If Minister Maithripala is also threatened with death how would it be for ordinary people asks Anura

SATURDAY, 02 MARCH 2013

“Minister Maithripala Sirisena comes before the media and says there is a conspiracy to assassinate him. However, he doesn’t mention the conspirators. To assist Mr. Sirisena I will reveal who these conspirators are. He indirectly means the most powerful family in the country today,” said JVP Parliamentarian and the President of All Ceylon Farmers Federation Anura Dissanayake.

Speaking at a farmers’ seminar held at Golden Flower Hotel at Hingurakgoda on the 28th Mr. Dissanayake said, “Mr. Maithripala himself says he has been a member of the SLFP for 43 years. If such a person is threatened with death how would it be for ordinary people?

Most of the capital in the country is with 5000 families. The farmer community and their children are at the lowest line. They cannot have proper living conditions. The children of farmer community do not get a proper education. Only 20% of the production is left with the farmers. The rest is seized by powerful businessmen.

However, children of the 5000 rich families could close down Colombo city at night and drive their Lamborghinis. How did the owners of those cars earn so much money? The masses work hard to make their ends meet. However, the so-called affluent hoard money.

The port at Hambantota, constructed spending a colossal amount of money, has received only 32 ships despite it was opened 36 months ago. People are now fishing in that harbour. Why do you need a harbor for fishing? Loans are sought from the IMF to settle daily expenses. IMF is not prepared to give loans for such purposes. The government does not have solutions for the breakdown of the economy. Today Rs.5000 is needed to get married. 93,000 farmers are denied their pensions. The bag of fertilizer will be Rs.500 for the next cultivation season. Tanks have been leased out for so-called tourism development. They want the tanks to ‘land’ c-planes. The tanks built and protected by our ancestors for thousands of years are to be leased out for jollification of tourists. We will never allow this to happen. Thousands of acres of lands are handed over to foreign companies. We should come forward to protect our lands.

One of the biggest rackets in the world is seed business. Multi-national companies have the monopoly of the seed business in the island. Seed production has been denied to us and our seed farms have been sold.

Kidney disease is widespread in the northern region of the country. 80,000 kidney patients have been recorded from Anuradhapura. Already, about 20,000 have died. What did the Minister of Health do to save farmers and their children in his region? Recently the World Health Organization handed over a report they had compiled regarding kidney disease in Sri Lanka.

It has not been released to the public yet. I challenge the minister to publish it. The report states the drinking water in the northern region is not suitable for drinking. As they do not have solutions for these the report has been hidden.

Every programme planned stating it’s to develop the economy of the country has failed. ‘Api wawamu - Rata nagamu’ (Lets cultivate & develop country) commenced with a lot of banners and posters. It has been terminated now. Now ‘Divi Neguma’ has been launched. Distributing a packet of seeds or a few chickens to all the houses in the country would not develop agriculture. What the country needs is not ‘subsistence agriculture’ but production industry.

The economic – political system that exists is wrong. We have to find a system that suits us. The country was ruled for 62 years by four ‘walauwwas’. The people should grab power from these ‘walauwwa’ dwellers. There are no struggles within Parliament. The struggles are in the factory, at work site and on the road.”

The National Organizer of Sri Lanka Farmers’ Federation Namal Karunaratne addressing the seminar said the Minister of Agriculture himself admits that the cost of producing a kilo of paddy is Rs.31. If so, how could farmers exist when the buying price is only Rs.32? Even then there are no facilities to buy farmers’ products. Also, only 2500 kilos are bought from a farmer. To sell this farmers have to wait in the queue for several days.

Former Member of Provincial Council T.B. Sarath also addressed the seminar attended y a large number of farmers.

Minister Sirisena to be relieved of party post

SATURDAY, 02 MARCH 2013

According to internal sources of the SLFP a disciplinary inquiry is to be held against Minister Maithripala Sirisena on charges of issuing statements that cause suspicion on leading figures in the SLFP and the government, pressurizing the police and holding media conferences violating party discipline. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to appoint a disciplinary committee comprising of four senior leaders of the SLFP for this purpose say these sources.

Information has been reveled that Minister Maithripala Sirisena is to be removed from the post of Secretary General of the SLFP on a decision by the Central Committee of the SLFP. It is also revealed that the names of five SLFP seniors including Ratnasiri Wickremenayake, Chamal Rajapaksa, Nimal Siripala de Silva and Susil Premajayanthe have been proposed for the vacancy created by removing Minister Sirisena. With the change of the post of secretary general there would be a change in all other posts say these sources.

However, many SLFP seniors express their dismay at the attempt by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to change the posts in the party without calling a party convention.

It has also been decided to remove the health ministry portfolio from Mr. Sirisena and make him a senior minister at a cabinet reshuffle that has been proposed for July.

Appointing Mr. Basil Rajapaksa as the National Organizer of the SLFP has made SLFP seniors frustrated and angry say these sources.