28 March, 2024

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Devananda’s Dissent & The Country That Never Was 

By Dayan Jayatilleka

Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

“…an instant invitation to an overpowering onrush of self-righteous recidivism, against which reason can only erect the feeblest defences.” ~ Mervyn de Silva, ‘Paradise & Hostage to the Past’, Far Eastern Economic Review, January 1984

One of the most distressing moments of my turbulent life was a fleeting episode at the Shangri-La conclave some months ago organized by Viyath Maga. It was something that was generated by the ideological atmosphere and social semiotics of that event. It was when a well-known and respected name in the IT industry, who operates from both Colombo and Jaffna, an articulate, cosmopolitan Sri Lankan of Tamil ethnicity, Mr. Mano Sekaram, thought fit to open his presentation by thanking the organizers for “the gesture of inclusivity” they had made by inviting him to speak. I didn’t think he meant in his capacity as an IT magnate. He meant that it was a “gesture of inclusivity” in that precise milieu of a grand event organized by that grouping. He meant it in its ethnic or ethno-regional sense. 

That came as a shock to me, because in the Ceylon I was born into and the Sri Lanka I chose to study, remain citizen of and live in, such a remark would never have been made; never thought necessary to be made. Certainly Neelan Tiruchelvam and Lakshman Kadirgamar would never have done so, still less my father’s schoolmates, campus friends (of which “LK” was one) and club-mates from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. 

Mano Sekaram’s spontaneous expression of gratitude was because things have changed and are changing for the worse in at least some part of our society and polity; changing because that which should have been unquestioned and unquestionable, that which should have been axiomatic, that which had been axiomatic, was now a “gesture of inclusivity” that required the expression of thanks. 

This was not the Ceylon of SWRD Bandaranaike that I was born into, or that of DS Senanayake or the Ceylon National Congress. This is a society that had never existed. It is a society of the imagination of the Sinhala Alt-Right; a society in which Tamils and other minorities know their place, are satisfied and grateful. It is a country that never was and never will. But it is the model of assimilation in the name of integration; a model of society that the Alt-Right will strive to create.

Not everyone would have said the same thing though. Douglas Devananda would not have. But there were no such persons among the speakers. The other person of Tamil ethnicity on stage was a pleasant young singer, a successfully rehabilitated ex-Tiger child soldier.

This ideology has been latent not manifest, covert not overt, marginal not mainstream– and subterranean even if and when it was mainstream. As usually happens, it took the insights in my late father’s writing to help me decode the riddle. (My father was born and bred a Buddhist, as was my mother, the daughter of a well-known and respected Panadura Buddhist lay preacher, though Thaththa soon became an agnostic humanist and Amma converted to Catholicism as she left her teens. They married in church.) 

Mervyn de Silva described the “Sinhala psyche” (as he used to call it) best in an article in the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review in 1984: 

“Separate identities have been sustained and fortified by deep antagonisms and wildly contested facts which extend over two millennia and more…the Sinhalese mind is crammed with atavistic fears. So before he goes into polemical battle, the Sinhalese combatant – be he politician, teacher or trader – reaches for the Mahavamsa, the great Pali chronicles written over centuries by Buddhist scholar-monks, and now the repository of all that is Sinhalese…Each fresh confrontation and every violent eruption becomes an instant invitation to an overpowering onrush of self-righteous recidivism, against which reason can only erect the feeblest defences.” (‘Paradise & Hostage to the Past’, Mervyn de Silva, Far Eastern Economic Review, January 26, 1984, pp. 22-23)

But this isn’t all, nor is it the scariest thing out here today. What is happening is that a powerful network has an ideology which is a throwback to the discredited and abandoned prejudices of the worst years of our lifetimes. I refer of course to Black July 1983, 35 years ago. That horror did not come out of nowhere. It had a matrix in which the ideology of Cyril Mathew was a significant part. Mervyn describes it thus:

“…Industries Minister Cyril Mathew, the most consistent and uncompromising champion of majority Sinhalese rights… Mathew told the conference he was opposed to the TULF because it was ‘not a political party but a communal organization that supports terrorism.’ The history of Sri Lanka, he added, was the history of the Sinhalese, ‘and nothing else.’ His resolution to the national question was ‘to settle Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims in all parts of the country on a system of proportional representation.’ It is this sort of polarization and distrust which, running through the whole tragic history of the Tamil issue, now permits the past to hold the future hostage.” (Ibid)

