By Colombo Telegraph –

Senior minister DEW Gunasekara’s partner  Barbara Seneviratne has started to criticise the government through The Island letters to the editor columns. In her recent letter she says ; “It is very obvious that SLFP politicians are suffering from obsolescence. The obsession to be in power is so great that the government is blind to the fact that our population is sodden with drink, drugs, steeped in vice, eaten up by social and physical malady.” “It’s time the government stopped blowing its own trumpet and took immediate steps  to solve the burning issues of the day as regards education, health, food and the rights of the Tamil people etc.” she further says.

Barbara Seneviratne

In an earlier letter she said ” Never in the history of this country have we witnessed as we do today the banality of evil which has penetrated this Island. The recurrent looting of banks, corporations, government institutions, thuggery by government MPs, ministers, and underworld elements is very common, like the sun going down. Besides, this government has made the legal system easy for criminals, but difficult for law abiding citizens.”

Her partner senior minister DEW Gunasekara is also the chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises ( COPE) . She wrote; “The COPE findings have shown the general public the extent of corruption of this government during the past four or five years. So much so, the government members of parliament were unable to face the debate on the COPE findings; like racoons, they crept away. There are many reasons for this sordid state of affairs. First, we have scant respect for public property. The general attitude is to rob anything that is ‘public’. We have read of VIPs encroaching on public property, etc. Secondly, the alarming rise in crime which is due mostly to the lowering of standards in public and private life.”

“Politics is tainted with crime, the moral standards of policemen, politicians and criminals are indistinguishable. For all these crimes, the blame falls on both the people and the government. The governing party will nominate any Tom, Dick or Harry, be he a thug of the area or a criminal. An example is Mervyn Silva. The public knowingly or otherwise elect shady characters, who are poorly educated,  drug peddlers and corrupt individuals. It is very unfortunate that in 2005, the people who had great hopes are now faced with a government steeped in corruption, inefficient administration and greed for power which will make this country hell to live in.” she further wrote.

Below we give two of her recent articles;

Lanka in tears

May 10, 2012, 6:28 pm
Never in the history of this country have we witnessed as we do today the banality of evil which has penetrated this Island. The recurrent looting of banks, corporations, government institutions, thuggery by government MPs, ministers, and underworld elements is very common, like the sun going down.

Besides, this government has made the legal system easy for criminals, but difficult for law abiding citizens.

The COPE findings have shown the general public the extent of corruption of this government during the past four or five years. So much so, the government members of parliament were unable to face the debate on the COPE findings; like racoons, they crept away.

There are many reasons for this sordid state of affairs. First, we have scant respect for public property. The general attitude is to rob anything that is ‘public’. We have read of VIPs encroaching on public property, etc.

Secondly, the alarming rise in crime which is due mostly to the lowering of standards in public and private life.

Politics is tainted with crime, the moral standards of policemen, politicians and criminals are indistinguishable.

For all these crimes, the blame falls on both the people and the government. The governing party will nominate any Tom, Dick or Harry, be he a thug of the area or a criminal. An example is Mervyn Silva.

The public knowingly or otherwise elect shady characters, who are poorly educated,  drug peddlers and corrupt individuals.

It is very unfortunate that in 2005, the people who had great hopes are now faced with a government steeped in corruption, inefficient administration and greed for power which will make this country hell to live in.

Barbara Seneviratne,

Pita Kotte

SL headed for a dark era?

June 14, 2012, 7:34 pm
It is very commendable and refreshing to read The Island editorials. The explanatory remarks should be an eye opener to the politicians of the government party.

It is very obvious that SLFP politicians are suffering from obsolescence. The obsession to be in power is so great that the government is blind to the fact that our population is sodden with drink, drugs, steeped in vice, eaten up by social and physical malady.

These years are the darkest as during the time of J. R. Jayewardene, who created  this very same mode of government.

Only one man stood up to him, a brave journalist by the name of B. A. Siriwardena or ‘Sira’ of theAththa newspaper.

His pen was stronger than the sword or shall I say than the steel chains of his thugs.

It’s time the government stopped blowing its own trumpet and took immediate steps  to solve the burning issues of the day as regards education, health, food and the rights of the Tamil people etc.

Barbara Seneviratne

Pita Kotte