The Battle For The Kingdom He Lost

By Nimalka Fernando -April 23, 2015

Dr. Nimalka Fernando

I write this comment with a sense of disgust. People who braved the risks of resisting Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime knew they were doing so with death standing at their door-step. President Maithripala Sirisensa eloquently expressed this reality by saying that “I would have been seven feet below the ground where I stand today if we had lost the election”. This reality is not yet over. Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brothers did not build their “Vampire State” for nothing. They are not sulking in a political corner licking their wounds. They have begun to mobilise with a vengeance. Don’t look far to see how they are planning their comeback. Look to those that slept inside the well of the parliament yesterday night. It is pretty obvious that these politicians are learning to live in ‘Political Displacement Camps’ (PDC). We Sri Lankans will have to start a new humanitarian venture called PDCs.

It is disgraceful that none of these members of parliament ever thought of doing this kind of `satyagraha’ when the coutry was being sold to China. Where were they when the Port City Project was signed? Were they sleeping when the Chairman of Sri Lankan Airlines was diverting flights to see his girl-friend? What were they doing when the son’s were bringing bollywood gangs at state expenses for their fun and frolick? What have they to say about “Siriliya Katha”, the Dame of Madamulana having some unbelievable identity card numbers and Bank accounts? Who benefitted from the Dame’s Fund? What happened to the funds of the Nil Balakayaand the so called “gifts” given to the youth leader? For every job given by the `young leader’ funds had to be deposited to the so called `Balakaya’ account. It is only very recently a former Minister of the Rajapaksa era shared these stories at a local meeting in Kurunegala. SLFPers present had all left this meeting silently after this revelation. It is truly shameful. The parliamentarians who went to sleep inside the well should be ashamed but I guess they cannot be because they are no better than the frogs who cannot see outside their own well.

People in Sri Lanka have no pity for those who now rally around to protect the privileges of the Ex-President. Did the Ex-President protect us from evil? He betrayed the very General who helped him to win the war? What did he do with the sacks of gold robbed from the areas of war, espeicially from Mulathivu and surrounding areas? What did he do to protect a poor government servant who was assaulted by a Cabinet Minister and who also tied him to a tree and forced the person to admit that he tied himself up? Did he act against this Minister who went on to claim that he made journalists to flee the country? The former President remained indecently silent when his own colleague, Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra was killed. The regime even sent sleuths from the criminal investigation department to record a statement from their erstwhile friend Vasudeva Nanayakkara, the former minister in effect to threaten others. All cabinet ministers shut their mouths afterwards. Thosands have disappeared during the Rajapaksa regime. Dead bodies were found thrown into shrubs. Some were assasinated in broad daylight like Lasantha and Raviraj. Raviraj and Joseph Pararajasingham were parliamentarians. Who dared to sit inside the parliament well then demanding `protection’ for their colleague? Whose privileges were violated then?                                                              Read More