Opposition march draws unprecedented crowds; reaches Fort defying obstruction ; govt. hooligans flee

(Lanka-e-News-16.May.2012, 11.00PM) An unprecedented mammoth crowd over ten thousand in number participated in the protest march staged against the electricity tariff hikes introduced by the despotic regime which gave the already abysmally suffering people a most rude shock. The MaRa’s Medamulana ( mahajanaya mulakarana) government lackeys , stooges and pimps who assembled to disrupt the march ,witnessing these milling crowds realized that defeat is seething with fury and staring in the face of their government , were forced to retreat.

The long winding protest march which began yesterday (15) from Campbell park , Borella and headed towards the Fort was staged with the participation of the UNP and opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe ,Tissa Attanayake, Daya Gamage, Ravi Karunanayake, Ruwan Wijewardena, Karu Jayasooriya, Dr. Harsha , John Amaratunge, Joseph Michael, Sajith Premadasa, Dayasiri Jayasekera, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Mujibur Rahman, other UNP party leaders, Gen. Sarath Fonseka, Vasantha Samarasinghe, leaders of trade unions affiliated to the JVP , Sumenthiran and TNA leaders , leaders of parties who are with the opposition , Dr. Wickremabahu, Mano Ganeshan ,Siritunge Jayasooriya, Hemakumara Nanayakkara, Sarath Manamendra, trade union leaders of the people’s campaign opposing the electricity tariff hikes, University lecturers , Attorney at laws, Srinath Perera , C Weliamuna, Lawyers ,Negombo Fisheries Organization and many civil Organizations .

It was specially worthy of note that never has there been such a massive protest with the participation of all political parties jointly.

What was even more specially significant was the participation of hordes of people not belonging to any political party. In other words this procession was a true common man’s protest march against a despotic government heaping ruthless burdens dictatorially on the people. 

When this protest march which began from Borella was proceeding towards Maradana , women in their home attire were seen rushing to join in the march. A large crowd of Tamil speaking Muslims along with local body member Mujibur Rahman joined the protest march at Maradana. This was a rare historic march never witnessed before.As usual and in keeping with the practice of this despotic government , plans were in place to stifle and foil this massive protest of the people , people’s representatives and trade unions , at its very place of commencement - Campbell place .On Gotabaya’s orders , thugs and hooligans were lodged at the Maradana police station with the patronage of DIG Anura Senanayake and SSP Ranagala . Though Thilanga Sumathipala was entrusted with this task of supplying these marauders and murderers , Thilanga who had got himself stabbed in the back by going too far to lick the boots of Rajapakses did not care much about this task. Moreover , as this unconscionable electricity tariff hike is also afflicting his thugs and underworld group , a majority of them had not come forward and have not heeded Thilanga’s request.

Anura Senanayake seeing with his own eyes the crowds swelling rapidly at Borella where the march began turned jittery and abandoned the idea of attacking them there. After allowing them to proceed and at the Technical junction launch the attack where the government goons and gangs were lying in wait , with supporters of the government.

Meanwhile the corrupt Rajapakses had organized a protest march in support of electricity tariff hikes from the Fort to Maradana using their lackeys , stooges and scoundrels who are also robbing public funds in league with the Rajapakses, led by Somaweera Chandrasiri ( the notorious Rajapakse lackey who is robbing public funds) and Mahinda Kahandagamage another scoundrel. In any case the number of hired participants who attended that protest march was hardly 500 to 1000 .

When the protest march of milling crowds in many thousands of the opposition was obstructed at Technical junction from proceeding further by the police , the opposition leaders and the people decided to defy orders and continue with their march . The pro government scoundrels and pimps having realized they are outnumbered and cannot cope with the opposition crowd gave up the planned attack , thereby signaling the Rajapakse regime’s humiliating defeat in the future.

The police scoundrels Anura Senanayake and his henchmen had only one choice , to send back those few hired government protestors by boarding them into the moving buses after stopping them, and evicting the hired attackers from the Fort. 

It was Gotabaya ‘s order to the IGP to somehow sabotage the march to the Fort and disperse the crowd , and Gota had got ready to provide three contingents of the Forces to accomplish that , but the IGP had not approved of that decision stating that this protest is not violent . The protests of Gota’ scoundrels under the instructions of Anura Senanayake was of course violence prone.

To achieve the sordid agenda of the government and Gota , Anura Senanayake had enlisted the support of his subordinates , SSP Ranagala SSP Colombo south , SSP Palitha Siriwardena SSP Colombo, R S D Dayananda SSP Colombo north , but before the mammoth crowd of marchers , all of them singularly or collectively could do nothing against the protestors or people. Consequently they gave up their atrocious plans. 

When the massive march arrived at the Fort , a group of the hooligans in the buses began hooting, the only thing they could do well. . The people who congregated had taught them an unforgettable lesson.

After the procession reached the Fort , opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe , General Fonseka, Wickremabahau , Siritunge, Perera , Saman Ratnapriya, Joseph Stalin , Dr. Maheem Mendis and Sajith Premadasa addressed the crowds.

A participant of the March had an interesting story to tell this writer : ‘When the electricity tariff has been raised 100% most unconscionably and unreasonably , it is useless trying to talk about some scoundrels who are that foolish to stoop that low as to support this cruel action of the government . 

‘When people are asked to come to safeguard their jobs , they come. In this case , the people who are in distress and despair are certainly going to hurl excrements at the homes of Kahandagamas and Somaweeras the self seeking rascals selling national interests to earn benefits from the equally selfish power greedy government ‘ the participant in the march who was in anguish and abysmal suffering said.