Giving powers to an unwanted lot; the dilemma of Sri Lanka President

A cartoonist's view on the previous cabinet of Sri Lanka

(April 25, Colombo - Lanka Polity) 'Epa waheta hodi bedanna wage' is a Sinhala proverb that means serving curry to the husband that the wife is no more in love. Traditional  Sinhala housewife was bound to treat the husband well although she no more liked him. The husband could be either too old or weak since usually there was a wide age gap between husbands and wives in the past. In such circumstances, she showed her resentment either by serving curry insufficiently or overwhelmingly, inconvenient in both cases.

Sri Lanka President also behaves like that housewife when allocating powers to his Ministers. First of all, he helped himself with a huge spoon retaining defense, finance and planning, highways, ports and aviation for himself in addition to media subject a Minister has not been appointed so far. Hair to the throne President's son will be trained to run the country via these ministries. One of the President's brothers Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa will act as the actual Minister of Defense.

President's younger brother Basil Rajapaksa has been given a newly created Ministry of Economic Development with wide powers. He will handle work carried out by a number of ministries earlier. The workload will practically stuck him and Namal Rajapaksa can be expected to shift to his role in the President's intermediate circle. Namal will need no title like Senior Presidential Adviser since everybody knows he is the 'future of the country'.

Chamal, the elder brother of the President had to exchange the actually powerful position he held as the Minister of Ports and Aviation to the ceremonious Speaker title that he did not like to assume earlier. The brothers seem unable to settle the issues one to one now and the sisters of the President reportedly had to mediate the issue during a dinner they hosted for the family.

Thus, the President got the family issues solved getting the way cleared for Namal to ascend to power after him.

He seems inclined in giving the other powerful ministries to the individuals that have crossed over to the ruling alliance  from the United National Party or to the leaders of the splinter groups such as National Freedom Front and the Jathika Hela Urumaya because they cannot claim the leadership legitimately. Instead, the seniors of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the major party of the ruling coalition, appear to legitimately challenge the Rajapaksa family authority in state.

SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena, a leader with good name, is the major challenge to the Rajapaksas and he has been given the portfolio of Minister of Health. This position was earlier held by SLFP senior Nimal Siripala de Silva whose administration was heavily criticized by state backed media. It is a well-known secret that some of the leaders of the powerful trade unions of the health sector are in the pocket of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Sirisena will have to blame his predecessor for the pieces of broken glass that are being recovered regularly from vaccine vials. Recovering the shattered image of the Health Minister is not an easy task for Maithripala Sirisena.

Nimal Siripala de Silva has been given the Irrigation and Water Management, another subject one can face people's protests due to the government's long standing attempts to liberalizing the water resources.

Elderly D.M. Jayarathna was appointed as the Prime Minister, a ceremonious post that has no real value sans been the legitimate successor to the post of President in case of an emergency.

Former Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka has been given a new Ministry of State Management and Reforms that appears to cross with the powers of the Ministry of State Administration and Home Affairs that is held by another party stalwart John Senevirathna.

Dilan Perera is another prominent SLFPer that represents Badulla since 1994 but without been appointed into the cabinet. This time as well, he is the deputy of John Senevirathna's ministry.

A notable person that was not given a cabinet portfolio is Reginald Cooray, former Chief Minister of the Western Province.

Most of the above mentioned SLFP leaders have been a challenge to the leadership of Mahinda Rajapaksa in one or the other way. They have also been loyal to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumarathunga, the arch rival predecessor of the present President.

Even Dallus Alahapperuma that is targeting SLFP leadership through the loyalty to the Rajapaksa family has failed to get a senior position in the cabinet. He was prevented from contesting the general election from Mathara district from where he could have gained huge amount of preferential votes. But his nomination via national list tarnished his image and he was given the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Employment, that cannot be considered a powerful position.

Sarath Amunugama and S.B. Disanayaka, two powerful figures of the SLFP in certain times were also not given cabinet portfolios citing an investigation is underway to ascertain their involvement or non-engagement in election malpractices in Nawalapitiya electorate in Kandy districts. But the President cannot keep them in hold for a long time since they can influence the President via the Buddhist monk leaders.

However, a number of other SLFPers like Susil Prema Jayantha, Kumara Welgama and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa that have less potential to rise into the state leadership have been given fairly good positions.

