come and invest here unless they have some other design?.

So, please do not waste people money and time by asking a muslim to make laws for a Buddhist country like SL.
This what C.Wije should say, to my mind.

Austin Fernando the Catholic has a propensity to creep into any land issue in Sri Lanka. His infamous history of working against Sinhala Buddhists is not an unknown. We still remember how he along with Paul Perera the Catholic chased away Sinhala Mahaweli settlers in the eighties. Since then he has incessantly worked for devolution in Sri Lanka and in doing so for the Provincial Councils.

The empowerment of the Provincial Councils while bringing power to the Tamils and Muslims in the North and East respectively also will make way for the making of a separate province for the Catholics in the North Western Province – Kristhu Raajya!

Although the Cardinal and ordinary Catholics are at peace with Buddhists and Hindus even outwardly, Austin Fernando is the now dormant Catholic Action in motion! It still has enough venom and the propensity to harm the future make up of Sri Lanka! A viper in the grass to watchout!

Whose side is India on?

November 11th, 2024

Shenali D Waduge

How far has India realistically played role of mediator other than acting out of self-interest, making the best for India out of relations with both US & Russia? In ordinary terms this would be referred to as double-dealing. If China & Turkey could come up with peace proposals why hasn’t India? Does India see bigger advantage for itself in this chaos? But India cannot afford to lose Russia as noticeably Russia & China are increasing engagement. Its inevitably a case of self-serving interest –India gaining from purchase of discounted Russian crude oil & controlling global energy prices. How long can India sustain its relations when nations begin to wonder whose side India is actually on!

While India & China’s stand on Russia in Ukraine is a case in point, what is Russia’s stand vis a vis India-China rivalry? What if Russia sides with China? What if Russia-China-Pakistan relations increase as we can see happening after the sudden ouster of PM Imran Khan immediately after his visit to Russia while Pakistani army chief went to US & assured unhindered continuance of IMF policies. Russia is also supporting Pakistan’s entry to BRICS which India will have mixed reactions to. Though all are made to believe tensions prevail between India & China, both have been cozing up and any animosity projected by western media is to fulfil Western interests only. Thus, everytime the Indian leader visits Russia or China, the Western capitals get flustered.

Yet, inspite of India’s friendship with Russia, India was recently accused of selling weapons to Ukraine which means Ukraine is using arms sent by India to fight Russian troops! Is Russia agreeable to such?

Similarly, India is also being questioned again on loyalty. India’s support for Palestine was a part of its foreign policy of 1974 becoming the first Non-Arab State to recognize PLO. However, it appears the situation has now changed. India was among the 1st to condemn Hamas ttack on Israel on 7 October 2023 & Modi even named Hamas as terrorist” in his tweet. India even abstained from UNGA vote calling for an Israeli ceasefire but voted for resolution to release Israeli hostages in Gaza. It was Indian intel that informed Sri Lanka of a likely Islamic extremist attack on Israeli tourists in Arugam Bay.

On another front, the world’s oceans are now being ruled by hired pirates. The Houthis are making $180 a month by illegal safe-transit fees – a bribe shipping agents have to secure to cross the Red Sea as per UN Security Council intelligence. Yemen Houthis are aligned it seems to Al Qaeda, al-Shabaab, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Hezbollah & Hamas. It is also claimed that Houthi-controlled companies are importing oil & liquefield petroleum gas using false country of origin certificates even bypassing UN Verification & Inspection Mechanisms. Many shippers are rerouting away from Res Sea in view of Houthi threats though Red Sea is the shortest & most efficient trade route for ships passing from Asia to Europe. The longer routes taken means price increases. On 19 Nov, Houthi rebels hijacked an Israeli cargo ship to express solidarity with Palestine.US formed a defensive coalition” to counter Houthi attacks with 20 nations joining as partners. Though India maintained a neutral stand on Israel-Palestine, Indian ship Pipavav was hijacked by Houthis & another was also attacked.

Lets now look at how India is acquiring strategic ports. In January 2022, Adani took over Israels Haifa port (Israels 2nd largest port) for $1.8billion with local partner Gadot Group with Adani holding two-thirds shares. India outbid China to secure the Port.  Adani runs 13 sea terminals in India which manages 23% of India’s maritime trade. Haifa Port is important for it is at the crossroads for trade & commerce between Europe, Middle East & Asia, the port offers quick access to Israels major cities & industrial hubs, it is a crucial naval base for Israeli defense forces enabling warships & support vessels to dock & Haifa Port produces, distributes petroleum products. India will gain acces to Israeli technology & expertise to modernize India’s port infrastructure. India’s control of Haifa port will give India a strategic edge. Haifa Port is frequently used by US Sixth Fleet. The strategic & political importance of the Port can be further seen in India appointing Ron Malka, Israels former envoy to India as the Executive Chairman of the India-controlled Haifa Port Company. Does this diplomat have any knowledge in managing a Port & Special Economic Zone?

Haifa is not the only Port, India has invested in. Oman gave India access to its Duom Port in 2018 which gives access to the Indian Ocean & Arabian Sea. India also controls & operates Iran’s Chabahar Port since 2018, this is Iran’s only deep-sea port with direct access to the ocean. Adani teaming up with US to build Colombo West Port Terminal in 2021 together with John Keells whose lease on the SAGT is expiring in a few years. India also constructed the Sittwe Port in Myanmar in 2016 & provides a strategic connection to the north east relieving pressure off the Siliguru Corridor. India & Bangladesh signed agreement to promote transshipment in 2018 via the Chattogram & Mongla Ports to reduce distance between Kolkota & major cities in North East states. Another deal secured by Adani who has also proposed to set up 2 LPG terminals in the 2 ports to handle 1m tonnes of LPG.Be that as it may, Adani just cut 60% of Bangladesh’s electricity for non-payment of $800m. Adani Power supplies 1600 megawatt to Dhaka. Bangladesh is getting reduced supply even though it has commenced payment. This certainly questions giving foreign powers to supply electricity to another nation. We can recall the oil-for-food scandal wherein Natwar Singh used the 2001 Iraq invasion & his Iraq visit to secure deals for his relatives by misusing the animosity between two nations for own advantage.

Striking a balance to maintain cordial relations with nations is one thing but misusing the animosity between two nations for one’s own advantage is not what either friendly nations expect, unless they would do the same if they had been in India’s shoes. However, those studying the trajectory will do doubt have reservations of actual sincerity. Of course, the trajectory is aware of another shadow, the presence of China. India does not like Russia’s closeness to China, while US will be apprehensive of India’s closeness to either Russia & China. The links India is formulating separately with France & Israel are clues to India not depending solely on Russian partnership. Likewise, India is using QUAD to make bigger ties with Australia, Japan & even South Korea, all allies of US.

The ballgame has changed with the recent re-election of Donald Trump to the White House. It is most likely Trump will give bigger emphasis on re-securing American economy, a factor that virtually all Presidents except Trump paid interest to.

Be that as it may just days before Trump became President US slapped sanctions on 19 Indian companies & 2 individuals for supporting Russia. These are also signs of mounting difference between India & US. India will also be concerned about the US regime change in Bangladesh & appointment of a pro-US member backed by US trained youth. These are all signs of dangers lurking & likely to happen inside India as well. The diplomatic tie-ups has seen increasing youth engagement programs and local NGOs pumped with funds by US to do their bidding. These will be the footsoldiers for any future balkanization agendas and colored revolutions unless action is taken. The tool of social media is being used to completely erase traditional cultural heritage across Asia – all these have insidious agendas though presented as freedoms” human rights” and the usual terms dished out by western-backed agencies & their mouthpieces.

With de-dollarization programs rolled out, with BRICS proposing their own currency & creating its own development bank the future of the dollar, IMF & World Bank will be brought to the table. If the dollar hegemony ends, the US empire will collapse. Thus, the West will no doubt also be doing a balancing act with India. To collapse and empire, a new empire & allies need to rise, this is where emerging economies will be given more attention & the new development bank will play a key role. With India doing much to break China’s BRI project, India’s role in BRICS too will be questioned. However, the pulse is pushing India towards resetting relations with China & statements from various quarters in India will ring alarm bells in Wasthington. India’s stand vis a vis its ties with Iran & Israel is also now under the radar. India is again benefitting from all of the world rivalries. Then again the high-level visits between Australia-China, EU engagements with China & revival of China-Japan-South Korea talks will no doubt be worrying the Indians too. It all looks a Tom & Jerry situation!

No doubt policy makers in US, Russia & China will be watching India’s movements aware that India places its own interest first in dealing with any of their partners. This is no ingredient for solid ties, therefore all will be in agreement that the weaker India is, the greater chances that India cannot gain undue advantage over diplomatic rivalries that prevail. India is certainly walking a tight-rope. Having angered all of its neighboring nations with its Big Brother attitude & policies, India has no friends in the region. Many are blaming India for bringing the US monster to Asian shores as an Indo-Pacific partner & thus allowing US to penetrate its objective directly in South Asia. We can see this in the manner the US envoy to Sri Lanka is regularly visiting the Tamil minorities in the Central Province, Eastern & Northern Province far more than the Indian envoy. These trips are not without agendas helpful to India. Soon India will have to directly face the monster India brought to Asia as QUAD partner. US regime change in Bangladesh took even India unawares! What more surprises will US spring on India.

Who is worried about growin cooperation between China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. China & Russia’s stand on Israel-Iran-Palestine & Ukraine & how India is manoevering itself within this tense terrain.

Who will checkmate whom & how reliable is India’s friendship is now on the table.

Shenali D Waduge

Delayed action on NGO funding

November 11th, 2024

Sugath Kulatunga

Thursday, November 7, 2024, ECONOMYNEXT reports that – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank signed an agreement to obtain and exchange information on investigations and prosecutions of Money Laundering (ML), Terrorist Financing (TF) and related crimes in Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) and of any persons connected with such bodies.

The Central Bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the National Secretariat for NGOs entered into the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Monday (04) with this regard, the Central Bank said.

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) could be misused for Money Laundering/Terrorism Financing and related crimes, and thereby could threaten the stability of the national and global economic and financial systems,” the Central Bank said in a statement.”

This is too late as usual and too limited in scope. Why did not Sri Lanka follow the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act of India and ensure that foreign donations are used in a way that is consistent with national interests and the values of a democratic republic” Was it because political parties and pro-west NGOs were dependent on foreign funding?

Indian law has existed since 1976 and was revised in 2010 to meet new developments. The government and the CBSL should be ashamed of their inaction. A summary of the Indian law is given below.

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) is a law in India that regulates the flow of foreign funding into the country. The FCRA was originally enacted in 1976 and significantly revised in 2010. The FCRA’s purpose is to ensure that foreign donations are used in a way that is consistent with national interests and the values of a democratic republic. 

The FCRA requires that:

  • All NGOs register with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
  • Individuals or NGOs seeking to receive foreign donations must be registered with the MHA
  • Individuals or NGOs seeking to receive foreign donations must be structured as a Trust, Society, or Section 8 Company
  • Entities must obtain prior approval or registration from the MHA to receive foreign contributions
  • Entities must adhere to various reporting requirements 
  •  

The FCRA also prohibits the acceptance of foreign contributions for activities that are detrimental to the national interest.” 

Replace Provincial Councils with District Councils

November 11th, 2024

Sugath Kulatunga

The former President, RW, placed four-time bombs on the political battlefield before he left. These are the Rs 25,000 salary increase to the public service, the connectivity with India, to commence repayment of foreign debts by 2028, and the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The salary bomb with a short fuse has been defused by President AKD. The Indian connectivity bomb with a long fuse remains but is under close watch. The 13A bomb, which is also associated with Indian connectivity, is ticking slowly but steadily. The IMF will have to agree with the new government to revert to the 2033 date, which they had proposed. RW has a cynical propensity to throw a spanner in government machinery. His MOU with Prabhakaran was a typical RW sophistry, which an International Journalist Paul Harris declared as the greatest giveaway in history’’.

With the forthcoming Parliamentary election, the obnoxious 13th A has surfaced again as a vote-bargaining strategy. All Presidents of Sri Lanka since the amendment to the Constitution have declined to implement the !3A in full. India has been repeating this condition for over many years as a routine. It is opportune that policymakers visit not only the devolution of Police and Land powers but the vexed issue of the 13A as a whole.

History

Sri Lanka was divided into 9 Provinces on the recommendation of the Colebrook Commission of 1833 with the evil objective of dismantling the Kandyan Kingdom. But with experience in the administration of the country, and increase of population, and the demand for additional services at the periphery the Provinces were subdivided in stages into Districts. The British abandoned the Provinces because the Provincial administration was unwieldy and inefficient. The Present Provincial Council System hastily enforced by India has the same and more disadvantages. The previous Provincial Administration under the British was ably supervised by the Center. But the new animal is both a wild ass and a white elephant.

Up to the time of the enforcement of the 13th Amendment, the District was the first level of decentralized administration. At present, there are 25 Districts responsible for administrative and development activities at a local level”. Most of the major departments of the government were represented at the District level and the Government Agent as head of the District public service coordinated the functions of the Departments through the District Coordinating Committee (DCC). The important task of agriculture was supervised by the District Agricultural Committee (DAC). The decentralized District Administration functioned smoothly and effectively through many natural disasters and civil turmoil.

13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka was forced on the political leadership of the country as a consequence of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987. The bonafides of the Indian Government in the naked intervention in the domestic politics of Sri Lanka have been widely questioned. A solution to the issue of power-sharing in Sri Lanka was not the primary objective of the Indian intervention. The subterfuge of the Exchange of Letters demonstrated the unwarranted intrusion aimed at imposing Indian hegemony in South Asia. Most of the conditions, which were to prevent US influence in Sri Lanka, have no relevance today. India is now the most favored nation of the USA and a conniving member of the QUAD. The Accord itself became a dead letter when India failed to make the LTTE accept it. Most importantly, it was also not an agreement between the Tamil community and the government of Sri Lanka.

13A was not a demand of any community in Sri Lanka. It was rejected outright by the Cabinet. It was hatched by two ministers of the Rajiv Gandhi government without discussion with a broader sample of the Sri Lankan polity. The most recent progressive Constitution that of South Africa, which is considered a model, took two years of discussion and deliberation. Even Prabhakaran saw the duplicity of the proposal when he said on August 4, 1987, This agreement did not concern only the problems of the Tamils. This is primarily concerned with Indo-Sri Lankan relations. It also contains within itself the principles; the requirements for making Sri Lanka accede to India’s strategic sphere of influence. It works out a way for preventing the disruptionist and hostile foreign forces from gaining footholds in Sri Lanka. This is why the Indian government showed such an extraordinary keenness in concluding this agreement.”

A subsequent statement of former CJ, Sarath N Silva confirmed the problems of hastily grafting certain provisions in an alien Constitution into a totally different local situation. The 13th amendment is not a document that was formulated with much thought. It is one that was put together in haste to go with the Indo-Lanka accord. This amendment compiled by taking parts of the Indian constitution doesn’t suit Sri Lanka at all. As India is a large county they have to decentralize power. However, practically, it is not possible in our country. Especially, devolving police and land powers is not practical at all.”

On the statement of the former CJ on the size of India, It must be noted that the average population and the average geographical area of the State of India are more than 18 times the population and the physical area of a Province in Sri Lanka. 13 A has assigned more powers to the Provincial Councils than the powers enjoyed by the States of India. Vide:

https://vicharasl.wordpress.com/2023/01/26/13th-amendment-goes-beyond-the-indian-constitution/

Advantages of The District as the focal point of decentralized administration.

Sri Lanka has had a tradition of local government from the days of King Pandukabhaya 2000 years ago. Most of the activities devolved in the Provinces were efficiently carried out at the District level prior to the 13th Amendment. Imposing an intermediate level between the District and the Center is a violation of the principle of Subsidiarity and has led to a proliferation of political and bureaucratic positions.

A distinct advantage of District-level decentralization is that issues typical to individual Districts in a Province can be addressed with special emphasis. For example, in the Eastern Province, the ethnic composition, level of development, and resources in the Batticaloa, Ampara, and Trincomalee Districts are different. Even in the Western Province where Colombo has a plethora of issues in urbanization the problems of the Kalutara District are very much more of rural nature. In the Northern Province, the distinction in economic, social, and cultural milieu between the Jaffna District and other Districts are striking.

Even from a power-sharing between communities is concerned a District system provides a marked advantage to minorities to participate in governance in Ampare, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Nuwara Eliya and the 5 Districts of the Northern Province, which is in nine out of 25 Districts of the country or in 36% of the Districts.

The imposition of an echelon above the District is a gross violation of the principles of subsidiarity and proximity. The shift of administration from the Province to the District was a milestone in the progressive decentralization of power from the Center closer to the citizen. The Districts were well endowed with the required technical capacity. There was no economic efficiency gained from reverting to the Province.

Sri Lanka had made several attempts to establish District Councils. In 1968 White Paper presented by Minister for Local Government, Mr.M.Thiruchelvam was withdrawn due to the violent protest by the opposition. In 1979 a commission with the participation of Tamil intellectuals like A. J. Wilson and  Neelan Tiruchelvam made proposals for District Development Councils. It was the only set of proposals accepted by the Tamil political parties. Tragically, at the DDC elections in the Jaffna District in 1980 the election process was deliberately disrupted by the UNP, the governing party, which made the Tamil parties disillusioned on the DDC process.

Subsidiarity principle

In the devolution/decentralization of power the universally accepted principle is that of subsidiarity. This is effectively practiced in the European Union and clearly spelled out in the UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS (Habitat) in its Policy Statement titled TOWARDS A WORLD CHARTER OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT as the basis of the Charter should reside in the principles of subsidiarity and proximity, whereby decisions should be taken at the level closest to the citizens (municipality or town) and that only those tasks which the local level cannot effectively carry out alone should be referred to higher levels. Under the principle of subsidiarity, public responsibilities shall generally be exercised by those authorities which are closest to the citizen. In the same spirit, any allocation of responsibility to another authority must be based only on the requirements of superior technical or economic efficiency.”

Governance structures should be citizen-centered and the commonality of interest of a community should be a prime consideration in deciding on the territory of a unit of governance. The District is the more homogenous unit with a higher commonality of interest of the inhabitants. Agro-climatic factors, resource endowments, and ethnic compositions are generally less varied within a District than in a larger unit of the Province. Even in the Western Province, in the Districts of Gampaha and Kalutara, the ethnic composition, level of industrialization, agricultural patterns and the overall level of infrastructure development are different. Gampaha is in the coconut triangle and is a fast-industrializing District with a good road network and fast developing infrastructure with an Investment Promotion Zone and an international airport. The economy of the Kalutara District is based mainly on agriculture with smallholder rubber making a substantial contribution to income and employment generation.

The smaller unit also favors direct democracy, higher participation of citizens in decision making, and good governance. Economic activities and social relationships bind the inhabitants of the District. Their problems are similar. The District center is the hub of road networks and communication facilities. In many cases, Districts have had a closer relationship with adjoining districts of different Provinces. Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee and Anuradhapura are good examples. It does not make sense for a citizen in Ampara to be governed from a provincial capital in Trincomalee, or a Hambantota farmer to be governed by an authority located in Galle when the task could be performed better in the same District with less cost and inconvenience to the citizen.

Although the country has achieved reasonable targets in most millennium development goals, widespread disparities exist at District levels. It is only by a District-based strategy that such disparities can be addressed effectively and without delay. There is more scope for the development of harmonious relationships and the integration of the different communities within a District than in a larger space of a Province.

At present, there are two indeterminate positions held by India and Sri Lanka on the Provincial Councils. The Indian position articulated by the Indian Minister Jaishankar and the Indian representative in the UNHRC is that the 13th Amendment to the constitution should be implemented fully. This means that in addition to the Police and Land Powers given in full to the Provincial Councils, the Northern and Eastern provinces should be amalgamated. This condition of India is to create a land area and a population that could demand self-rule and also has the strategic port of Trincomalee under its control. Ironically, India is calling for more power to the Provinces while withdrawing the application of Article 370 of the Constitution of India to Kashmir which allowed the state a certain amount of autonomy. If India does not have ulterior motives and is concerned about the Tamil people enjoying greater opportunities for them to participate effectively in the decision-making process relating to administrative and development activities at a local level” India should ensure that the proposal for District Councils are accepted. This will be going much beyond the 13th Amendment in power sharing.

Sri Lanka has a mixed population and that is its greatest strength. The character and priorities of districts varied and when clumped together in one Province the weaker districts get submerged. There is a marked difference between Galle and Hambantota or between Jaffna and Mannar. Certainly, there is no commonality between Jaffna and Amparai or Trincomalee. With district self-government, each district will get parity with the others. The units being small will also make them manageable for efficient administration. Management is one of the major deficits in our present system. Communication, mobility and decision-making would be considerably faster than in the framework of cumbersome provincial bureaucracies.

The smaller units would additionally enable linguistic, cultural and economic uniformity within their jurisdiction. Development and progress too could be monitored, evaluated and implemented much faster. The commitment and self-reliance of people within the unit would tend to be greater than within a large provincial unit.

Failure of Provincial Councils

The  Provincial Councils have been a costly failure. Only the Western Province is financially viable. Others have to depend on Central Government handouts. When over 50 percent of the Sri Lankan Tamil community is living outside the so-called Tamil homeland, the demand for power-sharing by devolution does not meet their aspirations.

National Security

 In any arrangement for power-sharing, which disregards the overarching concerns of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country is an invitation to disaster. Devolution of powers to the District rather than to a Province is less likely to become a threat to the territorial integrity and national security of Sri Lanka. It is relevant to mention that even India has expressed fears of the notion of Eelam as a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India. A relevant excerpt of the Gazette Notice of the Indian Government declaring the LTTE as an unlawful association is produced as follows:

MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS NOTIFICATION New Delhi, the 14th of May 2019 S.O. 1730(E).

WHEREAS the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (hereinafter referred to as the LTTE), is an association based in Sri Lanka but having its supporters, sympathizers and agents in the territory of India.

AND WHEREAS the LTTE’s objective for a separate homeland (Tamil Eelam) for all Tamils threatens the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India and amounts to cession and secession of a part of the territory of India from the Union and thus falls within the ambit of unlawful activities.

AND WHEREAS the LTTE, even after its military defeat in May 2009 in Sri Lanka, has not abandoned the concept of ‘Eelam’ and has been clandestinely working towards the ‘Eelam’ cause by undertaking fund raising and propaganda activities and the remnant LTTE leaders or cadres have also initiated efforts to regroup the scattered activists and resurrect the outfit locally and internationally”.

It is appalling that when India which nurtured the LTTE considers the LTTE to be a secessionist threat, Sri Lanka is attempting to give the separatist a base to continue their subversive activities. In the current context of an ISIS threat, a separate Eastern Province could become a cradle of Islamic extremism.In this context Presidents proposal to give Police and Land powers to the Provincial Councils would be like letting the fox into the hen house. In countries with histories of communal tensions, the center retains such key powers in the national interest.

