Ceylon Today Editorial

WHEN THE VELVET GLOVE’S A FAILURE

15 March 2017

The filthy voice of aberrant politics which we highlighted in last Sunday's editorial continues to harangue the government and the public and now seems intent on triggering a government as well as a public backlash as tolerance levels spill over into impatience at this vulgar demonstration of suspended violence by Opposition political forces intent on egging on the riff-raff in our schools and universities to do their bidding.

It has now come down to these young hooligans dressing up in the image of Che Guevara. Of course they're quite stupid and hence do not realize that the only statement this makes is that their violence-prone failed revolutionaries of yesteryear and some later day imitators of Stalin and Lenin, are the movers and shakers of this ha-ho against SAITM.

Their argument, to say the least, is laughable. Nay! Hilarious! The argument now proffered is that SAITM must close down "to protect the right to free education: The first argument was that SAITM's standards of education in the medical stream were lacking in professionalism.

FUNNY THAT NEITHER OF THESE TWO ARGUMENTS EVER ENTERED THE MINDS OF THE GMOA AND THESE RECALCITRANT IUSF STUDENT MEMBERS WHILE SAITM Functioned UNDER THE GOVERNMENT OF THEIR CHOICE, THE FORMER MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA GOVERNMENT. But then, the vicious political minds stirring them up and egging them on were the major driving force in that government and are now the stars of the Joint Opposition movement, hell bent on destabilization.

The ugly political scenario obtaining today was something about which we warned the government many months ago...and occasionally had need to repeat, including last Sunday.


The IUSF students seem to not know whether they are coming or going and don't even seem to have the ha-penny's worth of common sense needed to understand that they are losing hundreds of hours needed for their studies. That, of course, seems to not matter much, judging by the fact that there seems to be a never ending stream of successful graduates coming out of these universities. This makes us wonder whether it's the levels of education at SAITM that are low or whether the fact is that levels of education at our State Universities are LOWER!

Given the logic that the GMOA and these students don't have a sensible argument to back the demand for the closure of SAITM...and given the fact the intelligent Judges have given a learned Court decision certifying SAITM's qualification to award medical degrees, we are left with the solitary conclusion that this whole shoddy saga stinks of cheap, abusive and destabilizing oppositional politics. It's not unlike the story of the bastard being disowned by the rapist for the purpose of bringing to disrepute his rape victim simply because the baby and mother are doing well despite his filthiness.

But we must ask: How many more times is the government's lackadaisical response to this nonsense, this most annoying abuse of democratic values, rights and privileges, going to be allowed to get away with, with a dousing of water cannon and some tear gas cans?

Is the government bankrupt of ideas as to how this menace is to be solved just because of a fear of playing into the hands of a rabid Opposition? The government needs to begin facing facts and change gears and run off the road this behemoth of socio-political destabilization that's forcing its own vehicle of good governance off the precipice.

There's a time for containment and there's a time for defence. Surely the government knows that the best form of defence is attack: Works out to the simple dynamics of sparing the rod and spoiling the child.

While this is sustained on one flank, the Opposition also continues plugging the canard that the government is planning to 'punish the armed forces for winning the war'. Is that right or more than just a bit of mischief intended to continue suggesting to the more impressionable men in uniform that here's a government that's intent on sacrificing innocent men on the altar of self-preservation. But is that the truth? The whole truth and nothing but the truth? Or, could it possibly be that there's fear of an independent probe leading away from the soldiers to some Alpha Code, ending at the doorsteps of persons other than our soldiers?

That could have an immense impact on our political party system, to say the least, and on national politics in general. One hears that such an independent probe could be much, much more than simply devastating to several political careers and not necessarily of any damning threat to our Army. Meanwhile, TNA leader Sambandan seems to have opted for a larger dose of commonsense that has been usual. All to the good!

Daily News Editorial

Ex-Judges in politics

15 March 2017

Controversy continues to dog former Chief Justice Sarath Nanada Silva, perhaps, a carryover from the days when he was lord and master of all he surveyed, on the Supreme Court Bench. Following a decent interval, where he was relatively silent, appearing in a political event organised by the Joint Opposition, Silva, on Monday, once again acted true to form, venturing out into a political diatribe, this time targeting Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera. His bone of contention, like all the speakers at the event, including Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, was that Samaraweera was pursing with the joint UNHRC resolution with gusto, in Geneva, to prosecute the country’s war heroes, while this is no longer an issue, with even the US, under Donald trump, what with those who championed such a course of action, such as Samantha Power and Navy Pillai, no longer in the equation.

However, Sarath Silva, as is his wont, deviated from the script and took aim at Samaraweera, on a personal level, insisting among other things that Samaraweera would not have a breath left in him today to enjoy his customary drink, if not for the efforts of the valiant soldiers, who ensured peace and security in the country, so that the likes of Samaraweera could give full play to their indulgences.

Sarath Silva, no doubt, invites controversy, whenever he opens his mouth. This proclivity of his was seen even during his reign on the Bench, where, his judgements, according to many, were tainted by politics and his brash and abrasive manner intimidated counsel who appeared before his Bench. It was this self same Sarath Nanda Silva who made one of the most controversial statements when, in the run up to the last Presidential Election, he in fact did a Mea Culpa, begging forbearance from the public for not sending Mahinda Rajapaksa to gaol, for the latter’s involvement in the Helping Hambantota saga, where Tsunami relief was siphoned off into private accounts. Sarath Silva also made another controversial statement, this time absolving Yoshitha Rajapaksa of money laundering, while investigations in this regard were proceeding, on how Rs. 240 million was obtained by the latter to set up the Carlton Sports Network. On that occasion, Silva made yet another controversial statement that a particular TV channel was set up using LTTE funds and so why accuse only Yoshitha.

