Ceylon Today Editorial

A LITMUS TEST FOR GOVT

29 January 2017 

The eulogies began tapering off early last year after speculation about an alleged Central Bank Bond scam made its way into mainline media and went viral on websites leading to President Maithripala Sirisena insisting on a new man to head the Central Bank and letting COPE take its course. That ended with the COPE report to Parliament and the Auditor General's following suit.

Everyone expected some action on either one or both of the reports.

The President bided his time waiting for the law and Parliament to take their courses. Patience can run out with the best of men placed in the embarrassing predicament that the President has been finding himself these past 15 months or more.

Since the end of the war and Rajapaksa's defeat at the presidential poll, nothing has dominated the news more than the CB BOND scandal...nothing except the stream of former government MPs and minions being arrested and marched to prison almost as fast as our wickets kept falling in the test series against South Africa. We got as damning a verdict there. The jury is still out on the Bond scandal while Wimal and men of his ilk and the likes of Wele Suda enjoy a paid holiday at government expense in a now rather comfy Welikada prison. Meanwhile, outside on the streets and in the halls of power the circus goes on. The weekend of course belonged to the Joint Opposition's hurrah in Nugegoda what with ex-Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa telling us that had it not been for President Sirisena's actions (quaint word that!) he would not have remained trapped in politics. Shame on Sirisena!, considering Rajapaksa had the time of his life (in a manner of speaking) winning the war against Amirthalingam's "boys" the poor man needed a break from politics, preferably for life, but Sirisena spoilt it all with "actions" which held Rajapaksa a prisoner in politics. Poor man! So inconsiderate of Sirisena! A colleague argues that its funny that Rajapaksa did not lambast the Premier for the CB Bond scandal as the new raison d'etre for his reluctant persistence in politics. This is all very unfair really and we must tell the President and Ranil to let that poor man retire from politics in peace. Surely, he won't have to live a hand-to-mouth existence with plenty of well wishers to shower him with plenty to keep him in comfort. Problem is that if he quits politics and does not return to power there's the little matter of what Sirisena and Ranil will do to his family members and hangers-on all of whom are in or barely keeping away from the bribery net and murder charges.

Then along comes the gift from the gods. Perhaps all that coconut smashing is paying off after all. How else could the government have got its knickers all twisted up in the CB Bond scandal...all on its own making without any help whatsoever from anyone in the JO? Hoist with its own petard can be a mighty uncomfortable experience for both parties in the government. And the innocent President is left holding someone else's baby. Sow the wind and you reap the whirlwind can be a dominant thought in very many minds at least among ranks in the Government.

The Government has gifted the Opposition with a weapon so damning that it has the potential to slice through the unity government if allegations are proved accurate. But then what? The prognosis, at least for the President, cannot be easy to handle as anyone diagnosed with end-stage heart failure or cancer will tell you. The cancer drowning the Opposition has apparently eaten into government ranks judging by prima facie evidence in the COPE report and supporting action proposed by the Auditor General. It's now passed into the hands of the Judiciary with yells in Parliament alleging that the President's action gives Court the right to subpoena MPs who, they alleged in the House last Friday, are above the law and hence cannot be summoned by Court.

Some say the reaction was surprising. COPE members should be only too glad to go before Court in any capacity and see an end to this farce that's dragged on for so long. To be summoned by a Court is not necessarily an action meant to denigrate the dignity of Parliament by any stretch of imagination because in the ultimate essay should it not be the ideal in a democracy that all arms of government work together where possible and indicated as being in the best interest of the nation in an effort to deliver justice speedily?

WE presumed THAT PARLIAMENT WANTS JUSTICE DONE!