Cambridge Analytica: The Mexico allegations

Guillermo Galdos-Latin America Correspondent-29 Mar 2018

Last week, this programme exposed how Cambridge Analytica claimed to have intervened – often secretly – in elections around the world. Now the secrets are unspooling. An undercover reporter for Channel 4 News posed as a fixer for a wealthy client hoping to get candidates elected in Sri Lanka. Last week, that country’s Prime Minister admitted meeting the firm — though said he had declined to use them.

A row continues in India, where the governing BJP and the Congress Party both accuse the other of hiring Cambridge Analytica associate SCL India. In Kenya, opposition leader Raila Odinga is considering legal action against Cambridge Analytica and Facebook following his electoral defeat last year. The Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago has opened an investigation into SCL, Cambridge Analytica and other linked firms.

Now from Mexico, our Latin America Correspondent Guillermo Galdos reports on the demise of deal to harvest data from a million citizens – cancelled after Channel 4 News began investigating.

Retributive justice takes time ! Prison mass murder ; Rangajeewa and Emil Ranjan arrested; when is Godfather ?

(Lanka-e-News - 30.March.2018, 11.30PM)   Niyomal  Rangajeewa IP who was entrenched in the anti Narcotics bureau of the police for many years (reasons obvious) , and made his police profession a heroin business to become a multi millionaire was taken into custody on the 28 th   by the CID  in connection with the murder of 27 Welikade prisoners in   November 2012 – after 5 long years ! Subsequently Emil Ranjan who was performing duties as the Welikade Magazine prison authority at that time was also arrested . Both these suspects were to be produced in court on the 29 th.

This monumental tragedy occurred on 2012-11-09 , and Lanka e news reported on 2012 -11 -14 that ruthless Rangajeewa with a list of names( prepared ahead)  of those to be murdered  visited  Welikade prison . Lanka e news, in addition  exposed the murder squad was operated by Gotabaya and  orders to murder  were issued by  Gotabaya . Sylvester ASP a lackey of  STF Commandant Ranawana DIG then ,also arrived in prison on Gotabaya’s orders , Lanka e news further revealed. 

When the new government took over , a three member Commission was appointed , and eye witnesses gave evidence  before the Commission that  Rangajeewa arrived in  prison and gathered the prisoners to commit the murders. They also told court that after the riot on 9 th November within the prison had been quelled , Rangajeewa came in civil attire and after calling out the names of the prisoners from a name list , made them kneel down , and committed mass murder.  The eye witnesses disclosed Emil Ranjan too was on the scene.

Among the prisoners in the hit list of Rangajeewa was Harsha Manju Sri Manukeerthi who tried to rob the Sapumal Kumaraya’s sword supposed to be in the Rajamaha Vihara ,Kotte , to satisfy  the avarice and fancies of Rajapakses for the sword . Manju Sri  finally failed in his attempt but not before allegedly  killing two monks of the temple .

It is significant to note at the time the mass murder took place in prison , Manju Sri was in the ready to expose those who orchestrated  this sword robbery operation at the next court date.

Most of the victims  in the group were those with trumped up heroin  charges foisted on them by Rangajeewa. Many of them had even been preparing to file human rights cases against Rangajeewa   . Kalu Thushara was one of them and was not involved in any riot . When Thushara was in the welfare Building office room , Rangajeewa had accosted  him and taken him too to the killing field  . This was witnessed by Prison Commissioner Kodipilly , Magazine prison Authority Emil Ranjan and Welikade prison authority Gamini Jayasinghe . They were all present there. 

When Kalu Thushara was begging and screaming ‘Please Rangajeewa mahathaya don’t kill me’ . his hands were tied with a blue colored rope and murdered , eye witnesses revealed to the Commission. 

In order to camouflage the murders and to justify the crimes , photos were published with guns in front of the murdered bodies. Lanka e news displayed photos at that time of the murdered  who were unarmed , and subsequent pictures with weapons . The government analyst  department report stated no bullets had emerged from the  weapons and there were no fingerprints of the prisoners on the firearms. It was Emil Ranjan who introduced the weapons to  camouflage the murders. 

There was also a group that died during the exchange of fire between the prisoners with the security division, and all those  27  who died are not innocent. That was why 11 of them were not entitled to compensation when that payment was made.  But there were innocents among those who were picked by names for liquidation .

The pertinent question is , at whose behest these cold blooded murders were committed ? Emil Ranjan who was just a prison guard was elevated to that high  position he later  held by none other than Gotabaya . It was Gotabaya the defense secretary   and not the IGP who gave orders to the STF at that time, are salient incontrovertible  facts .  Therefore Gotabaya has no escape route in these ruthless brutal murders.

