Colombo Telegraph Feb 12th, 2015
The exclusive Tv interview of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK) by “SIRASA” Television couple of days ago can only be named vituperative and boastful in that, the total substance was Mahinda bashing and claiming credit in toto for the political maneuver in generating Maithripala Sirisena the President. We have not noticed Chandrika appearing in electronic media for some time and this was the 1st for many years. There doesn’t appear to be any modify in her demeanor that of aristocratic arrogance and pretense.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, the all potent President a little more than a month ago is now the whipping boy of all and sundry. True, he and his regime mismanaged the country to the extreme that folks got frustrated and fed up with him regardless of obtaining the chance of becoming the greatest post worldwar (11) Sri Lankan leader who brought prosperity and peace to his country. He was digging his own grave by poor governance. The writer is not attempting to white wash or extend any sympathetic consideration whatsoever for all the MR incorrect doings. As the saying goes, even the Devil must get it’s due. The Television anchor pointed out to CBK at the end of the interview, hadn’t there been any excellent accomplished by MR? According to CBK it’s nearly nothing at all !
According to CBK, seventy five percent of the war was won by her MR did only the balance twenty five %. So, she reluctantly gave a crumb of a credit to MR for finishing the war. The nation heard and saw on the 4th of February President Maithripala Sirisena in his address to the nation was gracious enough to credit the former President Rajapaksa and Common Fonseka for the war victory. The Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe too was not reluctant to mention it was MR who ended the war, whilst addressing the media subsequent to taking oaths. It is now public information that Ranil has told MR when he met him at Temple Trees in the wee hours of 9th January that “we have to shield you for what you have completed for our nation”. That says everything.
What CBK knows but ignores in her favour is that 1 of the most ignominious defeats of the Sri Lankan forces happened throughout her leadership. While the Norwegians were purportedly attempting to work out a peace accord, in April 2000 the LTTE launched parallel attacks on the most fortified Sri Lankan Army camps in Elephant Pass and Ayakachchi and overran those overnight, killing over one particular hundred SL army guys. So much for CBK‘s claim for winning the war.
She failed to mention at the interview about her wisdom of PTOMS and her offer you to hand over the rule of north and east to Prabhakaran for ten years. Probably it was hassle-free to ignore those subjects.
If it was not for Mahinda Rajapaksa’s single minded mission to defeat and eradicate terrorism from our land ,the democratic political alter that occurred in January 2015 would not have been possible. Nevertheless considerably efforts are taken by political rivals such as CBK to demean it ,this truth will be solidly embedded in the annals of Sri Lanka for the rest of it’s history.
Contemplating the axis of Chandrika-Ranil-Sampanthan now in operation, a reconciliation approach based on the implementation in complete,the 13th amendment is in the books. Be that as it might, R. Sampanthan and his TNA proxies of the LTTE diaspora including Suren Surandiran of the GTF who is leaving no stone unturned to bring Mahinda Rajapaksa prior to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague on charges of genocide, will not give up their mission to have a federal state in the north and the east which would be the stepping stone for cessation.
According to current media reports, a decision has been taken to enable the public to see the Temple Trees to show the alleged luxury life the Rajapaksas’ were living at the expense of the public. It is also recommended that the governing party take a tiny work to clear the more than grown scrub on the left side of the Parliament complex so that it would bring to view a foundation of a Presidential palace laid for a lavish Rs.700 million CBK project, which was abandoned by MR after public outcry. Also just prior to retirement she attempted to gift herself a block of prime land near the parliament complex through a cabinet paper submitted by Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
The lust for power is quite visible at the interview. President Sirisena would have had no opportunity in contesting the presidency had there not been a legal impediment for CBK in contesting. She was fined three million rupees by the Supreme Court for involvement in the sale of land at water’s edge. Her cronie Ronnie Peiris obtained for his business this 224 acre land for a song to make it a golf course. CBK was located guilty of abuse of energy by the supreme court. Men and women living in the Kotte and Kaduwela Municipality places are ever grateful for this court choice because the choice paved way for the MR government to completely resurrect the water retention network of canals and lakes in the region while creating recreation locations and stroll ways. One particular ought to bear in mind even the Parliament got flooded throughout heavy rains.
