Category Archives: governance

July 26, 2015 · 8:37 am

Kishali, Narada and Darshanie on Political Issues in Lanka TODAY

I. Kishali Pinto Jayawardene: “Measuring the Maturity of the Sri Lankan Electorate,”  from Sunday Times, 25 July 20 

KISHALIIf Sri Lanka’s political and legal history since independence demonstrates one fact, it is the fundamental dishonesty of those whom we elect to serve us. Even the rare exceptions to this rule have failed to emulate an Ambedkar, a Gandhi or a Nehru whose visions and dreams lifted Indian society from its depths and fashioned an inimitable national spirit which carried that country through decades of communal turmoil. This has been our singular loss.

Lofty sentiments and ugly realities: Insisting on a rights discourse when drafting salient paragraphs of India’s Constitution for instance, Dr Ambedkar warned that ‘for a successful revolution, it is not enough that there is discontent.’ As this bespectacled advocate of the underprivileged observed, there needs to be a profound conviction of precisely what changes we seek, what rights we demand from politicians and collective determination to ensure their outcome. India has done relatively well in that regard. Not so, Sri Lanka. Continue reading →

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July 24, 2015 · 3:13 pm

Targeting Lanka by Playing Ball with Tamil Extremism: 2008-14

Michael Roberts, courtesy of Groundviews, where the title is slightly different. The original essay was presented at the 9th International Convention of Asian Scholars held in Adelaide from 5-9th July 2015 and was therefore designed as a 15-minute presentation. Hyperlinks, maps, citations and bibliographical references have been inserted in this version, while pictorial illustrations, with the exception of Fig 1,  are in a supplementary appendix. Footnotes have been kept to a minimum.

 The emergence and sharpening of Tamil nationalism from the 1940s to the 1980s is a complex tale which cannot be easily summarized in a few strokes. It is a tale of Sinhala extremism at one pole and Tamil extremism at the other pole feeding off each other. At the same time, the divisions within each extreme (that is, the existence of several competing parties with chauvinist positions) disabled steps towards moderation. Moreover, this major strand of political contestation – the Sinhala/Tamil divide — was complicated by strands of Leftist and Naxalite thinking that encouraged both Sinhalese and Tamil youth to move towards revolutionary struggle.

The growth of a number of Tamil militant groups in the 1970s and 1980s was facilitated by (a) the proximity of India, (b) the support of Tamil politicians, smugglers and fishermen in Tamilnadu and (c) the support of the central government in Delhi from July 1983 – so that most of the militant groups were able to sustain military training camps in India from late 1983 to 1987

03= no 17--VP_+_five_at_Camp-Ponnamma_2Fig. 1. LTTE commanders at their training camp in Sirimalai, northern India —Pic from Rohan Gunaratna, 1997

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July 22, 2015 · 1:56 pm

Ban Ki-Moon as handmaiden of USA?

Dharshan Weerasekera  Anonymous providing a summary & review of Dharshan Weerasekera’s  book The UN’s subversion of international law : The Sri Lanka Story

A Sri Lankan attorney has attempted to put together a case study that depicts a very sinister move by the UN to subvert international laws and create precedents that would detrimentally affect other nations as well. Taking the reports of the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts, the Human Rights Council as well as the Human Rights Commissioners oral reports and recommendations, Dharshan Weerasekera shows that not only is there an illegality involved in the manner three resolutions led to a call for an international investigation but highlights how resolutions and reports that started out being about the last phase of the war ended up maligning Sri Lanka on a plethora of non-conflict related other matters that should have been dealt through the other UN systems in existence. Dharshan presents a solid case for a Sri Lankan citizen to pursue legal action against the UN, the UN Human Rights Council and the Human Rights Commissioner for the subversion of justice and international laws.