After the Commission report was handed over to the CID , following investigations the arrests of suspects have begun with Rangajeewa.  At this juncture , the sordid conduct of some judges of the Supreme court have come to light. Gota is not only a most notorious criminal and crook but also a clever manipulator of unscrupulous judges of courts. He is most clever at obtaining SC restraining orders against arrests . Accordingly , a petition was filed in the SC against the arrest of Rangajeewa. However the SC dismissed the petition even without a hearing . Though Gota is enjoying that privilege of immunity from arrest despite all his criminalities and crookedness , Rangajeewa was not that  lucky . He was denied that privilege.  Hence Rangajeewa was arrested on the 28 th  , followed by Emil Ranjan’s arrest.

Among the public  are some who allege what we reveal are false and doubt the veracity . The exposure made by us now of the Russian warship illicit deal of Sirisena- Maharaja  duo is one that came in for such criticism.  It takes time to know the truth .  Need we point out , it took about five years to prove that our report in 2012 on the Welikade mass murder of prisoners is true. When we revealed Rangajeewa is  a confirmed criminal , the other media took the stance that he was a hero in the anti narcotics engagements, and whitewashed his stigma. 

So are our other exposures of the stark truths. It is such unscrupulous media coolies who are today leaving no stone unturned by foul rather than  fair means to make Gotabaya  the rascally crook and criminal- godfather steeped in worst criminalities,   the future president .

The drawback is the delay to understand (Thereiy kalyayi), ‘you do realize but you take time’ . Sadly, the delay to understand is most   portentous because by that time the culprits would have done the irreparable damage and achieved their criminal goals to the detriment of the entire country.

By a special Lanka e news reporter

Translated by Jeff

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by     (2018-03-30 20:50:08)

Muslim Demographics: Facts & Fiction

By Ameer Ali –MARCH 29, 2018

Dr. Ameer Ali

For some time since the September 11 infamy and US’s declaration of the so called War on Terror, alarming statistics about Muslim population explosion and their imminent takeover of the world have been circulating in the social media globally. This demographic paranoia about Muslims is part of a growing international Islamophobia industry. That industry appears to have opened its branch in Sri Lanka also under the auspices of BBS. Statistics and graphics have been plucked from thin air to spread the canard that Muslims are growing at a phenomenal rate and that they will soon become the majority in this Buddhist country. In spite of denials from the census department, a group of ultra-nationalist Buddhist activists and their supporting institutions are in the forefront of spreading the scary fiction that Muslims are multiplying like flies in Sri Lanka. To them, an Islamic state in this country is just around the corner. Let us look at the facts.

The Muslims are supposed to have increased by 10% in number between 1981 and 2017 and at this rate, according to these alarmists, they would soon become the majority and take over the state. Leaving aside the political and ideological bankruptcy of these fear mongers for a moment, let us look at the veracity of the statistics itself.  The last population census was carried out in 2011 and demographic figures quoted for periods thereafter are at best guestimates and therefore not accurate. They are the outcome of studies, which use sampling technics and other hypotheticals with a wide margin of error. One has to wait till the 2021 census to know the actual changes taken place over the last decade. However, in 1981, out of a total population of 14,846,750 the number of Sinhalese counted for 10,979,561 which increased to 15, 250,081 out of 20,359,439 in 2011, an increase of about 39%. The corresponding figures for Sri Lankan Tamils were 1,886,872 and 2,269,266, which gives an increase of 20%. The total number of Sri Lankan Moors and Malays together were 1,093,889 in 1981 and 1,936,768 in 2011 giving an increase of only 7.7%. So, where did the 10% of these Cassandras come from?

Among the Muslims, the Malay component has actually decreased from a total of 46,963 to 44,130 between 1981 and 2011.

There is another missing link in the census figures, and that is the number of outward migrants who left the country for good. The civil war that killed tens of thousands of Tamils and Sinhalese between the two censuses and the economic disaster that ensued forced hundreds of thousands to leave the country permanently. Of these emigrants, the majority were understandably Tamils, followed by Sinhalese.  Muslims, because they were latecomers to education and therefore did not have the necessary skill and educational credentials the world labour market demanded, could not match the outflow from other communities. The best they could do was to migrate temporarily to the oil producing countries to occupy low skilled jobs. Thus, permanent outward migration disproportionately affected the total population of the three communities, of which the Muslim community was the least affected.  This is why their percentage increased to 9.3% in the 2011 from 7.05% in 1981. It is this 9.3%, which rounded to 10% that became a weapon in the arsenal of anti-Muslim propaganda of alarmists. From that figure, more startling extrapolations being made to manufacture the fear that the country is under Muslim threat. Lies, damn lies and fantasies. 

