A FREAK WANNABE DEMOCRAT CANNOT WORK IN SRI LANKA 

Around the world various battles are going on for real democracy. In Britain the lies about the dubious benefits of exiting from the European Union has finally caught up and clearly the British people are as confused as us Sri Lankans when it comes to economic progress. Most Sri Lankans have a perception that Ranil Wickremesinghe is a clean politician. The usual explanation is that he has no siblings to worry about and therefore he must be above ‘that sort of thing’. We verily aver that that is missing the woods for the trees. Good governance and democracy are both at peril because one man - it is as incredible as that - cannot quite hack it that he will never ever be elected by popular mandate, The only way that Wickremesinghe appears to be able to ascend to leadership position is by inventive political brinkmanship. We after all have only his track record to judge him by. Wickremesinghe has showcased himself as a man who is the beacon of all those who seek democracy and good governance. After all the vast majority of the people in Sri Lanka are liberal minded, peace loving folk who want a progressive and quiet lifestyle, with opportunity for themselves and their siblings. Unfortunately successive governments led by ambitious politicians have flirted with communalism / racism under the guise of nationalism and patriotism. One of the biggest comedowns for the Rajapaksa administration was with their constant mantra ‘we won the war’. Yes they did but the people wanted not only an end to the war but an end to the triumphalism that appeared to rub the collective noses of the minority in a very sticky mire of mud. Wickremesinghe has managed to throw a red herring in the direction of the so-called decadent west and the disgruntled elements of the diaspora. The diaspora of course are suffering financially since 2009. Clearly one is unable to collect funds when the ‘cause’ was lost. Most who supported the LTTE did so not out of any misguided love for the LTTE ideology but because they feared the consequences of not supporting what became one of the world’s most feared terror groups. The diaspora have amassed vast sum of monies and professionals from the better PR agencies of the world, following the defeat of the military arm of the LTTE movement. Huge sums of monies are being expended via a labyrinth of schemes and projects that eventually find their way towards keeping the flame of separatism alive. On the other hand, fears of the quite ordinary members of the diaspora towards the bullies masquerading as collectors, has not completely eradicated. Many who live abroad continue to support the ‘movement’ simply because they fear the consequences of not actively providing (financial) assistance. Their end game is evident - to manipulate events and opportunities in such a way that they will eventually end up with some form of administrative power which they would then turn to political power. Many are in the same game - bitter as it is. There is wide spread hope amongst such that Wickremesinghe is the best way to get a new constitution passed. Once again our concern is fueled by the Wickremesinghe track record. Wickremesinghe has courted the West who in turn have not hidden the agenda they seek: a new constitution. Our grandmothers may ask of the foreigners, ‘what fatness do you have to want a constitutional change or changes in Sri Lank? M A Sumanthiram the lawyer and politico has already earned our award for being yet another pseudo good governist. In the near four years since he too has been in ‘power’ we would beg to pose the question: what other than anything tenuous has the TNA done for the lasting betterment of the people of the former conflict areas? Indeed, we ask where are the houses? Where are the opportunities? Where are the jobs? The schools? The list is probably as long as the excuses and near rhetoric that Sumanthiram and company deliver at nauseatingly regular intervals. Why does Sumanthiran not declare the hours spent inside parliament and the time spent away from parliament? How much of his time has he spent for the people? He has almost shamelessly defended some of those who appeared even on the periphery of the so-called BONDGATE scandal. Nothing illegal or unprofessional of course, we steam in to say, but we pose the question like this: a parliamentarian elected or appointed must represent the peoples' interest. Does one really want to give the impression that the BONDGATE was anything other than having fixed the system to steal the peoples’ monies in any ingenious way? Whether one is red green blue or any hue, the BONDGATE was a scam perpetrated by not only Mahendran and Company but also by officials at the Central Bank some of whom are still in service and who are now hiding behind the focus being shown on Mahendran, Aloysius and Palisena. Surely any fool will know that Mahendran Aloysius and Pailisena alone did not carry this out without the assistance of Central Bankers? Is that why some of them need legal representation - paid or otherwise? As in Thailand, the anaemic growth of the economy demands that free and fair elections are held immediately. This nonsense perpetrated on the people by Wickrremesinghe and those aligned to his whims and his fancies of a new constitution must stop immediately. We need a real Prime Minister. We need a Real Team.