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 Presidential; opposition candidate likely to be arrested

(January 27, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Soon after the first result of the presidential of Sri Lanka was out, the following news was posted in a local website.

A large group of Army personnel encircled Trans Asia Hotel a short while ago and are carrying out checking on the foreign and local guests in the hotel, say reports.

According to reports the raid is being carried out assuming apolitical Common Candidate Gen. Sarath Fonseka is residing here.

As a result of the raid the guests in the hotel have been subjected to great inconvenience say sources.

Another pro-Fonseka website reported that the raid is carried out by a group led by a Major of the Army Special Forces. The troops have arrived the scene in two trucks and three motorcycles.

Our sources say that Sarath Fonseka and his supporters are staying in this hotel. 

In the postal votes results released so far Rajapaksa is ahead. Postal votes are cast by public servants and security forces members who are on election duty.

What a President are we going to re-elect in Sri Lanka?

(January 25, Colombo - Lanka Polity) January 22nd dawned with the news of a bomb explosion in the house of Sri Lanka opposition activist Tiran Alles. President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ally Wimal Weerawansa was quick to say that it was a conspiracy of the opposition to beg for sympathy votes. But yesterday Alles spoke to media and said he wanted to make an exposure since there is a threat to his life.


Alles said he witnessed President's brother Basil Rajapaksa who is an appointed MP and an adviser of the President now giving Rs. 180 million in cash to a leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) in his presence under the guidance of then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The grant was an appreciation for the LTTE to lead a boycott of Tamil votes in the 2005 Presidential. Mahinda Rajapaksa, backed strongly by Sinhala chauvinist elements was able to deprive the victory of the opposition candidate Ranil Wickramasinghe thanks to this boycott that prevented Tamils expressing their conscience. LTTE reportedly bought boats with these funds and later used them to kill many Navy personnel and to transport deadly weapons.


Alles, who was a close ally of Mahinda Rajapaksa during his 2005 Presidential campaign defected from the ruling alliance later and he had to face terrorism charges later. He says he revealed all what he knew to the Terrorist Investigation Department of Police to be recorded by them. Embarrassed police later released him without framing charges.


The President was saved of being sued for breach of trust regarding tsunami aids received from abroad thanks to the official impunity of the Presidency under Sri Lankan law. His governance is ill-famous for corruption from top to bottom and his extended family is alleged of amassing huge wealth through corrupt deals.


However, the President is a hero among many Sri Lankans that belong to the majority Sinhala community due to the war victory against Tamil nationalist liberation movement. He, together with his brother Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, present opposition presidential candidate ex-Commander of Army Sarath Fonseka and other service commanders led the state forces supported by the public to totally annihilate the Liberation Tigers.


But Rajapaksa failed to lead the reconciliation process in post-war Sri Lanka. No political process was initiated. However, his regime was in an illusion that they are to rule the country for many years ahead until the long lasting democracy produced a powerful contender for his post. The nation was on the verge of the patience regarding corruption, bad governance, dictatorial rule and anarchy.


The 2010 presidential is the tensest political battle in the history and it is also earmarked as the most corrupt one. The President was shameless to manipulate each and every public property for his propaganda campaign and the opposition was deprived of all opportunities he could block. However, the tide is so high against the President and he is likely to lose the post irrespective of how corrupt the election is.


Sri Lanka needs a leader that can lead the post-war reconciliation. The President needs to fight corruption and to introduce good governance, democracy and rule of law. The President must restart the political process to seek permanent solutions for the woes of the minority communities.

Opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka has pledged a good life. He is also a man with a questionable past. However, he has been able to muster the support of many who need a change in the system. However, we have to wait to see if the vote will express the sentiments for a change. 


(Photo: Emil Kanthan, the LTTE leader that obtained money from Basil Rajapaksa, according to Tiran Alles, posing with President's son Namal Rajapaksa)

Alarming Abuse of State Media Ahead of Sri Lanka Elections

(January 23, Colombo - Lanka Polity) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is greatly concerned that state-owned media in Sri Lanka has acted with extreme partisanship in the run-up to the country’s presidential election on January 26.

This contravenes a ruling from the country’s highest judiciary and is in defiance of the directives of the Commissioner for Elections.

The IFJ learns with alarm that the Commissioner for Elections has cancelled the mandate of the “Competent Authority” designated to monitor compliance with basic norms of fairness in all state-controlled media institutions during the election process.

He has also announced his intention to resign after the election, following widespread defiance of his rulings by government agencies.

President Mahinda Rajapakse’s principal opponent, Sarath Fonseka, asked the Supreme Court early this month to order state-owned media to follow basic norms of fair coverage. The direction was issued but has been unheeded.

At the same time, there have been increasing reports of violence breaking out in the course of the election campaign, with media personnel targeted by both sides.

“With polling day just four days away, it may be too late for state-owned media to correct the biases in a manner that would make a meaningful difference,” IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said.

“But we do expect the President to explicitly disavow the blatant partisanship that the state-owned media has exhibited and to distance himself from the violence that has been inflicted on media personnel.”

The IFJ’s recently released report of a press freedom mission to Sri Lanka recommends among other things that specific norms on fair and non-partisan coverage for the presidential elections be implemented well before polling day.

