19 March, 2024

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Chathurika Hoodwinks Public; “Janadhipathy Thaththa” Written By Sachini Navarathne

The purported “daughter’s account” of President Maithripala Sirisena, titled ‘Janadhipathi Thaththa (‘Presidential Father’)’ was not written by his daughter Chathurika Sirisena, Colombo Telegraph can reveal today.

Chathurika

The book, was in fact written by Sachini Navarathne, an employee of Media Gang, which is an advertising agency owned by Ms Sirisena. The final proof was read by the President’s Media Advisor and former Editor-in-Chief of the Divaina (Sunday) Gamini Sumanasekera.

The much-hyped launch of the book took place at the BMICH on the 15th of September and was attended by almost half the cabinet of ministers.

Ms Sirisena’s ‘knowledge of Sinhala literature’ came in for high praise by novelist Kathleen Jayawardena at the launch, but it is now apparent that Ms Sirisena’s contribution was minimal and amounted to a recounting of personal memories which were transcribed and put together by Ms Navarathne.

It was pointed out by a critic that while it is not unusual for books about political elites to be written by ghostwriters it is surprising that one speaker grandly stated that it was the first time that a ‘first child’ had written about a presidential parent in this country.

“The burning issue is not about who actually wrote the book but whether state funds were used for the purpose and for the grand tamasha that was the launch,” the critic said.

Ms Sirisena had no involvement in advertising until her father became President. Thereafter she ‘hijacked’ an advertising agency called ‘Media Gang’ which is run mostly on work commissioned by state agencies. Sumanasekera, as mentioned, not only owes his salary to the tax-payer but does not do a stroke of work, according to reliable sources.

As such the book has essentially been funded by tax payer’s money since the true author’s salary is paid thanks to government ads while the editor is also an employee of the state.

The entire charade brings to mind a similar biography, ‘CBK,’ written in 2005 about the former president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. The then Auditor General objected when it was found that state funds were channeled through the Port Authority for the purpose of writing the book. This book project was scrapped subsequently due to many inaccuracies even though the true author, a British national had been paid an advance of US $ 20,000.

Watch the full video of the launch of ‘Ms Sirisena’s book’

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Latest comments

  • 16
    1

    Ms. Sirisena, You have all the right in the world to write about your dad, and your courage to go up to a podium and sing a folk song is remarkable, at the same time it would have worked out a lot better if you credited your narrator and editor. Similarly if you did not choose to launch your book in a political media spectacle, but instead did that in a more friends and family setting with a reputable publisher, people would have been more curious to buy the book instead of jeering at it. Politician’s kids, especially the ones who come to lime light are not adored by the public and despised by their normal peers. It does not matter which party or political ideology your parents belong to, you would be considered as a privileged brat. This is even more so if your parent is a populist. Make a your own path Chathurika, as long as you don’t ask your daddy’s stooges to light it for you, you will succeed.

    • 6
      0

      excellent comment

  • 4
    7

    GMOA protested against free ambulance service. Now people are protesting against legislation on disappearances .Any parent will want to know what happened if their children disappear. We know the story of the Squirrel trying to empty the sea to find its off spring drownd in the sea. Now people are commenting adversely against a book written by a daughter about the father. We have become a nation of protesters.May we suggest to the govt. to enact legislation that anybody writing a book should shout out and tell the world ‘hey I am writing a book’ so that interested parties can go and supervise who in fact is writing.I remember writing on a wall of a university student studying for the final exam in his room ”Hey if you have nothing to do don;t do it here.

    • 2
      3

      I totallys with the sentiments expressed (above) by Upali. A lot of people appear to be protesting these days, just for the sake of doing so.
      When inquired at a recent street protest one very vociferous gentleman was not clear about what he was doing so!

    • 7
      1

      Politicians in SL – regardless of which party they are from – are a corrupted bunch. Their kids are equally corrupted, and have become parasites of the state. The Sri Lankan (Sinhalese) voters are extremely dumb and naïve. That’s why they keep electing these cunning politicians, whose only motive is to enrich their families, and amass enough wealth to last for the next two generations.

  • 13
    0

    Like father, like daughter. All pomp and pageantry – no substance ! Oh so simple Dad, no heirs or airs. Really?

  • 8
    0

    Make it your own path Chathurika, as long as you don’t ask your daddy’s stooges to light it for you, you will succeed.
    Good at flying kites. We know that & none had any qualms.
    Then burrowed daddy’s stooges & security and visit some place in Higurakgoda allegedly to care for less fortunate. That created a big ha…ho…

    Now, Could she??
    This is the million dollar question I have to pose to the Janadhipathi Thaththa’s POOSA.

  • 9
    1

    I am not surrised by the quality of the daughter

    • 0
      0

      Punitham, Let me ask you a Native Vedda type question. Which quality. Explain yourself.

