By Harishchandra Lokumanna –

Harishchandra Lokumanna

It did not take long for the people of Sri Lanka to realize that BBS and Ravana Balaya were both operational arms of MR and Gotabaya’s  Majoritarian agenda, which exposed  their joint  conspiracy to pinch the votes of  the Sinhala Buddhist masses by posing as their champion and suppressing  the just aspirations of the minorities of this country. BBS few weeks ago boasted that they will put forward their Sinhala Buddhist Champion Candidate and said that they were only waiting for the announcement regarding the common opposition candidate to do so. Our Cardboard Sando Gnanasara even sarcastically commented that no masculine figures with a moustache appear to be seen on the opposition side and only MR has a  moustache. That was the first indication he would have given to the country, as to who their choice will ultimately will be! However Alas! When the name of Maithripala Sirisena was announced, the wind was taken off their sails .We do not need any body language experts to tell us, that when he announced that their secret candidate was none other than MR, their sponsor and patron-saint, Gnanasara’s face at the Press Conference, did not have the same level of confidence and buoyancy, as he had at his previous ones. He expectedly sang his favourite chorus by claiming that those who extended support to the President’s challenger are traitors and part of an international conspiracy against the country aiming to reverse the victory of war through foreign pawns and dollar-funded campaigns.

Any user of the Facebook will see the type of adverse comments about Gnanasara in many Sinhala Buddhist sites, which earlier portrayed him as Wariyapola Sri Sumangala Thero reborn. (My Foot!). Sri Sumangala Thero incidentally was known for taking down the Union Jack and re-hoisting the Sinhalese lion flag, before the Kandyan Convention that handed over control of the country to the British in 1815. Gnanasara is now being branded as a traitor, an opportunist and a mere fox in sheep’s clothing by many of his earlier Sinhala Buddhist followers, judging from sample FB comments .

Gnanasara |Picture courtesy Foreign Correspondents’ Association of Sri Lanka Facebook page

BBS and Gnanasara in their interview blamed Ven Ratana Thero of JHU who co-spearheaded  the  campaign ‘Pivithuru Hetak’ (Clean Tomorrow) to abolish the Executive Presidency, for having destroyed the political future of former minister Patali Champika Ranawaka and Gammampila, both of  whom resigned from the government earlier this month. Please listen to the ex-Minister Champika Ranawaka who earlier sang hosannas for this impostor Gnanasara and his pseudo Sinhala Buddhist group BBS! In response to a question on his FB Page whether BBS support for MR will affect their campaign against MR, he said: BBS is no challenge for JHU as the JHU is a political movement with principles and which says what it does and does what it says’. What this means is that BBS has no principles and does not say what it does and does not do what it says’.

We now have Ravana Balaya too, following suit by extending their support to MR in this election campaign. Incidentally ,this group is another ‘unofficial policeman’, which along with BBS and Sinhala Ravaya, has also been given the right and powers by Gotabaya to walk into any Department or Corporation and ‘discipline them’ by taking the law into their hands  .  They made this announcement at their second annual congress held recently in Colombo. They too blamed Ven Ratana Thero for affecting  Ex-Minister’s political career. Humorously, this so called Sinhala Buddhist Sangha outfit, managed to raise eyebrows among common Buddhists in the country, when they organized  dances by traditional female dancers and traditional martial arts, quite unethically before a statue of Buddha at their meeting. (Who will walk into their meeting and take them to task?) .

Another ploy followed by Gnanasara at his Press Conferences, with his sheepish smile, was attempting to convince the Muslims, to whom he pronounced ‘Aba Saranai’ at his latest Aluthgama fiery meeting, to vote for MR, whom he say has done much to the Muslims and says he has never being  against the Muslims but only against Muslim extremism. Obviously, he is following His Master’s Voice to keep a low profile with regard to his Anti- Muslim hate campaign, when Gota himself is beginning to visit Muslim areas like Beruwela and stepping into their mosques to seek Muslim votes  for MR, and to erase his negative image among the Muslims. Gnanasara having more powers than a Minister and his well-organized security team and his immunity from prosecution, as well as his luxury vehicles amply proves this point about State sponsorship.