Of the three major communities in Sri Lanka, the Muslim community is the least developed. A few glittering shopping centres owned by Muslims in the cities, ostentatious wedding celebrations proudly staged by the Muslim nouveau riche  and the historical appendage, ‘business community’, bestowed by the colonialists and popularly used by journalists and essayists, give a false impression that Muslims must be rich and wealthy. In fact, the worst slums in Colombo and the most isolated and poverty-stricken villages, particularly in the interior of the country belong to this community. One only has to go to any mosque in any town on a Friday and witness the crowd of Muslim beggars standing outside the gates for handouts. It is a pathetic site. Poverty breeds children. The Muslim crude birth rate, which is slightly higher than the national rate of 17.5 per thousand in 2012, corresponds to that of the Third World countries in the fifties and sixties. Imbalanced development among different communities would naturally lead to heterogeneous demographic features amongst them. 

It is a proven economic hypothesis that when affluence percolates to the bottom layers of society, when literacy rate increases, and when women enter workforce, birth rate tends to respond negatively owing to the corresponding rise in opportunity cost of having more children. Muslim women are the least educated and the most reluctant to enter the workforce. Religious and cultural prejudices still place obstacles for them to compete in the development race in which other women have forged ahead. This is a developmental challenge that Muslim community faces, but Muslim leadership is clueless as to how to tackle this issue. Rather than trying to ameliorate the consequent adversities of poverty, economic and social projects need planning and execution to eradicate poverty. Without understanding this sad plight of the community, it is preposterous to claim that Muslims are deliberately increasing their fecundity to take over Sri Lanka. Even statistically, this is not possible given the increasing rate of the Sinhalese population.      

On top of these misrepresentations of facts comes the ridiculous claim that Muslim merchants are deliberately mixing some mysterious contraceptive in food, drinks, clothes and other consumer items that they sell to the Sinhalese. How low can one descend to create panic and fear among ordinary people by concocting outrageous fantasies? Just as Hitler put all ills of Germany on Jews so are our super racists in Sri Lanka blaming Muslims for all problems in the country. What is there to stop these malevolent heroes from advocating Hitler’s final solution to a so-called Muslim problem, if given a chance? Why are saner minds remaining silent amidst this vicious propaganda?

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Mangala, Vigneswaran discuss Northern Province development projects

Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera having discussions with Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran in Jaffna yesterday. Picture by Rukmal Gamage

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajith Coomaraswamy met Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran in Jaffna yesterday.

They discussed the implementation of projects in the Northern Province as proposed by the 2018 Budget.

Senior officials of the Ministry and the Central Bank also participated in the discussions on the best possible manner in which the allocated Rs. 1000 million can be spent in the North.

The District Secretaries of five districts in the Northern Province also participated in the discussion.

Minister Samaraweera explained that the Budget had also made provisions to help resettle former LTTE cadres, provide them with soft loans for businesses and provide help in livelihood opportunities.

Chief Minister Vigneswaran had requested that the government work with the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) when implementing these projects.

Minister Samaraweera in response asked that Vigneswaran appoint a group from the NPC to implement these projects and link them with his ministry. 

SRI LANKA’S NGO LAW WOULD HAVE RESTRICTED FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

Image: Minister Mano Ganesan’s explanations for presenting the draft bill are shallow.

30/03/2018

(NPC/Press release/ 30.30.18) The National Peace Council welcomes the decision of Minister of National Coexistence, Dialogue and Official Languages Mano Ganesan to withdraw proposed amendments to the Voluntary Social Service Organizations (Registration and Supervision) Act, No. 31 of 1980 following representations made to him by over 130 civil society organizations. The Minister took this decision at a meeting held with representatives of these CSOs presided over by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. At this meeting the Prime Minister reassured those present that the government’s intention was not to control NGO work or make civil society dependent on the government. He requested the CSOs present to nominate seven members who could meet with the government and develop a sustainable solution that would protect national interests and the independence of civil society.

Compulsory registration of civil society is present only in fascist totalitarian countries. Democracy guarantees freedom of association and assembly. Nonetheless, previous Sri Lankan governments too have sought to restrict the freedom of civil society organizations. Draft legislation to this end was prepared by the previous government in 2011 when the National NGO Secretariat was under the Ministry of Defence. In this context the cabinet decision to approve the draft amendments to the Voluntary Social Service Organizations (Registration and Supervision) Act, No. 31 of 1980 generated widespread opposition within civil society. The amendments sought to expand the scope of the law to bring all voluntary associations, even village-based ones, within the direct supervisory purview of the government.