The bargains completed by Ronnie Peiris,the CBK crony, is far too a lot of to mention in detail. The Katunayake expressway project was previously awarded to Keangnam Ltd. throughout CBK presidency and it is alleged that the deal was manipulated by Ronnie Peries. The JHU and the JVP which are lambasting MR now for getting surrounded by deal makers ought to also look into regardless of whether CBK’s deal makers are back in organization.
One would remember the every day power cuts more than 3 hours the nation faced during the prior UNP regime. The church in Puttlam did almost everything to stop the construction of the proposed coal energy plant and as a outcome the country was facing dire consequences by not having sufficient electrical energy. Neither Chandrika nor Ranil had the back bone to counter these disruptive elements. It is MR who took the bold choice to go ahead in spite of the protests. Similarly upper Kotmale was also launched in spite of protests from the environmental lobby. Norachcholai coal energy plant could have had its initial teething difficulties but it now bears the significant component of the load of power needed by our nation.
Neither the Mattala Airport nor the Hambantota harbor were fancy projects of Mahinda Rajapaksa as claimed by his detractors. As per international air security guidelines, a nation like ours need to have a second air port in the occasion of closure of one particular air port. We knowledgeable this draw back for the duration of the war when Katunayaka had to be closed many times and planes diverted to Chennai or Maldives costing additional fuel to Aircraft. The notion did not originate from MR .He only implemented it and the present location was selected when numerous other places close to Colombo have been offered up on account of objections from men and women. A Character like Jayalalitha in Tamil Nadu could even prohibit Sri Lankan planes landing in Chennai in an emergency. There is no assurance that this would not happen in the future and it is no fantasy.
Similarly the port at Hambantota was a concept which prevailed for last 4 decades on account of the it’s best location, being close proximity and halfway in the busy east west shipping lanes. Singapore is possessing a virtual monopoly as a bunkering port. Annual targeted traffic on this route is about 36000 ships and 4600 tankers. The busy shipping lane is just 12 miles off Hambantota port. The Sri Lankan government initial offered the project to India but they have been sensible to decline because it would have affected Indian ports such as Mumbai and Chennai. What is now essential is a concerted work to industry the port by providing greater solutions than other ports such as Singapore and lure the ships to the port than seeking for scapegoats.
Hambantota is the one particular of most economically backward locations in the country. The work to create the region is worthy of credit. It was a hotbed of militancy in the previous due financial deprivation and social injustices as the cast system. MR becoming born in the district might have had a particular bond with the region in him but other regions of the nation too ,specially the war torn north saw immense advantages extended to the war weary population in raising their common of living.
The regular of the net operate of the roads was raised to unprecedented levels in the course of MR regime.Lowering the distance among individuals, markets, services and information – or basically ‘getting men and women connected’ – is a great component of what economic development is all about.
Although virtual connectivity has turn out to be increasingly essential nowadays with the emergence of new communication avenues, a very good and reliable transport network remains vital. There is a very sturdy constructive correlation in between a country’s economic development and the quality of its road network. The criticism that this is not a priority in Sri Lanka is coming from these who have no vision or else they just demand MR vilified claiming these road projects are grandiose.The alleged corruption on these road projects are not a explanation to vilify the vision. Those allegations are required to be investigated and proved. Let’s not throw away the infant with bath water. The Colombo Jaffna and Colombo Kandy highways need to be provided priority in the economic plan of the new government. Who gets the contract for the projects is immaterial. The reconstruction of the rail road to Jaffna is a project accomplished by MR with foresight.
It was reported in the media that this government has the intention of probing the human rights violations that occurred in this nation in the course of the final phase of the war by way of an internal probe as an alternative to the UNHCR probe. It is the most welcome issue to do rather than enabling UNHCR to do it. Nevertheless, investigations need to not be restricted to the brief period of final phase of the war only. This is a trap laid by the Diaspora and the so known as international neighborhood. The probe ought to cover the entire period of the war against terrorism.
