Comments on: Citizens held hostage in the name of ‘Nationalism’ https://groundviews.org/2010/01/16/citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%e2%80%98nationalism%e2%80%99/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%25e2%2580%2598nationalism%25e2%2580%2599 Journalism for Citizens Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:48:40 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 By: DD https://groundviews.org/2010/01/16/citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%e2%80%98nationalism%e2%80%99/#comment-13475 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:48:40 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2488#comment-13475 Davy thank you. You obviously was much more alert to the situation than I ever can be. I am old now. It’s good too know that my friends do look out for me!

Dayan, honestly with no offense meant I believe that what ails the motherland amongst many other ailments is our laid back lets wait and see attitude. My brain tells me that SF has a rats chance of winning. My gut lead by my heart has a stirring of hope for him. In reality either way we have a dictatorship, this may not be so bad. For the masses anyway!

In hindsight, MR winning may not be all that bad when you look at the combination of SF, RW, SA and the minority leaders.

I do hope that people will cast their vote, which was the original thought behind the writing of the original post.

I may live to eat my words after all, eh?

]]> By: Randy Mathew https://groundviews.org/2010/01/16/citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%e2%80%98nationalism%e2%80%99/#comment-13364 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:48:39 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2488#comment-13364 We must also note that MR is also vote begging. For example he went to Jaffna to canvass for re-election which is OK but I find it the height of disgrace that his wife went to Jaffna begging for votes.

]]> By: David Blacker https://groundviews.org/2010/01/16/citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%e2%80%98nationalism%e2%80%99/#comment-13276 Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:14:52 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2488#comment-13276 Hey DD, they weren’t officers — lance corp and a sarge. And the lancer who made the fuss was a [Edited out] Service Corps RAMF anyway. You noticed the Gemunu Watch sarge didn’t seem too fussed. And the Sinha security cutoff didn’t even wanna know. It’s always the non-combat buggers who wanna strut about.

Justitia, that’s [nonsense]. I overtake Army vehicles all the time, and they’ve never given me any trouble other than trying to outrun me.

]]> By: NoEalamInSL https://groundviews.org/2010/01/16/citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%e2%80%98nationalism%e2%80%99/#comment-13240 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:35:47 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2488#comment-13240 Presidential election 2010 heating up, Many killed. They know MR re-elects. JVP makes sure violence exist to leave reasons to coverup embarassment. Though MR govt corrupted or not it produced tangible results. SF corrupted or not unknown but based on realised promises of MR’s 2005 Manifesto and patriotic leadership than former 4 Executive presidents, MR is a far better choice for next presidential election 2010. SF, a believeable change is trapped in a Western conspiracy to bring back Eelam separatism. All Sri Lankans should vote for MR to avoid 5th Eelam War for the simple reason that MR has layed foundation for Sri Lanka to be independent from West and therefore West cant use economical sanctions/donations as a tool of leverage to push Sri Lanka for negotiations with separatists. If SF comes it will happen defenitely and Eelam Separatism will rise up again.

NoEalamInSL

]]> By: Observer https://groundviews.org/2010/01/16/citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%e2%80%98nationalism%e2%80%99/#comment-13224 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 10:02:50 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2488#comment-13224 Given the increasing number of Sarath Fonseka “vote begging” going on here, I think your confidence is still premature Randy Mathew!

]]> By: Randy Mathew https://groundviews.org/2010/01/16/citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%e2%80%98nationalism%e2%80%99/#comment-13221 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 06:27:13 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2488#comment-13221 Judging by the steadily increasing incidents of polls related violence, I can say that it is going to be heavily rigged. The MR brothers obviously are alarmed at their fast dwindling popularity and the other matters that keep coming to haunt them like the war crimes issues, Tsunami aid fraud, corruption etc. It is up to the people to be ever vigilant here because these are people who have found politics to be very profitable.

]]> By: Justitia https://groundviews.org/2010/01/16/citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%e2%80%98nationalism%e2%80%99/#comment-13211 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:25:39 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2488#comment-13211 The writer has experianced personally the climate of uncertainity and fear in expressing the choice between the two presidential candidates.Now lankans fear to express views on choices for governance of the nation.
He has also experianced the superior lordly attitude of the military who now think that they are the ‘masters’ and that the ordinary citizens are their serfs.
No motorist dares to overtake a militay vehicle on the highway as this is considered as an insult – his car is swiftly overtaken,blocked and the motorist is berated/threatened for daring to overtake a military vehicle. It happened to me.
This election may well l be decided by subterfuges including voter intimidation, ballot stuffing, prevention of voters from travelling to polling booths and hijacking of ballot boxes.
As a public servant, i served as Senior Presiding Officer in two elections and as Assistant Returning Officer in one, in the sixties. There was no violence,the polling agents did their duty properly, & the polling booth staff adhered strictly to guidelines given them in printed directives a month before election dates.
Candidates or their supporters never entered polling booths.As SPO, I releived one Assistant Officer of his duties for violating the guideline a second time.I do not know whether these things happen now.

]]> By: Dayan Jayatilleka https://groundviews.org/2010/01/16/citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%e2%80%98nationalism%e2%80%99/#comment-13203 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:15:27 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2488#comment-13203 The writer says: “This election will not be won by the rural masses and whom they vote for, it will be hard fought and fearful, and it will be decided amongst those who are brave enough to vote in the urban and suburban boroughs …”

Now this may or may not be so, and may or may not be a good thing, but I see neither evidence nor argumentation in support of this statement.

A trifle premature I would think. So let’s wait for the morning after, eh?

]]> By: Observer https://groundviews.org/2010/01/16/citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%e2%80%98nationalism%e2%80%99/#comment-13192 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:35:50 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2488#comment-13192 Well my casual polling has led me to one conclusion. This all goes back to old party allegiances. During the Ranil reign even the most hard core UNPers were embarrassed to vote for him. Now they have a candidate that they can vote for & save face. So the ol UNP block isn’t 2 minded any more. Which is the edge SF is having, and that is in Colombo. SF doesn’t even try properly to vie for the rural vote.
No doubt Colombo as usual will go to the coalition. Northern Tamil vote will go to coalition (UNP) as well. Even though JVP is in bed with UNP, the charismatic guy, WImal Weerawansa is with the SLFP. And JVP voter base despises the UNP. So the scattered JVP vote is now split.
65% of the South imo will vote for the Sanvedi Nayakaya including about 60% East. I predict an MR win with about 150,000 minimum votes gap. Let’s check back after the 26th hey?

]]> By: Anon https://groundviews.org/2010/01/16/citizens-held-hostage-in-the-name-of-%e2%80%98nationalism%e2%80%99/#comment-13183 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:55:45 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2488#comment-13183 I like how you seem to dislike nationalism, yet you seem keen on calling us Sri Lankans ‘paradisians’, amazing. See, SL may have been a paradise at some point or another but it wont stay that way all the time even though there is a lot wrong (now I do still love my country). Its the same assumption that freedom doesnt cost anything. Were Sri Lankan, not some gaudy group who like to call ourselves anything more, you shouldnt need any other title if you love your country.

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