Sri Lanka’s five main professional bodies of journalists also petitioned the Government to enforce such a code of conduct well before the election.

“The IFJ regrets that these perfectly reasonable democratic demands have gone unheeded,” White said.

“Unfortunately, the conduct of state agencies provides little room for a mood of truth and reconciliation to prevail after the elections are concluded.”

To read Key Challenges for Media after War’s end: Report of the International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka, click here.

The phase of extreme violence begun in presidential campaign of Sri Lanka

(January 22, Colombo - Lanka Polity) The much anticipated most violent phase of Sri Lanka's Presidential began this morning with the spread of the news of bombing the house of opposition activist Tiran Alles situated in close proximity to the Colombo city limits. Alles was unhurt although his house and the vehicle were badly damaged.

Alles is a wealthy businessman and an activist of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (People's Wing) led by break away ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera. He is the son of the respected founder principal of D.S. Senanayaka College. He contributed the presidential campaign of Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2005 before he lost favor and subjectd to repression. He was kept in custody under terrorism charges. Mawbima, a popular Sinhala newspaper run by him was forced to close by Rajapaksa.

Couple of days ago, government campaigner Vimal Weerawansa spoke of an opposition ploy to get themselves bombed to win the sympathy votes. With this statement, many anticipated the begining of the extremely violent phase of the presidential in which President Mahinda Rajapaksa is facing the risk of losing to his ex-Army chief Sarath Fonseka.

The battle is so severe that the government is using almost all public property in addition to violence to prevent the defeat. In the past week, the government ordered the public schools to hold parents' meetings and the people's representatives of the ruling coalition adressed the parents and asked to vote to President Mahinda Rajapaksa blatantly violating the election regulations.

The government is shamelessly manipulating public media and other assets in support of one candidate and the breaking of law is fathomless as the President's brother Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Navy junior officer President's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa who are public servants that have no rights for politics are also adressing propoganda meetings of Rajapaksa.

Most of the actions of the government  display the fear of losing. An opinion poll conducted by pro-government lecturer of Mass Communication in Kelaniya University Dr. Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa pointed to the loss of popularity of President Mahinda Rajapaksa by 13% within two weeks. In the first opinion poll publicised by state media on January 08, Rajapaksa was likely to win the presidential with 73% of votes. The result of the latest poll was that only 60% said that the next President should be Mahinda Rajapaksa for the well being of the country.

Our observation is that Rajapaksa still has a chance to win but not with such unbelievable majority. But he should have obtained at least 60% of the votes to proclaim victory in a presidential that is most corrupt in the history due to the illegal and unethical state support to one candidate.

Police repression directed against Left Front

(January 21, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Comrade Manikasothi, the electoral agent in Jaffna for Common Left Candidate Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne has been arrested by police while distributing the election manifesto of the Left Front.

Com. Vickramabahu says that this is a clear demonstration of police repression directed against Left Front, whereas both candidates Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonseka are allowed to carry on their publicity without hindrance.

This is the second time during the run up to the election where a representative of Dr. Vickramabahu was arrested by police in Jaffna.

Earlier, Dr Vickramabahu's representative Dharmasiri Lankapeli, the only Sinhala speaker addressing the gathering at LTTE leader V Prabhakaran's father's funeral was also arrested and later released due to local and international pressure.

The full statement by Comrade Vickramabahu on Thursday is given below

My election agent comrade Manikasothi was taken into custody by the Chunnakam police station for distributing my election manifesto.

The police Officer In Charge has given the lame excuse that the leaflet has not indicated the printer though Manikasothi has clearly indicated his name and address in the leaflet. Subsequently he was taken to jaffna hospital unnecessarily .

The JMO has refused to inspect as there was no complaint of assault or any other ailment. Then he was then taken to courts.

This is another example of police repression directed at us .

Both Mahinda and Sarath distribute leaflets freely as they want.

Is the opposition presidential candidate of Sri Lanka a crony or an unrejectable to West?

(January 19, Colombo - Lanka Polity) We re-publish this AFP report that was posted from Washinton since it is an insight into the diplomatic mindset of the US-led Western block. Sinhala nationalists backing Mahinda are trying to manipulate this story to portray Sarath Fonseka as a cronie of West to muster support to Mahinda Rajapaksa who appears as an anti-Western hero that is close to the states like China, Burma, Iran and Libya etc.

