Remarkable entry of the hair-to-the-throne of Rajapaksa kingdom of Sri Lanka

(February 12, Colombo - Lanka Polity) The eldest son of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Namal Rajapaksa marked his entry to politics today wearing fatherlike white national dress instead of casual baggy shirts he earlier prefered to wear at a function patronaged by his father in Tangalle, in the Hambanthota district where Namal had sought for nominations to contest the general election.

The hair-to-the-throne Namal Rajapaksa needs to mark his presence remarkably among the Rajapaksas like Basil, Gotabhya and Chamal brothers and Chamal's son Shashindra etc. unless he wants to be sidelined like Nirupama Rajapaksa one day in future.

Nirupama, a radical member of the 1994 parliament, is the grand daughter of D.M. Rajapaksa, the MP for Beliaththa, whose demise paved way for D.A. Rajapaksa to be elected to the parliament to generate a brilliant Rajapaksa dynasty that reigned the Giruva Paththuwa for many decades. Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected to parliament in 1970 and slowly paddled to the presidency of the country. His politician brother Basil Rajapaksa, who was one time a youth leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party once crossed over to the United National Party before he left the country for permanent residency.

Mahinda Rajapaksa is the luckiest and the most brilliant of the Rajapaksas and his popularity is the sole source of power for the next generation Rajapaksas unless some of the members of the family who are blinded by extreme power will tarnish their future entirely.

“What is it like to be the President’s son?” asked The Hindu's Nandini Nair in 2007 from Namal. “It is not good or bad. I just try to be myself.” That was his reply.

Try to be yourself!

Arrest of opposition presidential candidate of Sri Lanka and its repercussions

(February 10, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lankans took to streets in Colombo and many other parts of the island and clashed with the government-deployed disruptive elements and police in a display of people's power in support of arrested common opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka. 

The government has arrested Sarath Fonseka and vow to court martial and to be prosecuted in civil courts for breach of discipline and for plotting to topple the government etc. Government spokesmen speak about minor offenses such as engaging with politicians now instead of bringing the much hyped conspiracy allegations. Sri Lanka is lawless mostly and the President's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa, a junior officer of the Navy and the President's brother Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa also openly engaged in Mahinda Rajapaksa's presidential campaign enjoying impunity although they too have committed the same offense since they too are bound to be politically neutral as public officials with no rights for politics. 

Meanwhile, former Tamil Tiger rebels who have joined the government are also enjoying impunity for crimes like bombing the sacred Temple of Tooth of the Buddhists, killing Buddhist monks, assassinating surrendered police officers and genocide of Sinhala and Muslim people etc. 

Sarath Fonseka was one time war hero who as the Army Commander led the battles to defeat the Tamil Tiger rebels outrightly that reigned the northern and eastern Tamil dominated parts of the island for decades. He defected from his former commander-in-chief President Mahinda Rajapaksa and challenged his re-election in the presidential held on January 26. However the incumbent swept to power with and unbelievable margin of majority votes. The opposition allege the ruling party rigged polls. Fonseka will fail to take legal action against the presidential timely since he is now in military custody. 

 

Fonseka rose as a brilliant leader in the drowsy opposition during his brief presidential campaign and many doubt the arrest is to suppress his progress as a political leader. Unconfirmed reports say that the government move has the blessing of the present Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe whose lethargic leadership is despised by the radical elements of the opposition. 

Sri Lanka state to purchase 140,000 metric tons of paddy

(February 04, Colombo - Lanka Polity)  Sri Lanka Ministry of Agriculture Development and Peasant Services says that the state will purchase 140,000 metric tons of paddy in the Maha season. A cabinet paper has been submitted to allocate Rs. 4060 million in this purpose, a spokesman of the Ministry said.

The harvesting of the Maha season is to begin by the end of this month. The rice prices in Sri Lankan market have escalated sharply. The government has permitted import of rice and analysts predict this will have repercussions when harvesting begins causing drop of purchasing prices.

The state expects to purchase 50,000 metric tons from Polonnaruwa district where the Minister of Agriculture Development and Peasant Services Maithripala Sirisena's family members have big rice processing and marketing business. From Anuradhapura district and the Eastern Provinces 30,000 metric tons will be purchased while 15,000 metric tons each will be purchased from Northwestern and Southern Provinces.

The government registered price for a kilo of paddy this year is Rs. 28 for Nadu rice and Rs. 30 for Samba rice. Currently, the price of a kilo of Nadu rice is around Rs. 60 in the market and a kilo of Samba rice is around Rs. 85.

Paddy processed by the state is usually sold to the private sector later to be processed and issued to the market. A portion is kept as a buffer stock. State paddy purchasing is a mechanism aimed at regulating the market prices in harvesting times so that the farmers can have a reasonable price.

Successful launch of a mass movement to win back democracy in Sri Lanka

(February 04, Colombo - Lanka Polity) The opposition supporters of Sri Lanka took to the streets in Colombo yesterday and demonstrated against the 2010 presidential result and the government steps to curb democracy and freedom of expression. 