  • 1
    0

    [Edited out] we are sorry, the comment language is English – CT

  • 6
    0

    The depth of decadence. of the society. The Head of State, his family and acolytes enjoying an extravagant show-piece self promotion at tax payer’s expense ,in the company of the hirelings of elitist press barons in the most prestigious location in Colombo while the peasants who elected him from the most deprived province of Rajarata are starving, being stripped of their subsidies, starving in poverty with no one to listen to.
    It is pathetic to witness tie& coat journalists singing the hymn of the President’s family making a vain attempt to rub shoulders with westernised Colombo Seven.
    This reminds one of Mugabe of Zimbabwe or more appropriately of Nero, the Roman Emperor at the ebb of the Roman Empire.
    Representatives of the poor peasants making merry with the Elitists hellbent on suppressing the cry for help of the peasants.
    Portent of at the demise of what we call a country.

  • 0
    0

    [Edited out] Please avoid typing all capitalized comments – CT

  • 1
    0

    Native Vedda,

    In an earlier posted you recommended me as ‘spin doctor’ to the Presidents’ fragrant offspring pride and joy. I am flattered, and seeing the right-old dogs breakfast that her handlers have made of this project, I am sure most anyone could have done better.

    As political offspring go, Chathurika is nowhere near as bad the shits who go around plaguing the lives of innocent citizens.

    Ghost writers are par for the course; few politicians are able to write well, and their offspring are no better. BUT, they all have story to tell, and if told well, would be worth reading.

    I am now retired, so it is all academic, and so the opportunity to take the fragrant smiling Chathu ‘in hand’ so to speak, will remain for always a very pleasant dream.

    • 3
      0

      Spring Koha

      Thanks.
      .
      Do you think the daughter is more fragrant than the mother? If and when Sirisena retires why should not the idiotic people of this island give his wife a chance as our dynastic tradition demands?

      • 3
        0

        Native Vedda

        We did try something similar in 1959, I remember. A practising member of the Sangha did the needful one morning, and the victims wife the saintly Sirimavo (begged to offer her services by Felix and friends) won the hearts and votes of the idiotic voters of this land. What a roller coaster ride we had with her. In the end the poor fossilised thing was even used by the daughter as her ‘Prime Minister’.

        MS’ fragrant wife Pushpa does indeed give off the heady scent of flowers – but she is a decent woman who is unlikely to trouble the chronically idiotic voter of this land.

        Sweet Chathu however must be watched. Closely!

        • 0
          1

          Spring Koha
          _
          Who made the decision to make the weeping widow the party leader and future political leader of the country? Whoever made her the first women unelected prime minister of this island must have profited from her appointment. Do you know anyone in particular.

          One of my Elders was closely observing her family for a long time. Unfortunately he died young. Hence the gap in the information. That old codger even visited the victim at the hospital, I mean Banda, not the people.

          My old grandma was so convinced she used to tell us that the weeping widow arranged the saffron assassin to kill her husband. I am not sure where she got the idea. Was there a similar rumour at the time?

  • 0
    0

    They are all the same.

  • 4
    1

    1. Just another go at boosting the falling popularity of a another back boneless politician.
    2. The first steps to entering the parliament and obtaining the perks and jerks of a politico.
    3. Entry into the limelight and standing on stages listening to the likes of your own voice.
    4. There are many a good thathas in sri lanka, unsung heroes to their families, country, and population, they
    should be discovered and written about not a backboneless stooge.
    5. You can fool some people some of the time but not all the people all the time.

  • 2
    1

    She has beaten the Plagiarism Queen, the first lady of US who shamelessly plagiarized Michele Obama at the Republican convention. By the way, did she write in the book how her father back stabbed his boss MR and banded with the UNP without any notice after enjoying hoppers and coffee with his boss only a day ago. That would be a good advice to aspiring politicians who would like to learn how to scheme out things behind the back to come up in life.

    • 0
      0

      Why don’t you buy the book and see whether the Hopper episode is written ? Then you can satisfy your curiosity and help in the cause of buying her book (sic)

  • 2
    1

    I saw Chathurika’s book launch for “Janadipathi Thaththa” in internet. If she wanted to write a book about her father she should do herself and forward to somebody who qualified person to edit the book and she can tell the person’s name and credited him
    about the help he gave her to bring the book to the public. Now she got big boot. In America many people writes books and edit by the qualified person. I am sorry for her she tried to eat the whole cake now che didn’t get nothing It wasd joke.

    • 1
      0

      SKS –
      No Big Deal! Even the books of the Dalai Lama and some other Well Known people are written by Ghost Writers who have Specialist Writing Skills!

  • 2
    0

    What I gathered is the fact that the people of this country are more to criticise than appreciating others. I really appreciate this young lady’s initiative in letting others know of their journey from humblest beginnings to be the first family of the country. Her father along with this family has gone through agonies and all risks one can take to make a change. We all have to be proud to have produce a First Citizen who would understand the challenges that have to be faced in day to day lives of Sri Lanka’s majority rural masses. Sri Lanka produced the first woman Prime Minister to the world. The second executive president of our country was a grass root politician who understood the needs of common people and who well represented them. So, Chathurika’s compilation of ideas and facts well explained her father’s journey as a politician and a loving and committed father which most of our front line politicos lacking in.

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