Sri Lanka vote raises hopes in Washington

By Shaun Tandon (AFP) – 21 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Sri Lanka's upcoming election is raising hopes in the United States for better relations after a chilly spell if the island turns the page on a bloody war that brought international opprobrium.
The January 26 election comes months after troops killed the top leadership of the Tamil Tigers, ending their ruthless decades-long separatist campaign but also triggering accusations of human rights abuses.
Asked if the election could change relations with Washington, a senior US official said: "It already has changed the dynamic in a positive way."
"A lot of the progress we've seen in the last two months or so is contributable at least in part to the election," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Sri Lanka has recently moved on key international concerns including releasing thousands of Tamil civilians who had been held for months in rudimentary displacement camps.
The US official was upbeat about pledges made by Fonseka including greater media freedom and independent commissions to oversee the judiciary and other key institutions.
"I'm hesitant to make predictions about the future, because candidates promise all sorts of things and then they don't deliver, but certainly General Fonseka has been making some good pronunciations," he said.
But the United States has strongly denied allegations made by one ruling party legislator that it is funding the opposition.
Some Sri Lanka watchers in the West -- and especially the Tamil diaspora, which has been instrumental in pressing for a harder line on Sri Lanka -- are deeply ambivalent about Fonseka.
Fonseka, who holds a US green card, escaped questioning by US authorities about possible war crimes during a November visit after Sri Lanka summoned the US ambassador to protest.
"Fonseka would not be the US's first choice as president but if he wins it would at least open the door for a better US relationship," said Robert Oberst, a Sri Lanka expert at Nebraska Wesleyan University.
"His whole association with the military is what tarnishes him in part. If there were war crimes committed, he obviously knew about them and was involved," Oberst said.
Sri Lanka increasingly distanced itself from the West as it came under fire for its human rights record. It has built ties with China and Iran and last year hosted Myanmar's reclusive military leader Than Shwe.
But Asoka Bandarage, an associate professor at Georgetown University and author of the book, "The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka," doubted the former British colony would turn to Western rivals except out of economic necessity.
"I don't think that even ardent Sinhala nationalists would want Sri Lanka cut off from Western influence and that longstanding connection," she said.
The US official also believed Sri Lanka saw good US ties as a "long-term interest," noting that Western nations were the key market for its exports such as garments and tea.
Tamil diaspora activists have also seized on the economic dimension, launching a campaign urging a Western boycott of the island's products.
In one racy video under the slogan "No Blood for Panties," a muscle-ripped man undresses an impassioned young woman only to lose the mood when he discovers her underwear is made in Sri Lanka.
"There is really no fundamental choice between General Fonseka and Rajapakse because both were instrumental in launching this military offensive against the Tamil community," said Tasha Manoranjan, whose group, People for Equality and Relief in Sri Lanka, is running the boycott campaign.
"I think the day after the election there will no longer be any concern for the Tamil people," she said.
Yet some in the Tamil diaspora, where Mahinda Rajapakse is a loathed figure, are willing to give Fonseka at least a chance.
"The Tamil diaspora wants Mahinda to be defeated," said David Poopalapillai, national spokesman for the Canadian Tamil Congress.
"The climate would change and the rays of hope would come. It would bring some change in the country in the political climate," he said.

A Presidential fear of a teledrama

(January 12, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Upeksha Swarnamali is an actress cum dancer that became popular acting the role 'Paba' in a mega teledrama telecast by public-owned Independent Television Network of Sri Lanka.

She is popular although she is not a clever actor. However, she is a brave woman who is not afraid to express her conscience publicly regarding the presidential breaking the taboo in the field she is employed. She appeared in the platform of opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka and expressed support to him outraging the state media bosses that subsequently imposed an unofficial ban on her.

A scene that alluded she was kidnapped was shot and Upeksha Swarnamali simply vanished from the teledrama. The melodrama did not end from there; public-owned print media propaganda organ of the Rajapaksa regime, Dinamina Sinhala daily ran a concocted story in which Upeksha Swarnamali's mother Nirmalee de Silva had reportedly blamed Fonseka's campaigners for misleading the 'ignorant' actress.

However, the mother and the daughter appeared before media yesterday and denied the report published by The Dinamina.

Many of the popular artistes appeared in the advertisement series of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's son Namal Rajapaksa that urge people to vote to a 'sensitive leader'. Reportedly, they were compelled to appear in the advertisements by making a fear psychosis of tarnishing the future of their career if they failed to support Mahinda Rajapaksa. The punishment given to Upeksha Swarnamali is believed a lesson taught to the rebels in the art field.

Sri Lanka ruling coalition likely to resort to racism as the minority community leaders express support to opposition presidential candidate

(January 09, Colombo - Lanka Polity) “Sri Lanka ruling party is likely to resort to Sinhala racism or ethnic chauvinism in the days ahead up to January 26 presidential since major elements of the ethnic minorities of the island nation are bent to express support to the opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka.

Sivageetha Prabakaran, the lady Mayor of Eastern Province Batticaloa Municipal Council has expressed her support to Fonseka breaking away from the ruling alliance while Minister Segu Isadeen, a Muslim leader of the ruling coalition also did the same on the same day.

Ms. Prabakaran was elected the Mayor via Tamil People's Liberation Tigers (TMVP) ticket in the local government elections held immediately after the state forces wiped out the Tamil Tiger rebels from the Eastern Province.

Rumours are spreading that her former colleague, Eastern Provincial Council Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan, an ex-rebel, is also likely to express support to Fonseka's candidature. No wonder if former Deputy of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman, a Minister of National Integration will also cross over to the opposition in this context..

Two political leaders of the Upcountry Tamils recently expressed support to Fonseka and rumors are spreading that Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) leader and powerful Minister Arumugam Thondaman will also express support to Fonseka before January 26.

