Basil Rajapaksa has no immediate plan to be sworn in as Minister

Mahinda Pathinrana, promoter of Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's brother Basil Rajapaksa, said in social media that his leader has no plan to be sworn in as a parliamentarian immediately. 

Mahinda Pathirana, an active social media influencer and a university don, is the Chairman of Sri Lanka Press Council. He said that Basil Rajapaksa had no interest in the current political trends and focused on the economy of the country which is monitored by him as the chief of the Presidential Task Force on Economic Revival and Poverty Eradication. 

Recently passed 20th amendment to the constitution re-enabled dual citizens active in politics among other things. Basil Rajapaksa is a dual citizen of the US and Sri Lanka. Many critics say the aim of this particular amendment is bringing Basil Rajapaksa back to a powerful position.   

Tours in and out of Sri Lanka to bargain amendments to the 13th amendment

Sri Lanka Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapakse, the younger brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, will tour in India this week to make aware the Indian government regarding the amendments mooted to the 13th amendment to the constitution.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa will leave for India on July 04 and he will stay there until July 07, government sources say.

Government sources say that the Minister will meet the Prime Minister Manmohan Sing, Foreign Minister Salman Kurdish, Foreign Secretary Ranjith Mathai and other senior leaders of the Indian government.

Meanwhile, Indian National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon will also arrive in Sri Lanka on July 07.

All tours in and tours out are focused to the proposed amendments to the 13th amendment of the constitution.

Sri Lanka government has planned to take back the powers devolved to the Provincial Councils introduced under the influence of the Indian government in 1988. 

Sweet pineapple; market place specially for the fruit in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Ministry of Economic Development has decided to establish a pineapple market in Gampaha district.

The Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa revealed this as he met the pineapple traders on Colombo - Kandy road.

On this road, pineapple shops spread in a two kilometer stretch from Balummahara junction towards Kandy. Many of these shops are to be removed from the present places with the highway development.

Gampaha is the major pineapple growing district of Sri Lanka where the cultivation is spread in 1,998 hectares. The second major cultivator of pineapple is Kurunegala district. Sri Lanka has cultivated pineapple in 5211 hectares.

In 2012, Sri Lanka exported 476 metric tons of pineapple worth of Rs. 193 million, the Minister said.

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Sri Lanka ruling coalition headquarters in Gampaha, a symbol of Basil's power

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared open a new district headquarters of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in Gampaha district at 9.30 a.m. yesterday.

The headquarters located in Gampaha town is expected to benefit the UPFA members of the Gampaha district.

It was built according to a concept of the Gampaha district chief organizer Basil Rajapaksa, the younger brother of the President and the Minister of Economic Development. The building is a symbol of his power and ambitions.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa laid foundation stone for the construction of the building on November 01, 2010.
The UPFA headquarters of Gampaha district is the first district headquarters building of the ruling coalition.


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The Prime Ministerial musical chair of Sri Lanka

D.M. Jayarathna

(April 19, Colombo - Lanka Polity)  In Sri Lanka's history of executive presidency, always the Prime Minister has become the successor to the post sans single occasion. It was when President D.B. Wijethunga, the successor of slain President R. Premadasa, did not contest for a second term. The Premier under a President who is in his second term has always become the next President. 

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to commence his second term this year. Who will be the Premier of the next parliament in Sri Lanka? Whoever he (probably not 'she' under the present context) is, he will definitely be the next President, we guarantee.

However, President Mahinda Rajapaksa is ambitious to change the constitution before the end of his second term and he will try to be the next state head, either President or Premier. He is now training his elder son 24-year-old Namal Rajapaksa to be the hair to the throne. 

In 2004, the major partner of the ruling coalition People's Liberation Front (JVP) wanted to appoint Lakshman Kadirgamar as the Prime Minister. Mahinda Rajapaksa fought vehemently for the post and he won it despite the President Chandrika was not in his favor. If he lost the battle then, there would not be a President Rajapaksa or a Rajapaksa Brothers Company too. 