Mahinda Rajapaksa way of paying gratitude

(February 03, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa pleaded the people to pay him gratitude for defeating the Tamil nationalist struggle at the presidential held on January 26. Sinhala people did so and the Tamil voters were expectable to reject him and that also happened. 

Paying gratitude is a quality highly appreciated by Sinhalese, especially by Buddhists. Lord Buddha paid gratitude even to the sacred Bo tree that provided him shade while attempting to attain Nibbana. 

Sri Lanka President wanted the voters to pay him the gratitude while denying to do the same to the ex-Army Commander who was rescued by medical marvels from a suicide attack of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam. Pro-President media slang mud at the ex-Army Commander who ran for the presidential as common opposition candidate alleging him to be a womanizer who was attached even to his own suicide bomber. No wonder. The President's camp spared next to nothing when attacking the opponent. 

The President who sought the people's gratitude is now treating his former Army chief in most insolent and ungrateful way. The soldiers that were venerated as war heroes one time have fallen suddenly from the clouds they were on in very recently. 52 senior Army officials including 27 Major Generals have been demoted to less important responsibilities. A conspiracy story is been written to suppress them further. Some say the soldiers guarding the former battle fronts are hearing sarcastic hiccups from the soil beneath their feet. 

The LTTE that helped the President Mahinda Rajapaksa to win the presidential in 2005 via a polls boycott among Tamils, I think, did not expect gratitude. They wanted war and Mahinda offered it but not to go easy and to lose outrightly. 

People's Liberation Front (JVP) that shouldered the sole effort to usher Rajapaksa to presidency in 2005 is now in the receiving end of gratitude. One of the JVP councilors in South were beaten to death by pro-government hooligans. The JVP-run weekend newspaper 'Lanka' was sealed but the court revoked the step later. The editor-in-chief of the newspaper is in custody. The JVP-run only local government body situated in President's home district Hambanthota was also sealed. More to come. That is the Mahinda way of paying gratitude. JVP supported the candidature of Sarath Fonseka in 2010. 

Mnay more incidents of this sort can be added to this list. But what for?

Next chance will be for the people that voted to him to pay gratitude. 

Conservative Sri Lankan polity vote to be grateful instead of change

(January 27, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa is in the path of a massive victory in the presidential for his re-election. Pre-election malpractices like misuse of public property and the election day violence and blockade of Tamil votes also seem not affecting the end result.


Minority communities have voted against Mahinda Rajapaksa. But the majority Sinhala community voted him overwhelmingly.


Common opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka could not attract voters despite his pledges to alleviate corruption, to introduce good governance, rule of law and democracy. People eventually voted for the appeal of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa to be grateful for defeating the Tamil's violent liberation war.


People completely disregarded the allegations against the Rajapaksa regime over mass scale corruption, nepotism, waste, high cost of living, taxes etc.


It is not clear what will happen to the expectations of the minority communities for a political solution for the long standing ethnic issue.


The hotel the opposition common candidate Sarath Fonseka and his supporters stay is surrounded by pro-Rajapaksa troops. Rajapaksa regime has vowed to sue against him on various charges including treachery.

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's maximum to Tamil demands

(January 03, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's maximum reaction to the long-standing Tamil demand for autonomy is to be the 13th amendment to the constitution minus the merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces that came under the Indo-Lanka accord that preceded the constitutional amendment.

The jubilant President who successfully suppressed the three decade old armed struggle of the Tamils last year is struggling to win the support of the Tamils ahead of the early presidential poll in which he is facing a pitch battle with his ex-Army chief retired General Sarath Fonseka.

However, he has laid his hopes basically on the Sinhala chauvinist votes and unwilling and afraid to go beyond  the line of 13th amendment. Even in the latter years of 1980s, the Tamils rejected the 13th amendment and the Provincial Councils that were in fact imposed on them parallel to an Indian military intervention. Then the two provinces were merged and later the Sinhala nationalist Marxist People's Liberation Front (JVP) carried out a successful lawsuit in 2006 to demerge the two provinces in a judgment delivered by the ex-Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva whose role is highly questioned by media and civil society. The problem now remains is if the Tamil nationalists have the moral right to accept a lesser version of the 13th amendment after more than two decades they rejected it and following so much blood was shed.

