By Sarath de Alwis –
Sarath de Alwis
“The whole business is the crudest sort of stratagem, since we have no way of foreseeing it to the end. It is a mere paying out of rope on the chance that somewhere along the length of it will be a noose.” ~ Isaac Asimov – in ‘Merchant Prince’
A two thirds majority will give the ruling party a monopoly on power. It will serve another more salutary purpose. It will introduce method to madness – a spick and span majesty to pure and simple lunacy. It is an invitation to the lynch mob.
The 19th Amendment has many flaws. They must be fixed. That said, we must not overlook its primary purpose which was to abridge and truncate excessive centralization of executive power and enhancement of the authority of parliament. The 19th Amendment arrested the slide into an authoritarian abyss.
Presidentialism and parliamentarism are two distinctly different systems. The 19th amendment created a reasonable fusion of the two that made governance subject to democratic compromise. 
For it to work, we must have both faith and hope in liberal democracy. Herein lies the danger. It was first recognized by a brilliant legal theorist – Carl Schmitt who later turned out to be the principal legal authority of Nazi Germany.
Carl Schmitt quite rightly found that liberal democracy carried the seeds of its own destruction. Representative democracy and the idea that all citizens can be treated as political equals was a lot of nonsense. Politics in its raw primitive form is not about compromise between equal individuals. It was all about conflicts.
A task force headed by a uniformed general is better able to contain conflict than an argumentative committee of liberal minded bozos!
A slight digression cannot be resisted. Another great German humanist Karl Liebknecht explained what militarism was. Militarism is the expedient process that blindfolds justice! Militarism is brutalization of society, a sort of intervention that makes people endure the unendurable!
Make no mistake. The parliamentary elections on 5th August will determine the trajectory of our fragile democracy. A two thirds majority would be an open license for authoritarian militarism.
Authoritarian rule fosters oppression. Given the nature of patronage politics we have indulged in since independence from colonial rule, authoritarian governance will introduce a new factor into our dysfunctional democracy. It will introduce servitude. It will infuse cruelty that will assault the mind.
Xi Jinping is the classic twenty-first century autocrat who now presides over the Chinese Communist Party and the peoples’ republic founded by Mao Zedong. He is in absolute command of the “vanguard party” that is now revising democracy in Hongkong while the world is preoccupied with a pandemic.
The Chinese Communist party never bothered with the question of its right to rule until the current leader who has now become the leader for life. These new autocrats are legalists!
In September 2015, Wang Qishan Vice President of the republic and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s de facto right-hand man explained the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) at the World Dialogue 2015” conference in Beijing. The idea was not to explain to the Chinese people. The idea was to tell the world.
He explained that “the legitimacy of the Communist party of China that practices free market capitalism was enshrined in history and popular support from the people. The Party is the choice by the people. The party was the voice of the people.”
This brand of contrived legal ‘Authoritarianism’ seems to be another new virus with a global reach.
In Sri Lanka, we now hear of the massive mandate given by ‘the sixty-nine lakhs ‘for an efficient governance mechanism’ with a strategy to “Remove all inefficiencies and make people’s responsive government “(National Policy Framework Vistas of Prosperity and Splendor)
That is how it unravels. Hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue. The 21st Century legalistic autocrat converts an election victory to an office for a defined period, to enact legal reforms for all time.
The envisaged constitutional changes have only one purpose – the resolute command and grip of all institutions of the state.
A democracy can easily slide into a tyranny. When a society is reconciled to pervasive pillage of the public purse, when civic society is all but extinct , when the ruling elite is dedicated primally to enrich themselves and the people are devoid of any kind of civic virtue the democracy morphs in to a tyranny.
As Hannah Arendt understood, laws and constitutions are paper tigers. In the face of political power, and even in the face of violence, laws offer little protection—unless they are defended.
World over, legal autocracy is on the rise. The existing constitution and the existing democratic space are both used to subvert and crush both.
Autocratic rule produces an interesting byproduct. It fosters idiocy. The Argentinian novelist Jorge Luis Borges who wrote the classic short story “A tired man’s utopia’ described the mind as the greatest asset of a human. For, without a mind a man is nothing. The more oppressive the political order, the greater is its compulsion to assault the mind of the citizenry.
“It is not enough for the autocratic state to oppress and exploit. It must make the people idiotic as well “wrote Borges. “The wrong full bullet is preceded and accompanied by a series of idiotic lies and the moronic intelligentsia being so accustomed to such regular morainic diets will not even dare to squirm “.
The parliamentary elections on 5th August is the window of opportunity for the powerless to demonstrate power. How do the powerless assert their power? It is by dissent and opposition to those who demand a two thirds majority to rewrite the rules.
All of us are either victims or agents of oppression. The political class will survive the ordeal. We the powerless can survive only by one means- dissent and opposition. That requires us to trust truth and challenge the false and the fake.
The Czech playwright Václav Havel who later led his country as President for four terms wrote a powerful essay which he captioned – the Power of the Powerless.
He wrote it when his tortured land was gripped in moral rot. He was contemptuous of socialist tyranny and heartless free marketeering. Both were evil. The political system was infused with lies and misrepresentations.
The ‘Power of the Powerless’ identified the concerned citizen with a conscience as the true repository of power that can change the system. If you bang your head against the wall of tyranny long enough and hard enough, sooner than later, the wall will crumble.
On 5th August we must record our dissent and opposition to a system where lies are inherent, and hypocrisy permeates all levels.