Police warned to take stern action against the street protests and rumors spread preventing the participation of many cautious activists. 

However, tens of thousands of people marched peaceful from Lipton Circus to Hyde Park chanting slogans against polls rigging and suppression of freedom of expression without serious police intervention. The Hyde Park, the venue of the protest rally was filled with enthusiastic opposition supporters while the roads surrounding the venue were also blocked by throning crowds. 

Almost all the leaders of the opposition coalition were seen on stage sans the leaders of the Tamil National Alliance based in Northern and Eastern Provinces. Left Front presidential candidate Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratna that campaigned against both the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the opposition common candidate Sarath Fonseka also addressed the rally. 

The crowds treated the defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka with a rousing welcome.  

The opposition has not still substantiated their allegations regarding the polls rigging. 

However, the 2010 presidential was the most corrupt election of the history given the level of manipulation of public property for supportive propaganda of incumbent and for slinging mud at the opponent. The Election Commissioner Dayananda Dishanayaka said yesterday that he was not happy about the pre-election scenario in which the public officials and media disregarded his directives. 

The police cancelled the loudspeaker licence for the rally without valid reasons in an apparent unproductive bid to disrupt it. 

The rally and the march was mainly organized by the leftist People's Liberation Front (JVP). Disciplined cadres of the JVP actively participated in the protest awakening the disgruntled supporters of the major opposition United National Party (UNP). 

It was a successful launch of a mass movement to win back democracy in Sri Lanka.

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. 

The need of unity of Tamil speaking communities of Sri Lanka

(February 03, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka's major Tamil constituent Tamil National Alliance is in talks with the major Muslim constituent Sri Lanka Muslim Congress to form an electoral alliance. If the talks will succeed, the alliance will be able to achieve a resounding mandate from the people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka at the upcoming general election. 

But, an extensive dialogue is needed to set forth a declaration of common aspirations of these two minority communities. For that, the coalition is needed to be one that exceeds the limits of mere electoral alliance. 

Sri Lankan Tamils and Muslims share same language although they are culturally different. The Tamil struggle for equality in state was for a Tamil speaking polity in its early stages. However, the sentiments of a narrower Tamil nationalism among the Sri Lankan Tamils, the majority among the minority communities, led the other minorities like Muslims and Upcountry (Indian origin) Tamils to deviate from the Tamil struggle. 

Later, the Muslim and Upcountry Tamil communities developed identical polities and they have their own aspirations now. But unity among the minorities is a must to struggle for more opportunities in the political, economical and social spaces in this island vis-a-vis rising ethnic chauvinism of the sectors of Sinhala polity that are in power.  

Sri Lanka's Malays Want More Political Space On The Island

By P. Vijian (Photo: ancient photo of Sri Lankan Malay community)

(February 01, Colombo - Lanka Polity)  In Sri Lanka's ethnic cocoon, the minority Malay population is searching for more political space to voice their socio-economic rights.

An estimated 50,000 Malays, mostly descending from the Indonesian archipelago and southern Malaysia, are the minorities among the minorities in the country's 20 million population.

In post-war Sri Lanka, the Malays are worried if their social-political mobility would be stifled without proper political representation in the island's multi-ethnic make-up, as a bulk are still in the economically-backward segment.

"About 30 per cent of the Malays are in the middles-class while 60 per cent are in difficult circumstances, living below the poverty line.

"They don't have regular income or proper housing, access to universities and government jobs are difficult because these are allocated according to ethnic proportion, and Malays are less than one per cent (of the population)," Sri Lanka Malay Association president Iqram Cuttilan told Bernama in the capital.

In the island state, Singhalese make up 74 per cent of the population, 12 per cent are Tamils, while another 12 per cent are Moors, who are Muslims (Muslim community is made up of the Moors, Malays and Indian Muslims).

The Malays, who were brought into Sri Lanka as soldiers by the Dutch in the late 1600s, still profess Islam, speak the Malay language, and continue to preserve their own culture and heritage of their forefathers.

But now, the new generation of Malays wants to be equally represented in the mainstream Sri Lankan society which, to some degree, has been ethnically polarised.

"We are lobbying the government to nominate a Malay MP (member of parliament) to represent Malays in Parliament. We are not being heard in the parliament, the minority rights cannot be articulated now," said Iqram.

The Malays have assimilated well into the Sri Lankan society and lived side by side with the other ethnic groups for decades.

Many are multi-lingual, with Singhalese, Tamil, Malay and English widely spoken among the Malay community. But their voice remains muzzled.

The pearl-shaped island had been torn apart by ethnic conflict for the past 30 years, when a Tamil separatist group took up arms against the Sri Lankan establishment, demanding a separate homeland for its two million people.

The war ended disastrously last May.

Even in last week's sixth presidential election, votes of unhappy Tamils (in the north) and Muslims (in the east) clearly swung to the opposition, once again signalling their dissatisfaction of being marginalised.

-- BERNAMA