SRILANKA-UNREST-UN-BAN...U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (r) is greeted by IDPs (Internaly Displaced Percons) as he visits Manik Farm in Sri Lanka on May 23, 2009. Just days after Colombo declared victory over Tamil Tiger, he toured the sprawling Menik Farm camp, 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Colombo, which was jammed with civilians who had fled the war zone. AFP PHOTO/JOE KLAMAR (Photo credit should read JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images)

SRILANKA-UNREST-UN-BAN…U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (r) is greeted by IDPs (Internaly Displaced Percons) as he visits Manik Farm in Sri Lanka on May 23, 2009. Just days after Colombo declared victory over Tamil Tiger, he toured the sprawling Menik Farm camp, 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Colombo, which was jammed with civilians who had fled the war zone.
AFP PHOTO/JOE KLAMAR (Photo credit should read JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images)

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July 13, 2015 · 1:12 pm

Political Convolutions in Sri Lanka Today: Perspectives from Hariharan and Jehan Perera

mahinda-rajapaksa-vs-maithripala-sirisena

ONE: “Mahinda’s return as PM: Not yet a done deal”  —  by Col. Hariharan, courtesy of Times of India, 13 July 2015

Unfazed by his surprise defeat in the last presidential polls, Sri Lanka’s Mahinda Rajapaksa appears to be back with a bang on the nation’s political centre stage with the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) coalition nominating him to contest the August 17parliamentary election. as a candidate. Six months ago, when Rajapaksa went into a sulk after his  defeat, nobody would have imagined that he would bounce back so soon and so strongly with the support of UPFA.

His nomination ended weeks of suspense, as his bête noire President Maithripala Sirisena, chief of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), tried to persuade the party, the UPFA coalition and even Mahinda to prevent the latter’s comeback. But Rajapaksa seems to have made up his mind, well before political manoevures began, to contest the election with or without SLFP support as the anti-corruption bodies were making life miserable for him and his siblings. But no one, probably not even Mahinda, was certain of the UPFA nominating him. Continue reading →

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June 29, 2015 · 2:52 am

Dhanapala clarifies 19A and Present Presidential Programmes for the Diplomatic Corps

Jayantha Dhanapala, courtesy Sunday Island, 21 June 2015, –conveying TEXT of Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala’s keynote address at “19 A: Landmark of Democratic Revival” a panel discussion and Q & A for the diplomatic community of Sri Lanka on the 19th Amendment on June 16, 2015, at Jaic Hilton –with the  Speech transcript being provided by the President’s Media Division. Dhanapala was accompanied by Savithri Goonesekera and Mohan Munasinghe. he is presently probono adviser to President Maithripala Sirisena. For his credentials and career see www.jayanthadhanapala.com>

Jayantha Dhanapala. - Meera Srinivasan

Distinguished members of the Diplomatic Corps, Ladies & Gentlemen,

On behalf of His Excellency Maitripala Sirisena and my colleagues in the Presidential Secretariat, I have great pleasure in warmly welcoming you to this afternoon’s briefing on the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka. It is just over a month since this important Constitutional amendment was formally certified by the Speaker of our Parliament although it was passed on 28 April. In a 225-member legislature this revolutionary piece of reform was adopted with 212 voting in favor, one against, one abstaining and 10 being absent. We undertake this task out of a conviction that the significance of the amendment should be conveyed to you in the context of the revitalization of democracy in Sri Lanka since the Presidential Election of January 8th this year.

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June 28, 2015 · 2:18 pm

LTTE still active, warns USA

Robert Blake of the US Dept of N. Sathiyamoorthy *courtesy of Eurasia Review and South Asia Monitor where the title is “US Report On LTTE A Caution For India, Too” 

The American acknowledgement and confirmation of the continued existence of LTTE’s global network of sympathisers and finances should be a cause for concern as much for neighbouring India as much for Sri Lanka. In ways, it should also be a source of concern and embarrassment for Western nations, including the US. “The LTTE used its international contacts and the large Tamil diaspora in North America, Europe, and Asia to procure weapons, communications, funding, and other needed supplies,” the 2014 annual report of the US State Department’s Counter-terrorism Bureau said. Whoever rules from Colombo – and administers Jaffna – and whatever the domestic political conditions and electoral compulsions, Sri Lanka cannot be silent after the US has referred to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) procuring weapons.

01=Chicago_Maaveerar_Naal_USA1_21081_435

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June 26, 2015 · 9:42 am

Negotiating Ethnic Diversity in Lanka: Neville & Jeevan deploy Comparative Perspectives

I. Neville Laduwahetty: “Managing Multi-Culturalism in Sri Lanka,” from Island, 23 June 2015

Very few countries can claim to be homogeneous. Most countries are made up of diverse communities often based on factors of birth, such as race, ethnicity, religion, language and caste or a combination of any of them. Consequently, state formations are made up of a multiplicity of cultural communities. The net result is that groups within states, whether majorities or minorities, see themselves as “us” and “them”, and “we” vs. the “other”. The inability to manage the demands and aspirations of cultural communities within states has become the primary cause for conflicts in the world. This has led most countries to explore strategies to ‘manage’ multiple cultural communities within their states in order to develop inclusive and stable societies.