By playing the game as Havel told his people in his essay “Citizens actively support this legitimization by playing the game and buying into the lie. All those who live within the lie confirm the system, fulfil the system, make the system, are the system”.
That is fair enough but there is no dignity in living a lie. The only way to lead a dignified life is to view one’s life, and live it, as a moral act by always seeking the truth.
In its simplest form, dissent is the attempt to regain control over one’s own sense of responsibility. It is a conscious decision that anybody can make, at any time, despite the pervading ideology one might be living in.
We must resist and reject the hypnotic charm of the vistas of prosperity and splendor as promised by the virtuous disciplinarian.
Common sense dictates that we should be guided by the current market prices of Masoor Dhal and canned Jack Mackerel.
Our democracy has become a spectacle of ephemeral promises. The language of politics is unhinged from reality.
What is frightening is the fear that the person who calls the bluff of the corrupt system is perceived as a fool, eccentric or both. Dissent is not an option. It is an imperative.
This essay is dedicated to J who has a tormenting passion for persons in unmitigated despondency for no fault other than their accidental birth into misery.
rj1952 / July 23, 2020
The demand made by the criminal hora boru SLPP has brought a shudder to the voting public, those Lankan expatriates and the sincere well-wishers of the Kota Uda bankrupt nation a speciality creation by the Rajapuka’s along with their uncouth unsavoury mates.
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When the always has to be no.1 leader of the nation Mahindan Rajapuka bought over the members of the UNP opposition amended the constitution to enable him along with his bogus lawyer son to stay on and on in power.
He was so cocky that he brashly called for a presidential election much before its due date due to being a petty greedy for power, at which he was soundly defeated and with the introduction of the 19th amendment his wet dream of being president for life evaporated into thin air.
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Sadly after a night of hoppers for dinner at the expense of the malnourished starving peasants his deputy played a master-piece of a coup which caught him with his amude right down to his toes.
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Now that the kallathoni war criminal has by hook or by crook by frightening the panties off the petty-minded racist modayas 6.9 million of them is now seated on the right royal latrine squatting away to high glory.
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Eagle Eye / July 23, 2020
rj1952,
“kallathoni war criminal”
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Kallathoni war criminals are LTTE Tamil terrorist barbarians who slaughtered Sinhalayo for three decades.
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Dilshan / July 24, 2020
Sinhala government are the Murderers who raped killed the innocent Tamils from 1956 peaking in 2009 and continuing.
These Murderers will soon get the electric chair thanks for electing war criminal as President
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N. Perera / July 27, 2020
Looters and robbers of Heladiva. This is the only country for Sinhalese Aryans, definitely, our King Gotabaya getting the two-third majority. We need a referendum later stage. Remove 12% allocation and bring that into 5% again or make 7%, more than 40% Sinhalese Aryans (Sinhalese Families) should deploy in North. This country belongs to Sinhalese Aryans, same as Malaysia belongs to Malays, Japan belongs to Japanese, Korea belongs to Koreans, Thailand belongs to Thai, Cambodia belongs to Cambodians, Nepal belongs to Nepalese, Butan belongs to Bhutanese, Afganistan belongs Afghans, Iran belongs to Iranians, Indonesia belongs to Indonesians, Fiji belongs to Fijians, Maldive belongs to Maldivians, Myanmar (Burma) belongs to Burmese and Middle East belongs to Arabs. Our 3 forces completely wiped out LTTE and LTTE leadership also. Never ever allow terrorists to come out againt Sinhalese Aryans.
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Eagle Eye / July 23, 2020
rj1952,
23 July 1983 is the day that kallathoni Tamil terrorists killed thirteen ‘Ranaviruwo’ of the Sri Lankan Army in an ambush. Tamils do not talk about the cause of ‘Black July’ but highlight the effect.
Who supplied the land mine to ‘Boys’ is still a mystery.
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Sinhala_Man / July 24, 2020
Please examine this other story carefully – tomorrow.
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https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-enliven-economic-revival/
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Not everybody can write as well as Sarath, but we’ve got to encourage the young, don’t yout think?
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GATAM / July 24, 2020
Valid point. If Tamils didn’t kill those 13 soldiers, there wouldn’t be a Black July. Tamils also shy away from admitting Black August 1977 where Sinhalese were evicted out of Jaffna and stole their land. This repeated in another Black August in 1990 when Tamils evicted Muslims from Jaffna and stole their land. Black July is nothing in comparison.
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Rohan25 / July 24, 2020
Tamils never evicted any Sinhalese in 1977 and the Sinhalese never owned any land in Jaffna . This was a lie deliberately created by the then JR government and now you , as an excuse to start a state sponsored pogrom. A state sponsored pogrom against a targeted minority is deliberately starts with the spread of these lied. The Muslims in Jaffna again were only a microscopic minority and were dirt poor and hardly owned land again to steal anything. They were chased away for their treachery towards the Tamils and were not harmed. The killing of 13 soldiers ( Not innocent civilians) who are taking part in combat with the LTTE is no excuse , to start a state sponsored pogrom , that was well planned long before this and they were just waiting for an excuse. The Sri Lankan state had already burned the Jaffna library , the oldest library in Asia and had proof and documents with regards to the antiquity of the Tamils in the island . The government deliberately targeted and burnt the library as they did not want the truth to come out. As for the Sinhalese and Muslims they had killed over 300000 innocent Tamils , ethnically cleansed over a million to
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Rohan25 / July 24, 2020
overseas lands , largely to the west never to return, What about the killings and ethnic cleansing of around 100000 Tamil Hindus by heavily armed Muslim home guards by the Sri Lankan state? Their once ancient Hindu Tamil villages now converted to Islamic villages and the original Hindu Tamil owners still now allowed to return? These converted South Indian fake Arab largely low caste Tamil Muslims only arrived in the east a few centuries ago begging for their lives , when no one wanted them. The were not wanted in their South Indian homeland, the Portuguese were killing them , and the Sinhalese did not want more of them in their Kandyan areas , so they were packed off to the Tamils of the east to give refuge, land and start families. Now these ungrateful people are turning against the same people who gave them refuge , a life a place to stay and are trying to steal their land in the name of Wahhabi Islam and a fake Arab origin and imported Gulf Arab culture.
