You may be surprised by this article…….You may call me a Maithirist. If not, you can criticize me beyond that…….But, I do not care about it as I want to be a realist…….
Basically, I am a Tamil patriotic…….I am madly in love with the liberation of our people. I did not compromise anything on the true liberation of our people being as the ones who enjoy genuine freedom with the political status as what other communities in Sri Lanka enjoy. Because of that I am in exile…….
I am a journalist who never skipped the values for more than two decades. My journey as a journalist goes in the midst of slipping down while racial prejudice upraises in my mind, going beyond rather than being as a journalist, and then standing again after being self-criticized…….
I certainly wish to share the opinions and thoughts emerged in me on the basis of my belief that I am a journalist who never betrayed my conscience…….
In recent days, local and international Medias and social websites had been publishing reports criticizing the President Maithri for granting nomination to Mahinda in this upcoming general election.
But, I was on firm stance that the nomination of Maithri as a common candidate would at least bring a change in which breathing would be at least possible…….
I had been living with our people except the last seven years……. Even after that also I have been living with the emotions of people. That is why; I started loving the realities without roaming in the illusive world.
Based on that, I wrote an article with the heading of “Maithri is not going to give silk dhoti. But we should not to be naked by Mahinda. Is not it?”…….That article, which was written in all three languages, was read and shared by many in Facebook. This article had been as the article that republished in Sinhala newspapers also…….
Many, who are stranded on the edge of desperation due to the inability to take Mahinda to the UN crime bred as he was defeated in the presidential election according to them, criticized me over the accusation of assisting for this…….
But, these persons keep silence about the decision taken with the intention of accelerating the liberation by the LTTE to bring the realist Mahinda to the regime by defeating Ranil through boycotting the election, which ultimately brought the annihilation of LTTE at Mullivaikal. My intention of telling this is not to blame the LTTE but to indicate it to them.……
I took the same stance when the controversy prevailed with regard to the Mahinda’s candidacy in the upcoming general election…….Still I am in that same stance with regard to it…….Global Tamil News reported the comments made by others regarding the nomination permitted by Maithri to Mahinda in the upcoming general election…….But, I keep on writing in my articles that there is something behind the silence of Maithri…….
That has been proved in the Maithri’s recent report. But, many persons are severely criticizing Maithri even after his recent report. Criticisms and questions are very much important. Facts come out from the criticisms and questions. “I appreciate the criticisms. I will not stop it”, Maithri stated in his recent report…….
As I wrote in my article earlier, defeats of us over the last half-century ago and the pains due to the annihilation of our liberation struggle that was immensely believed that it could never be defeated caused pessimistic approach in our minds.
My friend Dr. Sarvendra has posted this comment on his Facebook. Opinions of many are roaming…….But; I have taken his comments as the hypothesis as I know him very well from the late 1985 onwards. We had some conversations in the recent days also. On the basis of that, I am with the hope of sharing a healthy debate with the comments made by him…….
Maithri and Mahinda!
Before the election:
Media: You stated that Mahinda would not be given candidacy. But he is contesting in this upcoming election as the prime candidate in Kurunagala district??
Maithri: I do not agree with it.
After the election:
Media: You stated that Mahinda would not be appointed as the Prime Minister if SLFP wins the election. But he was sworn in as Prime Minister??
Maithri: I do not agree with it.
This is the comment made by Dr.Sarvendra…….
I depreciate this comment made by Dr.Sarvendra…….Because, we demand for the democracy, freedom of expression, freedom to engage in politics and the freedom to follow their desired ideology…….
In accordance with the 18th amendment, Mahinda can contest in the presidential election even as the third term…….This amendment was legislated on the basis of the two-thirds majority votes.
All the Tamil, Muslim and Upcountry parties which were coalition partner of Mahinda’s regime casted their votes in favor of this amendment brought by Mahinda. On the basis of that, Mahinda contested in the election as the third term…….
Now also, Mahinda was awarded the nomination as per the support given to him by the SLFP and the majority of members under its leadership. Why didn’t those, who speak about democracy and the fundamental rights, understand this reality?
Mahinda had received 58 lakhs votes apart from the votes of minorities. If the secretary of SLFP Anura Priyadharshana Yapa and the secretary of UPFA Susil Prema Jayantha, the leaders of the parties in the alliance and majority of members demand the candidacy of Mahinda in the upcoming election, what will happen? Why didn’t those, who demand for the democracy in the party, understand in this regard?
Why do those, who state that the leadership of TNA behaves despotically, disregard the Mahinda’s rights in his party? Sri Lankan national politics cannot be separated from the racial politics in Sri Lanka…….If that so, while being in the totally racial politics, expecting the changes as per their own wish in the national politics and from the national parties would be the right stand in politics??
Electoral systems due to the Second Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka brought by J.R.Jayawardena in 1978 have rigorous complexities…….
That is why, Maithri stated like this in his recent report. “This is not the fault of Mahinda Rajapaksa. The root cause of this issue is the electoral system brought by the former president J.R.Jayawardena”, he added. Therefore, Mahinda has the right to contest in the election. On the basis of that, Mahinda was given the nomination to contest in the upcoming election with the overwhelming support.