The major Muslim party Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is supporting the opposition candidate from the beginning.Ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Muslim leader Minister A.H.M. Fowzie is also slated to express support to the opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka.

There is a long list of names of the Ministers that are to express support to Fonseka and it appears that the opposition campaign managers are using these 'resources' thriftily.

In this backdrop, the campaign managers of President Mahinda Rajapaksa have already turned to brand Fonseka as a traitor who is backed by the remnants of the LTTE despite the claims that Rajapaksa led the forces to wipe out the rebels outright. The major evidence cited is the backing of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Fonseka is receiving. TNA was considered a proxy of the LTTE when the latter was powerful. In any case, the TNA is still strong among Tamil people and Rajapaksa also discussed with them to win their support before it discovered the TNA was the same LTTE, as a Minister stated on Friday.

Analysts point out that Rajapaksa regime will resort to racism and ethnic chauvinism as they have decided to lay all their eggs in the basket of Sinhala vote base. Sinhala polity is also divided since opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka is also an arch-Sinhala nationalist who in September 2008 said to Canadian National Post "I strongly believe that this country belongs to the Sinhalese but there are minority communities and we treat them like our people...We being the majority of the country, 75%, we will never give in and we have the right to protect this country...We are also a strong nation ... They can live in this country with us. But they must not try to, under the pretext of being a minority, demand undue thing."

Fonseka, the ex-Army Chief led the state forces to an outright win over the Tamil Tigers and he claims for equal credits with Rajapaksa for the war victory.

Blatant misuse of public property in a tough battle for the presidency of Sri Lanka

(January 07, Colombo - Lanka Polity) A written complaint lodged by the All Sri Lanka Harbor Workers' Common Union leader Chandrasiri Mahagamage before the Election Commissioner points to shocking revelation of blatant misuse of public property for the presidential campaign of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Minister in charge of the Ports Authority  is Chamal Rajapaksa, the elder brother of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The complainers  say that 300 workers and 70 vehicles of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority have been deployed in presidential propaganda and election violence. The union has exposed the names of the employees and the numbers of the vehicles.

The personnel  have been stationed in three places in Colombo, Embilipitiya in south and Dambulla in north for election operations.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is using or rather misusing  the platforms of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority for his rallies. Ports Authority employees have been deployed in erecting the stages with overtime and bata allowances violating the election laws, the union points out.

The President  has not spared a single pebble unmoved in the state sector in a tough presidential battle with his ex-Army chief Sarath Fonseka. Senior public servants like his powerful brother defense secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who has no right for party politics due to his public-paid position is also running a series of seminars in support of his brother blatantly violating the election laws and the establishment code of the public service. Even the President's Secretary, a senior civil servant is also talking in public in support of Rajapaksa. Thousands of people are summoned to a massive tent set up in the Prime Minister's place now he occupies for meetings and they are treated with  food and beverages. Nobody knows who bears the costs as the government says no public funds are used for them.

On the New Year eve, the President  delivered an SMS to all 12 million mobile phone users via the service providers. Many identified the act as an infringement of the privacy of the phone users and the President's unauthorized New Year greeting finally turned to be a spam.

The use of pubic media for the President's propaganda and for slinging  mud at his major opponent was so irresistible to the Election Commissioner and he took measures to ban five programmes of state TV for its notorious content.

Police also came under criticism  of the Election Commissioner for not removing the illegal mega billboards with the images of the President at every nook and corner of the island.

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".

Don't be pawns in a deadly game of two war lords - Bahu

(December 28, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Left Front candidate of Sri Lanka's presidential Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathne warns the Sri Lankan electorate not to be caught in a deadly game of chess played by the two equally blood- drenched, chauvinist representatives of Global Capitalism.

"Once again, at the cost of some Rs 12 billion of public funds, Dr. Bahu said that we have to face a Presidential election where two equally bloody, corrupt and parasitic Capitalist Alliances have come forward for the contest, represented by Mahinda Rajapakse and Sarath Fonseka," says Vickramabahu.


"This Presidential campaign is going to be a bitter and deadly fight between two equally reactionary camps of the ruling class as to who is going to feast on the blood of the Tamil nation, and that of the proletariat and all exploited and all oppressed classes and nationalities and communities, and exercise chauvinist-oppressive dictatorship over the people.

"It is a joke to ask who is the worst of these two. Let us not become mere pawns in a deadly game of chess played by two rival camps of the very same Capitalist ruling class. Let us hold this State and this ruling class accountable for the crimes willfully committed against the people and against humanity.

"Let us do so in order to mobilize mass protest and agitate against the prevailing Capitalist political order which represents the interests of global Capitalism, by building resistance and revolutionary struggle to defeat the militarist-chauvinist- oppressive agenda represented by both ruling class candidates," said Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathne.

Signs of lakhs of Sri Lankan IDPs losing their franchise: All the 22 Candidates, political parties silent

(December 24, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Media spokesman for Campaign for Free and Fair elections (CAFFE), Keerthi Tennekoon regretted that no political party has taken any action to protect the voting rights of the IDPs in the North.

