February 4, 2015 · 7:01 am

Some Pointers for You, Mr President Sirisena

Chandra Wickramasinghe

sirisena oathsWith the new political dispensation of President Sirisena and the solemn pledges that have been held out to bring about a transformation of the  political culture that prevailed in the country, by ensuring good governance and the strict enforcement of Law and Order in the country,the citizens of  SL have high expectations that this Regime will live up to their hopes and expectations. In this context,  I  feel it is necessary for the public to have an idea of what the concept of good governance really  denotes. I have no doubt that  President Sirisena is sincere in working towards the realization of the pledges given by him. But one has to realize that the radical transformations envisaged, would necessarily involve corresponding changes in the mind –sets of of the players, both politicians and officials, who have routinely got accustomed to certain patterns of behavior, which may have been advantageous to them over the years and to move away from them now, might spell a somewhat painful adaptation, to a good many of them! But once the policy imperatives are unequivocally laid down  ,the pace would be set,I am sure,  for everyone to comply and conform.   Continue reading →

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February 2, 2015 · 1:42 am

The Call of Galle and Its Environs: A Flock of Foreigners

Avantika Chilkoti, in the Daily News, 2 February 2015

The price of homes along the country’s southern coast have rapidly increased since the end of civil conflict in 2009 The ruined ramparts of Galle Fort feel out of place in this peaceful seaside town. The bastioned stone walls, built by Dutch settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries, seem to belong to a faraway era when there was a threat of bloody conflict, not in what is now a quiet bay in southwest Sri Lanka. In fact, as recently as 2009, Galle wasn’t so far from bloody conflict. Although the south of the island remained relatively safe, a civil war ravaged the north for 26 years. The small number of foreign investors that invested in this picturesque town despite the violence has now rapidly increased since the government defeated the separatist Tamil guerrillas.

“We love Galle because it combines something of the charm of a Mediterranean, medieval town with the exotic, tropical landscape,” says Hamish Macdonald, a British expat with property in Colombo and Galle. “The beaches are beautiful.” DSC00056 Mosque and New Lighthouse from old lighthouse bastion on south west corner of the Fort — Pic by Michael Roberts in 2011

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February 2, 2015 · 12:51 am

Whose Terrorism? A World of Double Standards

Adam Goldman, courtesy of the Washington Post and the Sydney Morning Herald, 2 February 2015 where the title reads “CIA, Mossad killed senior Hezbollah figure in 2008 car bombing”

On February 12, 2008, Imad Mughniyah, Hezbollah’s international operations chief, walked on a quiet night time street in Damascus after dinner at a nearby restaurant. Not far away, a team of CIA spotters in the Syrian capital was tracking his movements. As Mughniyah approached a parked vehicle, a bomb planted in a spare tyre on the back exploded, sending a burst of shrapnel across a tight radius. He was killed instantly.

The device was triggered remotely from Tel Aviv by agents with Mossad, the Israeli foreign intelligence service, who were in communication with the operatives on the ground in Damascus. “The way it was set up, the US could object and call it off, but it could not execute,” said a former US intelligence official.

IMA 11- Hezbollah militants carry the coffin of slain commander Imad Mughniyah through the streets of Beirut in 2008  Hezbollah militants carry the coffin of slain commander Imad Mughniyah through the streets of Beirut in 2008 — Photo by Reuters

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February 1, 2015 · 3:21 am

Romesh Hettiarachchi confronts the Tamil Diaspora

Romesh Hettiarachchi in Canada sends a Letter of Reflections to the Tamil Diaspora immediately after his Reflections on the Presidential Elections via the Colombo Telegraph, where the usual variety of bog-comments can be found

Romesh-Hettiarachchi--150x150Dear Bala Thambi,**

I hope this letter finds you well. I’ve heard the weather in London, England is pretty cold this time of year, though I can’t imagine it being as cold as Toronto (-22 deg. C. brrrr!).