Minister Ganesan explained that the government’s intention was to strengthen the National NGO Secretariat which would be a focal point for all civil society organizations. He said that provision of legal personality to CSOs by registration with the NGO Secretariat could enhance their capacities to mobilize resources. Minister Ganesan also said that Sri Lanka had obligations under international law to ensure that terrorist financing did not take place within the shores of the country.

According to the draft amendments all voluntary associations, even those legally registered elsewhere would have had to register themselves with the National NGO Secretariat. The proposed amendments would have empowered the National NGO Secretariat to launch investigations into CSO activities without any judicial oversight and to enter the premises of an organisation without advance notice to conduct inspections. It also sought to prohibit them from changing their registered address without the approval of the National NGO Secretariat or giving financial support to other CSOs without such approval.

The targeting of the entirety of civil society with a special law is both overbroad and discriminatory and is democratically unacceptable. In a democracy the people are free to organize themselves for any purpose as long as it is not in pursuit of illegal activities. The National Peace Council affirms that civil society organisations be subjected to the legal structure of the country in the same manner as the business and public sectors without also being subjected to special surveillance and monitoring by any specialized government agency. We also affirm that compulsory registration is not acceptable in a free and democratic society which enjoys the freedom of association as a constitutional right and the decision whether or not to register with a particular government agency should be left to their members.

‘UNP confident President will stand by PM, Govt.’

UNP Gampaha District MP and UNP National Youth Front Chairman Kavinda Jayawardana and UNP Colombo District MP Hirunika Premachandra at yesterday’s press briefing at Sirikotha. Picture by Ruwan de Silva

Zahrah Imtiaz-Saturday, March 31, 2018

The UNP believes that President Maithripala Sirisena will stand by them and support Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Government, UNP Gampaha District MP and UNP National Youth Front Chairman Kavinda Jayawardana said yesterday.

“The President is one of us and even if the SLFP abandons him, the UNPers will stand by him,” he added. MP Jayawardana was addressing a media briefing together with UNP Colombo District MP Hirunika Premachandra at Sirikotha.

MP Jayawardana further stated that MPs and Ministers in Government who support the No Confidence Motion (NCM) against the Prime Minister should rightfully leave coalition after April 4.

“Those who want to protect the government,the President and believe in the concept of Yahapalanaya and want to protect it, stand with us”

This is just not against the PM but against the whole government,he reiterated.

The NCM brought forward by the Joint Opposition sets down 17 points on which they believe that the Prime Minister has failed.This also includes allegations against him in the Bond issue.

Several senior SLFPers have stated that they cannot object to these points and that they would have to support the NCM.

MP Jayawardana however stressed that the SLFP has not officially made its stance known and that the President on Thursday night assured the Prime Minister that he had his full backing.

MP Hirunika Premachandra, in the meantime noted that the stance of the SLFP has been worrying in recent times,

“We got into a lot of trouble when establishing the Dehiwela- Mt Lavinia Municipal Council. We just managed to scrape through. The SLFP until the last minute promised to vote with us and then they voted against us and supported the SLPP,” she said.

“When I asked why the members did that, they said the General Secretary said one thing, the President another and UPFA secretary something else,” MP Premachandra said. “But we have always listened to the Prime Minister no matter our own opinions”, she said. MP Jayawardana however pointed out that the President would not destroy what he created. 

Sirisena gazettes new responsibilities following cabinet reshuffle after one long month ! 12 Institutions under P.M. taken out to add two !

(Lanka-e-News - 30.March.2018, 11.30PM)  The gazette notification pertaining to the allocation of the duties  and responsibilities of ministers following   cabinet reshuffle of the UNP only , which took place way back on the 5 th of February , was released after one month and three days , that is on the 8 th of March by the president .  

Via  the notification the subjects under the purview of the ministers have been changed which are even unrelated to  the cabinet reshuffle .

One such main  change is the Sri Lanka (SL) Central bank and SL securities and Exchange Commission  which were transferred to  the ministry of national policy and economic affairs under the Prime minister being brought under the purview of the ministry of mass media and finance .Earlier on  these Institutions were under the Finance ministry .

In lieu of that , the Food Commissioner’s department and the SL Insurance Corporation and related companies have been brought under the minister of national policy of the P.M. However when making the change as regards the Insurance Corporation and companies , the Litro Gas company under that  has not been transferred to the P.M.’s national policy ministry , instead it has been kept back with the ministry of state entrepreneurship where it was. The new minister of state entrepreneurship and  up  country  development is Lakshman Kiriella. 

The youth affairs which was under the P.M. has been transferred to ministry of Sagala Ratnayake.  Owing to this , the national youth service council, national youth corps, the national council for Human resource development , which were under the P.M. have been brought under the ministry of Southern development  and youth affairs of Sagala Ratnayake.