Not only the Elections Commissioner and the govt. officials, but the political parties too have a grave responsibility to safeguard the voting rights of the IDPs in Jaffna and the Wanni Districts. These parties who are representatives of the people should take crucial measures to provide the IDPs with the right to vote. Yet, a majority of the candidates who are contesting the Presidential elections are indifferent to this need.

The deadline for the IDPs in the North to register for polling expires tomorrow 24th December.Until 22nd Dec. only 2600 had handed over their application forms for the voting in Jaffna. In Wanni only 13, 000 have handed over. Accordingly, lakhs and lakhs of IDPS in the North will be deprived of their franchise for the upcoming Presidential elections.

CAFFE insists that the candidates and political parties must take decisive steps to ensure that these IDPs in the North who have after 30 years got the opportunity to vote shall somehow be secured the right of franchise. Signs of lakhs of IDPs losing their franchise: All the 22 Candidates, political parties silent

Media spokesman for Campaign for Free and Fair elections (CAFFE), Keerthi Tennekoon regretted that no political party has taken any action to protect the voting rights of the IDPs in the North.

Not only the Elections Commissioner and the govt. officials, but the political parties too have a grave responsibility to safeguard the voting rights of the IDPs in Jaffna and the Wanni Districts. These parties who are representatives of the people should take crucial measures to provide the IDPs with the right to vote. Yet, a majority of the candidates who are contesting the Presidential elections are indifferent to this need.

The deadline for the IDPs in the North to register for polling expires tomorrow 24th December.Until 22nd Dec. only 2600 had handed over their application forms for the voting in Jaffna. In Wanni only 13, 000 have handed over. Accordingly, lakhs and lakhs of IDPS in the North will be deprived of their franchise for the upcoming Presidential elections.

CAFFE insists that the candidates and political parties must take decisive steps to ensure that these IDPs in the North who have after 30 years got the opportunity to vote shall somehow be secured the right of franchise.

Socialist candidate of Sri Lanka presidential launches website

(December 23, Colombo - Lanka Polity) The release of the election Manifesto of Mr. Siritunga Jayasuriya, Presidential candidate of the United Socialist Party (USP) will take place at National Library and Documentation Services Board, No 14, Independence Avenue , Colombo 7, at 10.30a.m. today (Wednesday).

Launching of the Lanka Socialist website of the USP will also take place at the same occasion.

A media briefing will be held by Mr. Siritunga Jayasuriya following this event on issues impacting upon the presidential election, says a USP spokesman.

Two other left wing candidates are also contesting the presidential scheduled to be held on January 26, 2010. They are Dr. Wickramabahu Karunarathna of the Left Front and Wije Dias of Socialist Equality Party. 

Live coverage of nomination day by Sri Lanka public media bias and partisan to Rajapakse , election monitors say

(December 18, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Amidst Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse's blatant illegal misuse of public property in his run to elect for the second term, one of the major election monitoring movement has written to the Election Commissioner regarding the bias and partisan live telecast of the nomination day by the public television channels. The television channel did not give equal importance to all candidates and gave an unethical prominence to the President Mahinda Rajapakse.


The content of the letter is as follows:
 
In Relation to the Live Telecast of Nomination Day for the 2010 Presidential Election
 
The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) would like to strongly protest against the biased and partisan nature of the Nomination Day Live Telecast for the 2010 Presidential Election shown today the 17th of December 2010.
 
The access and rights to telecast this important national occasion had only been granted to the State owned Rupavahini Channel. They have used this honorable occasion in a very biased and partisan manner currently.
 
Although every Presidential Candidate should get an equal amount of importance during the Live Telecast of the Presidential Nomination Event only ONE candidate was given importance. Not displaying the names of some candidates and their picture next to their name while displaying the name and picture of select candidates was a glaring obvious example of this biased and partisan conduct.
 
Furthermore, during the live telecast television presenters repeatedly mentioned the campaign slogan of one particular candidate. This biased and partisan reporting goes beyond the accepted norms and ethics of unbiased media reporting.
 
CaFFE observes that the situation was made into a totally partisan scenario and this situation arose because the rights to the live telecast were given to only one television channel. It is essential that Election Department take responsible charge of the situation and ensures that no single candidate gets an irregularly high amount of media time in the future Presidential Election period.
 
The situation has arisen again in which the requirement for a Competent Authority for State Media has once again been created by the partisan approach adopted the National State Television Channel of Sri Lanka when telecasting the nationally important nomination day. CaFFE would like to request you to look into this matter urgently.
 

Why do Sri Lankan presidential candidates go back to history to launch their campaigns?

(December 17, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Today the nominations are closed for the January 25 presidential of Sri Lanka. Both the government and the major opposition will have their inaugural rallies tomorrow.

President Mahinda Rajapakse's first propaganda rally is held in Anuradhapura while major opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka will climb the hill to address his inaugural rally held in Kandy.

The two venues chosen by these two candidates to launch their campaigns officially has connotations linked to the past.

Anuradhapura is an ancient capital of a kingdom that ended at the beginning of the second millennium around 1000 AD. Later the colonial archaeologists and the historians unearthed the glorious city in late 19th century until what times it was covered by thick jungle.However, as Sinhala nationalism was formed in the modern times with its primary focus to the Sinhala dominance in the post-colonial state, Anuradhapura was chosen as the ideal capital of the Sinhala polity.