I am writing to you in response to your various online reactions to the election of President Sirisena in Sri Lanka. I must admit a certain fascination following the various changes in your viewpoints since November, watching while you called for Sri Lankan Tamils to boycott the Sri Lankan elections and criticized other Diaspora Tamil groups who urged every Sri Lankan Tamil to vote in the elections. While I know that there are many Tamils who think differently than you (after all, few generalizations can be made regarding a group as varied and diverse as the Tamil Diaspora) I do want to address your perceptions that the election of President Sirisena has not changed anything. Continue reading →

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January 30, 2015 · 1:48 pm

Migration to Australia: 28 per cent of 2014 population born beyond its shores. with Brits. Kiwis, Chinese & Indians at the cutting edge now

Rick Morton, in The Australian, 30 January 2015, where the title reads “Migrant Wave not seen since the Gold Rush“

DREAMS of a better life, educa­tion and solid investments have fuelled movement of migrants to Australia, with more than 28 per cent of the resident population born outside the country. That equals about 6.6 million people, numbers not seen in 120 years or since the tail end of the gold rush, said the Australian Bureau­ of Statistics’ Denise ­Carlton.

COUNTRY OF BIRTH

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January 30, 2015 · 1:40 am

Social Justice for Today: Q and A with Nirmal Devasiri

C. A. Chandraprema’s Interview with Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri, courtesy of The Island, 30 January 2015

Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera’s -col tel Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera’- Pic from Colombo Telegraph

Spokesman for Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera’s National Movement for Social Justice Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri speaks to C. A. Chandraprema about the apparent lack of interest in the new government in fulfilling the pledges relating to constitutional change they made during the election campaign.
NIRMAL-island Nirmal

Q. The new government was elected on certain core promises. The main cause around which all of you united was the abolition of the executive presidency. Now more than three weeks into the new regime, we are hearing less and less about the abolition of the executive presidency, especially from the newly elected president. There are various street shows being enacted by activists of the new government to fill TV news bulletins while constitutional changes have been pushed into the background. What we are hearing is about limiting the term of the president to five years. That’s not quite what you had in mind is it?

A. There are concerns about that among people who supported this government. This has been discussed among the various bodies of the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) as well. What the NMSJ envisaged was a complete abolition – a return to the pre-1977 system. The proposals brought by the JHU are different. There was a discussion the other day with Dr Jayampathy Wickremeratne and though there may be some differences in the timeframe it appears that the process is on track, but it appears that it will not be a complete abolition. We have to watch the situation. The government exists on a certain equilibrium among political forces. There is the UNP then there is the Chandrika-Maithri camp and the JHU within the government’s decision making circle. If we look at the vested interests involved, Ranil would like to see presidential powers being reduced. He needs to enhance the powers of the prime minister. The UNP has a lot of bargaining power and, therefore, I believe the executive powers of the presidency will be reduced to a great extent. Continue reading →

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January 29, 2015 · 10:30 am

Sir Ivor Jennings: His Writings now edited by Harshan Kumarasingham

Constitution Maker flyer 2015 – 2

HARSHANHarshan Kumarasingham ed., Constitution Maker: Select Writings of Sir Ivor Jennings, vol 46 in the Camden series of the Royal Historical Society 2014. All rights reserved. University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT | 020 7387 7532

JENNINGS 22 - SUNDAY OBSERVER Pic from Sunday Observer

Sir Ivor Jennings (1903-65), Downing Professor of Law at Cambridge, was one of the 20th century’s most famous and significant constitutional scholars and the author of numerous well-known texts. Beyond his prestigious roles in Britain, Jennings was also very influential internationally as an advisor on constitutional questions between the 1940s and 60s. This volume brings together for the first time previously unpublished letters, memoranda, diaries and confidential evaluations of constitutional issues, political elites and critical events in territories including Ceylon, Ethiopia, Gibraltar  India, Malta, Malaya, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Rhodesia, Singapore, South Africa and Sudan. Also included are Jennings’ candid and forthright assessments on Britain’s constitutional influence abroad and his direct experience of constitution making. The introduction provides a guide to this English Professor’s remarkable international role and his scholarly value.  This collection sheds light not only on Jennings’ work and influence, but also on British ideas about democracy and on institutions across the globe during the climactic era of decolonisation. Continue reading →