In South Africa there is only one National Commissioner of Police. The Constitution stipulates at Article 207. (1) The President as head of the national executive must appoint a woman or a man as the National Commissioner of the police service, to control and manage the police service.

(2) The National Commissioner must exercise control over and manage the police service in accordance with the national policing policy and the directions of the Cabinet member responsible for policing.

(3) The National Commissioner, with the concurrence of the provincial executive, must appoint a woman or a man as the provincial commissioner for that province, but if the National Commissioner and the provincial executive are unable to agree on the appointment, the Cabinet member responsible for policing must mediate between the parties.

(4) The provincial commissioners are responsible for policing in their respective provinces ­ 1) as prescribed by national legislation; and subject to the power of the National Commissioner to exercise control over and manage the police service in terms of subsection (2) above.

 The transfer of Police powers to the Provinces would end up in Chief Ministers making the police force their private armies. Even today the nexus between provincial politicians and the drug, kasippu and organized crime mafia is well known. Police functions should never be politicized.

The transfer of land powers to provinces is as disastrous. Even without land powers the subterfuges employed to abuse land alienation rules by interested parties in Districts like Trincomalee, including illegal encroachment and even setting fire to the land office are on record. In the Northern Province where Thesawalami law prevails the poor sections Of the community and the underprivileged castes would be discriminated.

Malay majority in Malaysia is 69% and Malay Reserve Land can only be owned and controlled by Malays and it is impossible to be legally released to non-Malays. All Malays are Muslims.

It is high time that, in the national interest, the government and the opposition revisit this alien-enforced 13A and establish District Councils with increased decentralized power, with the restriction that districts cannot merge with other districts.

Sugath Kulatunga

War Trauma in Sri Lanka Presentation by Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D. PhD Organized by Professor Judith Herman – Harvard University

November 11th, 2024

Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D.

   Odysee Video Link alternative to YouTube : https://player.odycdn.com/v6/streams/90eac9df9ddf5fbd9a76399cd6fa420aa1a74cff/98b48a.mp4

Derana 360 | ව්‍යවසායක නීතිඥ දිලිත් ජයවීර | With Dilith Jayaweera

November 11th, 2024

The Strategic Threat of Extremist Narratives: ‘It’s Our Time’ and ‘It’s Our Future

November 11th, 2024

Palitha Ariyarathna

Synopsis:

This article examines how extremist groups exploit demographic shifts, including population growth, migration, and cultural change, to fuel radicalization and violence. It highlights global trends in Europe, the Middle East, and Other County, showing how fears of cultural and identity loss are used to recruit followers and destabilize societies. The article calls for international cooperation and counter-narratives to combat the rising threat of extremist ideologies.

The global demographic landscape is undergoing rapid transformation, with the world’s population projected to surpass 8.5 billion by 2030. This monumental shift, driven by factors such as fertility rates, migration, and improved healthcare, offers both opportunities and challenges. While population growth can fuel economic dynamism, cultural exchange, and innovation, it also presents risks, particularly when radical ideologies seek to exploit these demographic changes for political, religious, or ideological gain. This article examines the strategic implications of extremist groups leveraging demographic shifts and offers recommendations for global cooperation to mitigate these risks, ensuring a peaceful and inclusive future for all.

Population growth, driven by diverse cultural, economic, and social forces, is expected to place significant pressure on resources, infrastructure, and governance systems in both developed and developing nations. By 2030, the majority of global population increases will occur in regions already grappling with social and political instability. This demographic shift provides fertile ground for extremist groups to exploit perceived vulnerabilities, framing these shifts as existential threats to cultural, religious, or national identity. Such exploitation can undermine social cohesion, escalate conflict, and destabilize regions already fragile due to economic inequality, poor governance, or historical grievances. As populations in certain regions grow rapidly, extremist movements may seek to capitalize on these changes through propaganda, recruitment, and the dissemination of divisive ideologies. The potential for these movements to spread globally, using the narratives of “It’s our time” or “It’s our future,” poses a direct challenge to the international community’s efforts to foster peace and sustainable development.

Extremist groups—whether motivated by religious, ethnic, or political ideologies—often view demographic change as an opportunity to galvanize their base and challenge existing power structures. Narratives such as It’s our time” or It’s our future” serve to foster a sense of urgency, superiority, and entitlement among followers, encouraging violence, radicalization, and extremism. For example, right-wing populist movements in Europe have weaponized fears of demographic change, particularly around migration, by invoking notions of cultural “replacement” and national decline. This rhetoric is epitomized by the “Great Replacement” theory, popularized by French writer Renaud Camus, which posits that the indigenous European population is being “replaced” by migrants, particularly from Muslim-majority countries. This theory has been linked to violent extremist actions. For instance, the Christchurch mosque shooting in New Zealand in 2019 was directly motivated by this theory, as the shooter cited the demographic “threat” posed by Muslims in his manifesto. Similarly, Islamist extremists in the Middle East and North Africa have used demographic shifts as a justification for violence. Groups like ISIS have framed population changes, migration, and the collapse of state control as an opportunity to establish a caliphate” and restore Islamic rule. ISIS leaders, such as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, invoked the idea of demographic and sectarian shifts to further radicalize individuals, using the growth of Sunni populations and the destabilization caused by the Iraq War and the Syrian Civil War as pretexts for violence and territorial expansion.

Extremist ideologies often operate through the manipulation of fear, identity, and belonging. The perception of demographic shifts as a threat to cultural, religious, or national identity is deeply psychological. Individuals or groups who feel marginalized, threatened, or disempowered may be more susceptible to extremist ideologies that promise a return to power or a restoration of cultural or religious dominance. These ideologies exploit a sense of victimhood, presenting a dichotomy between “us” (the righteous or true believers) and “them” (the foreign or impure), thus justifying violence as a defensive or preemptive act. By framing demographic changes as a zero-sum game—where the growth of one group must necessarily mean the decline of another—extremist groups can incite violence, create societal division, and dismantle social trust. These narratives are powerful because they speak to the most primal fears of communities facing rapid change. In a world where global migration and demographic shifts are inevitable, countering these narratives requires an international commitment to education, empathy, and cross-cultural dialogue.

The exploitation of demographic changes by extremist groups represents a significant threat to global security. The rise of transnational extremist movements has demonstrated the ability of these ideologies to spread across borders, destabilizing governments and undermining international peace efforts. This exploitation is not limited to isolated regions but has global repercussions. The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 provides a horrific example of how demographic shifts and ethnic divisions can be manipulated for political gain. In the lead-up to the genocide, extremist factions within the Hutu government capitalized on fears that the Tutsi population posed a threat to Hutu control. This propaganda, which framed the Tutsi as a demographic and political threat, led to the systematic slaughter of nearly 800,000 Tutsis. Similarly, the Holocaust in Nazi Germany exploited fears of racial purity and the perceived threat of Jewish migration, leading to the genocide of six million Jews. These examples underscore how extremist ideologies can manipulate demographic fears and exploit them to justify mass violence. Another example can be seen in the Partition of India in 1947, which was influenced by demographic shifts and religious divisions. Leaders like Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Jawaharlal Nehru used the growing tensions between Hindus and Muslims as a justification for dividing the Indian subcontinent, creating Pakistan. The partition led to mass violence, displacement, and the deaths of hundreds of thousands, showing how demographic shifts—when manipulated—can lead to violent and lasting consequences.

Extremist movements are increasingly adept at infiltrating key sectors of society, including politics, law enforcement, education, and the military. Such infiltration can have far-reaching consequences, as extremist ideologies are spread within institutions that are critical to maintaining the stability of the state. Extremist ideologies targeting military and law enforcement personnel represent a particularly dangerous form of radicalization. These groups seek to exploit individuals within the armed forces to carry out attacks or destabilize national security. Radicalized military personnel can access weapons, technology, and strategic knowledge that could be used to further the extremist cause. Extremist groups also seek to infiltrate political systems to influence policy decisions, promote their ideology, and establish power. This has been evident in some populist movements, where extremist parties have gained political power by framing demographic shifts as an existential threat and using fear as a political tool. When extremists gain influence in government, they can enact policies that exacerbate social divisions, undermine human rights, and lead to authoritarianism. Education is a primary target for extremist groups looking to radicalize the next generation. Universities, schools, and even community centers may become incubators for extremist thought if unchecked. Radical groups infiltrate educational institutions to recruit young people, spreading divisive ideologies under the guise of cultural or religious revival. While less commonly discussed, the healthcare sector is also a potential vulnerability. Extremists may attempt to infiltrate health services to gain access to resources, recruit health professionals, or spread radical ideologies within vulnerable populations.

The role of technology in the spread of extremist ideologies cannot be overstated. The proliferation of social media platforms, encrypted communication tools, and digital networks has given extremist groups unprecedented access to global audiences. These platforms enable radical groups to recruit followers, disseminate propaganda, and coordinate activities on a transnational scale. The ability of these groups to create echo chambers—where like-minded individuals are exposed only to reinforcing messages—further accelerates radicalization. Governments and technology companies must cooperate to ensure that digital spaces are not exploited by extremist groups. This includes both monitoring online activities and ensuring that counter-narratives promoting tolerance, inclusivity, and peace are amplified. The international community must adopt a collective approach to regulating online spaces, ensuring that digital platforms are used for constructive, rather than destructive, purposes.

Over the past two centuries, Sri Lanka has witnessed significant demographic and political changes that have shaped its national landscape. One of the most contentious issues has been the rise of aggressive proselytization activities by various religious groups, often carried out under the guise of missionary work. In Sri Lanka, many churches, particularly those of Western denominations, have been accused of engaging in illegal proselytizing efforts that undermine the island’s rich Buddhist heritage. Religious leaders, including some pastors, have exploited vulnerable communities, using promises of financial support or social benefits as a means to convert individuals to Christianity, often in contravention of Sri Lanka’s laws governing religious activities. This increasing trend of religious conversion, combined with demographic shifts, has created political tensions. Some groups have started to see these activities as a direct threat to the Sinhala Buddhist identity, which has been the cornerstone of Sri Lankan society for centuries. The fears surrounding these changes have sparked broader concerns about the preservation of cultural and religious traditions in the face of external influences and the threat posed to the unique identity of the Sinhala Buddhist community. At the same time, extremist factions continue to exploit these tensions, propagating narratives that portray religious conversion and demographic shifts as part of a larger, orchestrated effort to alter the social fabric of the nation. These ideologies, which are often linked to broader political and religious movements, play a critical role in the polarization of Sri Lankan society, exacerbating divisions along religious and ethnic lines. The rise of such narratives has created an increasingly volatile atmosphere, contributing to the ongoing unrest.

It is deeply upsetting to see parts of our society, once hopeful for the new millennium and a future centered on Buddhist values and unity, now divided. One segment is drawn toward the promise of wealth and prosperity in distant lands, while another looks to nearby Arab countries, embracing the narrative that 2030 is their time.” Meanwhile, others seek refuge in neighboring countries, clinging to the idea of separate lands. In doing so, they forget that they are standing on the foundation of support built by the Sinhala Buddhist nation that has existed for over 2000 years, “Now, another group is saying that they have been in Sri Lanka for over two hundred years, and they are calling it ‘Nam 200’. This growing sense of disillusionment is painful to witness. Our neighbors, who once believed that peace and prosperity could bring our land and culture forward, have now fallen into the trap of exploiting these divisive narratives, too often based on false promises and political manipulation. This mindset weakens the very strength of our Buddhist civilization. Even more troubling is the fact that our political leaders and religious figures—those who should be guiding the nation—remain blind to these forces at play. They fail to protect the core values that have preserved our culture throughout the centuries. The lack of a clear political and educational understanding of these dynamics only makes us more vulnerable to radicalization, further jeopardizing the future of Sri Lanka as a unified and peaceful nation.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”-Buddha

Palitha Ariyarathna
Sociopolitical Analyst & Writer
Specializing in Regional Security and Radicalization in South Asia: Focus on Demographics, Migration, and Radicalization

References:

  1. United Nations Population Division (UNPD) – World Population Prospects
  2. International Crisis Group – The Global Impact of Radicalization and Violent Extremism
  3. Brookings Institution – The Geography of Extremism: Global Trends and Responses
  4. Pew Research Center – The Demographic and Political Landscape of Global Migration
  5. RAND Corporation – Understanding the Role of Ideology in Radicalization
  6. Global Terrorism Database (GTD) – START – Global Terrorism Trends and Data
  7. Buddha Sasana Law – Buddha Sasana Law of Sri Lanka
  8. Sri Lanka’s Sixth Constitution – The Constitution of Sri Lanka
  9. Suspect who tried to kill Trump also planned Arugam Bay attack

Finland – A Great Country with Super Citizens in a Dilemma or a Predicament, but with a Solution! Minister of Labor Satose’s surprising opening about the need for foreign workers and students!

November 11th, 2024

Prof. Hudson McLean

Finland – A Great Country with Super Citizens in a

Dilemma or a Predicament, but with a Solution!

Minister of Labor Satose’s surprising opening about

the need for foreign workers and students!

Express Your Opinion – Read What Others Say!
The Independent Interactive Voice of Sri Lanka on the Internet.

Please visit -: http://www.lankaweb.com/

The International Reaction to Donald Trump President Elect!

November 11th, 2024

Prof. Hudson McLean

Donald Trump President-Elect Won the Presidency of USA on6th November 2024.

But Did He Actually Win?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-us-election-2024-results-foreign-leaders-react-wars-ukraine-russia-israel/

Starting with his own wife Melania Trump Body Language indicates a different story! 

 7 Nov 2024  #DonaldTrump #MelaniaTrump #CelebrityRelationships

An infamous eye roll, rare instances of PDA, and quiet displays of support. A body language expert breaks down how Donald and Melania Trump really feel about each other.

‘He will call Putin ASAP: Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine ‘revealed’

Will Trump End the War in One Month?

A peace deal in Ukraine could strengthen Russia.

Will Vladimir Putin play a subservient role to Donald Trump to be seen Russia as the 51st State of USA?

Answers will show the BullDog  of Donald Trump Attitude very soon!

Express Your Opinion – Read What Others Say!
The Independent Interactive Voice of Sri Lanka on the Internet.

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Ex-Justice Minister challenges AKD’s ‘political prisoners’ claim

November 11th, 2024

By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

Wijeyadasa

Former Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, yesterday (11) said Sri Lanka had no political prisoners.

The ex-parliamentarian was responding to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s declaration in Vavuniya and Jaffna that Tamil political prisoners would be released in consultation with the Attorney General. This assurance was given during the NPP’s election campaign.

Rajapakshe, who resigned from the Justice portfolio to contest the last presidential election, said that the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) and those who couldn’t stomach Sri Lanka’s triumph over terrorism could exploit such declarations.

Those who had surrendered to the military at the end of the war in May 2009 had been rehabilitated and subsequently released, the ex-MP said, adding that no legal action has been taken against them.

According to records available with the Defence Ministry over 12,000 LTTE cadres, both men and women, had been released over the years after rehabilitation.

Rajapakshe said that at the time he relinquished ministerial duties there were only 11 convicted hardcore terrorists. Responding to another query, the PC said that among them were those convicted over the Central Bank bombing in January 1996, the Dehiwala train bomb in July 1996 and the Piliyandala bus bomb in April 2008.

According to Rajapakshe, the AG couldn’t make decisions in respect of them as all of them had been sentenced by the Supreme Court. In addition, there were 13 other terrorist suspects held in terms of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

The ex-MP said that the President should ask for a report from the AG’s Department regarding those serving long jail sentences after being found guilty by the SC of heinous crimes. The President, however, could pardon them if he desired to do so, the ex-MP said, adding that ex-terrorists, even hardcore cadres, had received presidential pardon over the years. Both the late President Ranasinghe Premadasa and former President Maithripala Sirisena had pardoned ex-terrorists, he said.

Commenting on the NPP leader’s assurance that northern land held by the state, too, would be released, Rajapakshe said that the Defence Ministry would be able to set the record straight. In fact, the government had started releasing land, both private and public, held by the military less than a year after the conclusion of the war.

Former Minister Rajapakshe said that the Defence Ministry would have the latest information pertaining to the releasing of land as the process that started one year after the end of the war continued even during the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa administration (July 2022-Sept 2024).

The former Justice Minister expressed surprise that none of the political parties in the fray at the general election had responded to President Dissanayake’s declaration.

There are some ex-LTTE cadres contesting the upcoming general election from different political parties, including DTNA (Democratic Tamil National Alliance), breakaway faction of the once ITAK (Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi)-led Tamil National Alliance, according to sources.

The former Minister said that though political parties had the right to woo the electorate they shouldn’t resort to strategies that may undermine Sri Lanka’s defence in Geneva. Accountability is too serious an issue to play politics with,” the ex-lawmaker said, adding that post-war national reconciliation depends on both sides accepting responsibility for whatever the violations perpetrated during the war.

Responding to another query, the one-time President of the Bar Association said that in addition to those who had been convicted and held under terms of the PTA, there weren’t any secret detention facilities as alleged by various interested parties.

Several political parties are fighting for the lion’s share of 29 seats available in the Jaffna, Vanni, Batticaloa, Digamadulla and Trincomalee electoral districts with the DTNA and ITAK fielding a joint nominations list for Trincomalee.

Dilith offers president a practical plan to solve Sri Lanka’s debt crisis

November 11th, 2024

Courtesy Adaderana

Gampaha District parliamentary candidate and leader of the ‘Sarvajana Balaya’ alliance, Dilith Jayaweera, stated that he has a practical plan to address Sri Lanka’s ongoing debt crisis and is ready to assist the President in repaying the debt through this plan.

Jayaweera made these remarks while addressing a public rally in Maharagama today (11).

We want to bring this country to a positive state. That is why ‘Sarvajana Balaya’ is here. We are the political force of the developing people. Our goal is to inspire the nation to rise up and move forward, not to fill their minds with fantasies, hate, and anger. This is not the politics we need,” Jayaweera said.

He emphasized that eliminating corruption and prosecuting wrongdoers is the first step toward national development. He criticized other political groups for focusing on social media campaigns, contrasting their approach with the ‘Sarvajana Balaya’ movement’s focus on real change.

We will not drag the President down. Instead, we offer a strategic plan to deal with the debt crisis. If the President genuinely wants to fulfill his promises, we are ready to work together to implement a plan that addresses the financial challenges the country faces,” Jayaweera added.

He further stressed the importance of boosting entrepreneurship, exports, and production, and strategically managing the nation’s wealth to address the looming economic issues. According to Jayaweera, achieving a target of $150 billion by 2029 will require cooperation and the involvement of those in Parliament who truly love the country. 

Only through such efforts can we save Sri Lanka,” he added.

ලබන වසරේ ජනතාවට සහන දෙන හැටි ජනපති කියයි

November 11th, 2024

උපුටා ගැන්ම  හිරු පුවත්

ලබන වසරේ අයවැයෙන් ආහාර පාන කිහිපයක වැට් සහ උපයන විට බද්ද සාධාරණ ප්‍රමාණයකින් අඩු කරන බව, ජනාධිපති අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක පවසනවා.

ඔහු මේ බව සඳහන් කළේ, මෙවර මහ මැතිවරණය වෙනුවෙන් ජාතික ජන බලවේගය ගම්පහදී පැවැත්වූ ප්‍රචාරක රැලියකට එක්වෙමින්.

මෙවර මහ මැතිවරණය වෙනුවෙන් ජාතික ජන බලවේගය සංවිධාන කරන ජන රැලි මාලාවේ අවසන් ජන රැලිය ගම්පහ නගර සභා ක්‍රීඩාංගණයේදී පැවැත්වුණා.

දෙසැම්බර් මාසයේ මාස 04ක කාලයකට පරිපූරක ඇස්තමේන්තුවක් ඉදිරිපත් කරන බවත්, පෙබරවාරි අගවනවිට අලුත් අයවැයක් සම්මත කරගන්නා බවත් ජනාධිපතිවරයා එහිදී සඳහන් කළා.

එම අයවැය ලේඛණයෙන් රටේ ආර්ථිකය නව දිශාවකට ගෙනයන බවද ඔහු පවසා සිටියා.

එමෙන්ම, ජනතාවට අවශ්‍ය සහන ලබාදීමටත් එමගින් කටයුතු කරන බවත්, ආහාර පාන කිහිපයක වැට් බද්ද සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම ඉවත් කරන බවත් ජනාධිපතිවරයා වැඩිදුරටත් සඳහන් කළා.

අවසන් රැළියෙදි රනිල්ගෙන් මිත්‍ර – අනුරට බැණුම් වරුසාවක්

November 11th, 2024

Dasatha News

The English Press and Comrade AKD

November 10th, 2024

C. Wijeyawickrema, B.A. (Hons.), LL.B., M.A., Ph.D.

Sena Thoradeniya’s eye-opening essay (Lankaweb, Nov 9th), regarding how the English press in Colombo, and English-speaking black-white businessmen etc. are kissing the foot of AKD and giving him dead-ropes is of historical importance due to its political implications. From 1956-58 SWRD had a SLFP-LSSP (V) [PhilipG and William S) partnership, and from 1964-1975 Mrs. B had a partnership with LSSP. Both arrangements ended with venom and hatred destroying all. The latest JVP-NPP partnership on July 13th, 2019, enabled JVP to bury its past behavior and rise from 3% to 47% of popular votes.  Of course, it was also a revenge vote against SJB and the Lotus Bud-RanilW blunders. In between Gotabhaya had to give up his 6.9 million votes!

What Thoradeniya highlights is how the American embassy crept into the NPP brains and planted Harin Amarasuriya to dilute JVP plans.  It is not just HA, but hordes of black tie-denim souls influencing hardcore 1988/9 JVP cadre to wear three-piece suits and ties. This was like Karuna Amman gave up his Eelam struggle after he saw foreign hotels when he went abroad as an LTTE agent. It is our sincere hope that AKD’s mind would not get adulterated by these NPP anti-Sinhala Buddhist element and drive him to become a one-party dictator, thus destroying himself and the country.

Among a list of examples that Thoradeniya provides, one name stands out. It is Austin Fernando, who started calling AKD, Comrade Anura! I felt it is my duty to let the readers know what this Eelam supporter is now up to, in his role of misleading politicians who came under his evil influence. The original essay sent to him on December 31.2020, a friendly explanation of why the13A is a deathtrap will follow.