Difficult as it is to imagine, Mervyn in even more precisely prophetic and speaks of a situation which exists today, constituting the matrix of contemporary neo-Mathewism and its components:

“But, as in the Shah’s Iran, suppressed dissent has found refuge in an impregnable forum, the temple, and an articulate spokesman whom nobody dares to touch, the monk. Having co-opted the clergy, can militant Sinhalese-Buddhism rely on support from the armed services, too? Now regional councils are coming up for air for the third (and last?) time. All the political parties are discussing the proposal, a shrewd Jayewardene move to gain endorsement from a national consensus. But has political power already slipped out of the hands of politicians?” (MdeS, Ibid)

It is this confluence identified almost 35 years ago by Mervyn de Silva—‘the temple’, ‘the monk’, ‘militant Sinhala-Buddhism’, ‘the armed forces’ or in this case the ex-military, and the disempowerment of the politicians–that gave birth to the Alt-Right turn. It did not arise from the Nugegoda platform of February 18th 2015, the womb of the Joint Opposition (JO) or of the later phenomenon, the Pohottuwa.

The ideology of the Sinhala Alt-Right is an imagined model of society from an ancient time and of an ancient time, which is sought to be imposed finally, albeit in a disguised and updated form, on Sri Lanka in the 21st century. Like the pods or eggs in Ridley Scott’s movie Alien, the ideology has been incubating in the dankness for a long time. 

However, not even the most moderate Tamil political parties and leaders will go along with that blueprint. One of the most significant encounters of recent times had taken place at the 91st anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, between two personalities with military backgrounds, one a former military officer and the other a former guerrilla leader. In an important interview, the Sunday edition of The Island surfaces and captures that conversation, in the ‘Politics’ column of CA Chandraprema, the author of the book ‘Gota’s War’:

“Q. You seemed to indicate that the former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa also had a negative impression about you. Do you have a problem with Gota?

A. I will not say yes or no. The other day I met him casually at the PLA anniversary celebrations hosted by the Chinese Embassy. I took up two issues with him. He had said that when the government disarmed all the groups in the North, that Douglas Devananda and Siddharthan were reluctant to comply. I told him, that kind of statement is politically damaging to us. The other issue that I took up with him was his recent statement that the Tamil People’s problem is an economic problem. The economic problems that the Tamil people have are common to all the people in this country. But as Tamils we have a different political issue as well. We have to cater to that too. After the Indo-Lanka Agreement we gave up arms. From that time, my position has been to implement the 13th Amendment in full. At the last election, the TNA promised the sun and the moon and got votes. That is not my style of doing things. I will only talk about what is practically feasible. The implementation of the 13th Amendment in full is something that I can accept and I can campaign on that basis as well.”

Douglas Devananda has worked with every Sri Lankan government starting with that of President Premadasa. He and Dharmalingam Siddharthan of PLOT are the only Tamil leaders who are willing to settle for the full implementation of the 13th amendment. Beyond him are those who variously want federalism, federalism and self-determination and self-determination up to separate state. So Douglas is as good as it gets and it is going to get. And this is his bottom-line. This is the impasse which cannot be overcome by the Sinhala Alt-Right.

We do not live in a mythical past and it cannot be recreated or acted upon. This doesn’t mean that there will not be an attempt, costing the country in “blood and treasure”. What it does mean is that there will be no takers for it outside the Sinhala Alt-Right cultural and civilizational zone, which does not envelop the whole island. Neither will it sit well with the world.

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  • 6
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    WOW, what you say is You had been chased out from viyath maga. YOur parents were born buddhists and they became very anntagonistic to buddhists and you took over those values. On the other hand, Rhys Davis, there after Richars gombrich became very good buddhists. Rhys Davis became a bhikku and his wife continued his work, I heard. So, what went wrong with you. Yahapalanaya govt is excessivly corrupt. In that Sense a HITLER type Rajapakse is better I think. Maithripala sirisena looks very weak as an EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT in comparision to Mahinda RAJAPSKE who withstood both the Foreign ministers of western countries, INGOs and politicians inside the PArliament. all 225 is very corrupt. they will be one day Gal perethaya and mala perethaya. Even then JAckol oppostion with less number of thieves would be better. YOu are crying out loud because of your own lack of any attitude and any fixed ideology. Why did your father born as a buddhist and Mother who were converted to catholics became so hostile to Sinhala buddhists.

