Pseudo Socialists Defend Crime, Corruption
andLawlessness?wimal-vasulogoBy Latheef Farook-February 16,
2015,
In the 8 January 2015 presidential elections, people voted for the
common candidate Maithripala Sirisena who promised good governance,
restoration of law and order and end crime and corruption to create
a good society. Though ambitious, it is an uphill task in view of
the mess created by the Rajapaksa regime which virtually ruined
every government institution, the society and the country.However
riding against the popular wave some pseudo socialists who were
ministers in the defeated government wanted to bring back former
President Mahinda, perhaps to ensure crime, corruption and
lawlessness continue to pave the way for a dictatorship?During a
joint press briefing on Monday 9 February 2015, four United Peoples
Freedom Alliance, UPFA, allies announced their desire to bring back
defeated president Mahinda Rajapaksa to power by fielding him as
the prime ministerial candidate in the forthcoming general
elections. They include National Freedom Front leader and MP Wimal
Weerawansa, Democratic Left Front leader and MP Vasudeva
Nanayakkara, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna leader and MP Dinesh
Gunawardena and newly formed Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya
Gammanpildew-wimalTheir announcement shocked the already shocked
nation which voted President Mithripala Sirisena to power in an
unprecedented peaceful revolution which saved the country from
sliding into dictatorship.Previous regime was known for lawlessness
and crime when people lived in an atmosphere of fear. They were
afraid to express their anger fearing revenge attacks. Ever rising
cost of living and economic hardship were unbearable. Mainstream
media ended up virtually as government bulletins.Only political
parties like Janatha Vikumthi Peramuna and Jathika Hela Urumaya
were in the forefront bravely highlighting injustice, crime,
corruption and demanding regime change. The overall mood of the
people was to free themselves from the oppressive government to
ensure justice and rule of law prevails so that they could live
without the fear of being waylaid, kidnapped and even
killed.anuraIt was under such dark political environment came the
unexpected presidential elections and there was jubilation all over
when Maithripala Sirisena was elected. The oppressive atmosphere
changed overnight with the restoration of freedom.Since the
unprecedented January 2015 political change, exercising their newly
won freedom, mainstream print and electronic media opened the
floodgates of allegations accusing the former president Rajapaksa,
his family and his associates of widespread corruption, crime and
lawlessness the scale of which was never known in the islands
history.These shocking disclosures include large scale plundering
of nations wealth, lawlessness and injustice, pilfering billions of
rupees, unprecedented waste of tax payers money, mismanagement of
almost every institution and organization incurring billions of
loss, racist attacks on minorities especially on Muslims and much
more shocking and shameful revelations.Since then never a day
passes without some disclosure of corruption, crime, plunder and
looting and that too not in thousands, hundred thousands and
millions but in billions of rupees. The more the disclosures the
worse the public anger.The never ending exposures diminish the
chance of bringing defeated president Mahinda Rajapaksa to power
though they would deploy every means towards that end. It was under
such circumstance that these four UPFA allies expressed their
support to Mahinda Rajapksa as prime ministerial candidate.This
shows they are living in their own world.Now the question is how
come these so called socialists go against the newly elected
government which is struggling to establish good governance,
establish communal harmony and put the nation in the proper footing
and move the country ahead.Even ordinary people ask whether these
four UPFA allies dont read newspapers or watch television. Some
even ask whether they are living in this planet or not.One should
not forget that two of them, Vasudeva Nanayakkara and Dinesh
Gunawardena, belong to parties which produced legendary
politicians, known for their great intellectual caliber, honesty,
integrity and their sacrifices in serving the country. They spent
their own wealth to be in politics and fight for the rights of
ordinary people.The country will never be able to forget or erase
their great contributions though under the fast changing political,
economic and social environment in the new order not much attention
was paid to them.Some of them include Communist Party chief Peter
Keuneman, Dr S.A Wickremasinghe, Lanka Sama Samaja Partys Dr
N.M.Perera, Colvin R De Silva, Bernard Zoysa and Mahajana Eksath
Permuna leader Philip Goonewardene to name a few.I remember the
speech made in the parliament by the founder of MEP and then
Industries Minister Philip Gunawardena following the former Soviet
invasion of Czechoslovakia around August 1868. It was such an
enlightening one that most of us, parliamentary correspondents,
bought the Hansard copies of that speech which I preserve to
date.It was his son Dinesh Gunawardena who is keen on bringing
former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to power.Once a journalist
colleague of mine asked a Muslim housewife at Dematagoda to whom
she was planning to vote in the 1970 general elections. Her abrupt
response was my first vote is for Peter Keuneman and then for
Faleel Caffor.When asked why she gave top priority to Peter
Keuneman her response was he is a very good man ,known for honesty
and integrity and helps the poor without any discrimination, be
they Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims .nmperIt was around early 1970s
and Dr N.M.Perera was the finance minister in the United Front
government led by Prime Minister Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranaike.
Listening to his speech winding up the budget debate, the Arab
League Ambassador in New Delhi Abdullah Murad who was at the
speakers gallery told me that Sri Lanka is too small a country for
Dr Perera who deserves to be the Finance minister for the whole
third world.Mr. Vasudeva Nanayakkara who declared his support to
bring former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to power began his
political career under this very same Dr N.M.Perera. I still cant
understand what really happened to Mr. Vasudeva Nanayakkara whom I
knew since mid 1970s.Of course MP Wimal Wirawansas political
ideology and career is known to everyone and thus needs no
comments.However in the case of Udaya Gammanpila his frustration is
understood as the defeat of former President Mahinds Rajapajksa
shattered his dream plan to commemorate the unfortunate 1915
Sinhala Muslim riots this year, 2015, with an Aluthgama, Dharga
Town and Beruwala style attack on Muslims island wide .Time and
again he claimed that the attack on Muslims was inevitable this
year to mark the century of 1915 riots.This is the sad plight of
todays socialist comrades who incidentally belonged to two of the
oldest political parties in the island. EndsPosted byThavam