The Television channel concerned, replayed the footage of Sarath Silva’s remarks on Helping Hambantota continuously, even dramatising it. It is ironic, to say the least, that the selfsame TV channel gave full play to Sarath Silva’s remarks at Monday’s Joint Opposition political event, clearly demonstrating that self interest had taken priority with this channel at the expense of true dissemination of news. The former Chief Justice, who now speaks of the valiant contribution of the soldiers, who made it possible for the likes of Mangala Smaraweera to enjoy a tot, due to the changed security situation in the country, it must be said, cared little for security, at a time, when the threat of Tiger suicide bombings was highest in the city, ordering, as he did, from his perch on the Supreme Court Bench, to bring back all inmates of lodgings who were evicted by the forces and taken to a detention centre in Vavunia. He was also not overly concerned about security when he chided the military for stopping office vans during their routine checks on vehicles.

Be that as it may, Minister Samaraweera, it must said, should be commended for the onerous task his is performing to rid the country of the stigma, it was under, during the Rajapaksa years. The US notwithstanding, the country has to honour its international obligations and covenants, to which it is a signatory. It is the rejection of such protocol that brought the country into the sorry pass during the Rajapaksa era that saw even a British Prime Minister censure our rulers while in the country as a guest. Are Gotabhaya and Sarath Silva insisting that Sri Lanka ditches the UN, and go our own way, just because the US has washed its hands off Sri Lanka. The President and Prime Minister have already ruled out foreign judges in the country. Besides, Sri Lanka has been granted two more years of leeway, to honour its obligations, by the UNHRC. Hence what Gotabhaya, Sarath Silva and their ilk are attempting is a political show to paint the government as the villain.

This column has made this point before and we repeat. Firm measures are called for to ban retired judges, and certainly, former members of the Supreme Court, entering the political arena upon their retirement. It is unbecoming of the dignity and majesty in which the Supreme Court is held for one of its former members to descend to the depths of plunging himself into the cesspit of politics, which today is being scorned and reviled by the public. When a former Chief Justice, no less, becomes a willing tool of crafty politicians, what the judiciary will be reduced to is best left unsaid.

The Island Editorial

Biggest enemy of democracy

15 March 2017

UPFA General Secretary and Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, on Monday night, made one wonder whether Houdini was his middle name. In an interview with Hiru TV he strove to duck several curve balls on vital issues. He, however, had to admit that it was not advisable to postpone elections though he sought to defend the indefensible by trying to justify the government’s position that some delimitation issues had delayed the local government polls.

Intrepid former public official, Asoka Peiris, who headed the delimitation review committee, has revealed that he was under political pressure to delay the review process. This alone is proof that the government is ‘manufacturing’ excuses to postpone local government polls as it is unable to face them. Amaraweera tells us the SLFP is polls ready and even if it had faced the mini polls earlier on and fared poorly it would have had ample time to recover and regain lost ground by 2020. He seems to have taken the public for suckers. An electoral defeat will inevitably reduce Maithripala Sirisena to a lame duck president overnight with his loyalists defecting to the dissident camp. It may be recalled that the UPFA’s poor performance at the last Uva PC polls marked the beginning of the end of the Rajapaksa government, which had a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The UNP may be free from internal problems though some of its leaders are still at daggers drawn, but, it, too, does not want an election at this juncture. For, it is dependent on the Maithripala faction of the SLFP to remain in power while preparing itself for the next major election. If the SLFP gets beaten by its dissidents at a local government or provincial council polls, President Sirisena will lose his grip on the party’s Central Committee, which can end the marriage of convenience between the two main parties thus bringing down the government. On the other hand, there will be enough time for a realignment of forces within the SLFP if the Sirisena and Rajapaksa factions clash at local government polls years before the next general and presidential elections; the UNP won’t be able to capitalize on its rival’s rift fully in such an eventuality.

Minister Amaraweera, on Monday, urged the media to campaign for a return to the former ward-based electoral system in spite of opposition from smaller parties, well-disposed towards the Proportional Representation (PR) system. He said he was even for railroading others into accepting the changeover, given the serious flaws in the existing system. He and others of his ilk are barking up the wrong tree in that the preferential vote or manape is not intrinsically bad. It leads to clashes because the two main parties field rogues at elections as evident from their conduct in Parliament, Provincial Councils and Local Government institutions. The JVP is free from manape battles as its candidates put the party before self and their leadership exercises strict control over their campaign finances. The Rathu Sahodarayas, credit where credit’s due, conduct their election campaigns in an exemplary manner. If the political parties end the practice of nominating anti-social elements to contest elections, there will be no polls-related malpractices or violence. Unless they do so, there will be clashes even under the proposed hybrid system.

The PR system is said to involve heavy campaign expenditure. But, the fact remains that MP Dallas Alahapperuma won the last general election in the Matara District even without pasting posters. Milinda Moragoda also carried out a clean election campaign once, but the people of Colombo were not wise enough to appreciate his exemplary conduct in terms of votes so as to encourage others to emulate him.

It behoves the government to heed the concerns of the smaller parties. Minorities, ethnic, religious or otherwise, must not be placed at a disadvantage. As all signs are that the new electoral system won’t be in place till the cows come home, let the government be urged to seek parliamentary approval for holding mini polls under the former system without trotting out lame excuses. Democracy has no bigger enemy than a government which fears elections.