What are we waiting for?
There is no doubt that the proposed constitutional amendment is merely a means of consolidating the dynastic ambitions of the Rajapakses. And clearly, the largest opposition, the UNP is quietly imploding and incapable of fulfilling its responsibilities and it is futile to hope that the amendment will be defeated in parliament. At this moment, probably the most crucial moment in Sri Lanka’s contemporary history, the Leader of the Opposition is out of the country on a ‘private visit’! This surely underscores his utter lack of concern for the good of this country, his political ineptitude and his callousness. Certainly, we cannot look to him for inspiration. Mahinda Rajapakse could not have asked for a better Leader of the Opposition. And Rauf Hakeem’s pathetic defence of his capitulation, that he was facing ‘reality’ and taking a ‘pragmatic political decision’ seems to reflect the views of the majority of politicians in this country who have defended this amendment or worse still stayed silent.
If we do not express our collective anger at this moment, then we have no right to criticise or condemn any action the Rajapakse government takes in the future. If we are silent on this occasion, then all our analysis, discussions, debates and pontifications mean nothing. This is not the time to prevaricate or to look for perfect solutions; we must show our opposition to this most outrageous of moves by the Rajapakse dynasty.
The only public demonstration against the amendments are being organised by the JVP and six petitioners are challenging the amendment in courts. All these efforts need our support urgently. It may not reverse the progress of the Rajapakse juggernaut at this moment – but it is imperative that both the Rajapakse dynasty and the unprincipled politicians supporting it (including those who refuse to air their opinions) realise at the very least that the citizens of this country are not totally apathetic.
You may have never participated in a demonstration before; you may have never publicly protested before; you may have political and personal grievances against those who are leading the protests on the proposed amendment: but if you have felt any concern about the directions in which our country is being dragged by the Rajapakses; if you have felt an iota of doubt about the state of democracy in this country; if you feel and fear the levels of oppression and lack of rule of law in our society – you have to make your voice heard now. It doesn’t matter if it comes to nothing. This is not the moment to hesitate. If you fail to do so, future generations who may have to pay with their blood, to fight for what you refused to fight for today, will never forgive you.
14 Comments
Leave a Reply
Subscribe to Content Updates
iPhone app
How can anyone protest against the actions of the government when the politicised police and army are the enforcers of citizens’ behaviour?
Recently, two MPs who demonstrated were reportedly assaulted inside a police station and were remanded by the magistrate – but were freed later by a higher court.
The police had produced a blind man in court and accused him of having undergone arms training by the LTTE. The chief justice had remarked that this was not possible and reportedly requested the attorney general to reexamine the case.
The situation is far worse in the north and east where there is a military regime.
Now the nation is in the grip of a regime which brooks no nonsense like ‘demonstrations’ and the like.
Dear Samanmalee Unanthenna…there is no use blaming Ranil! It is the majority who gave Rajapaksa a “Kruthagoona Vote.” Only idiots would vote for somebody out of gratitude! Blame the people who voted for Rajapaksa! They are to blame and not Ranil.
North Korea’s state news agency heightened speculation that Kim Jong-il is preparing to anoint his youngest son as his heir as it confirmed the leader’s five-day visit to China. The 18th amendment will help continue the ‘One Family Dictatorship.’ I will bet my last ‘humanitarian’ rupee, that in about 12 years time there will be a PresiDunce Namal in this country!
@ Presidunce Bean:
Maybe you’re still looking at the green veil that the few remaining UNP’ers are staring at, and I assume you, as the other few left, are oblivious to how the failure of its leader and the coteries that surround him have been a key reason as to why Mahinda is building his dynasty.
Ranil Wickremasinghe is a joke. An old joke. He provided some amusing moments since taking over the party, and I guess even the most ardent supporter of the UNP would take a cackle on Ranil’s account. Well, the problem is the joke has turned serious. It isn’t funny anymore. A harsh reality check was due somewhere around March.
Had the party happen to have a stable and pragmatic leader instead of having this senile old excuse for a man, the people would have had a stronger voice in parliament. People would have had the solidarity to oppose Rajapakse’s advances to get a tighter grip on the reins of this country. But even after a telling 14 losses, this man remains somehow vaguely and impractically optimistic.
We have power hungry demagogues, legitimate swindlers, professional gangsters, and hypocritical clergy representing the people in parliament. And each party is no better than the other. They constitute the majority, and as long as they have that majority, they will keep looting this land for themselves.
The whole point of having an opposition is to curtail this betrayal of virtue and principle. It’s easier for a robber to get past a lazy dog. Unfortunately, Master Ranil has happened to starve the mutt to the point of death and have invited these robbers to loot the country dry.
You have to hand it to Mahinda. At the present juncture, only some kind of massive civil disobedience/social unrest could unseat him. But that would take an economic catastrophe of gigantic proportions. As bad as the economy is, it is nowhere near collapse. Chinese, Libyan, and IMF money have poured plenty into the begging bowl. Now, MR is going after the last obstacle standing in the way of a dynasty – the Constitution. The timing is actually perfect. First a successful end to a 30-yr war, and then a landslide election victory, in which the paralyzed Opposition saw its defeated candidate locked up indefinitely. The constitutional reforms? Well, he is just consolidating his power.