================

Sri Lanka’s Evil Triangle- Is it possible to ‘Educate’ Austin Fernando?
Posted on January 10th, 2021

C. Wijeyawickrema, B.A. (Hons.), LL.B., M.A., Ph.D.

Dear Mr. Austin Fernando:

Thank you very much for your response (Jan. 2) to my previous essay titled, Attempts to exhume the provincial council cadaver: a reply to Mr. Austin Fernando,” (Lankaweb, Dec. 31). However, I am not happy with your decision to stop our exchange, because it appears to me that you did miss my message. The attachment to my message in Sinhala is simple and clear, and it identified you as a devolution” thief. You are a cool disciple of the boisterous Dayan Jayatilleke, in a different panchakanda. What I expected from you was a rational justification for the Devolution Nirvana of yours, because on this same topic, DJ never answered several lists of questions sent to him by me over the past decade.

DJ cannot see the devolution danger because his panchaskanda is wrapped in a Christian-Marxist skin. A comment on my essay in English in the Lankaweb, states that you are a man of Catholic Action, now dormant. He connects you with one Paul Perera (who was this man?) to a Mahaveli land settlement incident in the 1980s. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith most probably blocked the prevailing ideological struggle against the Buddhist civilizational roots in the Island, raised recently by Mrs. Chandrika, Rossie the Mayor and Mangala, the self-appointed redeemer of pristine Buddhism for the world. Incidentally, these fit perfectly with Vigneswaran’s theory of the five Shiva Lingams brought in pre-historic times to bless the island.

The joining of words by you in your reply, – unexplainable, compounded, confusion”- reminds me the strategy Dayan Jayatilleke used to escape, when he got cornered by a challenger.  He even told those who opposed his ideas to go and learn English. Once I sent him an educational reply titled, English with a smile!”

I expected that you offer us a reasoned/seasoned justification explaining why you selected the devolution path. I drew your attention to 7 selected essays demolishing this devolution panacea such as giving police powers ladder to separatist monkeys. The late H. L. de Silva, P.C. (Island, 9/6/2007) and Dr. G. H. Pieris (Island, Sept. 8-15, 2005) provided more than enough facts as to why the federal option is suicidal. Hence, you have a duty to let us know they were wrong, and you are correct. In other words, why do you think that the 13-A is not a death-trap, and it helps the poor, innocent Tamil villager, not the Eelam-bound Tamil politicians.

In a way Dayan is direct in his blind commitment. See what Dayan, the unofficial father of 13-A plus project, says on this subject (Colombo Telegraph Jan. 7, 2021):

…As for my appointment [as SajithP’s foreign affairs consultant] being a slap in the face of the Tamil constituency”, that’s a laugh. I would like my critics to point out a single Sinhalese or even Tamil or Muslim in the public sphere who has been a more consistent advocate and defender of the principle of devolution, the 13th amendment and the Provincial Council system and opponent of those who wish to abolish or truncate that system. No Sinhalese in the public domain has been attacked more by the Sinhala racist Right over decades, on precisely this issue, than I have. It is this stand of mine, including in Geneva, that caused Minister Weerasekara to suggest in the pages of the Daily FT that in the good old days I would have been spiked to death”. 

…. I have, of course, also critiqued the utterly unrealistic Tamil effort to push beyond the 13th amendment towards a post-unitary new Constitution, an effort which sank the UNP government. As the Press statement of the remarks of visiting Indian External affairs Minister, Dr Jaishankar shows, his specific and concrete ‘marker’ reference was to the 13th amendment.”

Dayan’s delusion is no different from the delusion that SWRD found in SJVC in 1958. How could a sane person say that devolution within the framework of 13-A plus is the end of any Eelam dream, despite a ton of hard evidence available against his theory?  What we Sinhala Buddhists have been trying to prove with ground truths is that 13-A plus arrangement is the beginning of the end of Sinhaleas a Palestine in South Asia, the balkanization path. I think the Eelam strategy has not changed from the one SJVC used before 1976, little now, and more later, except that American- Indian new love affair against China has given, Eelam-bound Tamil politicians a new hope of inching towards the point of no return. This is the hidden meaning of Sumanthiran’s words, devolve us powers that the center cannot take back, once given.”

Austin, it is as if you and Dayan have two identical brains! Why is that Lakshman Kiriella, who once said, any idiot can win wars if there is money,” who is now suggesting in the parliament that the Romesh de Silva committee could follow the Orumittanadu blueprint without trying to reinvent the wheel, also elicit a brain function just like the two of you? On the topic of center-periphery relations Siddharthan’s committee had no recognized Sinhala Buddhist member, and Kiriella suggests shamelessly to resurrect Siddharthan’s report. He has already forgotten the election verdict. The hard-learned experience is that the devolution path is a disaster with absolute certainty of a breakaway sooner than later. Just think about Vigneshwaran’s five Shiva Lingams, mentioned in my previous essay. Any person genuinely concerned about peace and harmony ought to think about decentralization of power to empower people at village level, instead of providing ladders to jumping separatist monkeys.

We learn until our death. The data we receive is converted to information, which in turn provides knowledge. Yes, if we get garbage in, we get garbage out. But even gossip plays an important social role. For example, I cannot remember whether the gifting of a pistol as a birthday present to a tiger boss by a defence secretary, reported in a newspaper was gossip or not. Most probably you know if it was true or not. For example, if you are a Christian, which I did not know when I replied to your essay, I could have more easily understood your for stand on the Orumittanadu drama. Please note the word, Orumittanadu, symbolically connects Chandrika’s package deals, Tissa Vitharana’s APRC majority report, 17 and 19, and the 2015-19 Yahapalana game of Ranil-Sumanthiran and Jayamapthy, all in one knot.

I was not interested in knowing whether you knew Chandrika or any x, y and z. It is about how your ideas match so well with her ideas, and further, I did not send you a court document for you to generate your own questions and exonerate yourself. And then you say < unexplainable-compounded-confusion>! Please read the 7 essays listed.

Educating Austin

For example, if you read one of the essays numbered 2, 3, and 5 of my attachment dealing with Chandrika’s secret 1997 balkanization plan (which Siddharthan copied for the Orumittanadu thing), what I very clearly pointed out was the fact that Chandrika was using the spatial unit called an electorate (electoral map used prior to 1978) for the purpose of carving out ethnic enclaves. This I called the Dangerous Ampare Path,” because Ampare district happened to be the first victim of her political dismemberment surgery. Her formula was, if an electorate has 50% or more voters of a particular ethnic group that electorate becomes qualified to be part of that ethnic Region. Thus, the new S-E region (Oluville region) is a collection of 3 such electorates, Potuvil, Samanture & Kalmune.

Thus, my point, Austin, that you did not fathom was that, if the Malayanadu Indian Tamil electorates (or Hill country combined Indian Tamil-Muslim electorates) so request they cannot be denied a region or a Pondicherry unit within a region. This means, electorates with Christian/Tamil majorities in the South are also qualified to make similar demands, if necessary, via appealing to Geneva.

Austin, now tell me which sentence/s in my essay in Sinhala confused your brain.

I do not know why you are so excited about my email being copied to the secretary of defence. I copied it to so many others also as blind copies. I copied it to SD as my way of appreciating the sacrifice he and the Hasalaka Heroes did, because of which you are now a happy camper in Colombo. I have been doing it on a regular basis, not limited to the one email you have received. As for the American security matter that you are worried, there is no need for me to come to Colombo to meet him to give what you consider as a big security tip. Just listen to the Talk with Sudaththa (Sudaa Creation) interview with Wijedasa Rajapaksha, MP on Jan 5, 2021. Something which is commonsense is apparently a big spy story for you!

Evil Triangle (ET)

All what you wrote in your Dec 15 essay could be understood easily and succinctly, if you consider the existence of an ET. It consists of the trio – politician-officer-NGO. This is a model to explain what has happened to Sinhale since 1931 or 1948. The NGO here means all private entities, individuals, and non-governmental agencies. For example, when the army captured Kilinochchi etc. it was found that NGOs had not done any development work for which they received heavy foreign funding. In India, these NGOs are under strict control, but in Sri Lanka black-white politicians thrive sharing NGO dollars. Are you going to disagree with me if I say that officers, from office janitor to ministry secretary, are all corrupt, except for a small percentage of duty-bound souls?

Politicians. Marxists and officers are responsible for the Mismanagement and for the phenomenon known as the Tragedy of the Commons. Have you been to the place where you train SLAS officers from new recruits to senior officers such as district secretaries? The entire premises stink with toilet smell. Same with the health ministry building. Please go to the link below to understand the Ronie de Mel syndrome of public servants. It was the white civil servants who had sympathy toward poor villagers and performed such dedicated service. Think of H. R. Freeman who became a State Council member in 1931 and 36. How many CCS/SLAS guys could you count for doing any creative work or service to the nations? I worked under two prominent CCS officers, and I know how the game had been played.

I could guess why you wrote an irresponsible reply to my essay. President Sirisena must be still addressing you the same way he addressed you when you were the GA, and he was a lowly GS. I wonder whether you address him now calling him Sir, just like M.J. Perera and Maithripala Senanayake called each other Sir. This looks like such a trivial matter, but I wrote an essay on this topic, long before President Sirisena sacked Ranil. Sirisena was either so humble or so low in self-esteem to seek prior permission from Ranil to continue to call him Sir. My question was whether Ranil and CBK in turn addressed Sirisena calling Sir. I was so surprised to see on YouTube that at the SWRD statue at Galle Face on Jan. 8th CBK revealing that Sirisena went to Sirikotha to obtain permission from Ranil to continue to call him Sir.

I must be honest with you in this final paragraph. You exhibited a kind of superiority complex when you tried to underestimate the value of the services rendered by Sarath Weerasekara and Nalin de Silva, in their respective spheres of influence. SLAS officers like you are robots on a train track in a tunnel, with self-respect damaged by (mostly) stupid politicians. See what Anuradha Yahampath is doing as Governor of EP and how she handles obstructive politicians there (compare this with how you behaved like a puppet in public before that stupid Muslim CM). With this wounded and suppressed pride, sometimes unknowingly, you people float toward arrogance as an outlet to vent your frustration. This must be why you treated my essay shabbily thinking to dismiss it with nonsensical sentences. For your information, I spent my working life doing teaching and research in 11 universities and colleges, in three countries. As a director institutional research/assessment/effectiveness, I have gained an ability to penetrate one’s thinking mechanism via his/her writing. My post graduate research in a new interdisciplinary field of applied law and applied geography, gave me training to test the efficacy of laws, and how to make them more effective. It is with this insight that I see objectively, 13-A path as a disaster to our motherland. So please read my essays on Lankaweb and learn, learning is what we do until our death.

Good health and good luck!

C. Wijeyawickrema, B.A. (Hons.), LL.B., M.A., Ph.D.

I am requesting Prabath, editor, Island newspaper to forward this reply to you as I do not know your email address.

One Response to Sri Lanka’s Evil Triangle- Is it possible to ‘Educate’ Austin Fernando?”

Why Are the UNPers and the ‘Colombians’ and the Western-Educated Tamils Rooting for AKG? 

November 10th, 2024

By Jonathan Manz 

Sri Lanka’s polity on 21 Sep 24 refused to surrender to Yankee–IMF rule, by spurning – for the first time in her history –the entire list of Presidential candidates approved by the Election Commissioner; not one of the 38, yankee-backed candidates, was able to secure a ‘majority-vote’; viz more than 50 per cent of the votes cast.

This resulted in a second vote- count, constitutionally but controversially executed, giving rise to the integrity of the Election Commissioner and his staff being seriously called into question.

AKD became Sri Lanka’s first minoritarian President, distrusted by most of the people.

This result was not to the liking of the yanks who are going overboard, attempting to reverse the people’s will and secure a clear victory for AKD at the General Elections.

At the Presidential election, 2.8 million people, a near quarter of the registered voters, spoiled their votes or abstained from voting.

The anti-yank sentiment raised concerns at the Election Commissioner’s office, nettling the Commissioner to comment, There is yet no clear explanation of how a large number of voters at the presidential election on Sept 21 spoilt their votes; we will look at the rejected votes to understand why this happened.”

https://island.lk/election-authorities-checking-why-so-many-ballots-were-spoilt/#:~:text=2024/09/29.%20By%20Rathindra%20Kuruwita.%20There%20is%20yet%20no

https://island.lk/3-5-million-lankans-did-not-vote-in-presidential-election/#:~:text=Commissioner%20General%20of%20Elections%20Saman%20Sri%20Ratnayake%20said

At the election, all the candidates lost their deposits, save three.

The Pretender to the throne, the leader of the UNP, attempted to create an impression of a ‘distance’ between himself and the Party when he filed his candidature for the Presidency as an ‘Independent’.

In 2020, the extent of  the Pretender’s unpopularity (attempting to establish yankee rule in the country via the MCC) was such that he was unable to secure even his own seat in parliament.

Amazingly however, he became the sole UNPer in parliament when he dishonourably used his position in the party-hierarchy to muscle-out the rightful aspirants and grab for himself the only seat allotted to the seatless- party, under the ‘National List’ mechanism.

This is the man who subsequently colluded with the yanks to betray Sri Lanka by secretly and illegally signing the IMF terms-of surrender.

How did this discarded piece of political-trash worm his way into a position, to secretly and illegally deal with the IMF?

It was when Goo-Gota – a tag commonly used to describe Nandasena following his treacherous role in the yankee funded insurrection – appointed this unpopular and sole UNPer in parliament as Prime Minister, ignoring the many in his own party who were capable.

This appointment took place in the aftermath of the yank-orchestrated mob rampage that took place in the wake of notorious international-terrorist, Nuland, provoking the Galle-Face insurrectionists to violence.

The Nation, yet recovering from Goo-Gota’s announcement that he was inviting the IMF into the country, was at the receiving end of a bigger shock when his choice of PM was no other than the IMF- darling in the country.

Two months later Goo-Gota transferred political Executive power, given him by 70% of the country, to a piece of discarded political trash who allegedly could not even muster 2000 votes at the bygone General Election; he was discarded for the simple reason that he was attempting to bring Sri Lanka under Yankee rule.

The illegal power-transfer took place, seemingly under the duress of an insurrection, when the insurrectionists broke-in and vandalised the ‘President House’.

https://www.southasiamonitor.org/index.php/economy-business/sri-lanka-work-imf-says-president-gotabaya-rajapaksa-asks-people-have-faith-his#:~:text=Sri%20Lanka%20will%20seek%20support%20from%20the%20International,of%20its%20worst%20economic%20crises%20Mar%2017%2C%202022
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=ranil+signs+deal+with+imf&qs=n&sp=1&ghc=1&lq=0&pq=ranil+signs+deal+with+imf&sc=9-25&sk=&cvid=A8BAFCFD1C8D4022BB7B7148E49CB410&ghsh=0&ghacc=0&ghpl=&ajaxnorecss=1&sid=22780B6B5F3961312EB81E425E226050&jsoncbid=0&ajaxsydconv=1&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dranil%2520signs%2520deal%2520with%2520imf%26qs%3dn%26form%3dQBRE%26sp%3d-1%26ghc%3d1%26lq%3d0%26pq%3dranil%2520signs%2520deal%2520with%2520imf%26sc%3d9-25%26sk%3d%26cvid%3dA8BAFCFD1C8D4022BB7B7148E49CB410%26ghsh%3d0%26ghacc%3d0%26ghpl%3d%26ajaxnorecss%3d1%26sid%3d22780B6B5F3961312EB81E425E226050%26format%3dsnrjson%26jsoncbid%3d0%26ajaxsydconv%3d1&mmscn=vwrc&mid=42F7B7326616F5E4122E42F7B7326616F5E4122E&FORM=WRVORC
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61417972

During the Presidential Election campaign, the Pretender threatened the people with starvation if they were not supportive of his treachery.

Coincidently, starvation was the guiding rationale of the yanks during the jock-strap insurrection.

The insurrection owes its name to Dharmadasa who was caught on camera  stripping himself and hanging his underwear on a police barrier for airing and sanitation; subsequently, the Pretender thought it fit to have jock-strap Dharmadasa as his media chief.   

The Pretender clearly communicated his threat choosing the ‘gas’ cylinder as his election symbol; at the height of the yankee jock-strap insurrection, gas cylinders kept exploding all-over Sri Lanka, killing many in their kitchens.

The voters, ignoring the threat, dumped Mr Batalanda, of Gonawala-Sunil ill-fame, to an also-ran position.

The Pretender however did not seem unduly concerned with the results of the election.

A distinct feature at the Presidential Election was the yawning gap between the people, and the candidates offering themselves for election, as reflected in the manifestos of the 38 yankee-backed candidates.

The yankee invader must understand that IMF conditions of surrender will never be honoured or implemented by the people; they were never a party to the secret betrayal and they fiercely repudiate any form of yankee rule of the Country. They unequivocally declare that they would annul all the illegal legislation engendered by the IMF.

When a constitutional government follows a government created by an insurrection, it is not bound by legislation enacted by this monstrosity

The SJB leadership, which has bowed down to yankee rule, whines hollowly that it would renegotiate the terms of surrender with the yanks.

The JVP/NPP remained slyly silent on the issue until a foreign reporter prised the truth, forcing AKD to admit that he and his party, the JVP/NPP, have agreed to yankee rule.

Many of the JVP cadres in the NPP are unaware of the 180- turnaround of their leadership which burnt the election platforms to a cinder with their anti-yankee rhetoric.  

This polarity in thinking, between the people and the political Parties in the fray, exposes the degree of yankee corruption sweeping the country.

It is ironic that the yanks, who talk about corruption in Sri Lanka, are the worst offenders.

This hypocritical attitude is not surprising. 

Former South Korean Chung Ji-yoon who masquerades behind her Caucasian ‘go-fetch-ball’ name, ‘Julie’, marshalled the different elements of the jock-strap insurrection – ‘seditious-conspiracy’ as the yanks call it – to put the Pretender on the throne; the Pretender is a direct off-shot of the insurrection.

Analysts say that South Korea would be adversely affected, economically, if Mr. Trump were to be elected. Biden’s ‘Fetch-ball’ Julie, played an insidious role; while being employed by Washington, she poisoned the minds of the Sri Lankan people against a humane president, who did not wage a single war, during his first watch.

Fetch-ball Julie, planted stories in Sri Lanka’s social and print media networks, that wag their tails on her whine, insinuating that Mr Trump was not fit for presidency and suggesting that he should be incarcerated on charges of seditious conspiracy (viz insurrection).

What a contrast. In Sri Lanka she directly fuels a seditious conspiracy to parachute a pretender on the throne; in Washington, rooting for Biden, social media and print media networks that wag their tails at her bidding, insinuate that Mr Trump was not fit for presidency while suggesting that he should be incarcerated on charges of seditious conspiracy (viz insurrection).   

It is an open secret that the yanks are throwing millions of dollars to stage-manage a result that would give AKD control in parliament, to complete the IMF agenda.

A curious phenomenon at the recently-concluded Presidential Election – a phenomenon that prevails today too in events connected to the up- coming General Elections – is the shadowy role played by the UNP; whilst continuing to remain in the public-eye, the party appears to be deliberately operating on the fringes of the political activity taking place, almost as if it were a mere spectator.

How does this observation correlate with the news that AKD’s campaign posters were printed at ‘Wijeya Printers’ and allegations that the UNP is diverting some of their funds to the JVP campaign?

Colombo is generally considered the home-turf of the UNP, the well-spring of the ‘Kalu-Sudda’(black-whiteman) mentality; this is the mentality described by Malcolm X as the ‘House-Negro’ mentality which is not shared by the ‘Field-Negro’.

In Sri Lanka, the ‘Colombians’ conduct themselves as the self-appointed major-domos of the yanks.

But strangely, at functions, meetings, receptions and, social media platforms of the ‘Colombians’, the message given these days is very clear; vote for AKD.   

How does this protreptic reconcile with the major-domo image of the ‘Colombians’?

Rationally, the question that should precede is, ‘What are the yanks hoping to achieve by installing AKD on the throne? 

The yanks are presently in the process of consolidating their capture of Sri Lanka.

Goo-Gota having taken unbelievable measures to deplete the country’s vault, invited the IMF into the country and then, transferred power illegally to the Pretender.

Thereafter, the Pretender taking-up the baton, secretly signed an agreement of surrender with the yankee-IMF.

As credibly reported,  the 146 + plus conditions of surrender include the MCC landgrab, the privatisation of government assets, the framing of a new constitution giving political and police powers to the provinces, obliterating Article 9  of the present constitution that gives prominence and State protection  to Buddhism, dividing Sri Lanka’s land mass between India, China and the yanks as agreed between the three in 2012, establishing a 1.2 million acre yankee militarised corridor between TCO-CBO that will geographically divide the Island into two, permitting territory in the Northern and Eastern  provinces to be annexed to India, transferring to the Legislature the sole authority to wield executive power.

The Pretender has had legislation passed, unlawfully ‘legalising’ the MCC-landgrab, which the Supreme Court has previously determined as being unconstitutional.

The Pretender succeeded in enforcing, reportedly, some of the secret terms of surrender.  

It would be a tough task for the Pretender to implement some of the remaining ‘terms of surrender’ such as, changing the laws relating to the pay and conditions  of employment, privatising government assets, evicting and settling a 4 million refugees from the MCC corridor into small settlement areas catered for in the MCC map, devolving land and police powers to the provinces including areas originally  demanded by the separatist-terrorists, obliterating Buddhism from its pivotal role, allowing the country, North of the yankee – corridor, to be annexed by India, dividing the country on a North-South scission along the yankee-corridor to name a few.

The team chosen by AKD would shame the Pretender.

·        AKD’s chief economic advisor is Hulangamuwa, a senior partner at Ernst and Young (approx. 25 years), the yankee firm doing global contracts for the yankee government; this organisation has been embroiled in fraud and settled out of court, in one instance, paying a fine of $100 million dollars; the CCC (Ceylon Chamber of Commerce) is the voice box of the AMCHAM and the yanks are comfortable in dealing with this organisation funded by them. Hulangamuwa is the current Chairman of the CCC.

·        The Chairman security exchange commission is Dissabandara a Chevening academist.

·        Arjuna Herath is the Chairman of the BOI; he was also a senior partner of the fraudulent ‘Ernst and Young’.

·        The UGC chairman is a yank Fullbright product.

·        The Pretender’s trusted acolytes, Seneviratne from the Treasury and Central Bank  suspect in the ‘Bond’ case, Weerasinghe, continue merrily.

A former CCC chairman and a director on the Board of controversial Keells, Wijayasuriya, is AKD’s ‘Digital’ advisor.    

The CCC worked with the yanks in designing the MCC ‘grant’.

It is strange therefore that in 2019 Wijesuriya should write to the Pretender (then the PM) and ask him about the state of the MCC project because it was under his Vice-Presidential Watch at CCC that they worked on the MCC.