Accordingly , 12 Institutions which were under the P.M. have been brought under the ministries of Mangala Samaraweera and Sagala Ratnayake. The two new Institutions referred to  already  in the earlier paragraphs  have been brought under the P.M. 

Meanwhile the Kantalai sugar company had been brought under the ministry of traditional Industries of Daya Gamage who is always idling away his time by crawling behind Maithripala Sirisena,  in spite of the fact that ministry was not affected by the reshuffle.

It is specially worthy of note no change of Institutions  under the ministers of the SLFP faction of the government  has  been effected  .

The new gazette notification can be viewed by clicking on the link  below. 
http://www.documents.gov.lk/files/egz/2018/3/2064-26_E.pdf

The old gazette notification can be viewed by clicking on the link below.
http://www.documents.gov.lk/files/egz/2015/9/1933-13_E.pdf

Connected report ..
Cabinet reshuffle – new ministers...

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by     (2018-03-30 20:19:25)

Lankan politics in management crisis: Dr. Amunugama

• Insists high time SL considers management as absolutely vital top level input for future economic growth
• Asserts Govt. must learn to perform and shouldn’t waste time on ‘silly sideshows’
• Questions on how well governments have managed and utilised funds for betterment of future generation
• Says people are entitled to reward and kick out governments based on performance
• Highlights problem not about ownership but management in mega development projects 
• Affirms keeping enterprises just above water level not good enough, must aim high, maximise on strengths

By Charumini de Silva- Saturday, 31 March 2018

In a thought-provoking speech, a veteran minister pointed out it was high time that Sri Lanka began to think of management as an absolutely vital top level input for the future economic growth, insisting Sri Lankan politics seemed to be facing a management problem these days.

“Governments must learn to perform. They have no time to waste on other ‘silly sideshows’. I firmly believe that we must have a middle class, like you, that makes its ideas well known and won’t stand for any nonsense,” Special Assignments Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama said at the first-ever CMI Management Excellence Awards Night held on Thursday (29).Noting that Sri Lanka had been investing a large amount of money from its own domestic resources and by ways of loans and grants from overseas, he questioned how well these funds have been managed and utilised for the betterment of the future generation of this country.

“With all that money we have been playing around with for the past 20 to 30 years, can any of us here say that we have made absolute use of those investments? This is the time that we must think sincerely and think fast as to how we can develop our management and take it away from these cobwebs which prevent us from developing hard-core good management,” he added.

Dr. Amunugama said the Government was also concerned about the delays in projects taking off and they were now looking inwards to see how fast they could be implemented.

“Almost every day there are people coming to us and saying ‘we have this idea, this project, this money and we want to get this off the ground, but why this delay?’ These are matters that we should address immediately,” he stressed.

He pointed out that as a democratic country, the people are entitled to reward governments for good work and to kick out governments for bad performance, which is a part of democracy.

Pointing out that the august gathering representing the middle-class belonged to the 1% of the global population that led an affluent life compared to the rest of the people in the world, he said they therefore had a responsibility to speak out and join in the decision-making process.

“The middle-class especially have a right to say ‘we have contributed so much to this country, listen to our voice and create a society where management, initiative, enterprise and global standards are sought, achieved and made safe for our coming generations,’” Dr. Amunugama emphasised. With regard to some mega development projects in the country, he noted that the problem was not about ownership but management.

“We have always been debating ownership. But if you look at the mega development projects and major enterprises, the problem is not ownership but management. Today the lines between single ownership, cooperative ownership, share ownership and all those various forms make it quite clear that you can have a multitude of forms of ownership, but what is most significant is how that enterprise is managed and how to get the best results,” he added.

He asserted that in this highly-competitive environment of operating businesses, keeping enterprises just above the water level was not good enough in today’s context.

Citing his memories of listening to two Sri Lankan business tycoons, Mahesh Amalean and Dhammika Perera, he insisted there was a lot to learn from them on managing enterprises. “The first thing they said at these public meetings was that they always aim at the highest level. Today corporate management cannot only look inwardly, they have to look at global competition.”

Referring to the presentations made, Dr. Amunugama said that Sri Lanka was also moving ahead.

“On Wednesday (28) Bank of China commenced operations in Sri Lanka; it is the fourth largest bank in the world in terms of assets. The Colombo Port City venture is another mega project in Asia. Our Hambantota, Colombo and Trincomalee Port projects are massive and so are our new LNG plants. These are all global level enterprises that are rolling out,” he added.