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Eagle Eye / July 24, 2020
Rohan25,
Demalu started evicting Sinhalayo in 1958. There was a sizable Sinhala community in Yapanaya engaged in business. I know a Sinhala family that produced fiberglass boats in Yapanaya. All the bakeries were operated by people from Matara. Tamil mobs attacked them in 1958 forcing them to leave Yapanaya. Army rescued them and brought them to Anuradhapura.
There was a Sinhala school in Yapanaya. Who burnt down that Sinhala school?
Sinhalayo could not own land in Yapanaya because of the Malabar Customary Law called ‘Thesawalamei’ that Vellala Demalu use to keep land under their control. Even now, Sinhalayo cannot buy land in Yapanaya but Demalu can buy land in the South.
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Pandi Kutti / July 26, 2020
You may be and forgetful but I am not . It is two million , Do not forget the million Malayaka Thamizh who were deliberately made stateless by the Chingkalla state soon after independence. Why they are not human and do not count to both of you? I can understand a Chingkalla racist with an English name conveniantly forgetting them but you. Well what can you expect from a nitpicking self hating Thamizh
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Pandi Kutti / July 26, 2020
Repeat Thamizh never evicted Chingkallams anywhere and these are lies that Chingkalla racists keep on repeating justify their atrocities. Voluntarily leaving and evicting are two completely different things . Other than in a few Chingkalla villages found in Vavuniya south , there were hardly any Chingkallams in the north and they never owned land outs side these few southern Vavuniya Chingkalla villages. The premises for these bakeries run by the Chingkallams in Jaffna were rented out from the Thamizh
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Pandi Kutti / July 24, 2020
Yes this is what a Chingkalla Poutha Fascist Pikku Omalpai Sokamana Therai has stated and now all Chingkalla racists and Thulluka opportunists are repeating and parroting his words to justify what they did. What about all killings, ethnic cleansing and dispossession of over 2 million Thamizh at the hands the Chingkalla state , the Chingkalla armed forces , police , thugs and the Indian Thamizh Thulluka Islamic Thugs and home guards from the time of independence to now? What they expect the Thamizh to constantly keep quiet and be at the receiving end of all this discrimination and violence from the Chingkalla state, the armed forces/police and the immigrant Islamic Thullukans? All this in their own land. No Chingkallams were expelled in 1977 and Chingkallams owning land in Jaffna! Where ? Please provide details. The 13 soldiers went to Jaffna to fight and kill Thamizh or repress them and the LTTE killed them . SO what is the big deal ? This is their job either to win, die or get injured in combat. Lots of LTTE and Thamizh got killed at the hands of Chingkallams , Chingkalla soldiers and Thulluka thugs and home guards , over 145000 in May 2009 alone , that the UN is still pretending to investigate. You, the Chingkallams , the Thulluka traitors and these Therais are very silent about this. Please start croaking about this and the Therais too.
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Stanley / July 24, 2020
Pandi Kutti, are you sure it was 2 million? Thamizhachi thangapandian awaits.
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SJ / July 24, 2020
The piglet is weak in reasoning and weaker in mathematics.
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Pandi Kutti / July 26, 2020
You may be and forgetful but I am not . It is two million , Do not forget the million Malayaka Thamizh who were deliberately made stateless by the Chingkalla state soon after independence. Why they are not human and do not count to both of you? I can understand a Chingkalla racist with an English name conveniantly forgetting them but you. Well what can you expect from a nitpicking self hating Thamizh
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leelagemalli / July 28, 2020
SJ,
:
You ask us not to use the such terms, but you yourself use them here – ” PIGLET”. ?
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Stanley / July 24, 2020
GATAM they also forget the Tamil leader VP slaughtering Sinhala villagers time and time again to instigate another anti-Tamil riot. The government of the day repeatedly urged the Sinhala people not to react and they did not. The lives of innocent Tamils still mean nothing to Tamil leaders.
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N. Perera / July 27, 2020
Thanks to J.R. Jayawardana who masterminded the 1983 July massacre, he new Kallathonies who robbed and looted Sinhalese country Heladive’s wealth.
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N. Perera / July 24, 2020
“Petty-minded racist modayas 6.9 million” this is the way he insulting to Sri Lankans, I am sure he is one of the Terrorists Oriented and LTTE bas–.d. Sri Lanka need a leaders like J.R. JAYAWARDANA who gave good lessons to TAMILS in 1983 July. This bas–d should know Racists are better than Terrorists
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Pandi Kutti / July 26, 2020
Please visit your relatives living in the kuppams in Southern Thamizh Nadu, with some rotten Pears. Just take your self that will do
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N. Perera / July 27, 2020
Let them go to MADRAS(CAL) where the Madrascals are living
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Ajith / July 23, 2020
The choice for people:
Democracy or Dictatorship
People Rule or Family Rule
Rule of law or Military law
I am sure the people are educated enough to understand the differences between these comparision.Don’t listen to what they promises during election time. Think rationally. We are human race, not animal race. We love humanity. We love people. Your choice has consequences. If you make a right decision, you will be happy forever. If you make a wrong decision, you will be in stress forever.