Jenner Edelman, Resident Country Director for MCC in Sri Lanka gave an appropriate answer. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce worked with MCC in designing the grant. We would like to thank the Chamber for its participation in that process. The Chamber’s chief economist was part of the team that developed the grant. In 2017 the government submitted a proposal specifying activity to grow the economy. Over 2018 a team of Sri Lankans travelled to Washington to lead negotiations. That team was headed by the secretary to the treasury and included all of the key secretaries and the Attorney General.” https://archives1.dailynews.lk/2019/08/30/finance/195506/mcc-grant-based-sri-lankan-formulated-development-proposals

 The million dollar question  is who are Secretaries and the Attorney General who travelled, boarded and wined in the USA, at the expense of the Sri Lanka people’s money, in 2018?

It is evident that the yanks want AKD to do what the Pretender is unable to do. It is not for nothing that AKD is called, ‘Garme’ Ranil’.

The JVP cadres of the NPP are yet unaware of AKD’s plans with the IMF. The yanks have expressed their intense pleasure with AKD’s performance.

Initially, the JVP cadres will ensure that the Trade Unions will not paralyse the Nation while these measures are taking place.

When however, the stark reality hits the genuine JVP cadres they will react and the yankee ‘Pacific Command’ will be ready to take them and AKD down. 

JVP cadres will be leaderless and attempt to get the street; they must refrain from the folly they did in 1971 and 1989.   

The Harini from the NPP will be ready to take over without any JVPers.

AKD has been paving the way, in his speeches, for not having an opposition, not relinquishing power till the job is over; in short, a dictatorship; reminiscent of JRs ‘rolling the electoral map’. No one has spoken about it.

Harini and the NPP cadres may have to be propped-militarily by the yanks; the ACSA and the SOFA agreements are well in place and yank miliary contractors could include any Nationality, be they be in Arugam Bay or Beruwala.

AKD was given timely nudges from Samatha Power and the Admiral from the Indo-Pacific fleet

Once AKD has done his job, the Pretender and the UNP elements will move out of the shadows.

If Executive power is transferred to the Legislature, the people’s power to directly choose the Executive – presently expressed at a Presidential election – is diluted and will easily enable the yanks to rule the country through corruption.

Judging by his actions and words AKD is bent on dismantling the State. A vote for him is a vote for the yanks and the way forward for the UNP. The National Will has been aroused and the people were successful in not giving any one a majority. Adopt the same strategy until a party that will renounce the IMF and annul all the illegal laws made on behalf of the IMF arrives on the scene.

Go in your numbers and spoil you vote.  Show you are a part of the Sri Lankan opposition to the yankee curse.

https://www.newsfirst.lk/2021/01/20/mcc-in-sri-lanka-letters-sent-without-ags-approva
https://economynext.com/ceylon-chamber-commends-isb-restructure-

https://island.lk/union-bank-partners-with-usaid-ceylon-chamber-of-commerce-to-empower-smes-for-global-growth   https://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=101549 

https://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=101715
https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2011/05/162881.htm;
https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2010/05/142178.htm
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/160221/business-times/hong-kong-based-law-firm-to-draft-and-revise-sri-lankas-fiscal-and-monetary-laws-183485.html
https://pathfinderfoundation.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUTuxjmHXJo – 

https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2011/05/162881.htm

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204886304574308753825396372.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/world/asia/22iht-notebook.1.20349992.html
https://thediplomat.com/2016/04/did-hillary-clintons-pivot-to-asia-work/
https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2011/10/175215.htm
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44312024
https://archives1.dailynews.lk/2019/08/30/finance/195506/mcc-grant-based-sri-lankan-formulated-development-proposals

A transparent scrutiny of the Adani Mannar Wind Project

November 10th, 2024

Asanka Perera

The recent article ‘The Valid Reasons Why Adani’s Mannar Project Should be Cancelled’, criticizing the Adani Mannar wind energy project misses key facts and context. As Sri Lanka furthers its renewable energy ambitions, it is important to scrutinise the project, and more so to provide a fairer and balanced perspective.

  1. Unfounded claims of procedural irregularities in awarding the Project

The claims of procedural irregularities in awarding the Adani Mannar wind energy project are unfounded. The project was considered as part of Sri Lanka’s ‘Fast Tracking of Investments’ process, for which the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to enter into an MOU with Adani Green. The Ministry of Finance’s notification clearly states that in cases where the decisions of the Cabinet Appointed Monitoring Committee for Investments (CAMCI) prevail, there is no need for a tendering process. Furthermore, the project fully complies with the provisions of the Electricity Act, as it has received Cabinet-level approval as a government-to-government (G2G) initiative and has been granted approval by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) under the relevant sections of the Act.

The project also forms part of Sri Lanka’s Long-Term Generation Expansion Plan 2023-2042 approved by PUCSL. Sri Lanka has recently approved other single-bidder, single-location renewable energy proposals following a similar process of technical evaluation by a project committee and tariff negotiations by the Cabinet Appointed Negotiation Committee (CANC), which was also followed for Adani’s project. In addition, the proposal complies with the recent MOU between India and Sri Lanka on renewable energy cooperation, allowing participation from both private and public sectors.

Evaluating projects based on Indian regulations is illogical.

The argument to evaluate Sri Lankan projects based on Indian regulations and standards is illogical. The Indian electricity sector provides significantly more incentives to private developers, such as exempting renewable energy projects from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, which reduces implementation timelines by 1-2 years compared to Sri Lanka. Additionally, India’s investment-grade rating allows for easier access to competitive external funding, and the government also provides private players with access to state-owned land on a sub-lease basis without constraints on mortgaging. These factors, which are not available in Sri Lanka, enable faster project approvals and implementation in India.

Besides, the regulatory bodies in India, such as the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) and State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC), are empowered to adopt tariffs discovered through competitive bidding processes, even if those tariffs are higher than typical levels. Evaluating Sri Lankan projects solely based on Indian standards would be an oversimplification and fail to account for the unique regulatory environment and investment policies in Sri Lanka.

  • No excessive or risky precedent in Adani’s Wind Tariffs

There is no excessive or risky precedent being set by the tariffs for Adani’s wind energy projects in Mannar and Pooneryn. In fact, the tariffs for these projects are the lowest wind energy tariffs in the country. This information can be verified from the data available on the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) website.

Source: PUSL Website

The claim that Adani’s tariff of $0.0826/kWh is significantly higher than the typical wind tariffs in India is an invalid comparison.

Comparing tariffs solely based on the Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) or a mathematical formula for wind energy availability is an oversimplified and illogical approach. The Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) for a wind project depends on multiple factors, including the capital cost, cost of raising funds, tenure of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), and operational and maintenance (O&M) costs. It is important to note the PPA tenure in Sri Lanka is 20 years, whereas in India it is 25 years, allowing for longer asset ownership and operation. Furthermore, wind power assessment is a scientifically rigorous process, taking into account the installed and planned wind power capacity in the vicinity, rather than a mere mathematical formula analysis.

The comparison of Adani’s tariffs in Sri Lanka with wind energy tariffs in Gujarat, India, is a non-logical and flawed approach. The wind energy potential and resource availability in Gujarat’s largest renewable energy sites are similar, and in some cases even higher, than in Mannar. If the Sri Lankan government has access to the tariff information from India, the logical step would be to consider procuring wind power directly from India – now that the SL-India power transmission corridor is reportedly in the works— rather than delaying the local projects and demanding that Sri Lankan developers reduce their tariffs to unrealistic levels, such as $0.03/kWh. Thus, it would be an unfair and unjustified expectation, considering the unique factors and constraints faced by the Sri Lankan renewable energy sector.

  • Comparison with IRENA data requires nuance.

The article’s comparison of the Mannar project’s tariff to the global average Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) for onshore wind as reported by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an oversimplified and flawed approach. IRENA’s global LCOE data does not account for the current inflationary pressures, the cost of borrowing, or the land acquisition costs, unique to each country’s context. Therefore, making a direct comparison between the Mannar project’s tariff and IRENA’s global averages is not a logical or accurate method of evaluation.

If the author is referencing IRENA data, a more appropriate comparison would be to the LCOE for the ‘Other Asia”’ region, where Sri Lanka’s costs would likely be captured, rather than the global average. Focusing solely on the global or Indian averages, the argument appears to be twisted to favour certain investors or local players in the country. It also raises questions about the objectivity and fairness of the criticism, especially when similar comparisons are not applied to evaluate the 8+ cents per kWh tariffs for solar projects approved in Sri Lanka. Meaningful analysis requires a nuanced, context-specific approach considering the unique factors influencing renewable energy costs in Sri Lanka, rather than simplistic global benchmarking.

  • Selective environmental concerns

The article’s claims about the Mannar project site’s environmental issues are questionable, given the existence of similar renewable energy projects in the same region. If the site was truly problematic, it is illogical that the government has already implemented a 100 MW wind farm, is conducting a 50 MW tender, and approving smaller 5 MW IPP projects there.

Moreover, the article fails to acknowledge that the Adani project has undergone a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment, similar to the one for the CEB’s 100 MW wind farm. Indicative environmental concerns have been evaluated and mitigated.

Ignoring the existing projects and the EIA process, the article presents an inconsistent and biased argument. The selective application of environmental standards undermines the credibility of this criticism.

  • Substantial cost savings and reduced fossil fuel dependence

At 8.26 cents per kWh, Adani’s wind energy will significantly undercut the country’s current oil and coal-based generation, which averages over 14 cents. The pricing differential will enable Sri Lanka to reduce its annual power generation costs by approximately $80 million.

Moreover, the country spends around $300 million yearly on imported oil and coal for electricity. Incorporating Adani’s wind project will save over $200 million in annual foreign exchange outflows, greatly enhancing energy security and economic stability. The cost-effective, renewable investment aligns with Sri Lanka’s energy diversification and decarbonization goals, presenting a strategic opportunity to transition towards a more sustainable and self-reliant future.

  • Consequences of not implementing the Adani Project

Overlooking the broader implications, the article’s criticisms fail to recognize the significant repercussions of not implementing the Adani Mannar wind project.

Firstly, where will Sri Lanka attract over $1 billion in much-needed FDI for large-scale renewable energy, if not from investors like Adani? Domestic sources alone cannot finance these critical investments. Can Sri Lanka hope to achieve its sustainability goals — 70% RE generation by 2030 and net zero by 2050 – without such large RE projects? Over the next 25 years, SL’s power demand will grow at an annualized rate of ~5% and to meet our sustainability objectives, by 2050, we will need to add ~7,000 MW of fresh RE capacity. Do we have a blueprint to meet such a target?

In addition, without the Adani project, consumers will continue bearing the higher costs of fossil fuel-based generation, averaging over 14 cents per kWh, compared to the 8.26 cents offered. It would also burden the country with an extra $80 million per year. Besides, scrutinizing this strategic investment’s tariffs risks setting a dangerous precedent, leading to litigation against other high-cost projects and disrupting energy plans.

Rejecting the Adani project would deprive Sri Lanka of transformative FDI, prevent electricity cost reductions, and jeopardize meeting the country’s pressing energy needs – consequences detrimental to its economic and energy security. If this project doesn’t fructify, would any other large foreign investor ever look at Sri Lanka?

While the original article raises important points, it takes a narrow view and lacks a comprehensive understanding of the project’s context and potential benefits. The Adani Mannar wind energy project can be a significant contributor to Sri Lanka’s renewable energy goals, economic growth, and sustainable development. What is required is addressing valid concerns through rigorous analysis and stakeholder engagement, ensuring the project serves as a model for future investments driving Sri Lanka’s prosperity.

USA & England Hatch Iranian Hit on Israelis in Sri Lanka – IMF & Chamber of Commerce Put JVP into Necklock

November 10th, 2024

e-Con e-News

blog: eesrilanka.wordpress.com

Before you study the economics, study the economists!

e-Con e-News 03-09 November 2024

*

‘Mr Shakeri also told prosecutors that his Iranian contacts asked

him to plan a mass shooting to target Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka

in October 2024, a year after the Hamas attacks on Israel.’

– BBC

*

‘We remain committed to defending our strategic interests &

values in Sri Lanka – the fulcrum of the Indo-Pacific region.’

US State Department, Integrated Country Strategy

*

We normally ignore the BBC, England’s state broadcaster. But it may be too late in the day to misunderstand the USA’s ‘values.’ In a move, timed to hit the weekend headlines, the US government on Friday dished out to their talking heads some fluffed-up bombai-muttai to chew on, to get them moving their salaried jaws. They breathlessly disclosed that an ‘Iranian asset Farhad Shakeri,’ is ‘accused in a plot to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’. The US claims the Iranian aka Afghani was ‘also tasked with targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka’ (hmm, could it have been a CIA Iranian asset? one can only wonder…) The BBC then brayed more flatulence out louder.

*

‘These ambiguous advisories directed at Sri Lanka by the US

are not mere gestures of caution – they are calculated moves

that influence perception. This ambiguity, whether by design or

through bureaucratic inertia, embodies a troubling double standard in

US diplomacy, eroding the very principles of transparency it claims to

uphold & calling into question the essence of fair international relations.’

– Sunday Times Political Editor, US envoy on security alert, ee Sovereignty

*

The story signals an attempt by the outgoing US Biden administration, who stand accused of failing to protect then-candidate & now incoming President Trump, to divert attention onto another of their makeshift demons. The charges are being brought by a thoroughly discredited US Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has failed to enforce their own US laws in their war on Palestine. Garland has been reminded: ‘You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.’

     Instead, the former US Supreme Court Judge Garland is throwing some shade our way… The BBC news flash, a clearly garbled botch-up, at the end of their story has the alleged Iranian (actually an Afghani) ‘telling’ Manhattan prosecutors (in that increasingly familiar Southern District of New York court) of his plans to target Sri Lanka. Yet there’s no mention earlier in the story, of the ‘Afghani’ talking directly to prosecutors. It is possible the BBC decided to add the Sri Lankan tale last minute onto their Trumpian fable. The BBC’s Saturday cocktail & bedtime ballad of terror also targets ‘brave’ US journalists who expose Iran’s allegedly inhuman wrongs (‘I came to America to practice my 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech’), and their favorite villains, wicked New York mobsters, not to mention the Afghani Shakeri, ‘an asset of the IRGC based in Tehran’, who ‘immigrated to the US as a child’. Now that’s long-term planning!

*

‘Shakeri is still at large in Iran, the Justice Department said’

AdaDerana

*

‘The US government said Mr Shakeri has not been arrested

& is believed to be in Iran’

– BBC

*

So, here we get yet another US ‘conspiracy’ outsourced to their favorite London spooks to shoddily embellish, as they are old experts on these ‘oriental’ parts. Apparently, their glossy lies need less & less substance. What is Hollywood, California (sunny home to the US military) and what is Manhattan, New York (home to Wall Street)? What is fantasy, what is fiction? All we know is their news is as always as far from the truth as is possible. It is not their job to educate us, despite their school lunch programs in Colombo, which will soon include soya hotdogs! It is after all possible, that Trump’s assassination was yet another crafted Hollywood charade plus the ear-lining ketchup…

*

‘You know I’ve dealt with 3 US presidents. Now they

come into office with ideas but then men in dark suits &

blue ties come to tell them how the real situation is &

you never hear of those ideas again.’ – Russia President V Putin

*

ee is no fan of this ‘deep state’ business. Those who keep denying the existence or role of the state, then accidentally stumble upon something about the state they did not know before and call it deep  deep state. Yet it is also possible they may be getting an alibi ready for a future hit, to bring former never-Trumper & PayPal’s Peter Thiel doughboy, Wall St’s Hillbilly Bluesman JD Vance & his discount B1-visa Indian spouse, to the fore. All the US & European embassy cocktail-circuit agony aunts in Colombo are dismayed: ‘How could people in the USA do this to us! And after all those lectures on human rights, they elect a felon who believes he has the right to grab women by their private parts. Even a Sri Lankans would not dare say that out loud.’

*

Sri Lankans are being told they are experiencing ‘election fatigue‘. But it is the capitalist media who is tired of having their demands ignored by electorates. The media, one of the largest beneficiaries of the largess of capitalist elections, only reports the ramblings of billionaires who deliver the political talking points of their zillionaire owners through media control, thinktank reports, and viciously targeted advertising meant to rouse workers against each other. Indeed, what we are experiencing is yet another blatant ‘return’ by capitalism to its ‘roots’ in ‘primitive accumulation’:

*

‘The forcible divorcement of the worker from the means of production,

the driving of the peasants from the land, the stealing of the commons,

the system of colonies & national debts, protective tariffs, & the like…’

– Lenin, The 3 Sources & 3 Component Parts of Marxism

*

According to Europe’s primitive impulses, logic & morality are the weapons of slaves, women, Jews (Palestinians, in real life) & the working classes. The masters do what they want, and make up reality & rules as they go along. Let’s see how long this latest avatara lasts. Our economists have to keep changing their proscriptions, JIT, just in time! While the latest buzzwords go on about entrepreneurs & disruption…, the real disruption they always plan on is: another world war.  And in case there are any doubts as to their intent, check out England’s blatant claim to ‘decolonize’ the Chagos Archipelago – faithfully proclaimed by their salaried lapdog BBC – in the Indian Ocean, by handing over what is not theirs, to the USA to continue to use as a military base to bomb Asia & Africa…

*

• Some of those who criticized the previous government for all manner of transgressions – some true, some false – and claimed to have supported this present President into office – are busy signing petitions & writing letters, asking it to stand up for various causes: the environment, social security, the constitution, free education, anti-anti-terrorism, etc. Not one of them discusses the need to build a productive modern industrial economy that could undergird such ideals. As for free education, SBD de Silva quipped, we would have progressed much faster if the state had first provided free fertilizer to cultivators!

     Oh wait! Those who once criticized our call for industrialization as old-time Stalinist, autarkist etc, are now calling for a revival of ‘planning & industrial policy’ to ‘prioritize avenues of production that can protect Sri Lanka’s people’. Reason: they are terrified of Trump! They suddenly realize all their talk of exports will go for a 6, since the West is closing them out and they have absolutely no sense of a world beyond Singapore to the east. While they provide little definition of what they mean by industrial policy, they get excited & state: ‘A viable strategy for accumulation will necessarily require compromises with our own capitalist class. That includes identifying potential areas for profit-making.’

     Now as far as we know, and as far as the record shows, the ‘capitalist class’ (if there is such an animal in Sri Lanka, ‘rentier class‘ is more like it) have absolutely no interest in employing workers in a dignified manner, in investing in modern industry and raising the skills of the working class. They are too busy making easy money by selling off the country…. (see ee Economists, Alternative to fascist tide is self-sufficiency at home)

*

• The US & EU meanwhile, have made the economy dependent on their inputs & largess (access to markets, they turn on & off at will). In this ee Focus Shiran Illanperuma examines Sri Lanka’s ‘toxic’ addiction to tourism, which debases our culture so as to entertain foreigners – so while they drink in the beauty, we are prevented from developing. SBD de Silva pointed to tourism as a classic rentier activity, doing nothing new, except monopolizing a ‘view’ – seaside, mountain, forest, etc. Just as the rag trade refuses to make a pin or a needle, thread or textile, tourism does not invest in modern skilling via industrial activity, which ithey consider detrimental to tourism. Illanperuma points out how our regional competitors in tourism, such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, did not collapse in the way Sri Lanka did during the pandemic: ‘This is because they are rising manufacturing powers first and tourist attractions a distant second or third.’

*

• Meanwhile, in other Hollywood news… we are forced to recall and wonder of the present fate of the experts at that grand Asia Liberty Forum (ALF) conference on Sri Lanka, which declared:

‘To discuss & promote capitalism & free market policies

may look ironic in a country that is officially named ‘Democratic

Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka’. Yet this country has more pro-market

policies than many supposedly capitalist Asian economies.’

*

This ALF held in 2019 was sponsored by the US Atlas Network, co-sponsored by the US Advocata Institute, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF, Germany) and Action Institute (US). Speakers included Razeen Sally (National University of Singapore), Pratap Bhanu Mehta (Ashoka University, India), and Fraser Howie (Independent Analyst, Singapore), Christer Ljungwall (ENC Center for Global Affairs, Sweden), and Ganeshan Wignaraja (Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations & Strategic Studies, Sri Lanka). We wonder where all these experts on Sri Lanka have scattered to. Maybe they believe the JVP has fallen for their lures & wiles, and now await its decomposition into more succulent portions.

     The FNF, which stands accused of going ‘beyond its legal limitations in Sri Lanka’, also sponsored US Advocata’s ‘Let’s Reset Sri Lanka’ ReformNow Conference at the BMICH, in August 2022, in the wake of the aragalaya. They demanded ‘Unlocking Land for Development, selling off national industries (SoEs, SriLankan Airlines), stripping Samurdhi (welfare), and dismantling labor laws (so-called flexibility).  So what will they do now?

     On election day, blatantly breaking the law, Colombo University professor & Sunday Times columnist Srimal Abeyratne, and Borah merchant & US Advocata chairman Murtaza Jafferjee circulated ‘their views’ on the economy, which were amply amplified by the outgoing President Ranil’s prolific Media Division (PMD).  Wickremasinghe had appointed Jafferjee, after the aragalaya, to form an ‘Economic Stabilization Dialogue’ between the Ministry of Finance & ‘independent’ economists.

     All those shouting about criminality and corruption ignore such macro-duplicity… And this week saw the hilarious episode of Germans giving stand-up dressing-downs to Colombo Anglicans about Jews and terrorist Arabs at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies. How centred those eponymous Bandaranaikes have become in the study of the international, we wonder.

     One acolyte of this crew of economic experts is the World Bank’s Shantha Devarajan, ‘who also acts as a Government Advisor on IMF’. He told the Sunday Times,‘The National People’s Power government has suggested to the IMF that it would like to modify some of the reforms to cushion the impact of the negative growth over the last 2 years on the poor.’ Devarajan is Professor of Practice of International Development, Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, USA. He promised:

There should be a way of doing this while staying within the parameters

of the overall fiscal adjustment program, which is crucial for achieving

debt sustainability & restoring investor confidence.

So, they aim to fondle the head with more insecure ‘social security’ before they cut it off. Investor confidence, eh! And what, pray, do they wish to invest in?

*

‘The principal impact of foreign enterprise on the development

of the underdeveloped countries lies in hardening & strengthening

the sway of merchant capitalism, in slowing down and indeed

preventing its transformation into industrial capitalism.’