@ Counterpoint – Well Said! While some may blame the voters who elected MR for his second term, it is the lack of a strong opposition that has led to the situation today.
On another point, does anyone know of the legal possibilities of a voter filing a case against crossover MP’s on breach of trust and maybe false promises?
@ Counterpoint. Back to the chicken and egg debate? The majority got infected with swine flu in 1956…and they still haven’t recovered from it. Ranil is a gentleman. Unfortunately “Idiot Island” has no place for gentleman politicians. As long as the majority are infected with swine flu..they will continue to vote for “Ali Baba and his 150 plus thieves!
“You have to hand it to Mahinda. At the present juncture, only some kind of massive civil disobedience/social unrest could unseat him.”
Actually the credit goes to Ranil Wickremasinghe, who has defied all democratic norms by insisting on remaining Leader of the Opposition despite leading the Opposition to failure after failure over more than a decade.
Nobody will vote UNP simply because they know Ranil will run the country the same way he is running the UNP.
@ PresiDunce Bean
Gentlemanly qualities aren’t a yardstick to measure the effectiveness of a person’s political acumen. Being a gentleman doesn’t really matter if you can’t put two and two together. Ranil’s eggs are being stolen by a fox, and him being the gentleman, is simply keeping the door of his coop open to it. He’s watched as Mahinda has robbed him blind in pure daylight. Mind you, Mahinda didn’t just run off with his ministers, he ran off with Ranil’s credibility, dignity, and whatever little iota of respect that he had left.
Ranil Wickremasinghe may be a gentleman, but he is one heckuva mindless drone of a gentleman who is completely oblivious to the outside world. He is still holding onto that pulpit that has completely lost its value due to his own actions, and he’s simply handed over all authority of this country to that man in the ‘saatakaya’.
I mean no offence, but It also says a lot about how gullible and vain you are when you defend Wickremasinghe, even after he has lost 14 times, proven himself to be an ineffectual in many aspects of leadership, and pretty much desecrated the oldest political party in Sri Lanka single handedly. You grant him a vote for being a gentleman. If stupidity, shortsightedness and false virtue were positive criteria for a candidate, then the floodgates will open and Ranil would take victory fairly simply.
The clothes don’t make a man. Wickremasinghe is now a has-been. He is redundant and should realize it. If 14 losses, a bulk of stolen seats, and a dilapidated political party doesn’t show you how incapable he is in his position, you probably are in as much need of professional help as he is.
What are we waiting for ?
We are waiting until the 18th amendment passed in the parliament on the 8th with more than 162 votes. We will have a patriotic leader who will rule the country for another 12 years. Keep your cool. Lots of UNP parliametarians are waiting to cast their vote with the Govt on the 8th. Dont burn your fuel in vain
Heshan, Sri Lanka’s economy is actually doing quite well:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2220
Dear writer, JVP who brought MR in to power with help of VP in 2005. Now 18th amendment and who is supporting MR…..the list Malwathu+Asgiriya+Vasu+Div+Tissa.Vitharana+145 UPFA MPs (even RW). what is the point of opposing it by SLMC. We are a small community scattered all over the Island. We fully aware 1918, 1956,1959,1977,1979, and 1983. Are you mad? If we do not support the repercussion?. RH-best decision. MR gets maximum power and has it for centuries and on and on. We don’t care. Mohamed Jemaldeen
Will this be another demonstration like the “Free Fonseka” campaign?
The irony is that the same elements that brought MR to power, with their Sinhala nationalism, are now protesting against him.
A case of backfiring!
The eventual 2/3rd power grab is purely Ranil’s fault. His fault for weakening the opposition to a comedy scene. While the Colombo elite with their facebook, twitter, grass roots blogs that reach just them selves deluded them selves, the achchi amma at the street side kadala stands sent MR to victory showing it’s the non twitter crowd that calls the shots in a 3rd world country! If you understand this country, you don’t need a high IQ to figure out why Western idealist candidates like Ranil fail miserably. Especially with no pulse on the average folk.
This call for protests now is a hollow one wayyy too late. Cry me a river but the tears will only add more water for this boat to sail.
The protests should have started against Ranil when he was saying things like “Alimankada kiyala pamankada yanawalu…” or when he jet set to Norway to cut deals for the enemy at the verge of LTTE defeat. At least when he put together that set of strange mismatched clown outfit. You should have THEN said, OMG, this guy is destroying the alternative option I want to support and protested for new leadership!
Late to the party, so take the back seat! Save your time picketing, and rather form a new opposition if you care that deeply, if you want an alternative view heard! I believe this is the fruitful thing you can do. Despite the term extensions, there will always be elections. If you don’t groom the next, then you won’t even catch Namal’s tail when those elections come. Yeah that means forget about the next 10/20 years. SLFP will be reigning for the near future… This is welcome news for me, but since it is not for you, my advice is.. Start from a BIG FAT ZERO, suck it up and work hard to regain what you lost! Or just waste every body’s time protesting something that the majority now endorses, including my self! Swear, if you block the road I’m on, I’m gonna honk till you go deaf…. I can understand how this can be so depressing to ardent UNPers, but that’s why there are shrinks. Most likely you can afford one, if you’re that cut
haha