Stable democracies, particularly in the West had managed to evolve inclusive and stable societal states until the arrival of immigrants from various parts of the world to meet labour shortages in these countries following the conclusion of World War II. Newly independent countries too that had been stable prior to and during colonization were affected by issues of multiculturalism and its problems. Faced with the common problem of dealing with cultural diversity, many countries began to label themselves as multicultural states, going to the extent of calling themselves multiethnic, multilingual, multireligious etc. Continue reading →

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June 10, 2015 · 1:28 pm

Talaivar Pirapāharan among the Saivite Deities today in Tamilnadu

saved_resource  prabha2-Kovil

A Concerned Reader

The extent of misinformation and blind faith that exists among those who hear, read and think only in Tamil  has been highlighted by the recent news from the Sevugaraya Ayyanar temple in South Poigainallur village near Nagapattinam in South India. Apparently, Prabhakaran is raised to the level of a Guardian Deity, with the   Pro-LTTE Periyar Dravida Kazhagam acting as the prime mover of this deification. Apparently, the Tamil Nadu police had moved rapidly and removed the statues. However, we can well ask what would happen when Jayalalitha recovers her full powers. Continue reading →

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June 10, 2015 · 10:50 am

Beheading the Citizenship of Some Jihadists! Australia getting tough

Cameron Stewart, in The Weekend Australian, 6/7 June 2015, where the title is “Half of all terrorists hit by citizenship changes” …  NOTE the striking interactive graphics which depict the suburbs of Sydney and Brisbane where individuals have been d identified and produce a photograph of each when you hit tht the right spot — Wow!!

Half of all Australians convicted or suspected of terrorist offences could be stripped of their citizenship under the proposed crackdown on dual nationals who engage in or support terrorism. This includes 11 dual Australian nationals jailed in the past decade for major terror plots, including planning to bomb the nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights and the MCG on grand final day. The bill would also cover almost half of the estimated 110 Australians currently fighting for Islamic State and other extremist groups in Syria and Iraq. It would similarly jeopardise the citizenship of a large proportion of approximately 160 Australians whom ASIO suspects are actively supporting Islamic State in Australia.

PETER DUTTON  Immigration Minister Peter Dutton would have the power to strip Australian citizenship from dual nationals on advice from security agencies. Photographer: Liam Kidston Source: News Corp Australia

The figures, obtained by The Weekend Australian, bolster the government’s claim that the controversial measure could materially help reduce the terror threat to Australia. However, the number of those who are actually stripped of citizenship within Australia under the proposed change is likely to be modest, in line with the experience in Britain, which has similar laws. Even so, the surprisingly large number of dual Australian national extremists, both at home and overseas, would give the government broader scope to act against those it considered to pose the greatest risk. Continue reading →

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June 10, 2015 · 4:22 am

Knee-Jerk Idiocy in Foreign Policy: The Present Government and its Vengeance-cum-Patronage Politics

Nanda Godage … with a title imposed by the Editor

India is without doubt the most important country to us not only because of her proximity and our blood relationship but also because she is developing into becoming a Super Power and because of her capacity to do us harm. Our security and development are our foremost national interests and, therefore, India is indeed the most important country to us on the planet. SSThe Island on Sunday carried a front page report filed in an Indian newspaper to the effect that our High Commissioner described as ‘India friendly’ had been recalled. When the new administration took over we expected a professional approach to the management of our external relations, but some actions such as this are similar to those indulged in by the previous administration. We saw our foreign relations mismanaged in recent years with ‘relations of the rulers’ who had neither the qualifications nor the temperament nor knowledge nor understanding of diplomacy and international relations being appointed to promote our national interests; but there were indeed a few exceptions and one such was the appointment of Prof. Sudarshan Seneviratne as our High Commissioner to India. He obtained a doctorate from a prestigious Indian University and is a much respected man in Delhi and, above all, that had close friends in high places in the administration which is a tremendous asset and advantage to us; removing him merely because he was appointed by the previous administration is undoubtedly a stupid act and against the interests of the country. Continue reading →

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