    • 4
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      Jim da Dimwit:
      You should be happy your President appoints nine ambassadors with NO TAMILS:

      “The President today appointed Jayatilleka and nine other Sri Lankan Ambassadors and High Commissioners.

      Those appointed were Professor, Ms Arusha Cooray as Ambassador Designate to Norway, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka as Ambassador Designate to Russia, M.M. Jaffeer as Ambassador Designate to Brazil, M.K.K.Girihagama as Ambassador Designate to Canada, C.A.H.M. Wijeratne as Ambassador Designate to Poland, S.S.Ganegama Arachchi as Ambassador Designate to Sweden, S.S. Premawardena as Ambassador Designate to Vietnam, Anuruddha Kumara Mallimarathchi as High Commissioner Designate to South Africa, Austin Fernando as High Commissioner Designate to India and Noordeen Mohamed Shaheid as High Commissioner Designate to Pakistan.”

      Some good news we might hear less from Dr. Dayan.

      • 2
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        Seven Sinhalese two Muslims and no Tamils . Proves how anti Tamil the Sri Lankan state is

      • 2
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        Burt

        Premadasa used to “own” two Rottweilers.
        One authentic Tamil militant who gave up armed struggle and the other one is the smart ass patriotic revolutionary who supported Eelam and then became a public racist but never participated in any revolutionary struggle yet wanted by the police. He was doing some clandestine work. Daddy convinced JR his son was innocent/void of any such ideas and begged mercy.

    • 2
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      Yes before that their imported Hindu Tamil ancestors from South India, were peeling cinnamon in the huge southern estates. Happy? Most probably even yours. More than 90% of these Mahavamsa thumping/quoting Sinhalese Buddhist Fascists, have a recent Tamil ancestry from South India.

  • 3
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    Your ALT-right LAbelling is wrong. A Foreign Journalist Identifies RANIL AS PRO WESTERN ULTRA LIBERAL RIGHT WING POLITICIAN. Mahinda Rajapaske and Basil Rajapakse are also pro-western and, at least Mahinda Rajapske won’t be as worse as Mangala Samaraweera or Ranil wickramsinghe (If CBK comes back) who are offering Sri lanka to the west on a platter. they have taken Sriu lanka even below Bangladesh and Kenya, and some compare Sri lanka to some non-developed African country.

    • 7
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      Dear Dayan, when 13th amendment was introduced and TULF protested about its inadequacy with a well presented joinder, India assured them, that this is only a starter and as time goes on it will be improved to give Tamils more meaningful autonomy. Not only that they assured that north-east merger will be permanent though it was stated as temporary subject to referendum in the east, as referendum will be postponed indefinitely. Now both assurances have been violated. So talking of Tamils accepting 13th amendment as it is, will be a non-starter. As for Douglas Devananda, he is a political opportunist. He was living in Madras as an exile, and when EPRLF expelled him he had no future. He was penniless and two criminal charges against him in courts. He chose to betray the cause and wrote to Premadasa giving his support. Premadasa who wanted Tamil lackeys, embraced him. Can Douglas Devananda who arrived in Colombo with only a kit bag full of clothes at that time, explain how he acquired the wealth he has in Sri Lanka and abroad. He joined successive governments for his personal gain and for nothing else. What happened to his slogan “Self rule in periphery and joint rule at the centre with a non divisible Tamil Homeland of northern and eastern provinces”. With this stand in the past how can he accept 13th amendment as it is, which denies Tamils their entire land and does not grant Tamils sufficient power. As for Siddhartan, I do not think that he has given up the basic demand of Tamils for a fair share of power and land going beyond 13th amendment, stating recently that, due to Sinhala intransigence, no new constitution is likely during the term of the present government.