– Paul Baran, The Political Economy of Growth, 1957

*

The rise of indigenous productive forces in the colonies stands

in irreconcilable contradiction to the interests of world imperialism,

whose very essence is to take advantage of the variation in the level of

development of productive forces in different arenas of the world economy

to achieve monopoly super-profits.’ – Theses on the Eastern Question,

4th Congress of the Communist International, Resolutions 1922

*

It is rare to see the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce accused in a headline in a mainstream manhole, like the Wijeya Group’s Financial Times:

*

‘Sri Lanka’s ISB restructure: Debt trap backed

by IMF & Ceylon Chamber of Commerce’

*

Yet such truth is irrefutable. The IMF & Chamber of Commerce are aiming to lock Sri Lanka into a ‘perpetual cycle of debt & underdevelopment’, insists researcher Dhanusha Pathirana: The government is ‘directly colluding with the creditors’, and the deal is mired in corruption. Based on a flawed IMF’s debt sustainability analysis (DSA), Pathirana believes they are purposely underestimating the true cost of debt restructuring. The IMF plan is designed to sustain indebtedness, crippling Sri Lanka’s bargaining power with creditors. Tactics include weakening the currency over time, and ensuring they can exploit labor at the lowest price. While Lazard is the heavyweight financial and legal adviser to both Ghana and Sri Lanka, the IMF has given Ghana a better deal (perhaps due to the rising resistance to imperialism emanating from Ghana’s neighbor Burkina Faso). What is missing is Pathirana’s alternative to imperialism’s designs and an elaboration on what is to be done.

*

• The indefatigable Kamalika Pieris continues her wide rendering of Sri Lankan history, that rarely gets play in the daily capitalist mass media. Her recent archiving covers the link between what she called Indian Settler-Colonialism & the Tamil Eelam project (see ee Sovereignty). Tamil plantation workers (now funded as Malayaha Tamil!) have been endlessly played against the Sinhala peasant of the highlands.

     Our great scholars in their towers of imported steel give little insight into the English processes that turned India into such a ‘great’ exporter of emiserated labour, inserting them into strategic enclaves in the economy – port, railway, plantation, etc. This ee also concludes our look into how they turned people from citizens & cultivators and artisans into ‘coolies’.

     ee Focus looks at how our South Indian neighbor across the strait, Tamilnadu, and Tanjore in particular, was made a source for selling its people into indentured slavery, in Ceylon and the rest of the world.  While we should note that this account avoids England’s opium trade, grown in India and forced on China – its greatest commerce in the 19th century – it is a curious omission in a tale of sheer displacement and destruction…

*

• ee continues George Jackson‘s analysis of US industrialization and Black workers in his classic, Blood in my Eye, published in 1971, the year the US government assassinated him. Jackson surveys the 2 largest fascist states in Latin Amerika – Brazil & Argentina, and their ‘dependence on foreign trade and their neocolonial status, which involves dependence on ‘foreign investment’.’ He also looks at the expansion of US industry out of the demands of their very uncivil ‘Civil War’, and ‘the morbid traditional fear of Blacks, Indians, Mexicans; the desire to inflict pain on them when they began to compete in industrial sectors‘.

*

_________

Contents:

HAARP Knock, Knock, Knocking on Heaven’s Door : Climate Modification Technologies and Weather War Fare

November 10th, 2024

Courtesy Global Policy Forum

Alaska Conservation Foundation
Dispatch
Mining the Ionosphere

Spring 1996 At a remote facility ringed with barbed wire, a brand-new array of 36 antennas rises from the black spruce forest that stretches hundreds of miles across central Alaska. Completed December 1994 and now undergoing testing, the antenna field is the visible part of a powerful and sophisticated high-frequency radio transmitter designed to transform areas of the upper atmosphere into the equivalent of huge lenses, mirrors, and antennas.

This little-known Pentagon-sponsored radiophysics project, called the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP), is officially intended to expand knowledge about the nature of long-range radio communications and surveillance using the fluctuating [see “Way Up in the Ionosphere”], the portion of the upper atmosphere extending from 35 to 500 miles above earth’s surface. According to program manager John L. Heckscher of the Phillips Laboratory at Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts, potential military applications of the HAARP research include developing Department of Defense technology for detecting cruise missiles and communicating with submarines. “Although HAARP is being managed by the Air Force and Navy, it is purely a scientific research facility that poses no threat to potential adversaries and has no value as a military target,” he says.

But that’s just the publicly announced part of the program. HAARP also has a secret agenda: pursuing more exotic military goals, such as locating deeply buried weapons factories thousands of miles away and even altering the local weather above an enemy’s territory A 1990 internal document obtained by POPULAR SCIENCE says the program’s overall goal is to “control ionospheric processes in such a way as to greatly improve the performance of military command, control, and communications systems.” It provides a description of the following applications: · Injecting high-frequency radio energy into the ionosphere to create huge, extremely low frequency (ELF) virtual antennas used for earth-penetrating tomography peering deep beneath the surface of the ground by collecting and analyzing reflected ELF waves beamed down from above. · Heating regions of the lower and upper ionosphere to form virtual “lenses” and “mirrors” that can reflect a broad range of radio frequencies far over the horizon to detect stealthy cruise missiles and aircraft. · Generating ELF radio waves in the ionosphere to communicate across large distances with deeply submerged submarines. And, patent documents filed during an earlier research effort that evolved into the HAARP program outline further military applications of ionospheric-heating technology: · Creating a “full global shield” that would destroy ballistic missiles by overheating their electronic guidance systems as they fly through a powerful radio-energy field. · Distinguishing nuclear warheads from decoys by sensing their elemental composition. · Manipulating local weather.

When the full HAARP facility is constructed, it will include several sensing and analysis systems. At its heart is the antenna field, which now is a demonstration version of a larger planned array named the ionospheric research instrument (IRI), which will include 360 antennas. The IRI is designed to temporarily modify 30-mile diameter patches of the upper atmosphere by exciting, or “heating,” their constituent electrons and ions with focused beams of powerful, high-frequency radio energy. A household analogy would be a microwave oven, which heats dinner by exciting the food’s water molecules with microwave energy. Earth-penetrating tomography is a startling potential use of ionospheric heating. The method would work by beaming radio energy into the Auroral electrojet, the curved, charged-particle stream formed at high latitudes where the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetic field. The radio energy then disperses over large areas through ductlike regions of the ionosphere, forming a virtual antenna that can be thousands of miles in length. Such an ELF antenna can emit waves penetrating as deeply as several kilometers into the ground, depending on the geological makeup and subsurface water conditions in a targeted area. Aircraft or satellites stationed overhead would then collect the reflected ELF waves and relay them to computers at a processing station, where subsurface inhomogeneities that trace the outlines of structures such as underground weapons facilities can be imaged. North Korea and Iraq, where buried nuclear weapons labs are believed to exist, would be prime candidates for earth-penetrating tomography surveillance. Virtual lenses and mirrors will be generated in the ionosphere, if the IRI works as intended. By precisely warming a patch of the lower ionosphere, the IRI reduces its density relative to the surrounding atmosphere. An “ionospheric lens” thus formed can in turn focus a radio beam into the upper ionosphere [see drawing]. Normally, most high-frequency radio waves broadcast from the ground are absorbed or scattered in the lower ionosphere, and few of them reach such high altitudes.

Way up in atmosphere

The atmosphere near Earth’s surface is composed of a soup of neutral atoms and molecules of various gases, mostly nitrogen and oxygen. Things are different in the rarefied ionosphere, where the Sun’s ultraviolet and X-ray radiation transforms these particles into ions and free electrons through the process known as ionization. Radio communications are profoundly affected by the ionosphere, which can variously reflect, distort, or absorb radio signals, depending on their frequency and other conditions. Sometimes listeners around the world can hear a high-frequency, shortwave broadcast that has repeatedly “bounced” off the ionosphere. Similarly, AM radio broadcasts that don’t carry very far during the day can sometimes be received much farther away at night, when the ionosphere’s reflectivity increases. The ionosphere is a notoriously changeable medium for radio transmission. It varies with the day-night cycle, in response to perturbations in Earth’s magnetic field, and particularly during periods of sunspot activity, when high-frequency and very low frequency radio communication may become impossible, and power-grid failures on the ground can even occur. Since there are so few atmospheric particles in the ionosphere, our normal concept of tempera doesn’t work. Up there, temperature is an expression of how excited or “hot” the electrons are. Electron temperatures range between -130 °F and 302 °F across the ionosphere’s four layers, which extend from 35 to 500 miles in altitude. The local heating effect of the HAARP transmitter is expected to raise electron temperature by 40 °F according to the Air Force, and to endure as long as three months.

Next, the focused radio beam excites a patch of the upper ionosphere to form a virtual mirror. Finally, a radio-communication signal broadcast by the IRL focused through the lens and reflected from the mirror, can be directed far over the horizon.
Virtual lenses and mirrors could also be used to scan a blanket of very low frequency (VLF) radio waves transmitted by an over-the-horizon radar. Although they reflect little VLF energy, stealth aircraft can appear from above as “holes in the blanket,” thus betraying their position. Proprietary phased-array transmitting, steering, and pulsing techniques built into the IRI will permit rapid aiming of the radio-frequency beam in any direction, and at angles as low as 30 degrees above the horizon. This “oblique heating” ability enables HAARP to form virtual lenses or mirrors at distances of more than 1,000 miles from the transmitter.

Deeply submerged submarines can receive secure messages through ELF radio communication. But the antenna needed to generate a desirable transmission frequency such as 3OHz must be more than 1,200 miles long. Real estate parcels this shape are hard to come by on the ground, but not in the air. As in the case of earth-penetrating tomography, high-frequency radio energy transmitted into the Auroral electrojet can form a submarine communications ELF antenna thousands of miles long. Consequently, HAARP can beam ELF waves at nearly any portion of the Northern Hemisphere by using oblique heating. The full global shield is an exotic proposal for an Earth-encompassing shell of high-speed electrons and ions that would be generated by a much more powerful version of HAARP. Any missile or warhead passing through the protective shell would explode. Or, a “soft-kill” weapon system using ELF waves produced by HAARP heating could be used to overload power-distribution grids and destroy unshielded microelectronics using electromagnetic pulse energy similar to that released by a high-altitude nuclear explosion.
Real nuclear warheads and decoys, or the constituent materials of unfamiliar satellites, could be remotely distinguished in flight by bathing them in accelerated electrons. Analyzing the electromagnetic signal returns would reveal their elemental composition. Weather manipulation may be possible by building an ionospheric heater a thousandfold more powerful than HAARP. Differential heating of areas of the atmosphere could induce local weather conditions, such as floods or droughts, useful to the military. Smooth seas might suddenly be raked by treacherous squalls, creating or denying a tactical advantage. Other elements that will be installed at the HAARP facility include a 120-foot diameter incoherent-scatter radar dish, a Laser Detection and Ranging Device (LIDAR), a magnetometer, and other optical and infrared instruments designed to analyze low-level light emissions induced in IRI-heated regions of the ionosphere. In all, HAARP’s assemblage of transmitters, receivers, computers, and advanced signal-processing methods places it on the cutting edge of high-energy radio-physics research. The program is managed by the USAF Phillips Laboratory and the Office of Naval Research. Equipment is supplied by Advanced Power Technologies, a Washington, DC-based subsidiary of E-Systems of Dallas, a longtime maker of electronics used in ultra-secret projects such as signals-intelligence satellites and the President’s E-4B “doomsday plane,” which is designed to serve as an airborne White House in the event of nuclear war.

Initial work on HAARP was begun in the mid1980s by Atlantic Richfield Corporation’s subsidiary, ARCO Production Technologies Corporation, and its then-president, physicist Bernard Eastlund. ARCO wanted to find an onsite demand for the enormous amounts of Alaskan natural gas it owns. So it cooked up an energyintensive idea.
Eastlund worked under contract for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (now called ARPA) and was awarded three patents one of which was classified until 1991 for inventions dealing with ionospheric modification. One of the most grandiose systems described in his patents is a 40-mile square, HAARP-like radio transmitter that would have used huge amounts of electric power generated by turbines burning natural gas drawn from the vast North Slope reserves. “Full global shield” was conceived to wipe out the guidance systems of missiles in flight anywhere in the world. “I founded and led the ARCO program until 1987,” Eastlund says. “About that time Edward Teller visited Robert Hirsch, the ARCO vice president who had hired me. I don’t know the direct results of that discussion, but shortly thereafter new [secret] initiatives began which I was not privy to, and I declined further involvement.” Teller is a co-designer of the hydrogen bomb and was the arch-proponent of the now-abandoned X-ray-laser the centerpiece of Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars missile-defense program. Asked about his involvement in the beginnings of HAARP, Teller responded “I have no idea about that. I don’t remember anything about it.” Although it is much smaller than a “full global shield” system, Eastlund says, “HAARP is the perfect first step toward a plan like mine. Advances in phased-array transmitter technology and power generation can produce the field strength required. The government will say it isn’t so, but if it quacks like a duck, and it looks like a duck – there’s a good chance it is a duck.” Advanced Power Technologies president Ramy Shanny declined to comment on Eastlund’s claims. And the Defense Department is making no effort to dispel the impression that Eastlund’s story might sound a bit like science fiction. “HAARP certainly does not have anything to do with Eastlund’s thing, that is just crazy,” says Heckscher. “What we have here is a premier scientific research facility with military applications.”

Richard Williams, a physical chemist and consultant to the Sarnoff Laboratory at Princeton University, sees things differently. “Eastlund is an intellectual ace and a technologically savvy guy,” he says, “though there is a bit of Dr. Strangelove in him.” Speculation and controversy surround the question of whether HAARP’s 1.7 gigawatts (1.7 billion watts) of effective radiated power in the 2.8to 1OMHz frequency range might cause lasting damage to Earth’s upper atmosphere. By comparison, the energy level is more than 3,000 times greater than the biggest commercial AM radio transmitters. “HAARP will dump enormous amounts of energy into the upper atmosphere. We don’t know what will happen,” says Williams. “My concern is its effect on a global scale – you can’t localize the effects. With experiments on this scale, irreparable damage could be done in a short time. The immediate need is for open discussion. To do otherwise would be an act of global vandalism.” Eastlund himself observes that “There has never been a transmitter of this power in this frequency band. It would be wise to assess its impact.” The 440-page HAARP environmental-impact statement filed by the Air Force says that the normally upward-directed IRI transmissions can raise the internal body temperature of nearby people; ignite road flares in the trunks of cars; detonate aerial munitions that use electronic fuses; and scramble aircraft communications, navigation, and flight-control systems.

Program officials insist that the facility will operate safely during the four or five 14-day transmitting “campaigns” scheduled yearly. An integral part of the HAARP design is a system programmed to automatically cease transmitter operation if nearby aircraft are detected. The chain-link fence is designed to keep visitors from ending up in the path of a low-angle beam. For decades, high-frequency heaters around the globe have been operated by researchers studying how the injection of radio energy affects the ionosphere, and the process by which the upper atmosphere recovers from the disturbance. These include transmitters in Tromso, Norway, which are operated by Germany’s Max Planck Institute; Nizhny-Novgorod, Russia, and Dushanbe, Tadzhikistan, which are manned by Russian scientists; and U.S. facilities at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and Fairbanks, Alaska. HAARP’s power output nearly twice that of any other ionospheric heater combined with the rapid beam-steering ability and broad frequency range of its transmitter, will permit the IRI to modify higher-altitude areas of the ionosphere from greater distances than ever. A bank of six 2.5megawatt, 3,600-horsepower diesel generators powers the IRI prototype, while the rest of the facility taps electricity from a nearby power line.

Some prominent experts are unmoved by talk of HAARP’s possibly dire effects. The dean of American space scientists, James Van Allen, professor of physics at the University of Iowa and discoverer of the Earth-girdling radiation belts that bear his name, says “Every time you turn on a radio transmitter you modify the ionosphere. HAARP will perturb the ionosphere markedly for an hour, or maybe even a day, or perhaps at most a month. I don’t see any deleterious effects other than on local communications.” Van Allen says five decades of research have given him a feeling for the minute scale of influence humans have on the cosmos. “There is nothing that we as men can do that does not pale in comparison to the forces of nature.’
Alfred Y. Wong, professor of physics at UCLA and director of the high-power active-stimulation ionospheric heater HAARP’s little brother located in Fairbanks, Alaska, simulates ionospheric conditions in an atmospheric chamber at his Los Angeles laboratory. The device subjects electrons and ions to high-frequency radio heating, replicating the effects of HAARP. “We understand most of the fundamental mechanisms that underlie ionospheric heating. In chamber simulations we’ve conducted very detailed studies with reproducible results. We put probes in the chamber to study this. We found no negative effects,” he says. Wong believes HAARP could be used for environmental mitigation efforts, such as accelerating chlorine atoms into interplanetary space to prevent them from degrading Earth’s vital upper-atmospheric ozone layer. Though he acknowledges potential offensive military uses of HAARP, Wong believes no harm will occur from its operations. “I don’t see any problems, only surprises,” he says. “That’s why we do research.”

Others harbor a strong distrust of the program. A local organization called No HAARP firmly opposes the project on environmental and communications-disruption grounds. “This is not good science,” contends retired ARCO Production Technologies employee Clare Zickuhr, who leads the group. “They have no idea what this thing could do to the ionosphere. To put this in the hands of the military scares the hell out of me.” HAARP has proceeded full-steam ahead since its inception in 1990. The total amount of money spent over the past six years exceeds $58 million and may reach nearly $200 million by the end of the decade, when the installation is scheduled to be completed. The effort is a “congressional special-interest program,” meaning that supporters in Congress request funds for it on behalf of the Air Force and Navy Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is a staunch supporter of the program. Other Alaska state officials, however, have not been briefed about HAARP by the military Asked about the program, a spokesman for Governor Tony Knowles replied, “We have no idea what you are talking about.” State Representative Jeanette James, whose district surrounds the HAARP site, has repeatedly asked Air Force officials about the project and has been told “not to worry,” she says. “My gut feeling is that it is frightening. I’m skeptical. I don’t think they know what they are doing.” This not the last we will hear of HAARP. Whether or not the program’s sponsors understand its long-term effects, they appear to feel that the potential for useful military payoffs makes it worth taking some political heat although they may not have expected to attract any attention way out back in Alaska’s sub-Arctic taiga.

https://archive.globalpolicy.org/socecon/envronmt/haarp.htm

UNP cannot be written off: its vote base is intact though divided into two factions

November 10th, 2024

By Gitanjali Marcelline Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, November 10 (newsin.asia): It all started on Friday, September 6, 1946 at 5.00 p.m in ‘Palm Court’, Albert Crescent, Colombo. A Tamil member of the State Council, S. Natesan, proposed that a new political party be formed and that it be named United National Party (UNP). A Muslim member of the State Council, T. B. Jayah, seconded the proposal, thus laying the foundation of a party which manifestly stood for national integration.

United” – that’s what the UNP used to be in its heyday, when it was the ruling party from 1947 to 1956; from 1965 to 1970; from 1977 to 1994; from 2001 to 2004 and finally, from 2015 to 2020. In total, the UNP had governed Sri Lanka for 36 out of the 72 years since independence in 1948.  The Party had control of the Executive Presidency (EP) for 16 years from EP’s institution in 1978 to 1994.

What made the UNP such a powerful and durable party? The answer lay in its having sound leadership and people-centric policies. From the time of Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake up to  President Ranasinghe Premadasa, apart from representing the business community, the UNP’s leadership had adopted people-oriented policies on agriculture, power-generation and infrastructure development. It opened up the economy, thereby putting an end to excruciating and artificial shortages of articles of common use. It launched the Swarnabhoomi” land grants program, and the  Mahapola” educational scheme. It set up two universities (the Ruhuna and Eastern). It fulfilled the Million Houses Program, launched the Gam Udawa” Janasaviya”, and the 200 garments factories” program. It also decentralized the administration, which appealed to the masses, especially at the grassroots level.

Getting on to the Ranil Wickremesinghe era, from 1994 –2001, the UNP was in the opposition. Wickremesinghe was a relatively young politician with pro-West views and a penchant for neo-liberal economic policies. But what he sorely lacked was the common touch and an understanding of the needs of the hoi polloi. However, he had a rare political skill which enabled him to keep the UNP under his thumb even in adversity. He remains the leader of the UNP even when it has been reduced to a rump, as indeed it is now.

By 2001 Sri Lanka was facing the worst economic downturn since independence, brought about both by the badly going war against the LTTE and gross governmental mismanagement. The GDP had shrunk by 2.5% and the growth rate was negative. Not surprisingly, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)-led government fell in 2001 because of the defection of disgruntled people from its ranks. In the ensuing elections the UNP-led coalition won and Wickremesinghe became Prime Minister. The UNP fought on a platform of peace with the LTTE so that economic development could be pursued, a cause which had the peoples’ support.

Wickremasinghe became the Prime Minister for the second time (the first time being in 1993-94) and began a ‘cohabitation’ arrangement with President Kumaratunga who belonged to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Two months into his Premiership, Wickremesinghe signed a controversial ceasefire agreement with the LTTE. The agreement was followed by intense peace negotiations to find a solution to the ethnic conflict. But President Chandrika Kumaratunga believed that there had been a sell out to the LTTE which resulted in her taking over some key ministries which in a way crippled the Wickremesinghe government. But more on that later.

With ceasefire in place, the UNP-led government maintained strict fiscal discipline and market-friendly policies, which led to a resurgence in the economy, large-scale investments, and rapid economic growth. The government created key economic institutions such as the Board of Investment, the Ministry of Small and Rural enterprise and the Information Communication Technology Agency. Economic growth continued to accelerate, reaching almost 6% at the end of 2003, while inflation was at less than 2%, an all-time low. Many local and foreign experts believed that Sri Lanka was poised to reach double-digit economic growth within a few years.

So, what went wrong for the UNP? Although peace reigned and the economy grew, the ceasefire agreement with the LTTE was not popular and more importantly did not have the support of President Kumaratunga who, took over some key ministries to cripple the UNP government. Given the nationalistic wave Kumaratunga created along with her alliance with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), her United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) won the 2004 elections, throwing the UNP again into the limbo.

In the Presidential election of 2005, the UPFA’s new candidate, the then Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, beat Wickremesinghe, though the latter performed reasonably well by bagging 48.43% of the vote. However, it is widely believed that if not for the boycott of the polls in the North and parts of the East, due to LTTE’s intimidation, Wickramesinghe would have won. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged, that Wickremesinghe  had lost much support among the Sinhalese majority because of his dalliance with the dreaded LTTE.

The second reason for his downfall was his penchant for supporting friends even when these friendships were costing him public support. In 2001, a friend,  Arjuna Mahendran, was appointed Chairman and Director-General of the Board of Investment, where his conduct was reportedly controversial. He was to come back as Central Bank Governor in 2015 only to indulge in the US$ 11 million bonds scam.

After winning the 30-year-old war against LTTE in 2009, President Rajapaksa called for an early Presidential Election in 2010. The UNP and JVP backed Gen (Rtd).Sarath Fonseka. This was the first time UNP had backed a non-UNP member for President. Though Fonseka was a formidable challenger as a war hero, Rajapaksa won with 57.88% of the popular vote. In April, Rajapaksa called for parliamentary elections which the UPFA won, bagging 144 seats while UNP-led United National Front (UNF) bagged only 60. Rajapaksa was still seen as the war winner and his charisma was infectious.