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Eagle Eye / July 23, 2020
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.
For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 23, 2020
Dear Sir
Thank you.
“Citizens actively support this legitimization by playing the game and buying into the lie. All those who live within the lie confirm the system, fulfil the system, make the system, are the system”.
– We have been doing that since 1977 elections……the worst form of democratic blunder from North to south???………No one cried foul is because the FP/ITAK/TULF/JVP cried foul for the responses they received…….or rather the unsuspecting public was used/put in the harms way for the “game” by other be ok??
– Then we killed off all those who can think for the Country who did not have a military to back up their mandate given by the voters?? So we ware left with what we got and need to make the best of it????? No one is saying is a perfect bunch but one has to accept the reality?? Why should not all the so called intellectuals from all other parties work together to pool the talents for a National Plan??
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 23, 2020
– Accepted foreign interference/foreign run training camps for our children. As a Nation had no answers to??.
– The fact we are an unruly lot of people is proven beyond reasonable doubt requires not democracy but rule of law applied by a capable authority?? It was a matter of time we are all brought to the books???
– We were being lynched systamatically since 1970 FP/ITAL/TULF and JVP did not inform the Nation/world??? How many Lynch mob articles were written then………did we count the death from North to South each and every one or been selective in our body counts?? perhaps one prefer the selective count by the killers as a democratic way forward???
– Any hate crimes and revenges are not for the GOSL but the makers to fix them in the first place…….GOSL can not be scapegoat for the current predicament is the point..and the racial hatred is because so many people got killed by various armed and political groups that has created the Hurd mentality??
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punchinilame / July 23, 2020
That 6.9 million wanted a real change – a non-politician to lead however it was
from a rouge family, unfortunately.
The present Students can come to the rescue as a last resort with their Votes intelligently and this time coxing the Voters in their families to use it wisely – for the last time, if Sri Lanka wants PEACE and DEMOCRACY, in the future.
Is not voting an option these times?
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 23, 2020
– Corruption is very high amongst the elected that need to addressed after the elections………how can one address the National Question Corruption of a mega scale that is responsible for all we have as a Nation? if not for this blunder we would have been a developed Nation a long time ago??
– Most of the corruption also due to the geo political game players continue to play us all by “any other means” too??? Only a military outfit can solve that???
– It is better we do not have elections for another 20 years in SL until basic foundations are laid for human habitation and send all the Political parties and their members to the paddy fields to work???
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GATAM / July 23, 2020
Unravelling of Rajapaksa power has begun. Now they fight each other. A Gota’s candidate said there are asses and horses in their list. Basil (for obvious reasons) took offence.
Wimal and Johnston are going at each other. Sarath and Wimal are going at each other.
They know their support is limited. So they are in a death match to get into parliament.
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Ajith / July 23, 2020
GATIM,
Today I found two interesting news items.
One new item said that in the electronic Birth Certicate the race and religion will be removed. Only – “Srilankan” will be there. In another news item, Weerawanse said, that Prime Minister (Mahinda Rajapakse) has ordered to stop removing the race and religion. This shows battle between Gota and Mahinda started as expected.
In another news item: Mahinda Rajapakse in an election meeting talked that the Midwifes will not go to Sajith Premadasa house because he has no children. The human rights people say that Mahinda should apologised Sajith wife for making such as comment which hurts women in general.
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 23, 2020
Dear All
With the removal of Married Status of the Parents requirement in the certificate (which has caused problems to children in school admissions), Race and Religion in the birth certificates is an amazing progressive thoughts to bring the country together.
Hopefully with the 2/3 majority we will have compulsory military service will resolve all else.
Ban all Race and Religious parties once and for all will be the next step.
Remove Indian Embassy from Jaffna.
Would the fish stock in the park strait be returned to the Jaffna fishermen hopefully with the Indian Navy undertaking the patrolling task to keep the Indian theifs away from SL waters?
Anyone who can contribute to Nation building should only ever be elected for public service thereafter, fielded as candidates will result in lawyers going back to doing what should do to make a living……..then again no crime means less work should focus on property/divorce related work should be sufficient without the tax payer money and the cosy family life. That means people like us can return and enjoy a bit of normal life away from washing someone else’s toilets few thousand miles away? Do not have to worry who is around to kill you all the time??
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 23, 2020
sorry I missed out Language based parties too be banned tq
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SJ / July 24, 2020
TV
“Ban all Race and Religious parties once and for all will be the next step.”
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It will be as successful as prohibition, once tried out in the US, parts of India and Sri Lanka.
Net outcome: illicit liquor thrived.
I leave it to anybody’s imagination to see the parallels.
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 24, 2020
Dera SJ
Are you saying banning Race/Religious/Language parties would not work?? because it will keep raising its ugly heads everywhere?? or you saying it is not democratic to do so??
I was only thinking of how all these were used to kill the fellow man under various disguises in SL?? now we are 70+ years old and a bit more matured as to what will work for us and what will not as we have all lost loved ones in the process??
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SJ / July 25, 2020
TV
I do. It has nothing t do with democracy but has much to do with practicality.
Banning a label will not alter the content.
Communal and sectarian politics can work even under secular labels.