These type of goons are part of the conspiracy to create divisions among the Sinhala Buddhist people, who are equally, like their Tamil and Muslim brethren, demanding the abolition of the Executive Presidency as well as the repressive and corrupt MR Regime, while canvassing their votes for MR by instilling fear in them regarding ‘foreign conspiracies’. ‘It is not just the Tamils, but a wide majority of Sinhalese too are disillusioned with President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government’, Says much respected Ven  Sobitha Thero, leader of the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ). In an interview to The Hindu, he also said: “From the police force to the judiciary, the President has everything under his control. People who are corrupt are protected by the government and people are suffering…. “We need a government that will look after the interests of not just the Sinhalese, but also those of Tamils and Muslims. There cannot be any discrimination based on religion, caste or ethnicity’.

Therefore, I appeal to my fellow Sinhala Buddhists not to get into the death trap, these pseudo Buddhist Sangha outfits are laying to capture their votes, when all of us have now seen their true colours and how they have come out into the open to re-echo ‘ His Master’s Voice’  and defend their patron. We, as Sinhala Buddhists, as the majority community, have to set the tone and lead the campaign regarding the imperative need to change this corrupt and repressive family rule and replace it with a pro-people government which can re-coup the prestige of our Nation both internally and externally.

I think the UNP Statement says it all, although I am aware that the people will rise up against them as well if they attempt to start from where this MR Regime to ruin this country when they get elected. Their statement refers thus:

‘…..This is why the UNP has made the momentous and historic decision to endorse the legitimate Secretary General of the SLFP as the common opposition candidate. It was an unprecedented move of solidarity with our historic political rival. It is also an indication of the dire situation our country is facing and the realisation, across the party that this is no time for partisan, expedient politics. Victory in this election will bring a divided, fractured and wounded country together again. The victory of the common opposition candidate and the abolition of the executive presidency will herald a return to vibrant and diverse political expression. The reaction of the public to the news of the common candidacy has proven beyond all doubt that the people have grown greatly weary of Rajapaksa rule.

We urge all those who still keep faith with this corrupt, nepotistic regime. Hear the voices of the Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim people who want to live in this country without violence. Hear the call of the Buddhists, Christians and Hindus who wish not to be mired in religious tension and hatred. Listen to the corporate sector, public servants and those who are self-employed who only wish for a small share of the economic prosperity enjoyed by the ruling cabal.

We call on all of you to hear the voices of our people. Do not let them down at this hour. History shall judge us on where we stand at this juncture….’

It is important that all progressive forces unite such as JVP and even leftist parties in the coalition such as LSSP/ CP (What has happened to the firebrands such as Vasudeva and Athauda Seneviratna?). Anura Kumara should stop being non-committal and should get actively involved in canvassing for the Common Opposition Candidate Maithri. Their dilly dallying may favour MR in one way or another. Further, in the same way JHU though a communalist party has put the country’s interest above their petty racist interests, Muslim parties too, such as SLMC and others  as well as TNA should join hands with their Sinhala Buddhist brethren to topple this family anti- minority regime without propping them up  for petty monetary or short term gains. Both Muslim and Tamil masses will not forgive them if they take a stupid stand to stand by the dictatorial regime instead of standing upto it. SLMC must remember what they did when they voted for the 18^th Amendment and history will remember that blunder ,although they now regret. Sri Lanka’s Roman Catholics should also realize that MR will use the Papal visit to his advantage in this election. Although  the church has appealed that the Pope’s visit should not be used for political campaigning, already his image has been displayed in some campaign posters. All communities  have suffered under this regime.

We know very well that as an incumbent, MR can and will use his existing power (and state resources) to his advantage during the campaign as we have seen in earlier elections. Besides, he will use the War Triumph Card to attract mostly rural votes and also throw ‘NGO and Foreign conspiracy’ Cards around, to give him their franchise for the third time in succession;  this time to establish his family rule firmly in this Isle. It is therefore up to us not to make ourselves ‘Yatathwesiyoo’ meaning slaves or serfs  of  this MR Family Dynasty going down on our knees anymore; but instead to re-assert ourselves as ‘Puravesiyoo’ meaning citizens in this country by standing on our feet, by voting for a decisive political change and demanding due  accountability from the rulers we elect.