https://groundviews.org/2015/08/29/the-inevitability-of-the-banana-republic/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-inevitability-of-the-banana-republic Journalism for Citizens Sat, 29 Aug 2015 08:55:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 https://groundviews.org/2015/08/29/the-inevitability-of-the-banana-republic/#comment-60268 Sat, 29 Aug 2015 08:55:00 +0000 http://groundviews.org/?p=18048#comment-60268 1.Thank you, Prof Perera. People like me who have been dazed and hazed by what has been going on find explanations in the article. Is ”Good Governance” a still-borne baby in the land of Buddha statues? Hope not.
2.As 67yrs of ”independence” and 15 different governments (and series of riots and insurgencies, etc etc) and recommendations by various UN entities, international/regional/national organisations, eminent persons like TheElders, academic researchers around the world and eminent SriLankans over several decades haven’t changed the politicians/voters even a bit, a shock-treatment may work:
3.How about …… if Buddhists insist that Buddhist monks ( with enormous respects to Ven Madhuluwawe Sobitha Thero and the like) should be inducted into monkhood only after the age of 18 or so and NOT when they are infants.
Why I am takng Buddhist monks is that most of the Sinhalese Buddhists(about 70% of the population) are very PROUD of the fact they are Buddhists and telling them that they are making a fundamental mistake may shock them.
4.Northern Ireland Peace Process and the seven principles in Tony Blair’s speech at Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute last week is nearly the distillate of all the sources mentioned in 2. It is a good gift to us just before the newly elected parliamentarians take up their seats in the parliament. If the Prime Minister and the President and their advisors read it and re-read it and discuss it and get Sinhala/Tamil translations to all those who are waiting to get into the parliament, we can see a change if there IS a will to change.

]]> https://groundviews.org/2015/08/29/the-inevitability-of-the-banana-republic/#comment-60265 Sat, 29 Aug 2015 03:07:00 +0000 http://groundviews.org/?p=18048#comment-60265 This President is more powerful than the former. Sirisena controls the parliament as well as the opposition.
‘The country gets leaders they deserve’ and this holds true.
The vehemence with which the voter wanted to get rid of Rajapakse blinded the voter to who they were really voting for.
A president who despite having a long history of politics is a non-starter and worse – is unashamedly controlled & supported by a Fmr president who practically ruined the country in her tenure. A PM who has spent most of his political career in the opposition benches, known as a ‘serial loser’ and the only previous time he was voted in as PM unceremoniously kicked out by the ex-Prez who he is currently cohorting/cohabitating with.
And the voter expected them to produce ‘Good Governance’?
I call that the most foolish unintelligent unjustifiable assessment ever – and fools deserve what they get.
That the writer questions this trio appointing losers into office – the voter set the standard by choosing losers as their leaders.

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