That besides, can you ban a party that calls itself Dhamma Party or Good Lord Party? That is a fairly simplistic scheme but escapes the clutch of the law.
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A Party calling itself Justice Party or Freedom Party or any other innocuous name can have a worse communal agenda than an explicitly religious or racial party.
Will “AaNDa paramparai” be a permissible label?
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Think of the parallel: Illicit liquors was sold in any name but liquor under prohibition. It was sold under the table, outside the shop perimeter, and under the nose of law enforcement officers.
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Until parochial thinking is defeated there is no shortcut to social unity.
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 25, 2020
Dear SJ
Cool and I get it? Parochial thinking is wrong is what has been proven wrong time and time again. Say for example we do the milestones/bench marking from the say of the Independence….what we were as people then (1948) to now(2020) and the way political forces which we all claim to be Parochial has caused all the problems?? Sinhalese have their own version, Tamils have their own version and muslims have their own version, Burgers/Christians have their own version etc..and the several versions that existed within the so called communities too well before colonial time/during colonial times and the post colonial times.
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 25, 2020
continued
Say I have been given a task from day one as as the Head of State with all other administrative tools + Community representation and want to develop the nation to be a successful place from where we inherited Mother Lanka etc. I need to identify and prioritise issues that needs solutions some are immediate and some are not so etc. Some form the back born of the country and others are nice to have etc and this can only work with all others contribution too.
To do this in a democracy we needed the elected someone from each and every community to identify problems (we all appreciate we were all learning on the job from PM to the MP’s to the local municipal councillors) what are the problems at community/local/constituent level to the district level to the National level correct?(remembering we were only connected through these folks and the printed news papers/radios then).
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 25, 2020
continued
Every time we run into problem we shouted and screamed and formed new parties….the journey from Ceylon Congress to all the parties we today over time. Every election we had more and more parties….there are signs here of exactly what we are saying is about politicians not fulfilling the scope (some sincerely thought they did and some did not) and some milestone decisions we kept blaming as the cause and effect of all the issues…………I skip few decades and come to 1970 specially 1970 post election and can speak for the North as a Jaffna Man….we did not have any issues that needed arm struggle then as we were where we were and needed to economically develop matters for the empowerment of people. Without stating the obvious having politicians failed matters systematically through their own choice to keep a blind eye to the job scope they embarked and focused on National level events they felt sell better than their own job performance…rather they found reasons for their own failure to deliver what they have been elected to deliver..from Economics to Social justice at local levels…….when we practiced the same in 1970 it proved there was hue gap in what people have been brain washed into being in the bubble vs ground realities…..
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 25, 2020
Given what we inherited (from Parochial mindset historically to new versions of the same Parochial state of affairs post Indepndence) we as a Nation was governed by a very reasonable bunch of people who has put their life on the line (like Hon SWRD) to keep the Nation going until better times…..and 1970 was a great opportunity in terms of National state of affairs/Regional state of Affairs/International state of affairs to break from the past and move up a level would have let us into the new Asian Economic successes. It was not to be because there were 2 groupings one is the FP/ITAK and the other JVP(I wish they finished their studies in a great educational nation like ours to be the next generation to carry the Nations capability requirements) played a totally unacceptable roll (is the same story in each and every developing countries who failed/development state mode forever/infightings that has killed more than the colonial times and the pandemics put together).
There is a journey wen followed to get to the Authors point about Lynch mob by another name??
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 25, 2020
What we have collectively done is to aggravate the rural Sinhalese who needed to come on board and accept the post colonial realities of Indian workers living in their mists managing an export crop that had nothing whatsoever to do with the future of free Sri Lanka. The GOSL set out to resolve that with the Indian government and had Citizenship act?? What did SJV did is an unacceptable crime that is to challenge this as the first of many blunders and put the SL Tamil people on the wrong trajectory, then to bring this issue to Jaffna and made this their issue is even more of a bigger blunder which was rejected by the people of Jaffna initially, he should have stood for elections just as the leftist parties did in those areas and represented them as an Independent candidate/workers congress would have been the appropriate thing to do from a human rights point of view. Like Corona a contained issue that needed solution (if there any needed over and beyond the agreements with the Indian government)…it also equally to do with with their future too that the identified grouping for repatriation be amongst their own people for a better dignified future in the long run?? This was a political milage making without any mandate/qualifications to do so in the first place??
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 25, 2020
Having put the Nation on the wrong footing he set out to challenge all else that were to come as discussions in any National planning including the Language issue/Land use?? This is another issue FP politically benefitted from…..the rest is a history repeated many time over did not have an impact as Sri Lankan Tamils got fed up with the lack of development work in their areas.once more FP blamed on the GOSL…how many elections you vote for the same issues until 1970 that no longer affect you and have any relevance?? specially when fellow citizens needed empowerment too….
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 23, 2020
who is around to kill you whilst they talked about Democracy and the protection that democracy has given them to be alive well away from the same laws they have sighted for human right violation for the born free.
2/3 majority should ensure the Language, culture, religions belongs to all and no one allowed to defend that at gun point….haves and have nots yes one can defend..one for all and all for one yeas can defend..no other bizarre concepts and ghetto making should ever again be allowed. Should bring laws like the ones in Malaysia a National Security Act that should make any culprit disappear never to be seen again.
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 23, 2020
Continued
even though we were opposed to FP/TULF we did not challenge the election results in 1977 however undemocratic this was then in Jaffna. Out of respect for the democracy etc. We did not call the people lunch mob etc. Awaited our tune until 1981 then the same folly now equipped with poisoned children in foreign lands to remove decent.