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January 28, 2015 · 1:10 pm

Sri Lanka’s New Government & Its 100-day Programme: Thoughts from Perera and Balanathan – A Sinhalese and A Tamil

ONE: Jehan Perera, “Teamwork and Measured Approach to meet Challenge of 00-day Programme,” 28 January 2015

The government is proceeding with its 100 Day programmme that President Maithripala Sirisena presented as part of his election manifesto.  This plan promised a national government and new cabinet with UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as its Prime Minister after the presidential election.  It also contained a promise to change from a presidential to a parliamentary system, to repeal the 18th Amendment, to come up with a 19th Amendment to the Constitution, restoring independent commissions, setting up a national advisory council and also presenting an interim budget.  The detailed plan also included setting up a special investigatory mechanism to probe corruption and passing legislation on right to information and a new health policy.  Continue reading →

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January 28, 2015 · 12:38 pm

Torture in British Operations and the Strange World of Double Standards among the Powerful

colmans-column3Padraig Colman, courtesy of Ceylon Today, 28 January 2015,  where the title is “Britain Teaches the World to Torture“

There was a time when the British army adopted a somewhat superior attitude to the US army’s conduct after the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Much was made of Britain’s experience in conducting a war against insurgents in urban conditions in Northern Ireland. To boast about that suggests either supreme arrogance or selective memory. British tactics were not successful in Northern Ireland or Basra and certainly did not have the “moral authority” to which David Cameron referred in his statement about the US Senate report on torture.

Northern Ireland 90-L Action during Belfast riots, late 1960s — Pic from www.rorymerryphotos.com

Britain’s torture laboratory in Northern Ireland: In 1971, Operation Demetrius involved the mass arrest and imprisonment without trial of people suspected of connections with the Provisional IRA. Fourteen of those imprisoned were interrogated at a site formerly known as RAF Ballykelly, which was handed over to the British Army as Shackleton Barracks on 2 June 1971. On their way to the interrogation centre in 1971, the British army hooded the men and threw them to the ground from helicopters. The captors told the hooded men they were hundreds of feet in the air, but the helicopters were actually just a few feet from the ground. Granted, this was better behaviour than that of the Argentinian junta who threw prisoners to their death from helicopters at high altitude. Continue reading →

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January 27, 2015 · 11:31 pm

“Mahinda Mahattayaa” — A Homily and Overview from a Rural Subaltern directed against the Muckraking in Vogue NOW

M. L. Wickramasinghe, courtesy of the Sunday Island and http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/37708 where the title is “It is Because of Mahinda “Mahattaya” that we can now walk Freely on the Roads Like this”

I am persuaded to write this short opinion piece due to a short dialogue a shop assistant had with me last week at a suburban town. I kept a small parcel including two newspapers in a transparent cellophane bag on the shop counter and went in looking for a few items. On returning, I saw a person reading the newspaper through the cellophane bag. He smiled apologetically. I smiled back in a relaxed and empathetic way indicating non-verbally (hopefully), that he could finish reading if he wished to do so.

Saying ‘a menna sir’ (‘here it is sir’), he handed the parcel back to me. As he handed back the parcel he said “Basil mahattaya penala gihilla kiyala kiyanne? Apahu enna kiyala niyoga karanavalu neda”? (‘it is said that Mr. Basil has run away? He’s been ordered to come back isn’t it?’) I was taken unawares, but said, “Basil mahattaya apahu eyi; parajayata wagakeema bara gannawa kiyala Basil mahattaya kiyala thibuna ne” ( ‘Mr. Basil would come back. Mr. Basil had said that he is taking responsibility for the defeat’).

dbs 22 Pic from dbsjeyaraj.com

Then he got into a short dialogue with me and said that the way ‘some of them’ treat the Rajapaksa Pavula and Mahinda mahattaya is not quite good; how they talk about them is not in good taste. I said that I tend to agree, and that type of talk would gradually stop. “Sir, Mahinda mahattaya hinda ne den apita mehema nidahase pare behala yanna puluwan” ( ‘Sir, it is because of Mahinda mahattaya that we can now walk on the roads freely like this’). I walked away reflectively. Continue reading →

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