Kandy is the capital of the last Sinhala kingdom that fell to the English colonials in 1815 basically due to internal mutiny.

Both cities are equally significant for the Buddhists. Buddhism is the majority religion of the island. Sri Maha Bodhiya, a tree believed to hail from the ancient tree that provided shade to Lord Buddha to attain enlightenment is in Anuradhapura.

The sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha, a symbol of kingship is in Kandy.

Another significance is that the Tamil nationalist rebels have attacked both these cities and killed people.

What do you think about the historical ramifications of selection of these two cities by the two major candidates for the launch of their campaigns instead of Colombo, the natural nerve center of politics.

Macho Rajapakse's metamorphosis to a mother; a definite failure in Sri Lanka polity

(December 12, Colombo - Lanka Polity) In 2005, when Mahinda Rajapakse was contesting the presidential for the first time, he was portrayed by his propaganda managers as a macho personality who can run up the ladders of a stage waving like a hero of a Kollywood film. His appearance was vis-a-vis United National Party (UNP) candidate Ranil Wickramasinghe who did not exhibit the macho outlook that is expected by most of the voters of Sri Lanka from a President.

People overlooked Wickramasinghe’s caliber as a seasoned neo liberal politician to the shallow patriotism of Rajapakse. One reason behind his victory was the macho personality.

In any case, as the President, Rajapakse flanked by his two younger brothers, was as hard as a rock before the Tamil nationalist rebellion. He led the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) and defeated the Tigers ultimately.

Just six months after the war victory he is currently facing a tooth and nail battle in the early presidential against his ex-Army chief retired General Sarath Fonseka who is the opposition common candidate.

Fonseka is considered a dominating character with all macho qualities among the Army ranks and now the pro-government media further decorate these characteristics with allegations regarding a charge against young lieutenant Sarath Fonseka over seducing a female domestic aide of an Army officer in early 70s.

Sri Lankan average voter who is not a sensible person in any sense usually respect these macho characteristics. For instance, famous actor Kamal Addaraarachchi was once charged with seducing a minor girl with whom he admitted had sex with consent but against law. In this case, there were more people that sympathized Addaraarachchi than the minor girl who was victimized by an elder.

Since the opponent Sarath Fonseka has more macho characteristics, the President Mahinda Rajapakse’s campaign managers now try to create an image of a motherly person that can cuddle the infants for Rajapakse.

It is a strategy that can fail in Sri Lanka where the polity loves the dictators, domineering rulers, swindles, rogues and the persons of that sort. In recent elections, Sri Lankans have elected all sorts of bad characters like mass murderers, thugs, thieves etc.

Our advise to the President and his campaigners is not to suspend marketing the conventional trademarks of the President, the moustache, the manly appearance and other such things not completely relevant to ruling the country.

Ruling and politics are different genres after all at least in this island.

Sri Lanka's Left Front Message and Call to the People

(December 09, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Left Front of Sri Lanka that has planned to field Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathna as a presidential candidate in the Presidential scheduled to be held on January 26, 2010 has issued the following statement regarding their candidature.

So, once again, at the cost of millions of public funds, we have to face a Presidential election. Two equally bloody, corrupt, and parasitic Capitalist Alliances have come forward for the contest, represented by Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonseka. This Presidential campaign is going to be a bitter and deadly fight between two equally reactionary camps of the ruling class as to who is going to exercise chauvinist dictatorship over the people of Lanka and feast on the blood of the Tamil nationality and other communities. Let us not become mere pawns in a deadly game of chess played by two rival camps of the ruling class. Let us hold this State and this ruling class accountable for the crimes willfully committed against the people and against humanity. It will be the basis to mobilize masses against the prevailing pro global Capitalist political order and the militarist-chauvinist-agenda represented by both ruling class candidates.

The continued incarceration internally displaced Tamil persons including, sick and pregnant women in military camps in the North, under pitiful sub-human conditions, is a damned indictment of the prevailing pro global Capitalist State and political order. Along with the gross criminal violations of human rights committed during the war, these violations constitute continued crimes against humanity. Who is to be held accountable for the horrible massacre of seventeen humanitarian aid workers, the murder of five Tamil students, the assassination of Hon. Joseph Pararajasingham, Hon Raviraj, Mr. Lasantha Wickrematunga and others? Along with these abominable crimes, is the crime of keeping some 12,000 political prisoners in various detention camps and prisons, against whom no legal charges have been filed. Some have languished in these dungeons for over a decade. In this context of the willful defiling of our collective dignity and humanity, it is our duty to get the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees and political prisoners.  The Emergency Regulations and the Prevention of Terrorism Act and all such draconian legislation be will be rescinded.  The dismantling of the Sinhala supremacist pro global capitalist state is the basis for gaining the Tamil nation cohabiting in the North-East its right to live with dignity, equality, autonomy, and the right of self determination. ; Also for gaining security and democratic freedom, of the Hill Country Malayaga Tamil community, the Moslem community and all other ethnic-religious communities. 