Noting that the Government was in the process of integrating with mega concepts, he said the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) would be a game-changer, where the entire global network will be linked by seaways, airways and highways, together creating a new world. 

Should We Support A Usurping Government?

By Tassie Seneviratne –MARCH 29, 2018

Tassie Seneviratne

Varying opinions have been expressed in the aftermath of the communal violence in Kandy and Ampara Districts.   

As usual the Government blames its political rivals for inciting violence. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who was also the Minister in charge of Law and Order gave a full description in Parliament about the violence that had taken place and put the blame on the Government’s ‘saboteurs’ and added that the law enforcement authorities had erred.

It was also reported that Police investigations have confirmed that the violence had been perpetrated by organized outside groups who caused mayhem and disruption of the lives of the people. – Though movement of outside groups to these areas was observed by many and trouble was anticipated beforehand, the Police have had to call the CID to find out what was well known to others!

The Sunday Times editorial of March 11th had rounded up its comments stating, “There is no escaping the fact that those events must be taken in the context of the overall decline and breakdown in the law and order situation in the country……”  Reasons for this decline and breakdown, not set out in the editorial, are given by me below. 

It is also the view of many that the country’s intelligence services have failed miserably. This is so in spite of the fact that the number one priority in the duties of a Police officer is to “collect and communicate intelligence affecting the public peace.” Be that as it may, in the case of the recent violence under review, that trouble was brewing was quite clear to many and it did not need a sophisticated intelligence apparatus to analyze the information. In fact incidents of violence have become the order of the day and activities leading to violence have been quite predictable. All that the government has done has been to accuse its political rivals for the surge in violence notwithstanding its own incompetence.

The Police, as usual, are the bashing boys of everyone when things go wrong. Even the Prime Minister who was the Minister in charge of Law and Order was quick to pass the buck on the Police.  What most people don’t realize, and those in authority over the Police gloss it over, is the fact that powers for all enlistments, promotions, transfers, and punishments are vested with the Minister (now with the Police Commission) but the Police are continued to be held accountable. It is a universally accepted fact that responsibility goes with authority. It is therefore the Police Commission that the Prime Minister should have called to question.

I have written several letters to the Police Commission that holds authority over the police, seeking to know who is responsible for Police action and/or non- action and followed up with reminders, but other than the automatic acknowledgement of the letters, no reply has been forthcoming. 

Due to the militarization of the Police during the 30 years of war, most Police officers do not know their proper functions. Respective Governments have preferred to use the Police as an instrument to instil fear in the people and to suppress people’s agitations. Community policing as should be its proper function is forgotten and unknown to the present day Police officers.

Taking a cue from the allegations about lack of intelligence in regard to developing violent situations, I had earlier conceived an idea of forming a group with a few former police colleagues, in order to collect intelligence for the government. The first colleague I contacted, confronted me with the question, “Why should we prop up a government that has usurped the power of the sovereign people?” This struck me as a valid point.                                                             

About this time, by a strange coincidence, I read about the 81 leaders in the 1818 Uva rebellion being declared as national heroes: “President Maithripala Sirisena, in a special gazette notification, has declared 81 more leaders and rebels of the 1818 Uva rebellion as patriotic national heroes.  Earlier on December 7th last year, the President annulled the Gazette issued in 1818 and declared as national heroes 19 persons including Monarawila Keppetipola who had been named as traitors for leading and participating the 1818 Uva- Wellassaa rebellion against the British Colonial Rule.

The Gazette issued on Monday includes 49 people sentenced to death and another 32 declared as traitors and expelled to Mauritius consequent to their involvement in the uprising.”

The Uva Rebellion was against the British Colonial Government that was in forcible occupation of our country. I am inclined to draw a parallel between the British Colonial Government of 1818 and the present Government that has usurped the Sovereign power of the people and is functioning illegitimately.   

Lawlessness and the violent incidents triggered with ease by political opponents of the government with a view to toppling the government, are taking place unabated, due to the unpopularity of the usurping government that has lost its legitimacy. A rebellion to overthrow the illegitimate Government appears to be the only way forward and worth the take.   

While the majority of people are woefully unable to make ends meet, it is a normal sight that politicians and their henchmen make matters worse by raping the forests for timber, illicitly excavating sand from rivers and irrigation tanks, excavating and transporting earth without permits and rival marauders shooting and killing each other and terrorizing the peace loving people,  has also become a daily occurrence. Wetlands are given for luxury housing. How long are the frustrated and angry people expected to tolerate these burdens cast on them by the very government that promised impressive economic growth, but instead doing a lot of damage to the economy of the country. It is blatantly clear that, “Everything is done just to accommodate the government in power and to ensure their political longevity rather than the long term interests of the nation”, as aptly commented in another editorial of the Sunday Times.