Puffed up with pride, President Rajapaksa, called for an early election in 2015 to seek a third term, not knowing that his corruption and misrule had dented his image greatly. The UNP and several other parties backed the rebellious SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena. Sirisena emerged victorious with 51.28% of the popular vote, in an election which saw a record turnout of 81.52%. Immediately after  Sirisena was sworn in, Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Prime Minister for the third time in his political career.

Being Sirisena’s main prop, the UNP took 70% of the ministerial posts. Wickremesinghe felt free to pamper his buddies and cohorts with plum positions in the cabinet and other semi-government organizations.  Charitha Ratwatte’s brother Suren Ratwatte was appointed CEO of Sri Lankan Airlines. Towards the end of Ratwatte’s 6 months’ probation, when the Board failed to unanimously agree to confirm him, Prime Minister  Wickremesinghe pushed for his confirmation. The same year, Wickremesinghe’s other buddy, Malik Samarawickrama, was appointed to Parliament on the National List. Later he became the Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade and Chairman of the UNP.

In 2015, Arjuna Mahendran was appointed the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka without the consent of President Maithripala Sirisena. And as pointed out earlier, during Mahendran’s tenure, a financial laundering scam took place in the CBSL which caused an estimated  loss of more than US$11 million to the nation.

On 20 August 2015, the major political parties UNP and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) signed an MOU to form a National Government for at least two years to resolve serious issues in the island. On 3 September 2015, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe presented a motion to exceed the limit imposed on the number of cabinet and non-cabinet ministers. According to the 19 th.Amendment, the cabinet cannot exceed 30 ministers. But in the event of the formation of a National Government,   the number could go up. Parliament approved the increase of Cabinet Ministers to 48 and non-cabinet ministers to 45.

On 9 September 2015, President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe formed a National Government with a total of 46 Cabinet Ministers, 19 State Ministers and 22 Deputy Ministers.This was the first time in Sri Lanka’s post-independence history that two major parties had formed a National Unity Government.

However, partly because of personality differences between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe and partly due to the contradictory provisions of the 19 th.Amendment, the government became dysfunctional. This state was on public display when, despite the availability of accurate intelligence from India, the government could not prevent the multiple bombings carried out by Islamic terrorists on Easter Sunday in 2019.

Prior to that, in 2018, the UNP had ‍suffered a crushing defeat in the 2018 local bodies’ elections. It was able to secure only 34 councils out of 340, while Mahinda Rajapaksa’s proxy the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) won 231 councils. The SLPP got 44.65% and the UNP 32.63% of the votes.

Because of its failure to address the concerns of the people and its failure to win elections, the party was in turmoil with many calling for Wickremesinghe’s ouster. Eventually, Wickremesinghe was forced to give up his ambition of standing for the Presidential election again. He agreed to support Sajith Premadasa, the party’s Deputy Leader. But the SLPP’s Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the election with 52.25% of the votes and Sajith got 41.99%.

The defeat led to a formal split in the UNP with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) emerging as a separate outfit under Sajith Premadasa. The UNP and the SJB fought the August 2020 parliamentary elections separately. The split was one of the factors which helped the SLPP win 150 seats out of 225. The SJB got 54 and the UNP none.

The UNP had suffered its worst-ever defeat in its history, receiving only 249,435 votes, which was 2.15% of the valid votes cast. For the first time in its history, it had failed to win a single seat in parliament. It got a National List seat though thanks to the Proportional Representation System. Clearly, Wickremesinghe had made a grievous mistake by not giving the leadership to Sajith and cooperating with him at the appropriate time.

So what ailed the UNP?  Leave alone disunity at national level, the party old guard did not want to give way to the young. The leadership was more intent on helping and safeguarding its friends and political cohorts’ interests than in meeting the needs of the people and the party cadres.

I am in no doubt that the founder members of the Grand Old Party  must be turning in their graves. It is amazing that even with the party in ruins, Wickremesinghe is refusing to vacate the leadership. The fact that the few leaders still left in the UNP have not been unable to oust him and elect a new leader shows that disunity still plagues the party. A party which was led by stalwarts like D.S. Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake and R.Premadasa is now nothing but a coterie of Lilliputians.

However, the UNP, as an ideology, cannot be written off as its voter base is not inconsiderable. In the 2018 local bodies’ elections, it got 32.63% while the SLPP got 44.65%. In the November 2019 Presidential election, it got 41.99%. And in the August 2020 parliamentary elections, the SJB, which is but an offshoot of the UNP, got nearly 24%. Therefore, what the  UNP got was a drubbing and not annihilation. If the UNP/SJB’s constituency is consolidated by the emergence of a suitable mass leader, it can be revived.

Though divided Between Sajith Preadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe, the UNP’s voter base is still intact. If a strong leader emerges from its ranks, the Grand Old Party might become a national force again. The recent Presidential election showed that Sajith Premadas of the SJB and Ranil Wickremesinghe had together got 49.8% of the  votes as against 42.3% by Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Therefore, if the original UNP was united, its candidate might be the President today, and not Dissanayake!   

මුදල් අමාත්‍යාංශය කියන්නේ බොරු ත්‍රිපෝෂ සමාගම ඈවර කරන බවට ගැසට් නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කළා- පෙරටුගාමී සමාජවාදී පක්ෂයේ ප්‍රචාරක ලේකම් පුබුදු ජයගොඩ

November 10th, 2024

උපුටා ගැන්ම  ලංකා ලීඩර්

වත්මන් ආණ්ඩුව ත්‍රිපෝෂ සමාගම ඈවර කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් පසුගිය 07 වනදා පෙරටුගාමී සමාජවාදී පක්ෂයේ ප්‍රචාරක ලේකම් පුබුදු ජයගොඩ සහෝදරයා කරුණු එලිදරව් කරණු ලැබීය. එයට ප්‍රතිචාර දක්වමින් පසුගිය 09 වනදා මාධ්‍ය නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කරන මුදල්, ආර්ථික සංවර්ධන, ප්‍රතිපත්ති සම්පාදන, සැලසුම් සහ සංචාරක අමාත්‍යාංශ නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කරමින් ත්‍රිපෝෂ සමාගම ඈවර කරන බවට පුබුදු ජයගොඩ කළ හෙළිදරව්ව මුසාවක් බව පවසයි. එයට ප්‍රතිචාර දක්වමින් සිය මුහුණුපොතෙහි සටහනක් තබන පුබුදු ජයගොඩ සාක්ෂි සහිත ත්‍රිපෝෂ සමාගම විකුණන බව පෙන්වයි.

පහත පලවන්නේ ඔහු සිය මුහුණු පොතේ තැබූ සටහනයි… 

“ත්‍රිපෝෂ සමාගම ඈවර කිරීමේ උත්සාහය සම්බන්ධයෙන් අප ඉදිරිපත් කළ තොරතුරු නොමග යවන සුළු බවට මුදල් අමාත්‍යාංශය නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කර තිබේ. සමාජය නොමග යැවීම සැබවින්ම සිදු කරන්නේ මුදල් අමාත්‍යාංශයම බව එම නිවේදනය කියවන විට පෙනේ. එම නිවේදනයේ තිබෙන්නේ ජාතික ජන බලවේගයේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති ප්‍රකාශය ගැනය. අප කිව්වේ ත්‍රිපෝෂ සමාගම වසා දමන බව සඳහන්ව ඇත්තේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති ප්‍රකාශනයක කියා නොවේ. එය සඳහන්ව ඇත්තේ ජනාධිපතිවරයාගේ අත්සනින් 2024 සැප්තැම්බර් මස 27 වන දින නිකුත් කරන ලද අංක 2403/53 දරණ ගැසට් නිවේදනයේය. 

එම ගැසට් නිවේදනයේද එවැන්නක් සඳහන්ව නැති බව නිවේදනයේ යට ඡේදයක සඳහන්ව ඇත. මුදල් අමාත්‍යාංශය සමාජය නොමග යවන බවට හොඳම නිදසුන එම වාක්‍යයි. අපට අසන්නට ඇත්තේ මෙපමණකි. එම ගැසට් නිවේදනය ජනාධිපතිවරයා විසින් අත්සන් කර රජයේ මුද්‍රණාලයාධිපති විසින් නිකුත් කරන ලද එකක් නොවේද? රජයේ මුද්‍රණාලයේ නිල වෙබ් අඩවියට ව්‍යාජ ගැසට් නිවේදනයක් එකතු වුයේ කෙසේද? එය නිවැරදි ගැසට් නිවේදනයනම් එහි මුදල් අමාත්‍යංශයට අදාළ කොටසේ 36 වන වගන්තියේ ඈවර කිරීමට නියමිත ආයතන II උපලේඛනයේ 54 සිට 57 දක්වා සඳහන්ව ඇති බව ලියා නැද්ද? එය අපට ඇතිවූ යම් දෘෂ්ටි මායාවක්ද? II උපලේඛනයේ 57 වන අංකය යටතේ ශ්‍රී ලංකා සීමාසහිත ත්‍රිපෝෂ සමාගම ලෙස සඳහන්ව නැද්ද? එයත් යම් දෘෂ්ටි මායාවක්ද? 

ත්‍රිපෝෂ සමාගම ඈවර කිරීමේ උත්සාහයක් දරන ලද බව සඳහන්ව ඇත්තේ රජයේ නිල ගැසට් නිවේදනයකය. එයට සමාජ විරෝධය එනවිට එය නිවැරදි කිරීමට මැදිහත්වීම යහපත් ප්‍රවණතාවයකි. එහෙත් රජයේ නිල සහ නීත්‍යානුකූල ලියවිලි වන්නේ ගැසට් නිවේදන මිස මාධ්‍ය නිවේදන නොවේ. ඒ නිසා මාධ්‍ය නිවේදන නිකුත් කිරීම පසෙක ලා ගැසට් නිවේදනය සංශෝධනය කර වහාම නැවත අලුත් ගැසට් නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කළ යුතුය. එය සිදු නොකර අතේ පැලවෙන මුසාවන් දෙසා බෑම මුදල් අමාත්‍යංශ නිලධාරීන්ට තරම් නොවේ. 

මුදල් අමාත්‍යංශ නිලධාරීන් ඇතුළු රජයේ බලධාරීනි, විහිලු කරන්න එපා! වගකීමෙන් වැඩ කරන්න.”

Will introduce programme to eradicate drug menace’: President

November 10th, 2024

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, November 09 (Daily Mirror)- The government will take steps to eradicate the drug menace and the underworld while putting an end to the insecure situation in the country, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday.

Speaking at an election rally in Kegalle, he said discussions have already been held with the Secretary of the Public Security Ministry and higher officials to formulate a programme for this.

He said that in the past the drug business was carried out with the support and blessings of politicians and a few police officers and that the National People’s Power (NPP) government will launch a programme to eradicate the drug menace.

The government will ensure that everyone is equal before the law, put a stop to wastage of millions of public money, stop those who are evading the tax net, stop fraud and corruption while taking action against past incidents of fraud and corruption, the President added.

He said action will be taken to standardise politics where clear rules and regulations will be made on perks and privileges that are entitled to former Presidents.

Former Presidents had enjoyed excessive perks and privileges exceeding what had been granted by the Constitution, Acts and circulars, said President Dissanayake, adding that the NPP government recalled all perks and privileges enjoyed by them illegally.

“This is not political revenge. We will also take steps to amend laws and regulations to curtail perks and privileges that they are legally entitled to. We will introduce a mechanism where the former Presidents are required to apply for facilities such as residences from the government. If they want a residence from Colombo, they will need to apply for a residence from the government by filling an application where they need to mention reasons why they need such a residence,” he said.

Will probe killings of Thajudeen, Lasantha: President

November 10th, 2024

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, November 09 (Daily Mirror)- The government will investigate into and bring to book those responsible for the killing of peaceful people like Wasim Thajudeen, Lasantha Wickramatunga and the disappearance of Pradeep Ekneligoda, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today.

Speaking at an election rally in Dambulla, he said the government will end the era of innocent people being killed by the political authority and added that everyone’s lives were valuable.

“We will end the era of all the killings committed using political power. Everyone is worth their lives. There are no respondents for the killings of Wasim Thajudeen, Lasantha Wickramatunga and the disappearance of Ekneligoda. We will investigate into all incidents and bring to book the culprits who killed peaceful people,” he said adding that an atmosphere will be created where everyone could live without any fear.

Sri Lanka’s application to join BRICS to be considered: Russian Embassy

November 10th, 2024

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Sri Lanka’s application to join BRICS will be considered in due course in consultations and consensus with numerous other bids from other countries under the chairmanship of Russia, the Russian Embassy said.   

The embassy said Russia, as the chair of BRICS, welcomes Sri Lanka’s application and that news reports about its rejection are inaccurate.

Sri Lanka placed on record its request to join BRICS at the latest summit in Russia. Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath also requested the member states to support Sri Lanka.

Under Russia’s presidency, BRICS (acronym for the founding states – Brazil, Russia, India and China) held its first summit following the group’s expansion on January 1, 2024, from 22 to 24 October in Kazan, Russia with more than 30 delegations, 22 heads of state or governments and several representatives of international organisations, including United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres attending, the summit was a diplomatic success for Russia. It offered President Vladimir Putin the opportunity to demonstrate to the world that Russia is not isolated. 

The meeting in Kazan underlined BRICS’s ambition to foster relations with the Global South, and its aim of shaping an alternative multipolar world order, particularly in the global financial and trade system.

Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane represented Sri Lanka at the summit.

Foreign Ministry, Russian Embassy refutes claims of Sri Lanka’s BRICS membership application rejection

November 10th, 2024

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs refutes the media reports claiming that Sri Lanka’s application for BRICS membership has been rejected.

Issuing a statement in this regard, the ministry stated that as approved by the Cabinet on 07 October 2024, Sri Lanka applied for membership in BRICS and the New Development Bank (NDB). 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath wrote to his counterparts in BRICS member countries informing of Sri Lanka’s interest to join. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also wrote to his Russian counterpart in this regard”, it added.

Furthermore, the Foreign Affairs Ministry clarified: At the BRICS Outreach Summit held in Kazan, Russia 22-24 October 2024, Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane, as leader of the Sri Lanka delegation announced Sri Lanka’s interest. At the Summit, the BRICS Member States also endorsed a new category of Partner Countries, whilst ‘welcoming the considerable interest by countries of the Global South in BRICS’ (Kazan Declaration).”

The statement highlighted that pending requests for BRICS membership from many countries including Sri Lanka will be considered by BRICS member countries in due course.

Sri Lanka’s intention to join the New Development Bank was welcomed by the President of the New Development Bank, the ministry noted, adding that the Foreign Ministry together with relevant government agencies will review the procedures and timing in this regard.

There is no truth in the statement carried in certain local media that Sri Lanka’s BRICS application has been rejected. It is regrettable that the points made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the post-cabinet media conference on 6 November 2024 have been misrepresented”, the Foreign Affairs Ministry added.

In the meantime, the Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka also issued a statement highlighting that the Russian BRICS Chairship welcomed Sri Lanka’s interest in joining the BRICS and that its application will be considered by BRICS in due course in full consultation and consensus along with bids of numerous other countries who have also applied.

The local media reports that Sri Lanka’s application has been rejected are wrong”, the embassy added.

The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) calls on President to probe 88-89 ‘state terrorism’, demands justice for JVP martyrs

November 10th, 2024

Courtesy Adaderana

The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) has urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in writing to launch an immediate investigation into state-sanctioned crimes during the 1988-89 period, and serve justice for the lives of fallen Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) heroes including Rohana Wijeweera.

Ahead of the 35th Il Maha Viru Samaruwa”, the commemoration of fallen JVP heroes on November 13, the FSP’s letter to the President, honoring Comrade Rohana Wijeweera and others who lost their lives in the struggle for socialist transformation, emphasized the need to uncover the truth behind kidnappings, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings attributed to state terrorism” at that time.

The FSP further stated that crimes against humanity were not limited to the 1988-89 southern uprisings but were also widespread during the civil conflict in the north. They highlighted past commissions and the Office of Missing Persons as steps taken by prior administrations, yet they argue these efforts have fallen short of true justice.

Now that the President, leader of the Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP), has assumed office, the FSP calls on him to prioritize a comprehensive investigation, bringing to light the events surrounding the deaths and disappearances, including that of Rohana Wijeweera. 

As an initial step, the FSP proposes full disclosure of investigation findings to the public and accountability for those responsible. The party has pledged its support and offered to provide relevant evidence to assist in delivering justice to the victims and their families.

Sajith accuses President of breaking promises and depriving people of benefits

November 10th, 2024

Courtesy Hiru News

Samagi Jana Balawegaya leader Sajith Premadasa criticized President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, claiming he has not only broken promises made to the people but also deprived them of their rightful benefits.

Sajith Premadasa made these remarks at a public meeting in Kesbewa.

76 වසරක සොරකම්

November 9th, 2024

උපුටාගැණීම මුහුනුපොත

වත්මන් ආණ්ඩුව බලයට පත් වීමේ මූලික තේමාව ලෙස යොදා ගත්තෙ “හොරකමට එරෙහි වීම” කියන තේමා පාඨයයි. ජවිපෙ ඉතිහාසයේ කිසි දිනක එම තේමා පාඨය තම මූලික තේමා පාඨය බවට පත් කර ගත්තේ නැත. ජවිපෙ මේ තේමා පාඨය සිය මූලික තේමා පාඨය කරගත්තේ එහි වත්මන් නායකයා වන අනුර දිසානායක පක්ෂ නායකයා වූ පසුවයි.

1977 න් පසු රට තුළ විශාල වශයෙන් දූෂණ,වංචා, සහ අක්‍රමිකතා විශාල ලෙස සිදුවන බවත් ඒ බොහෝ ඒවා සමඟ දේශපාලන බලය සම්බන්ධව ඇති බවත් රටේ ජීවත්වන සැමදෙනාම දන්නා දෙයකි. ඒ අනුව මේ දූෂණ,වංචා, සහ අක්‍රමිකතා වලට විරුද්ධ දේශපාලන කතිකාවතක් ගොඩ නැගීම අවශ්‍ය කාරණාවක් ව තිබිණි. ඉන්දියාවේ ද කලකට ඉහත අන්නා හසාරේ සහ අරවින්ද් කෙජ්‍රිවාල් වැනි පුද්ගලයෝ දූෂණයට එරෙහිවීම යන තේමාවම යටතේ දේශපාලන ව්‍යාපාර ගොඩ නැගූ අතර ඒවා යම් ජනප්‍රියත්වයකට පත් විය.

අද වන විට අප රටේ මූලික දේශපාලන තේමාව වී ඇත්තේ සොරකම සහ සොරු ඇල්ලීම යන්න බව පැහැදිලිය. 2022 ඇති වූ ආර්ථික අර්බූදයේ සිට බිත්තරයක මිල තීරණය වීම යන ක්ෂුද්‍ර කාරණා දක්වා “සොරකම” සම්බන්ධ බව සිතන තරමට ජනතාව තල්ලු කිරීමට අනුර දිසානායකගෙන් පසු ජවිපෙ ගෙන ගිය මේ ප්‍රොපගැන්ඩාව සමත් වී ඇත.

මේ ආකාරයෙන්ම 2015 බලයට පත් ආණ්ඩුව ද බලයට පත් වූයේ සොරකමට එරෙහි වීමේ තේමාව මුල් කරගෙනය. එසේ නමුත් රටේ සිදු වූ විශාලම පරිමාණයේ මූල්‍ය වංචාවට එම ආණ්ඩුවේ ප්‍රබලයන්ගේ නම ගෑවීම නිසා ඒ ආණ්ඩුව සම්බන්ධව තිබූ ජනතා විශ්වාසය මුළුමනින්ම පළුදු විය.එවබැවින් අනෙකා සොරෙකු බව කීමට තමා සොරකු නොවී සිටීම අත්‍යවශ්‍ය කාරණාවක් බව පැහැදිලිය.

ජවිපෙ කියන්නේ 76 වසරක් රට පාලනය කළ ආණ්ඩු සියල්ල රටේ සම්පත් කොල්ල කෑ බවයි. ජවිපෙට 2024 දක්වා ආණ්ඩු බලයක් තිබී නැත. නමුත් ජවිපෙ සොරකම් නොකළ පක්ෂයක්ද?

ජවිපෙ බිහි වූයේ 1965 දීය. මුල් කාලයේ පක්ෂයේ අරමුදල් තිබුණේ නැත. පක්ෂයට අරමුදල් සම්පාදනය වෙනුවෙන් ජවිපෙ කුඩා ගොවිපොළවල් ආරම්භ කිරීම වැනි සුළු ව්‍යාපාර ආරම්භ කරන ලද අතර විජේවීර පොළවල් වල මුට්ට කර ගැසීමෙන් මුදල් ඉපයූ බව කියැවේ.

නමුත් පසු කලෙක ජවිපෙ වඩා ලාභදායි ක්‍රමවලට යොමු විය. ජවිපෙ විසින් සන්නද්ධ කැරලි දෙකක් සිදු කරන ලද අතර ඒ කාලවලදී පක්ෂවලට අරමුදල් සම්පාදනය සඳහා මංකොල්ලකෑම් සිදු කළහ. කලක් පක්ෂයේ උපනායක ලෙස ක්‍රියා කළ උපතිස්ස ගමනායක 1973 දී මුල්වරට අත් අඩංගුවට පත්වන්නේ දැරණියගල ප්‍රදේශයේ වතුයායක වැටුප් මංකොල්ලකෑමට යාම අතරතුරයි.

1983 පක්ෂ තහනමෙන් පසුද ජවිපෙ විශාල ප්‍රමාණයෙන් මංකොල්ලකෑම් සිදු කළහ. 1983 පක්ෂ තහනමින් පසු ඝාතණය වූ මුල්ම ජවිපෙ සාමාජිකයා අනුරාධපුර සරත් විජේසිංහයි. සරත් විජේසිංහ ගේ ඝාතණය එවකට ආණ්ඩුව ජවිපෙට එරෙහිව දියත් කරන ලද භීෂණයේ පළමු බිල්ල ලෙස ජවිපෙ නිතර දක්වයි. කෙසේ නමුත් සරත් විජේසිංහ මිය ගිය ගොස් ඇත්තේ මංකොල්ලයකදී සිදු කළ වෙඩි තැබීමකිනි.

1985 දී ගුරු වැටුප් මංකොල්ලකෑමකට සම්බන්ධ වූ ජවිපෙ මධ්‍යම කාරක සභික තල්පාවිල ධර්මේ එහිදී හසු වූ අතර පහර කෑම නිසා මිය ගියේය. ජවිපෙ දෙවන කැරැල්ලේදී මිය ගිය පළමු ප්‍රධාන පෙළේ නායකයා මිය ගියේ ඒ ආකාරයෙනි.