Now it is a matter of respect for the SL decide and we live by their choices as they have all lost someone is the point……..now we start the new scaremongering Lynch mob etc for reasons???????We are still living by the Northern and Eastern Tamil voters electing the TNA??????
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Ajith / July 23, 2020
The constitution gives priority to Buddhism. If Buddhism is removed from this country, everything will solve.
Gota, are you prepared to give up Buddhism out of the country?
Mahinda, Are you prepared to remove all the Buddhist Temples and Buddha’s statues from this country as Mr. Thiyagarajah Venugopal suggested?
What a beautiful Srilanka withhout any Monks?
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Eagle Eye / July 23, 2020
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Native Vedda / July 24, 2020
Eagle Brain Dead Blind Eye
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Brilliant
Thanks for keeping it brief
Keep up your good work.
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Eagle Eye / July 24, 2020
Native (Fake) Vedda,
You have become the comedian in CT Forum like Kawata Andare in Rajawasala.
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a14455 / July 23, 2020
Idiot, without Buddhism there is no Sri Lanka. and Nor will the monks go anywhere.
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Native Vedda / July 24, 2020
a14455
–
“Idiot, without Buddhism there is no Sri Lanka.”
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If it is the case lets remove (Sinhala)/Buddhism.
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“and Nor will the monks go anywhere.”
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They have millions of options.
1. Send them to Middle East Medieval Kingdom
2. Deport them to their natural homeland South India.
3. Build an isolated underground city, place them there along with soma, Eagle, Dayan, Kamal, Assgiria, Malawattus, you, ….. Gota and whoever believes this is Sinhala/Buddhist country.
4. UAE has sent its first rocket to Mars. They may need some cleaners to clean their living quarters on the Mars.
5. The number of labourers who are willing to work in Tea, rubber Estates is decreasing. Saffron Brigade could help them.
6. ….
….
..
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soma / July 24, 2020
and Tamils.
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Soma
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Native Vedda / July 24, 2020
soma
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“and Tamils”
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And what about them?
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soma / July 25, 2020
NV
Ask Ajith who says:
“The constitution gives priority to Buddhism. If Buddhism is removed from this country, everything will solve.
Gota, are you prepared to give up Buddhism out of the country?
Mahinda, Are you prepared to remove all the Buddhist Temples and Buddha’s statues from this country as Mr. Thiyagarajah Venugopal suggested?
What a beautiful Srilanka withhout any Monks?”
You know Native Soma is very flexible for a bargain.
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Soma
(Every Sinhalese should read Colombo Telegraph regularly)
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Native Vedda / July 25, 2020
soma
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“What a beautiful Srilanka withhout any Monks?””
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Are you still angry with your absentee father?
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The issue is not whether Sri Lanka is beautiful with or without monks. What we ought to be discussing is the issue is “WHO LET THE BARKING MONKS OUT” , they should have been confined to monasteries, as they should be meditating and growing their own food, tending to patients, teaching Awakened one’s teaching, …. especially Malwattu and Asgiria should ban politicians visiting them, crooks get priority over the ordinary innocent public. What a shame.
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“The constitution gives priority to Buddhism. If Buddhism is removed from this country, everything will solve”
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Even the Invaders couldn’t remove traditional religion from this island. That is not the problem, it is those crooks who use religions as a cover to hide their crooked behaviour in their own interest have been the real problem.
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The war criminals including the one who believes he is a strongman, invoke buddhism to stay afloat among the stupid people.
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Did you have a good time on 23 July remembrance day?
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soma / July 26, 2020
You are addressing me or Ajith?
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Soma
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Native Vedda / July 26, 2020
soma
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“You are addressing me or Ajith?”
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Through you all the nasty little racist little islanders if hat fits.
It essentially mean you too.
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Momentous20 / July 23, 2020
A fine expose on the current and the immediate to follow. To the acrobats of 2010, gymnastics of 2020 are more than easy. If 50 + is in the offing, 2/3 + is for sure in a week and 5/6 + in two weeks or less. Smooth sailing thereafter is well detailed by the author. A Provincial Council for a second eleven when the first eleven itself is destined to be the House of Commons of Oliver Cromwell, is ‘A Redundant Waste’. What has it done in the 32 years of somnolence? Nobody dare answer.
The future seems clear.
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Mallaiyuran / July 24, 2020
There are two democracies, in practice. 1).Liberal Democracy – Educated, Civilized, thoughtful, philosophical people rule themselves. 2).Third World Democracy- racists, powerful, criminal, manipulative, majoritarian hypocrites rule the weak. I don’t have to tell, but Lankawe is in the 2nd class on this. Its inherent nature of the people is not suitable for (Liberal) Democracy. Fixing of this problem does not take place by voting to A- party or not voting for A-Patty & vice versa with the B-Party, too. Either Party A or B, in those cases, only manipulative unions of same class of people, but no real political parties with opposing policies-philosophes, which is an extremely important component for democracy stem from. People temped to compare the mistake of these nasty unions with developed world, but they never have had any good or right thing to compare with any countries in the world. For example, Lankaweyans never compare them with tiny Singapore how it developed so fast but compare with America on war, while America is a country massive and dominant, frequently get involved international politics.