Former president J R Jayewardene brought in the executive presidency to serve a particular agenda. The open economic policy needed such a strong political head. If the Multi National Corporation (MNC) system is to come in and play the important central role expected of them, it was necessary to give all the facilities requested by them. Thus it was introduced as an instrument to support the MNC system. When they need any agreement either economic or security or any other it will be easy to go through an executive head, with the ministries of Defence and finance than through parliament with all the obstacles of transparency and criticism. Information will be confined to secretaries and advisers to the president and decisions can be arrived at, without delay. So it was brought in to facilitate international moneylenders and plunderers of global capitalism. Global capitalism is the modern version of imperialism. It integrates the entire MNC system with the IMF, WB and the WTO as management organs. We explained all that in 1978 Feb. 4 and Bahu was locked up in prison for that. Now everyone is clamouring for the removal of this tree of vultures, but once they get elected they hold on to it not necessarily due to the greed for power, but because of international pressure of the global masters.

Today, the global capitalist system is in disarray facing an acute economic crisis. All attempts to put the system into order have not been sufficient so far. Still to come is a food crisis that could put a large part of humanity into hunger and death. There is an energy crisis and a threat to the global environment so it is vital for us to seriously consider developing our food production, particularly paddy, fish and milk. If we do not turn towards a nature oriented, environmentalist approach we may be too late. In the past three decades, the so-called development projects were responsible for the insurrections both in Sinhala and Tamil rural areas. Because it created poverty and alienation while rich became richer. While local industrialist and producer were marginalized a large section of the population was thrown out as human dust unconnected to the system. The plight of women and children, particularly in slums and in rural areas became most miserable. Patriarchy combined with militarization and the rise of under world reduced most women to the level of domestic slaves. Struggle of youth and the proletariat was used to intensify the repression in all sectors. The media repression was so bad many media people ran away from the country to escape death. But the world tendency is against this global system working on the imperative of super profit. The global capitalist system based on unbridled search of super profit should be displaced by a system based on human kindness and cooperation. No need to turn to Marx, but turn to Thripitakaya, Baghawat geetha, Bible and Koran, and just read the sections on kindness and cooperation.

While denying the vast majority of toiling, suffering people of their right to a life free of poverty, indebtedness, misery and degradation, the ruling class used the open economy to amass vast fortunes, build empires of private profit and plunder, and to waste public funds, through naked corruption.  The Collective Agreement relating to the Plantation workers, which has split the workers movement and betrayed their interests, is a good example of bondages crated. It should be torn up. A minimum basic daily wage of Rs 500 for all plantation workers with the minimum wage in all sectors at Rs15000 per month should be established with an increase in wages/salaries of all government and private sector workers in accordance with the present Cost of Living Index. t the just grievances of workers, graduates and students should be addressed democratically and with justice, as opposed to erecting barricades, baton charging, showering tear gas, arresting and violently suppressing their human and democratic rights. This regime is on trial for unleashing the very same armed forces that brutally decimated the Tamil uprising and its leadership, against the predominantly Sinhala workers, students, graduates and other oppressed masses. So much for the ‘patriotism’ of these chauvinist candidates.

How can there be democracy in a land, which is kept divided by nationality and religion? Even now, the two agents of global system Mahinda and Sarath clamour for democracy without any hint of pulling the masses together in national unity. 

Both worked together to crush the Tamil uprising that was waged ferociously to defend the autonomy of their people. Both were singing and dancing with their masters about the victory until the workers started the battle in the work places. 

The strikes pushed them in to a fresh debate and they emerged as a two headed serpent to face the people. Yes, we lost in both insurrections but we beat them back in the trade union battle. Now they have come out in a presidential election united in policy but divided in camouflage. Let us get together and give a real blow to both of them, and move forward for a united Lanka to face the dictates of global capital. Let us build the strength to raise our vision of a world without domination, exploitation, oppression and WAR! Let us unite our forces across divided boundaries- North-East-South-Hill Country to build a united, free and democratic People’s Republic of Lanka. 

The danger of Bonapartist rule in Sri Lanka -Wije Dias

(December 08, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Wije Dias, a probable candidate of the upcoming presidential of Sri Lanka, says the candidacy of General Sarath Fonseka in the January 26 presidential elections in Sri Lanka is a sharp warning to the working class of the advanced preparations for police-state rule on the island. Amid a deepening economic crisis, powerful sections of the ruling elite are backing Fonseka, the common candidate of the main opposition parties, as the means of imposing new economic burdens on working people.

Following are some excerpts from a recent article he posted in World Socialist Website.

"Before he resigned last month, Fonseka was Sri Lanka’s top general. Under President Mahinda Rajapakse, he waged a brutal war of attrition against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which was defeated in May. In the final months of the conflict, an estimated 7,000 Tamil civilians were killed by the military’s indiscriminate bombardment of LTTE-held territory. After the LTTE’s collapse, the army herded more than 250,000 civilians—men, women and children—into “welfare camps” where they were illegally detained until December 1.