1986න් පසුව විශාල ප්‍රමාණයේ බැංකු මංකොල්ලවලට ජවිපෙ සම්බන්ධ විය:

1986 ගල්ගමුව මහජන බැංකුව – මුදල් ලක්ෂ 12 සහ රන් බඩු ලක්ෂ 20

1987 දිවුලපිටිය මහජන බැංකුව -මුදල් ලක්ෂ 10 සහ රන් බඩු ලක්ෂ 25

1988 නුවර දිගන මහජන බැංකුව – මුදල් ලක්ෂ 60 සහ රන් බඩු කිලෝ 54

1989 මොරටුව මහජන බැංකුව – මුදල් සහ රන්බඩු ලක්ෂ 60

1989 කටුබැද්ද ලංකා බැංකුව – මුදල් ලක්ෂ 82

1989 තංගල්ල මහජන බැංකුව – මුදල් ලක්ෂ 30 සහ රන් බඩු ලක්ෂ 50

1989 වැල්ලවත්ත මහජන බැංකුව – මුදල් ලක්ෂ 222 සහ රන් බඩු ලක්ෂ 20

උපුටා ගැනීම – “සටනින් සටන”, ධර්මන් වික්‍රමරත්න

මීට අමතරව 87-89 භීෂණ සමයේ ගම් මට්ටමින් ද මුදල් සහ රත්තරන් බඩු මංකොල්ලකෑම් සිදු විය. පිළිමතලාව ඉන්ධන පිරවුම්හල කොල්ලකෑමට පැමිණි කැරළි කරුවකු හමුදා වෙඩි පහරින් මරුවට පත් වූ බව මගේ මතකයේ ඇත.

මෙලෙස කොල්ලකෑම් සිදු කිරීම නිසා 1989 වන විට පක්ෂයට විශාල මුදල් සම්භාරයක් එකතු වී තිබිණි. විජේවීර ඇතුළු නායකයන්ට සැඟවී සිටීම සඳහා බණ්ඩාරවෙල ලෙව්වෙගොඩවත්ත, උලපනේ ශාන්ත මේරි වතුයායම, ගලහ අරලිය වතුයාය වැනි විශාල ප්‍රමාණයේ ඉඩම් මිලට ගැනීමට ජවිපෙට වත්කම් තිබිණි. අවසාන කාලයේ ඩී.එම්. ආනන්ද, සමන් පියසිරි ප්‍රනාන්දු, එච්බී හේරත් වැනි පළමු පෙලේ නායකයන්ට ගමන් කිරීමට රියදුරු සහිත මෝටර් රථ තිබිණි. (ඔවුන් ඇතැමෙක් අත් අඩංගුවට පත් වීමට හේතු වූයේ ද මේ රියදුරුන් විසින් කරන ලද පාවාදීම්ය.)

එපමණක් නොව මෙලෙස කොල්ල කන ලද රත්තරන් බඩු ද විශාල වශයෙන් එකතු වී තිබිණි. කැරලි කරුවන් ලුහු බැඳි ඇතැම් ආණ්ඩුවට සම්බන්ධ ඇතැම් සන්නද්ධ කණ්ඩායම් මේවා ගැන ද විමසිලිවත් වූ බව වාර්තාවල දක්නට ලැබේ.

1971 කැරැල්ලේදී කුරුණෑගල ට පලාගිය කෑගල්ලේ කැරලි කණ්ඩායම විසින් මැල්සිරිපුරදී කොල්ල කෑ ධනයෙන් කැරලිකරුවන් අතර සිටි ඇතැම් පිරිස් පසුව ධනවතුන් වූ ආකාරය ඒ අතර සිටි කැරලි නායකයකු වූ පැට්‍රික් ප්‍රනාන්දු ලියා ඇත. (“සටන්කාමියා”, පැට්‍රික් ප්‍රනාන්දු)

89 කැරැල්ලේ පරාජයත් සමඟ කැරලි කරුවන් පිරිසක් උඩවලවේ ප්‍රදේශයේ සැඟවී සිටියහ. එහි නායකයා වූ රුහුණු විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයේ සිසුවකු වූ ප්‍රේමචන්ද්‍ර කොඩිතුවක්කු ඝාතණය කර ඔහු සන්තකයේ තිබූ රත්තරන් කිලෝ 30ක් කැරලිකරුවන් කිහිප දෙනෙක් පැහැර ගත් බව වාර්තා වේ. (“සටනින් සටන”, ධර්මන් වික්‍රමරත්න)

මෙවන් සිද්ධීන් වලින් පෙනෙන්නේ මෙලෙස කොල්ලෑ කෑ ධනය සියල්ල පක්ෂයේ අරමුදල් තුළට නොව විවිධ අක්‍රමිකතා හරහා නොයෙක් අය අතටද අත්පත් වී ඇති බවයි.

May be an image of jewellery

WHY ENGLISH PRESS IN SRI LANKA IN A STATE OF EUPHORIA HAIL SRI LANKA’S NEW PRESIDENT?

November 9th, 2024

By Sena Thoradeniya

[The writer began compiling this essay immediately after the Presidential election, but could not complete it as he was indisposed. Although its title may sound rather outdated its contents are still valid and new developments what were not originally thought of makes it more current.]  

With apologies to Marx and Engels we begin:  A spectre is haunting Sri Lanka – the spectre of NPP. All political parties in the now dissolved Parliament and others who strive to enter the new Parliament have accepted its dominance and its probable victory at the next Parliamentary election scheduled for November 14, 2024. All opposition parties fight to be a strong”, formidable” opposition, already conceding defeat before the Parliamentary election and urge the electorate not to give the NPP a two-third majority. By saying so they all boost the chances of a runawayNPP victory.  This is a poor response showing the helplessness to come to terms with what is happening and the inability to assess what has happened and how it happened which influence political behavior andfuture orientation of Sri Lankan politics. All are disoriented and flabbergasted as headless chicken and none of these parties except SJB who changed its original lackluster stance, asking for a mandate for their parties, which is a strange phenomenon in Parliamentary politics. Voters would not vote for a party which says that it cannot win a mandate to be the ruling party in the Parliament.

It should be remembered that under Yahapalana regime there was a strong opposition in numbers (Joint Opposition), but the TNA and JVP worked with the government; TNA leader was made the Leader of the Opposition and Anura Kumara Chief Opposition Whip!

Aim of this article is not to analyse this phenomenon and intra-party and inter-party rivalries or assess the performance of the new government and the dilemmas it must encounter as there are many commentators to do so and our role is not to be unofficial advisors or provide unsolicited advice. Our aim is to comment on Sri Lanka’s English press, how it hails the ascendency of Anura Kumara as the President of Sri Lanka and its thoughtlessness and lack of foresight in assessing current events unfolding; above all else to pinpoint what they have ignored deliberately. We leave out Sinhala press because this is the way they react normally, something different in pre-nationalisation days of the Lake House Group of Newspapers.

All newspaper columnists, feature writers, editorialists, opinion makers, pseudo-theoreticians, USAID -aided NGO cabal, old Trotskyites living here and abroad, remnants of Tiger propagandists, upper middle class anglophiles  famed for their anglomania and US poodles who have become propagandists of Kamala Harris in this wretched country, US -funded stonewashed thinktanks, business leaders, chambers, retired diplomats, retired police officers, ex-planters, Buddhist priests and Catholic Church have entered an unholy alliance, not to exorcise this spectre, all are enthralled by it. In 1971 and 1988/89 they all entered a holy alliance with the government forces and paramilitary groups to crush the JVP/DJV, NPP’s old womb. What has happened to the old JVPers decried by the Colombo elites and branded as a set of killers, arsonists, destructors and saboteurs?

Why this sudden jubilation?  Oldtimers are aware of how the English press pilloried SWRD and Sirimavo governments. Observer cartoonist Aubrey Collette buried SWRD alive and vilified T.B. Illangaratne with allusions of having hotels in Switzerland, always depicted carrying a money bag (what he got as compensation for loss of employment as a public servant for participating in 1947 General Strike). When Sirimavo became the Prime Minister, Premadasa said that the chair had to be cleaned monthly and the press reported the gutter talk gleefully. 

What the English press think is that all other politicians were tried, tested and failed, living luxurious lives, resorting to corruption, nepotism and parking money abroad. They hail Anura Kumara as a non-elite leader as all of them were converted into Communists, Socialists or common man’s friends, forgetting that the Sri Lankan voters had given a chance to Premadasa and Sirisena respectively, two non-elite politicians, one belonging to lower rungs among the depressed castes.  Some even hail Anura Kumara as Ran Banda’s Kolla”,little brat (son) of the humble survey laborerRan Banda.

Some have begun to write Addresses”(Isthuthi Pathra) (like the ones colonial native officers presented to visiting Royalty, Governors and Government Agents on tour) that present JVP is wiser, much more democratic”, different from what it was in 1971 and 1989”, new leaders are sensible”, as the scribes have become political historians overnight. This is the crap they pickup from English newspaper editorials, EconomyNext reportages and MTV English talk shows. If they are exposed to Sinhala news telecasts, Sinhala breakfast shows and Sinhala social media posts they would retreat, tails tucking between their legs!

A retired Christian high-ranking police officer, father-in-law of a former Viyathamaga grandee who gave dead ropes to GR, later decamped, saw Anura Kumara’s victory as a revolution without violence”. He does not call it a bloodless revolution”. 1956 election victory of SWRD was hailed as a silent revolution” by the progressives. Very same anglicized writers hailed Sirisena’s victory as a Revolution” and those who oppose him were labeled as Counter-revolutionaries”, giving distorted meanings to Revolution” and Counter-Revolution”.

Why there was no violence after the Presidential election? Reason was that the NPP was able to win. Things would have been different if the result was not in favour of the NPP and the counting of the second preference took a long-time leaving room for speculations and unfoldingconspiracy theories.  The other reason was NPP’s renewed expectation on an imminent parliamentary election. NPP did not want to ruin its chances of a victory at the parliamentary election.  

What would have happened if the NPP refused to concede defeat and claim the election had been rigged in a situation where SP or RW won? Remember Somavansa Amerasinghe and Tilvin Silva crying computer jilmaat” after the defeat of SF in 2009. Who can deny that in such a scenario JVP/NPP would not unleash its stormy petrels as they did on 9 May 2022?

NPP’s main expectation is eradication of corruption, not short-term, mid-term, or long-term solutions to burning problems or any other populist measures. Now populist measures also have gone haywire.

These writers forget that the NPP is a cronyof India and the US, not equipped to manage India and the US, think that changing heads is equivalent to all-encompassing system change. In our book, Galle Face Protest: Systems Change or Anarchy?”  (2023) we have explained in greater detail what is meant by system change, Marxist point of view of system change, systems theory as a management tool, types of change, management of change and process of change, a guideline for all doing pep talk tosystem change. 

What JVP/NPP displayed was hostility and hatred to mainstream political parties, and their leaders and the so-called political dynasties.  These new found friends of the NPP think that 47 years of corrupt free market economy is the only feasible way for Sri Lanka.

We don’t want to quote from all those essays as it can be construed as giving credence to such absurdities. Those writers who had expressed some balanced views about the political situation a few months ago are also bogged down in this quagmire. Upper middle-class anglophiles caution the new President and Prime Minister to escape from assassination attempts as there are contract killers who can be hired for even 2000 rupees, a poor calculation of underworld deals!  They should understand that if there are assassination attempts as such, they will originate from foreign powers to replace the incumbent President with a more suitable lackey as Harini Amarasuriya.

Even the so-called Kuppi Talks men and women of our universities cannot escape from this spectre. They unashamedly quote from Anura Kumara’s media shows   made at progress review meetings which cannot be considered pedagogical or theoretical. 

Why all these people have turned into praise singers of this man whoaccording to some who rose from wattle daub cottage to President’s House” (reminding the log cabin saga), a subaltern, outsider of dynastic-walauwa clan – politics as they say? As stated above Sri Lanka have produced two such persons by electing Premadasa and Sirisena respectively as Presidents.  Have they become enthusiasts of subaltern politics? No. This same person has disgraced Edgar Snow’s classic and factual reporting, the first full account of Mao Zedong and the Red Armies who resisted both the Japanese invaders and Kuomintang hirelings and the successfulcompletion of the Long March, Red Star Over China” (first published in 1937) by borrowing its title and corrupting it to Leftist Star Rises Over Sri Lanka”. These journalists do not have anything to portray as achievements, accomplishments, talents and personal traits of Anura Kumara – they just portray him as an avid reader who read aloud climbing an araliya tree, Rajarata lad who could swim the entire distance of Nuwara Wewa”, so on and so forth. Anyway, we thank him for dubbing the NPPers crimson comrades” rather than calling them Reds. 

Some of these jurnos showing their optimism praise the so-called miniscule cabinet” as a world’s first, completely forgetting how the cabinet became miniscule”, as the NPP had only three MPs. All of them predict an NPP victory at the parliamentary election. These anglophiles are happy to state that Anura Kumara has shaken off the Marxist label when the world press announced that Sri Lanka has elected a Marxist President. We have stated in our article titled Why Foreign Media Dub Sri Lanka’s New President as a Marxist?”, posted on 3, October,that the JVP en masse has shed its Marxist” skin a long time ago. Their expectations of wiping out cronyism and family favoritism were shredded into pieces when one investigates the key appointments Anura Kumara has made so far.     

Why all these people have turned into praise singers of a man carrying the legacy of arson, economic destruction, killing and who gave untoward suffering to masses of people? Reasons are many. Some of them want to curry favour thinking that the JVP/NPP stalwarts like Lal Kantha and Samarasinghe read English dailies. Former colonial plantation managers also had joined this ecstasy as old Merry Men of Uva”, forgetting the tea factories torched by the JVP/DJVP and the plantation managers gunned down by their unidentified gunmen”. They openly say that they voted for the NPP; nobody is interested to know to whom they have voted.

The newest person to join this chorus is a former top bureaucrat under several dispensations, a Defence Secretary, a Governor, a Presidential Secretary and a High Commissioner.  This person addresses Anura Kumara as Comrade Anura” as he was already being given the membership by the JVP/NPP. We do not like to discuss the disastrous decisions these people have taken and implemented while in office as it is a different story. Belly of a serpent may be white; but not its venom. These creatures can expand their jaws so wide that they can consume large prey including politicians!

An arch Indian lackey this man provides Comrade” Anura with unsolicited advice regarding the implementation of the 13th Amendment, to prioritize devolution, to learn from Jaishankar, to follow India’s experiences with devolution as in Jammu and Kashmir. It should be stated that recentlyIndian-controlled Kashmir’s regional legislature passed a resolution demanding the Indian government to restore the region’s disputed semi-autonomy which was scrapped by Modi in 2019. Modi government not only scrapped its semi-autonomy, it downgraded it and divided the former state into two centrally governed union territories Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir can legislate on local issues except matters regarding public order and policing.

Soon after the passing of the resolution demanding the Indian government to restore the region’s disputed semi-autonomy, Modi rejected the call saying Only the constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar will operate in Kashmir. No power in the world can restore Article 370 (partial autonomy) in Kashmir”.  

With this type of advice Anura Kumara does not need any more comrades”!

A staunch supporter of Galle Face ghetto this person coined a word to sanctify the Galle Face ghetto men and women as Aragalists”.Publication of his article was timely as it was the day the new government recalled some top diplomats.

During the Presidential election this person wrote an article about Thambuttegama Herath Banda. This writer suspected for what he was up to and what would be his next move. In the 50’s a boy fromThambuttegama village, Herath Banda was dubbed by the press as Thambuttegama Lama Yodhaya (child- giant”), an overweight child partaking an unusual volume of food which his parents could not afford. Later this giant” was shown at the Kandy Esala Perahera Carnival charging 50 cents by some village gangsters.

One writer was stupid enough to say that BRICS application demonstrates Anura Kumara’s vision”, thoughtless about who initiated it. We would now add that not attending BRICS summit has shielded Anura Kumara from Julie Chung’s wrath!  

A retired diplomat saw a new dawn for Sri Lanka”, that Anura Kumara’s rise to the Presidency marks a new chapter in Sri Lankan history! How many dawns Sri Lanka had from 1947? But the day did not break! How many chapters we have turned? But could not read what was written!These columnists do not want to see a hung parliament leading to political instability.

Wehave listed down some reasons for the epiphany of these writers. They will realise shortly that this festival would be ephemeral, in other words short-lived. Many of these reasons do not warrant any elucidation as they are self-explanatory.

1. Animosity to Rajapaksas

The main reason is the hatred toward Rajapaksas.

2. Galle Face Protest

As all these writers were supporters of the so-called aragalaya”, protest”, porattam” , they are of the opinion that the Galle Face Carnival paved the way for this victory.

3. Harini Amarasuriya Factor

The nominee of Julie Chung as the PM, representative of NGO cabal, comprador-bourgeoisie consisting of colonial plantation interests, bankers, multi-national  business conglomerates, LGBTQA community, constitution maker under yahapalana regime, pro-US, pro-Western liberal trained in India, Europe and the US, darling of Julie Chung, dubbed as a toxic male champion” (whatever itsmeaning) recently by a female writer, looking more masculine than feminine,  promoted over old JVP lot and other old Trotskyites in the national list in 2020, has become the darling of Colombo elites. (Please see our articles, Janus-faced JVP: False Conceptions and Harini Amarasuriya Factor”, posted on December 14, 2023 and Why Foreign Media Dub Sri Lanka’s New President as a Marxist?”, posted on October 3, 2024 respectively). A complete outsider to JVP politics she in August 2022 criticized the JVP that the JVP did not know what to do next after attacking police stations in 1971, or after the ouster of Gotabaya and at this moment JVP does not have any practical vision for future. It is clear that she leads a certain non-antagonistic faction of the NPP. In future this may develop into an antagonistic contradiction.

It is a rare feat in leadership that in certain cases leadership is thrust upon someone who happen to have been in the right place at the right time (In this case with only 3 MPs), without any physical (including physical  attractiveness), social (including empathy, emotional maturity),  personality and personal traits (including verbal skills and experience).  We do not deny that successful leaders begin to display some of these traits after they have achieved leadership positions.

She goes into the annals of history as the first unmarried woman Prime Minister. Jacinda Arden of New Zealand who became the first youngest leader, pregnant and went on maternal leave while in office had a partner. In Asian context people expect that their women leaders married, having children and experience in home management and home economics. Amarasuriya is the first denim wearing Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. An American trained Sinhala lecturer at Peradeniya, who is also an Executive Member of the NPP, sometime back was notorious to express that the first Sri Lankan radical woman was the one who wore a denim!

4. Maintaining the status quo instead of change”, system continues

Continuity and change are two opposite ends of a continuum. Change weakens continuity and vice versa. Instead of much publicised change we witness continuity.

The new government began with retaining Secretary Finance and Governor of the Central Bank who declared Sri Lanka’s bankruptcy, both agents/former employees of the IMF. Incidentally the uncle of present Governor of the Central Bank, the then UNP MP for Tangalle was gunned down by the JVP/DJV assassins. Readers are reminded that the NPP did not participate in the Parliamentary Debate debating against the unprecedented pay hike proposed by the Central Bank to its employees.

World Bank signed an additional US $ 200 million to support Sri Lanka’s economic reforms in October under Second Resilience, Stability and Economic Turnaround (RESET) Development Policy Operation (DPO). This is the second operation in a 2-part series that began in 2022. The first operation totaling $500 was disbursed in June and December 2023 during RW’s tenure.

5. Continuation of IMF programme and RW’s economic reforms

Contrary to platform rhetoric Anura Kumara has chosen to abide by the IMF conditions and endorse the Debt Sustainability Programme of the IMF to the merriment of the NPP’s new found friends in the English press, what was wanted by them. Now they know that Anura Kumara does not want to derail the IMF programme, biting the bullet.At the negotiation table it was a meek submission to IMF dictates and the government delegation including the so-called Senior Economic Advisors (Duminda Hulangamuwa and the academic) and Anura Kumara himself were passive listeners of IMF sermons. Meeting with the IMF delegation and the NPP team on October 2 was staging a comic drama as many of the NPP delegates who has no negotiation skills and experience were seen getting selfies, to the amusement of Krishna Srinivasan, Director of the Asia Pacific Department, Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief, Sarwat Jahan, Resident Representative and its Economist. To face the IMF delegation consisting of four members the NPP fielded a team consisting of eight novices.  But these English praise singers are cautious not to call this a Ranil-Dissanayake government.

IMF Team will be in Sri Lanka for the third review under the country’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme according to Krishna Srinivasan.  He said in Japan that the new government is fully committed to the IMF-supported programme, especially concerning fiscal and debt targets.

7. Continuation of the controversial passport order

 Anura Kumara’s government is carrying out last government’s controversial decision to procure N-series Machine Readable Passports (MRP) from the Consortium of Thales DIS Finland Oly and its Sri Lanka agent Just In Time (JIT) Technologies. The government decided to buy the full stock of 750,000 passports from Thales as sanctioned by RW government. The quoted price of Thales for each passport is Euro 4.52 or 4.96 US dollars.

8. NPP’s happy marriage with big businessmen, business conglomerates and Chambers which represent comprador-bourgeois interests

All chambers sent congratulatory messages to Anura Kumara; members of business cartels occupied front seats at Anura Kumara’s swearing-in-ceremony and when Chairman of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce receiving the letter of appointment as the Special Economic Advisor. Same people attended when he received an appointment letter from RW. This time minus their coats and ties!

9. Appointments made so far

The way the appointments were made so far to top positions does not contrast what was done by JRJ, Premadasa, CBK, MR, Sirisena, GR or Ranil Wickremesinghe. Most of these appointments consummate NPP’s happy marriage with big businessmen, business conglomerates and Chambers. Many of these appointments raise eyebrows showing conflicts of interests. It is apparent that Anura Kumara has become a prisoner of neoliberal majority of the NPP.

Anura Kumara has not appointed country bumpkins, rustic yokelsof Lal Kantha, Wasantha Samarasinghe (although now he is seen in business suits), Samantha Vidyaratna, Namal Karunaratna, Mahinda Jayasinghe, Nalin Hewage and Ranjan Jayalal type (all these people are contesting General Elections; next Parliament would be filled by these country bumpkins symbolizing clean Sri Lanka”) and NPP Youtubers which neither have a political education nor cultural sophistication to the satisfaction of Colombians to top positions. This is what was wanted by the elites who supported the NPP, giving top jobs to upper class business magnates. They are happy for ending nepotism and favouritism, but blind to cronyism and political clientelism.

Do the JVP diehards have no suitable persons among their kith and kin for top jobs? Things will be different if the JVP/NPP receives a parliamentary mandate and more Ministers and Deputy Ministers appointed to the tune of 50. But in the appointments made so far political and party affiliations, clientelism or client politics, cronyism are discernible which the NPP vouched to eradicate.  

9.1. Secretary to the President: Anura Kumara began playing Santa with appointing his university buddy, Nandika Senerath Kumarasinghe, a junior officer in the Customs as Secretary to the President. It is said that there are several senior officers in the SLAS working at the Presidential Secretariat than him.