But, “By writing, I opposed the candidacy of Mahinda”, Maithri revealed his stance in this regard. Apart from that, according to the constitution of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the one who was sworn in as president through contesting in the SLFP can only be the leader of the party…….If the SLFP approaches the Supreme Court in this regard, then the Maithri’s leadership of the SLFP will be questionable as Maithri won the presidential election through contesting as a common candidate under the symbol swan.
Meanwhile, Mahinda formally contested in the election through the SLFP. Thus, legal powers of both SLFP and UPFA are on the side of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Politically ripen Ranil and Maithri know this very well. That is why, Ranil asked Harin Fernando, who criticized Maithri asking whether Maithri’s shy nerve had been cut, to say sorry to Maithri.
Besides, when all got confused due to the nomination of Mahinda, Ranil tweeted that he and Maithri would travel as they had decided on 8th of January.
On the basis of that, we can understand the characteristics of Maithri if we compare him with the Presidents and Prime Ministers in the Sri Lankan history on the perspective of national politics (not Tamil nationalism).
However, I am not coming to say that Maithri as the president will give solution to the Tamils including two nation but one country, autonomy, self-determination, police and land powers. I do not say that he would be the savior of Tamil people. I do not provide any certificates to Maithri like that. I once again remind this to all of you.
But…….
1) He is the one and only president among the presidents came to power after 1978, have implemented the legislative amendment to reduce the authoritative power as the president. If Maithri had not brought this amendment, then Mahinda would be to Maithri like Premadasa to J.R.Jeyawardena, D.P. Wijayatunge to Premadasa, Ratnasri Wickramanayake to Chandrika, D.M.Jeyaratne to Mahinda. The reason for Mahinda’s bounce was the increase the powers of parliament led by Mahinda Rajapaksa.
2) He is the one and only president who did not interfere over the Prime Minister or the Ministers though the Ranil’s government has been as the minority government. (At one point, he stated that he had asked the Prime Minister to tell Arjun Mahendran to resign the post. If the former president had wanted like this, they would have told this to the Prime Minister after they removed the particular one from the post. For example, Chandrika picked up three ministries including the defense ministry over a night when he was in a meeting with American president George. W. Bush. At that time, I was also in America for gathering news reports. Then, at around 2 AM, Ranil called some journalists including me to reveal his contempt statement on the Chandrika’s act)
3) In the post-independence era, he is the one and only president who gave first priority in his thoughts besides the party politics. But, giving the first priority to the interests of her party, Chandrika dissolved the Ranil’s government.
4) He is the one and only president who had protected the government of a political party in which he is not belonging to, by stating that he does not like the Ranil’s government to be fallen as he does not consider the party politics.
5) He dissolved the parliament to protect Ranil as the Mahinda’s faction was in an attempt to bring no-confidence motion against Ranil in order to bring Mahinda as the Prime Minister after being taken him as the parliamentarian through the national list.
6) He has announced that Mahinda would not be given the Prime Minister post though the UPFA wins the election. (Besides the leader of his party, as the president, he has the powers to do that)
7) He openly announced that he is against the Mahinda’s faction by stating that Mahinda would meet continuous defeats in the future.
8) By stating that his intention is to form the parliament that can forward their ideologies, he clearly clarified that the parliament that he would like to form would not be the parliament of UPFA.
9) He appreciated the government of United National Front for good governance by stating that he does not want the government that is going to win the upcoming general election, but his intention is to form the government so as to implement the promises affirmed on 8th of January.
10) He stated that he has no relationship with Mahinda Rajapaksa. There is no any change on his stand against him.
11) Without putting forth the interests of his political party, the President who has been engaging in politics for 49 years being in the same political party declared that he would not support to any party in the upcoming election. No one else could have done it.
12) He asked the people to vote for the government for good governance by stating that “Do not abolish the democracy that was won for you. Do not abuse the democracy”
13) He is the one and only president who allowed the Media freedom. He said that he has been criticized as betrayer, traitor and wrong doer. Also he asked the people to think what would happen if you criticize his predecessor before 8th of January when he is in power.
J.R. Jayawardena intimidated the Supreme Court judge to resign the post. He took actions against the Medias criticized on him.
It is needless to say about the Premadasa’s regime. Everybody knows about the troubles faced by Richard De Zoysa and the Media organizations.
People know that what happened to Chattana Kumara, the editor of Chattana Newspaper, who criticized on Chandrika during her regime.
Even the entire world got shocked seeing the Mahinda’s despotic ruling.
In my life, I have seen a President (Maithri is not educated at least at the level of Mahinda)and his politics aiming to teach a good political lesson using the political maneuvers to all through defeating Mahinda’s mob as a whole instead of sending Mahinda alone to home through rejecting his candidacy.
In the half-century of politics, the President and the Prime Minster who think beyond their parties, many ministers, leftists including Jayampathy Wicremaratne, 49 civil organizations including trade unions, student societies and university community are in a straight line. Before the President’s address, I have written that there is no possibility for the Mahinda’s faction to come to the regime. Entrance to Mahinda has been sealed following to the President’s address.
The harvest of the experiences from the 27 years long non-violent struggle and the 30 years long armed struggle depend on how the Tamils will get the advantage of the new political circumstance brought by the new government led by both Ranil and Maithri on 17th of August…….