Likewise, many seniors of the ruling coalition are engaged in a cold war for the post of Prime Minister. The cold war is likely to warm in the coming days. 

President's brother Basil Rajapaksa who has good control of media is manipulating media to set forth his candidacy. Sinhala daily Lankadeepa ran a story this weekend in the front page highlighting Basil Rajapaksa as the best candidate for the Premiership on the basis he can maintain the balance of the ruling coalition. The balance is promptly challenged since he is the brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. 

Meanwhile, a political writer in Sinhala nationalist daily Divaina argued the rightness of appointing Basil as the Prime Minister although he is the brother of the President. One argument is that he is a senior of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party that was active in 1970s and even contested for the Mulkirigala electorate in 1977 general election. However, the fact that he once broke away from the party and joined the United National Party (UNP) before he left the country for permanent residency in US is deliberately shunned by media. No doubt, he is a hard worker and a brilliant manager of power affairs under President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a plus point in his bag. 

But the most suitable contender for the Prime Minister post is non other than the veteran Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena. He is now mustering party support to field him as a contender for the post. 

Elderly SLFP man D.M. Jayarathna is also slated for the post and S.B. Disanayaka that recently crossed over to the SLFP from UNP is backing him probably with hopes for benefits in future. Premiership for Kandy is a racist argument set forth by S.B. Disanayaka. One day, he will argue for the Presidency for Kandy. Latest reports say that the President is likely to appoint D.M. Jayarathna as the Prime Minister until he begins his second term in November. This seems the most cunning move since all those who wish to be the next real Prime Minister will have to be extremely loyal to the leader until a day the President decides to change the post.

You can obsever pro-government media now propagating evils of the management of health sector under ex-Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. This will tarnish any chance for Silva to vie for Premiership although he came to top in the list of preferential votes in Badulla district. 

Amidst these hullabaloos ex-Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka might have luck again to be appointed as the Prime Minister. Luckily, his name is in the national list. In 2004, even the name was not in the  national list. 

One can argue that the post of Prime Minister is similar to the post of Minister without portfolio. He will not have powers that even the Speaker of the parliament has. He can be a 'talk master' like Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka. 

But for sure, the Prime Minister of this parliament has the most opportunity to be the next President. 

Let them finish what they started in Sri Lanka

(March 23, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa is honored by Sinhalese for eliminating 'terrorism'. The term is generally used to define Sri Lanka Tamil's long drawn struggle for identity in the political system.

Under the rule of Rajapaksas, a rapid transformation took place in governance and politics as well. The liberal democrats might not like it but the majority of the voters had endorsed it. It is a transformation from the accepted norms of the democracy to a new political culture that the time will define ultimately some day.

We perceive that this trend in Sri Lanka cannot be averted now. Then why don't we allow to thrive it so that it can reach its culmination as early as possible.

Sri Lanka Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told The Divaina Sinhala daily today that no one could ban him addressing political rallies.

The Defense Secretary made this comment to the newspaper in response to the criticism against him on addressing political propaganda rallies of some candidates of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

“Some question my addresses in political rallies. The way the terrorism in the north was eliminated and the situation of the country must be explained to the people. Anyone can say anything they like,” the newspaper quoted the Defense Secretary. He added that some elements could not put up with him addressing the meetings.

It is clear that the senior public officials that are paid with public coffers have no political rights according with the election laws and the code of ethics for the public servants of Sri Lanka. But what are the laws for in this country where the powerful politicos can stand above them?

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Minister of Labor Mervin Silva urged the voters of Gampaha district to usher Mr. Basil Rajapaksa to the premiership of the country following the upcoming election.

Addressing a religious ceremony held in Kelaniya temple, the Minister anticipated a two third majority to the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance at the general election and said that Mr. Basil Rajapaksa should be given the real leadership that can lead the parliamentary group.

Mr. Basil Rajapaksa, the brother of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, contests the general election from Gampaha district leading the district team of candidates. He is a national list MP and the senior adviser to the President. Minister Mervin Silva is also a national list MP. He is also a candidate for Gampaha district.

Come on, Mervin!