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Mallaiyuran / July 24, 2020
This article hinges on a notion that if people not voting for Slap Party (vote for UNP) this time, Lankawe can become the promised “Miracle of Asia”, otherwise it is going to turn into a cesspool. Almost this is what the CC supporters advocated in the previous election (Jan 2015). The Slogan was “vote for CC- get the Miracle of Asia; fail from that, then be white vanned to hell.” But the unknown angel, for whom people voted with abundant hope to restore Law and order, refused appoint a Law Order Minister, instead fired the Bribery Commission Director, fearing his & others corruption may get investigated. That Angel, to bring the known devil back to power, set up suicide bombers to 3 Tamils Churches and 3 Foreign Tourist hotels. So the devil was back again on the driver seat. And so how is one more election, too. So, the country too, rolling on same slippery slope from 1948.
This election is not going to fix anything irrelevant of who wining or who losing. Only way to fix Lankawe is, Sinhala Intellectuals, instead of deporting up country Tamils to India, they should let the Tamils to go to Tamil Eelam- North East. That is the only way.
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soma / July 24, 2020
Mallaiyuran
You have finally agreed with my proposal for a separate Homeland for all Tamils ( Tamil speaking people scattered across the island irrespective of their religion, caste or the date of arrival)
Tamil desire to live among the Sinhalese is the Himalayan obstacle.
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Soma
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Native Vedda / July 24, 2020
soma
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“You have finally agreed with my proposal for a separate Homeland for all Tamils”
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No, I haven’t.
I have thought about it and found that you need a separate space, an underground city where …… refer above.
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Mallaiyuran / July 24, 2020
Thanks Somu,
It sounds like you and me telling the something, but still we are at the different planes. Tamil’s Tamil Eelam is not a separation from all life on the earth. It is another country acceptable to international norms and UN conventions. So in Tamil Eelam no laws against minorities will be allowed. It is secular Democracy. State will stay away from religion, as it said in US constitution. Race based Sinhalese or Malay (Arabic) differences will not be there. There is no idea of pooling any race, religion or Language in Tamil Eelam. Tamil Eelam is for those who peacefully living there. The first referendum will be based on the votes of citizens lived in North East, at the time of 1976 Vaddukoddai Convention. Tamil Eelam will not deport anybody for reason of religion, race or Language. Once earlier Chandrika & LTTE did it in Jaffna on a different perspective. First Muslims & then Tamils were sent out. Any country deports Tamils will not be accepted in Tamil Eelam without legitimacy based recruitments. That issue will be dealt with UN. Lankawe cannot create and export criminals like Cuba did to Florida. We will be asking UN to use R2P to make sure no Pakistan situation take place. Those who premise to blood bath will be forced out of Tamil Eelam after losing civic rights.
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soma / July 25, 2020
Mallaiyuran
Don’t tell these to Jaffna Tamils – they will run away. We are already accommodating +50% of you here.
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Soma
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soma / July 25, 2020
And those in the South will rather hang themselves than moving into Ealam you have planned for them.
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Soma
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Native Vedda / July 25, 2020
somass
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“We are already accommodating +50% of you here.”
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Close down all armed forces’ camps and withdraw those goons who are occupying areas where they are not needed nor welcome. In fact these goons are living off the state resources protecting the crooks/murderers and exploiting the ordinary people.
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Once the goons and their fat generals are removed from areas where ordinary people can go back to their natural habitats or prefered areas.
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Dump racists like you cannot understand ordinary people’s concern.
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soma / July 26, 2020
Native
You will not be able to persuade a SINGLE TAMIL FAMILY presently living in Sinhala majority provinces to go there. There lies the insurmountable obstacle for our Homeland project.
.
By the way, the Caliphate will be accommodated inside a greater Ealam or alongside a cutdown version of Ealam?
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Soma
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soma / July 24, 2020
Dictatorship is governing with LESS than one-third consent not MORE than two-thirds consent.
If your representative is not behaving in your interest only God can help you.
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Soma
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Native Vedda / July 24, 2020
somass
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“If your representative is not behaving in your interest only God can help you.”
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Which God, Upulvan, Saman, Bandāra, Pattini, Kataragama deviyo, Murugan, Brahma, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Shiva, Durga, Kali, Saneeswara, Saraswati, …. Allah, …. ?
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soma / July 25, 2020
NV
Your Sun God.
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Soma
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Native Vedda / July 25, 2020
somass
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“Your Sun God.”
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My Sun God?
Since when?
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President Premadasa and crook MR made religious offering to your defender the Sun God.
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soma / July 26, 2020
Since the day he killed 13 soldiers.
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Soma
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Native Vedda / July 26, 2020
somass
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“Since the day he killed 13 soldiers.”
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If that is the the case why wasn’t equally mad Patabendi Don Jinadasa Nandasiri Wijeweera (who in 1971 killed 37 police officers and 26 armed services personnel) anointed as father of sun god or perhaps grandfather of sun and other gods?
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What then about Somawansa, ….. Udugampola, Gota, Sarath, Mahinda, …. Kamal, … all other psychopaths, perhaps they are God of Small Things?
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Kuviyam / July 24, 2020
Some of the comments use the word Kalathoni forgetting the fact Vijayan father of Singhal race was a Kallatoni form Kalinga state That proves ethnic hatred of the writer The main question is whether the Voters are prepared to give a two-third majority to Mahinda dynasty to rule as Ruhunu king in the alternative if Mahinda fails to get two-third Majority what can Jaith group do to the country There is saying in Tamil which says whether Raavan or Rama ruled the country there is no change for the ethnic crisis The most point issues are
Deteriorating economy
Rise in Unemployment
Rising HR violations
Repeating loan obtained from China
Hard hit Tourism and Hotel industry
ME labor market
Foreign investments at jeopardy
all these will lead to poverty among rural masses
Unless the voters think and vote intelligently the country is doomed
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Stanley / July 24, 2020
Kuviyam,
.