The prevention of Terrorism act implemented in 1983 throughout the JR regime led to unbridled torture of citizens not only in the north but in the south as properly. Nearly thirty thousand Sri Lankans in the prime of their youth perished following capture by Sri Lankan forces. Most of them found dumped on the road sides tortured and killed. There are big number of folks specially parents and wives nonetheless searching for justice for what occurred to their dear ones under the JR regime. The infamous Batalanda torture chambers come to a single’s mind. It was the “Abu Ghraib” of Sri Lanka. The commission which investigated the problem was really specific that RW was aware of the chambers existence. The report states “Wickremesinghe and the SSP Nalin Delgoda, are indirectly responsible for the upkeep of areas of unlawful detention and torture chambers in homes at the Batalanda Housing Scheme”. The commission strongly suggested to government of CBK to bring the wrong doers to book. It was strongly believed Douglas Peiris the Policeman who was in charge of the torture chambers have been given amnesty for his testimony against RW. The irony is that MR who is now getting accused of human rights violation in the course of his rule was a human rights campaigner who went to Geneva, to location just before the UNHCR the predicament in Sri Lanka at that time.
To mention just one particular of the many scams completed by RW regime in the two year period they were in energy 2001/02 Yasasiri Kasturiarachchci the powerful UNPer and businessman who obtained a loan of four.1 Billion from the Individuals’s bank was provided a crooked bail out formula by then RW adviser and renowned fixer Paskaralingam through DR. Wickrama Weerasooriya an additional RW fixer to declare that the outstanding amount is not Rs.four.1 billion but one hundred million and Kasthuriarachchi to spend an amount of Rs.10 million from this outstanding amount and provided beneath is what CBK the President at that time had to say the Chairman of Peoples’ Bank Lal Nanyakkara.
“It is extremely unfair for a State Bank to extend privileges to an person, however politically strong he may be which are denied to other folks, much less influential.
I take into account such patronage to be a travesty of justice. I categorically state that the privileges not extended to others need to in no way be extended to Yasodha Group and any violation of this practice will be investigated into.
I also learn that your Board is taking into consideration reaching a settlement on the basis of the suggestions by this third party investigator”.
As the Head of State, I severely warn you to desist from any unjustifiable settlement and any methods taken by the Bank, which lacks transparency, will be subject to a unique inquiry and dealt with severely.
It is in your best interest to strictly adhere to legal process via the Court of Law.” (Day-to-day News – February 2, 2004)
Prime Minister RW‘s attempt to send Navy Commander Karannagoda for a two weeks foreign trip so that two LTTE ships bringing arms for the LTTE deliver the goods safely was thwarted by CBK throughout the time the CFA was in operation.
Yet another astonishing point that baffles several men and women is that an important portfolio, if not the most crucial, Minister of Finance is held by a person indicted by the Supreme Court for funds laundering of Rs. 390 million. Whilst it is appropriate that a single is not guilty unless verified, a person with such allegations ought to have been kept out from any responsibility till the verdict is offered. In addition to, Ravi Karunanayake’s past record as the trade minister does not warrant a larger responsibility to be given to him. He has grow to be popular for unmaking of institutions such as SATHOSA. It baffles me why a person like Dr. Harsha De Silva was not considered for this all important post. He is young and fresh blood devoid of dark clouds hanging over him. For that matter, Eran Wickramaratne would also have been a choice.
RW ought to really have accomplished an MR by dumping the out dated senile seniors such as John Amaratunga, Joseph Michael Perera, Jayawicrama Perera Et Al. as senior ministers.
John Amaratunga need to resign before the no confidence motion, if the governement is severe about god governance.
These are random thoughts which come to 1’s thoughts when politicians in power speak of great governance. Seeing on Tv news the other day, CBK receiving a courtesy kiss from her childhood buddy RW one particular can’t but conclude to what brazen levels our politicians go to gain power.
These are the custodians of “good governance”.
COLOMBO, MARCH 27 