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A question of confidence in Yahapaalanaya – The unfinished mandate

Featured image courtesy VCG Photo

HARIM PEIRIS-03/30/2018

Hard on the heels of the local government elections, the Joint Opposition (JO) emboldened by the unexpectedly robust performance of their nascent political party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP), popularly known as the “Pohottuwa” has sought to leverage that result into destabilising the ruling coalition at the center. The chosen battle ground has been Parliament and the modus operandi is a motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister. Now Parliament reflects the electoral verdict of August 2015 and especially the subsequent divergent views within the former ruling UPFA, with half its group making up the JO in opposition, while half are in the governing coalition. Accordingly, in Parliament, the JO has only about 55 members and hence has seemingly a tough challenge to get the required numbers for a simple majority of 113. The key parliamentary blocs to watch in the numbers game, would be of course the SLFP group in government, of which three members have already signed the no confidence motion, the sixteen-member TNA group and the six member JVP group. While some vocal members of the SLFP in Government, particularly Minister SB Dissanayake is on record stating that the SLFP has no reason to oppose the no confidence motion, whether the entire SLFP group in government would en-bloc oppose their coalition partner is doubtful given the consequences of such a course of action.

The TNA which generally distances itself from political intrigues and palace coups in the South needs only to abstain, for the no confidence motion to fail. The dark horse or unknown variable in the entire exercise is of course the UNP parliamentary group itself, with a few muted rumblings within its ranks, given voice from the rather unexpected quarter of Kurunegala District MP, Ranga Bandara, who claims that up to two dozen UNP MPs will desert their leader. Given that all attempts to get even one UNP MP to sign the motion was unsuccessful, this claim is likely more wishful than real. However, a Parliamentary numbers game is quite often like the glorious uncertainties of a T20 cricket match, though the outcome has much more serious consequences. However, we shall all know the result on April 4.

Driving the current political dynamics is the politics of the 2020 election cycle, yet more than one and a half years away. While an undivided focus on the next election is obvious and understandable for an opposition, as the losers in an election, it is an unsuitable focus for a government. The Government is far better off focusing and seeking to deliver on what the people voted them into office for, namely to implement their mandate. In numerous conversations this columnist has had with many stakeholders, activists, supporters and sympathisers of the good governance administration and the rainbow coalition, a common thread of thought has been that the LG election results were a reflection on the fact that the Government is seen as having not delivered sufficiently on the pledges it has made and the promises it gave in 2015. The three pillars on which this government was elected, namely economic, democratic and reconciliation reforms have all moved forward, but as the electorate so eloquently stated, progress has been quite inadequate.

The Government should consider some pragmatic measures to bring about a rebound in their popularity ratings.  The real solution to the government’s lacklustre performance in the polls would be a recommitment to its key principles and to move forward with a fresh impetus and below are some suggestions.

1. A new one hundred (100) day program, implemented effectively including the key unfinished business, before the forthcoming provincial council elections may be in order.
2. Economic growth has been anaemic, with growth levels below the war time average. With an eye on the impending election cycle and accommodating the time lag of policy measures on the real economy, the government should fairly quickly move into significant populist and welfare measures including fertiliser and other agricultural subsidies as well as state sector recruitment. The fiscal slippage can be minimised, though not eliminated through increased revenue from measures in the new Inland Revenue Act and deferment and phased out implementation of capital projects.
3. The corruption and rights abuse allegations against the previous Rajapakse Administration was a key aspect of the 2015 elections. It has certainly been a mystery to the 6.2 million Sri Lankans who voted for President Sirisena, why no progress has been made on the Thajudeen murder, the Avant Garde case, the MIG deal, the Lasantha Wickrematunge murder among many other crimes, corruption and abuses committed during the Rajapakse years. The robustness of the investigation of the bond issue, which to the credit of the government, has with justice issues like charity, begun at home, has not been matched by investigations and indictments on the numerous allegations against the previous regime. Field Marshall Fonseka has been and is still making a strong claim to be given the law and order portfolio to pursue with more vigour, the misdeeds of the past. While a military background is not directly police or law and order related, he is the most immune from the political calculations and external influences which can otherwise be brought to bear on the situation. In our national pastime of cricket, when a bowler is not taking wickets, the captain makes a bowling change. Similarly, during the past three years, regarding corruption and abuse of power, except for the former Presidential secretary convicted on the misuse of TRC funds, no other convictions were secured and few indictments made.  Minister Sagala Ratnayake took the gentleman’s high road and stepped aside. It is perhaps time to give the war winning army commander, a new challenge to launch a two-year war on corruption, past and present.