9.2. Appointing Air Vice Marshall Sampath Thuyakonthe (rtd) as Secretary of Defence: an active member of the NPP ex Tri-forces Collective who actively campaigned for Anura Kumara. A columnist using the pseudonym One Who Knows published an article titled, JVP mobilizing support from among retired servicemen” in the Sunday Island of December 24, 2023 revealed among other things that a top-level ex-serviceman created mayhem forcibly trying to enter a facility meant for servicemen without prior permission.  

9.3. Appointing Ravi Seneviratna as the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security and Shani Abeysekera as the Director of the Central Criminal Intelligence Analysis Bureau respectively,sacking country’s spy chief Suresh Sally as urged by the Catholic Church, NPP’s newest Sheppard guiding its members to New Jerusalem. Both officers are frontliners of the Collective of Retired Police Officers of the NPP who actively campaigned for Anura Kumara.OnceRavi Seneviratna was charged and remanded for drunk driving causing a traffic accident. Former MP Gammanpila’s exposure at recent press conferences about these two officers regarding Easter Sunday carnage is still fresh in the minds of Sri Lankans.

9.4. Governor of Western Province: Hanif Yusuf, a top businessman, co-founder of multinational logistics giant Expolanka Holdings, one of Sri Lanka’s premier logistics companies, expanded into leisure, IT and fresh and processed produce with businesses in over 59 countries.

Some businesses in Sri Lanka are linked with the only bank in Sri Lanka which conducts operations under the principles of Islamic Banking”.It is not only politicians and bureaucrats who are involved in corruption and other unlawful economic activities. Many powerful businessmen and corporate leaders are deeply engaged in unlawful economic activities parking money outside Sri Lanka. Anura Kumara should use his steel rake to bring backstolen assets of big businessmen too.    

9.5. Chairman of Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Tilak Siyambalapitiya, managing Director of RMA Energy; his wife Nimali  Siyambalapitiya has been a Director to Development Finance Institutions ( ADB, WB, IFC etc.) on the power sector which are having dealings with the CEB. A sizeable revenue of the RMA Energy is accrued by providing services to power sector of Sri Lanka. People like Ranjan Jayalal and Ranwala, rabble-rousers of NPP power sector are conspicuously silent.

9.6. Chairman of SLPA: Admiral Sirimevan Ranasinghe (Rtd.) former Commander of Sri Lanka Navy; also served as the Secretary to Ministry of Ports and Shipping & Southern Development in 2019. It was Anura Kumara and his NPP who vehemently attacked GR for appointing ex-service personnel for top positions. Sirimevan Ranasinghe hails from Anuradhapura. SLPA Managing Director who has nearly 10 years of service remaining was asked to leave immediately. 

9.7. Duminda Hulangamuwa, Country Manager and Partner Ernst & Young Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Chairman of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce appointed as President’s Special Economic Advisor; he was an Advisor to GR and RW as well and a Member of Udaya R Seneviratna Committee on Public Service Salary Disparities appointed by RW.  This Committee proposed that the basic salary of public servants would be increased by a minimum of 24% for primary level service categories and salaries will increase gradually from an 24% to 50% for all government officials. It is apparent that as President’s Special Economic Advisor he has not advised Anura Kumara to implement the said committee recommendations. Although the government advertises that he would work on an honorary capacity we all know who pays them. People are eager to know whether he utilized his private funds on his visit to Washington.

9.8. Channa Gunawardena as the Chairman of Litro Gas Lanka and Litro Gas Terminal Lanka Pvt. Ltd.: a former CEO/Director of another multinational Aitken Spence Group Garments Ltd., CEO of Royal Fernwood Porcelain PLC, served as Country Manager for global accounting giant of Ernst & Young in the Maldives and Hirdaramani Group.

9.9. Ramal Siriwardena, a close confidante of Rajapaksas and an electoral organizer of the NPP was appointed as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB).    

9.10. Harendra Disabandara as the new Chairman of the Securities andExchange Commission (SEC), who previously worked as the SEC’s Director General from 2012-2013 and a Director from 2008-2012, replacing Faizal Salieh appointed by RW.

9.11. Buddhika Hewawasam as Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB). Before the Presidential Elections he made a presentation on NPP’s Tourism Policy in English in August 2024. It was like a performance of an entertainer rather than a professional presentation.  Anura Kumara and his JVP top brasswere in attendance.Hewawasam was appointed as a member of the new Board of Management of Sri Lankan Airlines too.

9.12. Dheera Hettiarachchi as Chairman of Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism andHotel Management (SLITHM)and Sri Lanka Convention Bureau.

9.13. Sarath Ganegoda as Chairman of Sri Lankan Airlines; Group Executive Director of Sri Lankan multinational Hayleys PLC.

9.14. Mangala Wijesinghe as Chairman of Export Development Board (EDB); former Cluster Chief Operating Officer, Pharmaceuticals, Consumer and Integrated Engineering Solutions of Browns & Co PLC. 

9.15. D.J. Rajakaruna as Chairman of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). This person cut a sorry figure at a recently held press conference, saying that the CPC is no longer free to determine petroleum prices due to the presence of foreign companies. If so, why did the NPP promise to reduce fuel prices? Without knowing the agreements? This is the type of pundits NPP boasted of having in their resource pool! All carnival barkers!  

9.16. Prins Senadheera as Chairman of National Film Corporation (NFC).

9.18. S.M. Saman Samarakone as Chairman of Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI)

9.19. Kapila Seneviratne as Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC), Kelaniya University alumnus kicking out the former Chairman Sampath Amaratunga.

9.20. Asanka Abeywardena as Chairman of Urban Development Authority (UDA),a former District secretary .

9.21. Arjuna Herath as Chairman of Board of Investment (BOI): previously served as the Senior Partner and Head of Consultancy at Ernst and Young for Sri Lanka and the Maldives. He has worked also as the Marketing Development Manager at British American Tobacco (BAT) multinational Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) and Director of Corporate Finance at the Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka.

9.22. Nusith Kumaratunga as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC): he began his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd. (PWC), a British multinational, one of the Big Four accounting firms along with Duminda Hulangamuwa’s Ernst & Young.Later he founded his own audit firm providing services in tax planning, business advisory and supporting SMEs. How this clash with his new position remains to be seen. 

9.23. Hans Wijesuriya, Head of Dialog Axiata as the Chief Advisor to thePresident on Digital Economy.  Dialog Axiata is a predator in the telecommunication industry posing a threat to SLT and Mobitel. In 2015 there were reports that the CID during the investigations of the murder of the ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen was trying to take legal action against the CEO of Dialog Axiata alleged for hiding evidence regarding mobile caller data. It was also reported thatHans Wijesuriya’s father-in-law was a consultant to MR on a Thrai Bhasha” – tri-lingual project.  Anura Kumara pledged to investigate the murders of Wasim Thajudeen and Lasantha Wickrematunga.   

9.24. Sunil Jayaratna, a former Customs Additional Director General as Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority. May be a pick of President’s Secretary.  When an SLAF person was appointed as the Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority earlier by the same dispensation experts said that the SLAF personnel have no exposure to administration of civil aviation and their expertise is limited to the area within the perimeters of the island and certainly not to international standards and procedures that need to be observed and practised . Now we can see how a Customs man oversees Civil Aviation!    

9.25. Mothilal de Silva as the Chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT). He held a leadership role at Dialog Axiata and MTV Networks, competitors in telecommunications.

9.26. Kavinda de Zoysa as Chairman of premier government -owned bank, Bank of Ceylon. For two decades he has served as Director and Country Business Head of Citibank N.A.

9.27. Wije Bandara as Director General of Legal Affairs.  

In March 2022, GR appointed an Advisory Committee consisting of 16 members to assist the National Economic Council. Among those members were Hans Wijesuriya, Duminda Hulangamuwa, Krishan Balendra and Dushni Weerakone.  But alltookto their life boats and abandoned the Captain and the ship when the ship hit an iceberg. So Anura Kumara should be aware of having so many cooks to make his soup!  It is evident that all these rulers use the same witch doctors or medicine men to exorcise the evil spirits!

10. Julie Chung continues as the Viceroy of Sri Lanka: Increased presence of US military personnel

This is another reason for this euphoria, dispelling the fear that the Colombiens had about NPP’s foreign policy and foreign relations. Julie Chung continues as the Viceroy of Sri Lanka undisturbed.  She was the first envoy to visit Anura Kumara to congratulate him.

She began her unobstructed crusade, true to her form issuing a Level 2 Travel Advisory on the eve of the Presidential Election on 12, September 2024, Exercise increased caution in Sri Lanka due to civil unrest and terrorism”. Americans travelling in Sri Lanka were told to expect civil unrest and terrorism in Sri Lanka. Travel Advisory said: Demonstrations could occur before, during or after the election. In some cases police have used water cannons and tear gas to disrupt protesters….even peaceful ones (gatherings) can turn violent with little or no warning.” Terrorist attacks have occurred in Sri Lanka with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, hospitals and other public places.”  Chung and her Americans have not spared any place free from terrorist attacks”. 

Now let us examine Julie Chung’s diary after Anura Kumara was elected as the President.    

On October 1Chung met with Anura Kumara to discuss the enduring SL-US partnership, shared goals, transparency, accountability, civic partnership and good governance. As Sri Lanka embarks on a new chapter the United States remains your stronger partner in supporting unity, good governance, prosperity and human rights”, she posted in her X message. Chung has begun thenew chapter – the web she began to weavearound Anura Kumara.

Anura Kumara had a virtual discussion with Samantha Power, the Head of USAID.According to the President’s Media Division Power has stated that USAID is willing to support the government aligning with the manifesto presented to the people. This is hilarious USAID supporting implementation of NPP manifesto, if not USAID local agents having a hand in drafting it.

On October 2Chung met with Vijitha Herath, the Foreign Minister.  Chung was looking forward to strengthening the US- SL partnership and working together on shared priorities like security, trade and upholding human rights”.

On the same day Chung had a meeting with Harini Amarasuriya to discuss strong US-SL partnership and how to work together on key priorities, from advancing justice and reconciliation”. 

On October 2, Sri Lanka Navy disclosed that a US military delegation including Commodore Haytham Elsayed Khalil, Commander of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 154, Deputy Commander CTF 154 Commodore William Franklin Campbell visited SLN Headquarters. It was disclosed that the SL Navy is about to assume command of CTF 154, a unit under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) based in Bahrain. Sri Lanka under RW joined the CMF in 2023. CMF is composed of 5 CTFs. CTF 154 is dedicated to Maritime Security Training.

On October 3 Chung had a meeting with Presidential Secretary.

Admiral Steve Kohler, a four-star US Navy Admiral and Commander of US Pacific Fleet visited Sri Lanka and met with Anura Kumara and Secretary Defence on 10, October. This marked the highest-level US military visit to the island since 2021. He was briefed on the Sri Lanka Navy’s operational functions.

US donated a BeechcraftKing Air aircraft to Sri Lanka Air Force at Katunayaka airbase with US Navy Admiral and Commander of US Pacific Fleet Kohler attending.

On 16 October Chung had a meeting with Secretary, Defence.  

On 22 October Chung met with new Governor of Western Province Hani Yusuf.

Chung visited North, Jaffna, Mannar and Vauniya again in October; visited Keerimalai Naguleshwaram kovil. On 23 October Chung met with new Governor of Northern Province Nagalingam Vedanayagam, Bishop Gnanapragasam and sex workers in the North.  

On 31 October Chung and Chairman BOI joined in a groundbreaking ceremony for Indiana based SHIELD’s new seat belt factory.

On 2 November Vijitha Herath and Secretary Defence wearing bow ties as the rest of the Americans attended to celebrate the legacy of US Marines at the USMC Ball (Marine Corps Birthday Ball) along with Chung wearing a red ball gown and Brigadier General Kelvin Gallman, the Guest of Honour. Semper Fi! (always faithful/ loyal).  Harsha De Silva of SJB, also wearing a bow tie, posed for a photograph with Chung and Herath. In these balls the host gives the dress code, in certain cases providing the guests with dresses, tail coats, bow ties etc.! Indonesians provide batik shirts! 

On 7 November Chung attended the launch of Yet Whom Do They Destroy: Black July” and Stories of Mullivaikkal” published by Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research, personal stories of Tamil terrorists.

On 8 November Chung welcomed Admiral (Rtd.) Harry Harris and students and scholars from National Defense University, underscoring deepening engagement in the Indo-Pacific.  

11. Indian Factor

Colombiens should not worry about anti-Indian rhetoric of JVP/NPP anymore. JVP/NPP ties with India were cemented when Anura Kumara visited India in February 2024 (see our article posted on 15 February).Dhal remains as Mysore dhal and onions as Bombay onions. Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jah visited Anura Kumara with a bouquet of flowers.The first Foreign Minister to visit Sri Lanka after Anura Kumara ascendancy was Jaishankar. India has said that it has made a mistake as it took almost 6 months for the first high level bilateral visit between Maldives and India after Muizzu took over last year.

Again, Santosh Jah met with Anura Kumara on 1 November 2024, and according to the press release had discussed the Indian-assisted projects in Sri Lanka. No doubt this may have centered around the so-called connectivity programmes initiated by RW and Adani investments opposed by the NPP hotheads. According to the press release Anura Kumara has expressed interest in learning from India’s expertise in power and energy sector development (again RW’s power and energy connectivity) and digitalization process (a project initiated by the previous government sabotaged by the NPP).

Environment Secretary confirmed that India and Sri Lanka are going to establish a highway and railway line connecting Rameswaram, Tallaimannar and Trinco with a land bridge. This was RW’s pet project land connectivity.

It is evident that this Marxist-capitalist” wants West and India on his side. Colombien elites know that there is no worry for them. They are happy that the gonibillas created by the opposition during the Presidential election campaign has turned into a myth. But they are not aware that former actual gonibillas during 1989-1989 terror times who betrayed hundreds of JVP cadres now inspecting police guard of honor wearing full suit and posing for photographs with the American Marines and Julie Chung wearing bow ties and some others contesting parliamentary election. 

13. Eyeing for Top Diplomatic Positions

These former top bureaucrats who were very close to powers that were under various regimes and former diplomats even as octogenarians have an insatiable craving to taste diplomatic puddings. Now Anura Kumara has recalled nearly 16 diplomats (excluding Mahinda Samarasinghe, US Ambassador; we are not aware how he does not fall into the category of political appointees), top positions at New Delhi, Canberra, London and UN have become vacant. London and Permanent Representative at the UN are the two coveted positions these praise singers are eyeing for.

14. BRICS and CHOGM

Sri Lanka government was not represented by the Head of State at the just concluded BRICS summit held from 23 October in Kazan on the banks of Volga and CHOGM held in Samoa respectively. This was merely overlooked by these English language praise singers.  Government’s claim that its leaders were engaged in election campaign was a lame excuse. Anura Kumara, being a short person may have thought how he would rub shoulders with such giants as Putin, Xi Jinping, Modi, Lula, Ramphosa, Nicolas Maduro, Erdogan and others and wondered how to exchange basic courtesies with them initially.

To Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held from October 21 in Samoa in the Pacific, a low-level officer attached to the Sri Lankan High Commission in London was flown covering 15,747 km instead of sending the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Canberra (4547km). This lady officer is the wife of Nadeeka Guruge, NPP platform singer, NGO artist of German-funded FLICT (Facilitating Local Initiatives for Conflict Transformation), which was actively operational during the Eelam war.

15. Danger of a Repetition of 1971, 1988-89 and 2022: Warning Shadows”

Now the President and his Cabinet and key speakers at election rallies are in a threatening mode. White maskof NPP is gradually unravelling revealing its uglyblack skin. Lal Kantha and Samarasinghe openly reveal JVP’s intentions at election rallies as the JVP bogeymen. Recently at Kandy Lal Kanthastated that earlier they were thugswithout a license and now turned to be thugs with license with state power in their hands! 

These Colombo elites are not aware of the impending catastrophe that would send shock waves through their nerves and fear psychosis” they all experienced during the Reign of Terror in 1988-89. Once catapulted into the highest position in the country now JVP/NPP calls for a 2/3 majority in the Parliament. Addressing a meeting at Katunayake on 20 October, Anura Kumara declared that there is absolutely no need for a parliamentary opposition, that the parliament should not be polluted with an opposition, disclosing his dream for a one-party rule. He emphasized that the responsibility of the electorate is to ensure the elimination of the political opposition, to wipe out the opposition at the next parliamentary election. He urged to complete the cleanup operation of the parliament by a mass Shramadana on November 14, the day of the parliamentary election, that the next parliament should be overwhelmingly dominated by the NPP. Anura Kumara reiterated this call at rallies held at Polonnaruwa and Trinco too. Its slogan is to clean the parliament and fill it with NPP MPs.

These warning signals have made some writers to ring alarm bells that the NPP is showing colours” of a Marxist party, that this is none other than Marxist dictatorshipof the proletariat”. This is another attempt discrediting Marxism. What dictatorshipof the proletariat” with these liberals and anarchists who now ascending the pyramid? A Presidential or a parliamentary election victory do not pave the way for dictatorship of the proletariat”. It is something more intricate and complex than these men think.  If it is dictatorship of the proletariat Anura Kumara and his party have produced their own grave-diggers as Marx and Engels have stated.

Although JVP/NPP calls the parliament a den of thieves pulverizing the parliamentarians of previous dispensations as rogues, they are silent about the bombing inside the parliamentary complex by a JVPer that killed an UNP MP Keerthi Abeywickrema and severely injured few more UNP ministers including the late Lalith Athulathmudali. Thus, the parliament was desecrated by the JVP with blood and splattered flesh of JVP’s opponents decades ago.  

With whom NPP planning to overwhelmingly dominate the parliament? It will be filled by people like Lal Kanthathe rabble-rouser and the original JVP set with some NPP cohorts such as the woman lawyer who recited poetry at NPP public rallies that the sacred Menik Ganga was urinating!

Can these Colombo elites deny that the JVP/NPP was actively involved in Galle Face Protest, stormed the Presidential House and Presidential Secretariat and senior JVP party men were on record urging the agitators to overrun the parliament, arson on 9 May 2022, destruction of property, hotels set on fire, looting in broad day light and killing of an SLPP MP in broad daylight?  Can these grandees request an investigation on these matters too?

16. Good Bye, Trade Unions!

Addressing an election rally, Colombo District candidate of NPP, Nipunaarachchi said that the trade unions have become redundant now as the NPP government is looking after the interests of the working class. There is no need for labour struggles and the NPP is considering disbanding its trade unions he said. Colombo elites would like this suggestion as they were frequently disturbed when they were travelling in their limousines due to trade union demonstrations. But the danger is the likelihood of the NPP imposing a total ban on all trade unions as the JVP/DJV censures in 1988/89. JVP did not support or participate in the 1980 General Strike saying that it was in the process of establishing their own trade union center as it wanted to have only one trade union at a work place decimating all other trade unions. In 1988/89 JVP/DJV killed trade union leaders such as L.W. Panditha and George Ratnayaka, two Communist stalwarts. 

A person who is well-informed about how trade union movement in Sri Lanka evolved overtime from colonial days, winning over every suppression and how trade unions fought for workers’ rights and their victories would not make such a foolish suggestion. Voters should question the NPP, are you going to fill the Parliament with this type of fools?

In a way it is good if the NPP disbands its own trade unions. NPP trade unions were responsible for disrupting public life over the years. If people like Lal Kantha, Samarasinghe, Handunnetti, Mahinda Jayasinghe, Jayatissa, Namal Karunaratne, Vidyararatne, Hewage, Jayalal et al enter the parliament NPP trade unions will be left abandoned leaderless and they will not be able to organize any trade union action against their own government. But the biggest question is if it disbands its own trade unions how could they extort Kappan money from big businessmen and industrialists showing a façade of industrial peace?

If the trade union leaders of NPP still pay lip service to Marxism they should understand that even Russia after establishing a workers’ government never disbanded trade unions. For the NPP amateurs we recommend that they should read at least Lenin’s Collected Works Volume 32. In a speech made in 1920 criticising Trotsky’s theoretical mistakes and glaring blunders” Lenin stated: Trade unions are not just historically necessary; they are historically inevitable; they are historically inevitable as an organization of the industrial proletariat”.

Finally, we warn the Colombiens that the slithery predator adopted to life in different environments, now enjoying bourgeois luxuries, consummate food, designer ware, flashy limousines and living in plush mansions can change colour with the time.    

’ARTIFICAL INTELLAGENCE AND DIGITILISATION A ‘PANACIA’ FOR SRI LANKA’S CRISIS ?’’

November 9th, 2024

Sarath Wijesingh President’s Counsel Former Ambassador to UAE and Israel and President Ambassador’s Forum

Sri Lanka  is in crisis

No doubt Sri Lanka is in crisis in all areas may be due to corruption, bribery, nepotism, lack of planning leadership and a vision and proper committed and genuine leadership. Worst out of all may be the inefficiency,corruption,and disorganized form of the government machinery. It is also agreed by all that Sri Lanka is in crisis with econimic downturn, indebtedness to the world and international organizations, lack of progress and developments in any area citizens being inactive and aimlessly criticizing each other and the governance, which are matters  to be debated.

World Trend

AI and digitalisation is the world trend and the need of the hour. Governance is attempting to take the country toward this destination in making few appropriate appointments including the appointment of Dr Hans Wijesuriya – one of the most qualified who has let many local and international organization on AI and digitalisation which of course is credit worthy which is indeed a ‘G00D CATCH’’ to the governance in need of experts on varied subjects. But the fact remains whether the prioritises are digitalization or AI or the developments, on agriculture, education,industry and  concentrate on easing the consumers pressure which is rapidly increasing due to high cost of living and lack of productivity.

Give priority to agriculture, productivity, employment generation and eradicate corruption

It is necessary to be in line with the developments in the world and it  is useful to use AI and digitalisation in some form until uplifts the Sri Lankan situation to a certain standard.It is to the credit to the  the people , they have high literary rate and mobile penetration with educated young generation with the exposure to the world with newly acquired knowledge and experience on IT and related subjects spreading successfully in the country with the help of the Internet and mobile penetration to a satisfactory level. Artificial intelligence is conversion of the human knowledge and experience to a digital compressed form in order to perform the duties performed by the human, but it is shown that the artificial* mechanical of artificial intelligence  has not been successful in many ways. Uber has unmanned cars, and many operations are conducted online at distances are machinal form of AI mainly with the help of digitalisation,yet is costly and operational systems are complicate.

It is proper for Sri Lanka to use AI and digitalisation to a certain extent with spending limited resources in a country of crisis and to develop most important sectors in preparation of the digital and AI age reaching in the near future which is the world trend today and good to be patient till then. Sarathdw28@gmail.com (reference empowering the consumer by Artificial Intelligence Lanka web on 7/11/24 )


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