Rallies & Bravado Talk Cannot Hold Mahinda’s Defences

By Shyamon Jayasinghe –May 9, 2015

Shyamon Jayasinghe

“As a creeper overpowers the entwined Sal tree, he whose impiety is great reduces himself to the state which his enemy wishes for him.” -Attavaggo, Dhammapada.

The meeting of the present President, Maitripala Sirisena (MS) with the previous President, Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) was held yesterday (7th of May 15) in Parliament. From the sources we have, it is clear that the meeting flopped. One newspaper report stated that when MR at one stage threatened to walk out Maitri had stated that he could do so if he wanted to. One gets the impression that MR had acted like a bully trying to coerce the hand of MS into granting unreasonable demands. According to sources he had asked to be named as Prime Ministerial candidate from the SLFP. Refused. He had requested MS to detach himself from the UNP. Refused. He had wanted a stop to ongoing corruption investigations by the FCID. Refused. Of course MR must walk out. But he didn’t.

Pretty cheeky and brazen, I thought those reported demands were! Typical bullying tactics. The brawniness of a suburban macho and the polite shrewdness of a simple village peasant was in display in this narrative. One newspaper cartoon showed MS offering hoppers to MR. “Ganna ko!” (“take will you!”)

The surprising electoral defeat has not taught Mahinda a lesson. That is clear. His post- electoral behavior makes this self-evident. The strident efforts of those around him who have lost perks, benefits and illegal windfalls have given Mahinda a boost from outside. There was Nugegoda. There was Kandy. There was Ratnapura. And, today, there is Kurunegala. Although diminishing returns are seen in these successive bring-back rallies MR cronies are not deterred in what appears to them as a life or death struggle. Such bliss these cronies enjoyed; such power to order and to control; such money to come by. How can they lose all that? In countries like Australia, where I live, defeated pollies have ready-made exit avenues in the private sector. But what avenues do vanquished and incompetent cronies have in Sri Lanka where they acted as parasites on society-eking out of it rather than giving to it. Besides, many of them hardly sleep dreaming of the FCID knocking at their doors.    Read More