Playing the same notes on a musical instrument, only produces the same old music as in the past. It is time for something different to achieve the unfinished tasks of the good governance promises of 2015.

No confidence in who or what? 

March 30, 2018, 

Come Wednesday night, politics will take a whole new narrative in the post-No Confidence action. The figuring of parliament certainly shows a success for Ranil Wickremesinghe, but our politics is so corrupt that even the best figures could be twisted by the powers of politics and money. Let’s not forget that the defeat of Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s government was enabled by the vote of a member who had a flat tyre on his vehicle, which kept him away from voting. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe must be well aware of this, because his late father, Esmond Wickremesinghe, was the handler of the voters against Mrs. B at that time.

We are now moving to the ‘Come or Go’ politics, which is devoid of any principles or even a semblance of an interest in service to the people. The latest statement by SLFP State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena is that SLFP MPs cannot oppose the No Confidence Motion, because if the motion is defeated, the coalition government will not continue.

Funny, isn’t it? Is there any coalition government left to continue, even before the NCM? And this comes from a State Minister in the government where Ranil W is Prime Minister.

What is the government that can continue if the NCM is passed? Was it one elected by the people? Is it to be a government of the Joint Opposition, in numbers, and the Maithripala Sirisena-led SLFP in a minority? What is the promise of politics and governance that such an alignment could offer?

Do these opponents of Ranil W within a ‘unity government’, who certainly deserves plenty of opposition, not know the traditions of parliamentary democracy where a vote of no-confidence against a prime minister is also a vote of no-confidence against the government? Are they just trying an escape clause by stating the President is the Head of Government, and not the Prime Minister? Possibly, but the same Prime Minister was also chosen by the same President! Wow, that is the stuff of Come or Go Politics.

But, whatever happens in Parliament on Wednesday night will certainly open a whole new chapter in the politics of Sri Lanka. And, whether a winner or loser in the No Confidence game, Ranil will certainly be a player in the coming games too.

It is the game of the Executive Presidency that has already begun.

Who will be the next president of Sri Lanka? Will it be an Executive President or a ceremonial president? That is the stuff in the current political discourse. Why did Mahinda Rajapaksa not sign the no-confidence motion against Ranil? Is it friendship, respect for his long record in politics, or a strategy for the future?

Will Ranil consider running for the Executive Presidency at the next election in 2020? Not very likely – he must know about his lack of popularity, and is there anyone else with a sufficient big national image to be the President in the UNP – Not to be seen.

The only leader who has such an image, undoubtedly with the Sinhala majority, is none other than Mahinda Rajapaksa.

But, he cannot be president again under the 19th Amendment.

So, is there anyone else in the SLFP or SLPP – who could be Executive President? There are only two choices- Gotabhaya or Basil – both Rajapaksas. Do brotherly opportunities go deep enough in power politics? Not very likely. Mahinda was always the boss, and he knows it must be so.

Which means the next big issue of is his certainty of his being the next prime minister.

Then, would he wish to be prime minister under an Executive President Sirisena - hardly likely – not with that hopper eating traitor!

So we are fast moving to the abolition of the Executive Presidency.

That is where Ranil and the UNP has another role to play. In obtaining the two-thirds majority in parliament for the move – with the massive support of the UNP and the full support of the SLPP, on a call from Mahinda Rajapaksa. The UNP can also help obtain the majority for the abolition of the Executive Presidency in the referendum that would follow.

That seems to be the new big game in politics.

The tainted image of the Maithripala Sirisena leadership of the SLFP will be of no purpose in this new political calculation. Also, these moves will certainly shatter his dreams of breaking the promise given to the country and Ven. Sobitha Thera that he would not seek another term as Executive President.

The big blasts of politics over the NCM will also most likely pave the way for a parliamentary election, before the next Presidential Election. That is how Mahinda Rajapaksa could direct both governance and politics, as truly powerful Prime Minister, working with a Ceremonial President. Those who are making a big noise about wanting to defeat Ranil in the NCM, don’t seem to have any idea of how the politics of power are fast moving. What is fast emerging is not No Confidence against a person, although SLFP promoters would like to think so, but a No Confidence against the Executive Presidency.

That is where the hopper eating politics of Maithripala Sirisena will see a conclusion, and the deeper strategies of both Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe – an interesting political duo - will have its say.

Grabbing the Central Bank from the Prime Minister and giving it back to the Finance Ministry or replacing Ranil’s Central Committee of Economic Management (CCEM) with Sirisena’s National Economic Council (NEC), is not the stuff of politics today. That is part of Sirisena playbook politics. The No Confidence is not against whom, but against the Executive Presidency. It is time for all presidential players to watch out.