"Following the end of the war, Fonseka, who had been closely involved in the ruling politico-military cabal, fell out with Rajapakse, not over their joint war crimes, but over who should take the credit. Rajapakse provoked deep resentment in the officer caste by thrusting himself forward as the architect of the victory in order to bolster his fragile ruling coalition and win a series of provincial council elections. Fonseka became the mouthpiece for this bitterness, particularly after he was shunted out of his post as army chief into the largely symbolic post of Chief of Defence Staff. His secret negotiations with opposition parties became public last month. When Rajapakse announced early presidential elections, Fonseka was put forward as their common candidate.


"Fonseka is not a member of any political party. While he undoubtedly has reached election agreements with the United National Party (UNP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), he will not be bound by their policies or party discipline if elected. This situation is unprecedented in post-independence politics in Sri Lanka and underscores the profound degeneration of parliamentary politics. After decades of civil war and pro-market restructuring, the two main bourgeois parties—the UNP and Rajapakse’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLPF)—are widely distrusted and despised. The Sinhala chauvinist JVP, after acting as a political safety valve for public frustration and alienation, rapidly lost support after joining a SLFP coalition in 2004. Last year it suffered a debilitating split.


"The norms of parliamentary rule have already been stretched to the limit. Rajapakse presides over an unwieldy coalition of 17 parties, all of which have posts in what is one of the world’s largest ministries. As a result, he has increasingly sidelined cabinet and parliament and operated through a cabal comprising his brothers, close political cronies, trusted bureaucrats and generals. His extensive powers as executive president have been further enhanced by the ongoing state of emergency that allows arrest without trial, censorship and the suppression of industrial action. His regime has flouted the constitution on several occasions and ignored the rulings of the country’s High Court.


"In launching his campaign, Fonseka branded Rajapakse a “tin-pot dictator” and embraced the call by the UNP and JVP to abolish the executive presidency. No credence can be placed in this promise or the attempts by the opposition parties to dress up the general in democratic clothes. Political leaders have routinely pledged to abolish the executive presidency while in opposition, only to shelve the promise on taking office. Rajapakse’s immediate predecessor Chandrika Kumaratunga promised to end the executive presidency before taking office in 1994, only to use its sweeping powers to arbitrarily dismiss an elected UNP government in 2004.


"Unlike previous Sri Lankan presidents, however, Fonseka has no political party or any substantial following of his own. If elected, he will be compelled to use his presidential powers to the full as he attempts to balance between competing political forces. His main constituency is not the opposition parties that are backing him and certainly not the voters. He is a mouthpiece above all for the state apparatus, particularly the officer corps of the country’s huge military, and for sections of the ruling elite who have become increasingly frustrated that their economic agenda has been blocked. Fonseka is emerging as a classic Bonapartist figure—a strongman, who appears to rise above the political fray, claims to impose policies for the good of the nation, and who is a stepping-stone to a naked military-police dictatorship.


"In his incisive analysis of the regimes in Germany that preceded the Nazis in the 1930s, Leon Trotsky explained that Bonapartism emerged only under definite conditions. “As soon as the struggle of two social strata—the haves and the have-nots, the exploiter and the exploited—reaches its highest tension, the conditions are given for the domination of bureaucracy, police, soldiery. The government becomes ‘independent’ of society. Let us once again recall: if two forks are stuck symmetrically into a cork, the latter can stand even on the head of a pin. This is precisely the schema of Bonapartism,” Trotsky wrote. By its very nature, such a system of rule is unstable and temporary.

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Fonseka in India, triggering speculation

(P.K.Balachandran, Express Buzz. December 04)

The joint opposition candidate in the Sri Lankan Presidential election, Gen.Sarath Fonseka, is currently in India on a short visit.

Informed sources told Express that the General turned politician was on a religious pilgrimage. He reportedly went to Mumbai and might perhaps go to Bodh Gaya in Bihar..

As to whether he would make a dash to New Delhi for a pow wow with the Indian leaders is not known. He had however made a request to the Indian High Commissioner Ashok K.Kantha, for arrangements to meet Indian leaders in New Delhi.According to reports, Fonseka is expected back in the island on Friday. 

Importance of India to Fonseka 

Fonseka has been showing a tendency to reach out to India in many ways. His remarks that he was very close to the Indian military and that he loved everything Indian, were meant to curry favour with India, a country which the Sri Lankan opposition believes is tilted towards the Rajapaksas.

It is known that India has reservations about him given his extremist majoritarian (Sinhalese) nationalist views. But since becoming a candidate he has been singing a totally different tune, which must intriguiing New Delhi as much as it does people here in Sri Lanka.

An UNP source said that Fonseka was so worried about the denial of adequate security to him by the Rajapaksa government that he had gone to consult the Indian authorities on the security that he ought to have.

Fonseka was reportedly disturbed by the Attorney General’s uncompromising attitude in the Supreme Court when his petition on inadequate security came up for hearing. He was mollified only when the court set an early date for the Attorney General to come up with a formal assessment of the security requirement.

As for the Indian leaders, they would certainly like to open a line of communication with a top- of- the- line Presidential candidate put up by a major political party like United National Party (UNP). They would also like to hear him first hand on the devolution of power to the Tamils ,whether he was serious about his statement made in Sinhalese, that he was prepared to go beyond the Indian-inspired 13 th amendment in this regard, and whether he would indeed abolish the Excutive Presidency.    

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