‘Some of the comments use the word Kalathoni…’
.
Before you start pointing fingers just read what Pandi Kutti has written above. This racist piglet is only surpassed in ignorance by Johnpillai rj1952.
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SJ / July 25, 2020
You use a term “Kallatoni ” to refer to a people. That is a Tamil word once used derisively against not just illegal immigrants but any plantation worker outside the estate.
I guess one can be more sensitive about the words that one uses and how they can hurt, even unintentionally.
*
You seem to have a bee in your bonnet about China.
Are loans from the IMF, ADB and Japan OK, I wonder.
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Hora Cornelian / July 24, 2020
Very true Sarath.
=
If things are allowed to continue in the present fashion, very soon Rajapaksa family will start legitimising claims of ‘double’ fake degree from universities like Harvard and Cornell, and even award the ‘prestigious’ Graetian award to gutter English writers of Colombo (dishonouring its previous recipients like Gene Solomons and Madawattegedara).
=
The only alternative is to send a playboy lorry businessman like Kumara Welgama to look after the interests of the poor of the country. He has showed his ‘colours’ and cars around Colombo and we know what he can do. And he will pay unsuccessful media hacks prepared to work for him.
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J, Arasanayagam / July 24, 2020
Mr De Alwis,
=
You say “The 19th Amendment has many flaws. They must be fixed. “
For heaven’s sake, how do you suggest the voters do that? The bloody thing was corruptly enacted (by bribing the 225 rogues the guarantee of a fixed term of 4 1/2 years, bypassing proper legal scrutiny) just to avoid Ranil being sacked again (it happened anyway).
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You people who were behind the Yamapalana conspiracy against Sinhala Buddhists are desperate on the face of impending wipe out on August 5, and seem to be making ridiculous proposals to restore Yamapalana curse on this country.
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Accept Maduluwawe Sobhita is dead and his idea against an efficient Executive Presidency died with him. The impotent leadership of Ranil and Sirisena proved the damage that stupid arrangements of s19A could do to economic progress and national security of the country, bringing in NGO kakkas to run the country.
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To hell with 19A, that has to go, and SLPP needs a 2/3 majority for a totally new constitution to restore Sinhala Buddhist heritage of the island, erasing the ravage of 1505-1948 and more. You certainly won’t like it.
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TOUGH LUCK to Lascarins.
=
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 25, 2020
Continued
….we were all studying in Tamil and Admin in Tamil too…and had religious freedoms unmatched anywhere else in the world except Buddhism was given state religion/preference for an entirely different reason to keep the agitation low until a better day. Then came the Tamil Nadu/Indian involvement having had the taste of intervening militarily to save GOSL in 1972 after the JVP handy-work saved the FP/ITAK/TULF recovery with the help of poisoning our children in their training camps. The current mindset of Buddhism can not be addressed without accepting the politicians cocky behaviour in duplicity that is to ask Indian Tamils to live and work the Sinhala majority areas and refuse access to Sinhala settlements everywhere else?? that is too Parochial would you not agree please?? Should SJV/FP invited all the Indians to come and live in Jaffna there would not be any FP left soon after its formation?? but would have been the right/moral call??? We Tamils do not even know the Indian Government never given 200000 ++ SL refugees in India the Indian Citizenship to date??? empowering their life a very long time ago too. We have an Indian Embassy in Jaffna??
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 25, 2020
No progressive Nation go down the memory lane for a better future except for making references/lessons learned that is useful for the future planning………I hope this upcomming GOSL make some fundamental changes to the constitution that will apply many lessons leaned to date. The answers to the problems lie also in Jaffna 1970-1977-1981 yet to be discussed by the world for their analysis and hope a Presidential task force is in order soon.
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / July 25, 2020
I have one of my nieces moved back with her family to Jaffna after the 2009 war ended (having moved to Kandy during the war). the amount of thuggery she and her fellow citizens dealt with in Jaffna has nothing whatsoever to do with the armed forces/security apparatus but to do with the elected having no relationship with the local need in a post war Community??? this is history repeating itself as how many times have you heard the daily needs of the people speech by the TNA in the parliament even after the NPC was in power?? it is always about GOSL and Buddhism the historical magic word to evade all our responsibilities/deliverables to masses…..how did we get here?? To rub the salt to wounds this behaviour will never serve those missing people and the innocent who may be loitering in the jail either?? Then the lot goes and affect the Jaffna campus too for more agitation and racial divides?? We all need to have the courage to state the obvious come what may will have the better effect off the Lynch mob if there is any such thing exist? or we wanting make one again through our own ignorance??lack of objectivity?? presenting the alternative universe of facts?
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chiv / July 27, 2020
Even before the eletions and a possible 2/3 tyranny , a military administrationis already set in motion. . MR being re elected as PM is forgone conclusion. This alone will help in stamping the current administration as a democratic process to International viewers.(like how the Chinese guy descrbed to the world).On top of that , now the debate is about, 2/3 or less. I agree with Momentous, it really dosent matter, what ever may be the results Lanka will reach to its own end. If Rajapaksas get what they want (2/3) the end may come sooner. I still remember how much Silly Sena tried to stay in power by extending his term, and if public hand over such power to any individual (especially Rajapaksas) , they who desrve the consequence. The resul of seventy years of Lankan politics “says it all”.
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