Rajapaksa regime reportedly intends to hold elections for the Northern Provincial Council in coming June. They held elections for the Eastern Provincial Council in 2008 immediately after the areas under the rebels in the Eastern Province were 'liberated.' However, the Eastern Province Chief Minister, ex-rebel and ex-paramilitary leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan expressed displeasure several times over the way the central government deals with the powers of the Provincial Council. It is an open secret that the President's all powerful brother Basil Rajapaksa and the President-nominated Governor of the Eastern Province Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama have sidelined the Chief Minister that hails from a subaltern background in the development work in the province that are directly handled by the central government.

The Rajapaksa regime is violating the fundamentals of power devolution even in the nominal decentralization they have offered to the Tamils. The fate of the would be-Provincial Council in the Northern Province will be the same if it goes to the hands of the pro-government ex-paramilitary elements groups the likes led by Ministers Douglas Devananda and Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman.

Sri Lanka President's son treats his father with Rs. 3.25 billion worth presidential advertising campaign

(December 29, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka President's eldest son, Namal Rajapaksa is treating his beloved father with an advertising campaign worth of Rs. 3.25 billion in which famous persons urge the publc to vote to a 'sensitive' leader at the presidential scheduled to be held on January 26.

Namal Rajapaksa, an unemployed young person as far as we have learnt, spends these monies from the fund of an organization called "A Tomorrow for Youth" that he leads.

The famous persons like sportsmen and actors appearing in these advertisements say they have not charged any money for these commercials.

However, they are broadcast at least 72 times a day mostly in prime time in seven television channels. The campaign includes radio, press commercials and billboards etc. as well.

A recent study on the spending of this advertising campaign estimated the cost Rs. 3.25 billion minimum.

Nobody knows where these moneys come from to the funds of the "A Tomorrow for Youth".

Sri Lanka president to use the UN war crime charges to bank sympathetic votes

(December 22, Colombo - Lanka Polity) The interview given by opposition presidential candidate of Sri Lanka Sarath Fonseka to the Sunday Leader newspaper on December 13, 2009 wherein he alleges that three Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) leaders who came to surrender with white flags during the final stages of the battle were shot dead by ground troops that were following the orders of Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has opened an UN probe into possible war crimes charges against the government.

However, the government ahead of an unexpected competition in the presidential on January 26 has decided to manipulate the scenario to rouse patriotism among masses and to bank the floating votes disregarding the risk factor. The government has assigned Sinhala nationalist ex-Marxist Wimal Weerawansa, the leader of the National Freedom Front (JNP), to run a campaign to grow hatred among security forces against Fonseka. He also begs to people to come to streets in defense of the Rajapaksas to show gratitude for the service they rendered in wiping out terrorism.

Weerawansa, who has begun to advise the government in legal affairs since recent times urged issuing a press statement, to bring Sarath Fonseka before the martial court and punish him under martial law.Weerawansa is delivering a series of fiery speeches in this regard and urges the government to forget the presidential and to take action to avoid further betrayals. 

However, the more responsible government politicians including arch Sinhala nationalist militant leader of the National Heritage (JHU) Champika Ranawaka have been instructed by the government to be prudential since the government has been advised to face the problem diplomatically.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Philip Alston in a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa has demanded an explanation regarding the allegations made by Fonseka that the Defence Secretary has instructed the Commander of the 58th Brigade of the Sri Lanka Army to shoot those surrendering.

The United Nations is inquiring particularly “the circumstances of the death of three representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Balasingham Nadeshan, Seevaratnam Pulidevan and Ramesh, as well as members of their families, in the night of 17 to 18 May, 2009.”

In his letter, Alston says that the information that he has received are based on the allegations made by Sarath Fonseka in the above mentioned interview. He also says “accounts of journalists embedded with the SLA 58th Brigade confirm some of the alleged circumstances of the deaths of Nadeshan, Pulidevan and Ramesh and their families.” Referring to “fundamental legal rules applicable to all armed conflicts under international humanitarian law and human rights law”, particularly Article 5 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Special Rapporteur has inquired about the accuracy of the allegations and demanded information and documentary proof in the event that the accusations are inaccurate.The letter also seeks information on the family members of Nadeshan , Pulidevan and Ramesh.