      • 11
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        Dear Dr(?).GS, you are more focused on spewing venom on Douglas, than commenting on DJ’s article fairly .Your attack is nothing new to EPDP.The truth is, EPDP has become more popular and their vote bank has doubled now,despite your attack. DD vehemently opposed Tiger’s destructive path and he supported the successive governments OPENLY in the best interests of the Tamil people.That is why , people like you and the Tamil media have been involved in character assassination . Despite of continuous false propaganda by people like you ,the Tamil people,based on what he had done for them , have been electing him as their representative for more than two decades.DD is the ONLY Tamil leader who never lost in any parliamentary election since 1994.Also,DD got the highest preferential votes in the 2010 parliamentary election. All these achievements prove that DD is a PEOPLES LEADER(makkal thalaivan).DD lives in the hearts and minds of the people it is because of the services he rendered to them.He is a visionary and prophet. History has proven him correct.
        In the last local government election, EPDP contested as a SINGLE party and got 98 members elected to the councils. EPDP never propagated racism,never propagated Tamil nationalism to win the election like other opportunistic politicians do.
        DD is not a person who speaks one thing in the north and opposite to that in the south. DD is a person who can be easily accessed by all the people.Even when DD was a minister, as usual he slept on the table in Jaffna and on the bench in Colombo as he was before . It is very hard to find such a simple person like DD.
        Sampanthan , praised Mahinda in parliament for bringing the war to an end.Then in the North-East ,he thundered among the Tamils, “we should give pain to those who gave us pain”.This is nothing but opportunism.

      • 3
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        Gnana , do you still want an other war? If so,why didn’t you send your children to Vanni? Are you an opportunist or not?.

    • 4
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      Jim da Dimwit:
      There is nothing in Sri Lanka to offer to the west on a platter. It is already pawned to China and India is collecting the leftovers.
      Wait until China creates the economic zones it will use Sri Lanka’s preferential trade benefits with other countries and deplete its natural resources for a song and a dance and make all the gain while leaving a depleted country.
      At least the Brits left behind a good structure for Health, Education, Judiciary and Transportation which the Sinhalese managed to ruin in the last 70 years.

  • 4
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  • 4
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  • 2
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    Dayan J who is giving lessons on Sinhala psyche ought to read the book, When Counterinsurgency Wins: Sri Lanka’s Defeat of the Tamil Tigers by Ahmed S. Hashim and read the comments made by a person called Dayan Jayatillake.

    I am a supporter of the Indo Lanka accord and believe 13 A should be implemented. I think Rajapakasa camp too believe that. It was Rajapaksas who held the election in North. As a section of Nationalists who support JO does object 13 A, I think Rajapaksas don’t come open with it. Is there any sign that 13A will be repealed under a future Rajapaksa gov? The answer is NO. So why make an issue out of a non existing issue?

    About Mano Sekaram , he sent his speech to DBS.Jeyaraj and got it published in his site. The reason I speculated was Mano genuinely feared how his tribe would accept him after delivering a speech at ViyathMaga.

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      “It was Rajapaksas who held the election in the North”. Wrong. They did not have any intention to hold election in the North. They were forced by India to hold it. Mahinda had repeatedly assured India that he will go beyond the 13th Amendment. When cornered by Sinhala racists, he somersaulted saying that what he meant was 13A + Senate. MR knows that whether he likes it or not, he cannot remove 13A, and that is why he is going along with it. If by chance he comes to power again, he will be forced to implement 13A in full including police and land powers, not by India but by USA. If Tamils demand north-east merger he will have to concede it to, as de-merger took place violating an international agreement, where SL supreme court has no legal authority to do so.

  • 16
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    Dayan
    The great political wisdom you claim to have learned from your Thaththa (whose name you don’t want to carry despite marketing him endlessly) is something we ordinary mortals knew all along as common sense and fair-mindedness. In any event, after your unsuccessful forays into leftism and the Tamil liberation struggle, you switched gears abruptly to avoid becoming totally redundant and started flirting with Sinhala extremism. For a while, you enjoyed the limelight and the fanatics liked the academic veneer you were providing. You promoted Gota and his far-right Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism. You cannot deny that. But soon they got irritated with you trying to steal their thunder, as you always do, and pushed you out. Looks like their rejection is hurting you. You now label them as the ‘Sinhala Alt-Right’ and reassure yourself that after all, these are the bad guys your Thaththa was talking about.

    • 7
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      Ajay – “The great political wisdom you claim to have learned from your Thaththa (whose name you don’t want to carry despite marketing him endlessly)..”
      Only God knows why this public racist and warmonger does not want to carry his Thaththa’s name??

    • 5
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      Ajay I am starting to worry about DJ, is he alright, has he been kidnapped by the aliens, American, Russians or Douglas D and had been forced to write contradictory opinion bits every week.

  • 7
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    Dayan: Mr. Mano Sekaram, thought fit to open his presentation by thanking the organizers for “the gesture of inclusivity” …. I didn’t think he meant in his capacity as an IT magnate.

    ..”…. He meant it in its ethnic or ethno-regional sense.” ..are you speaking for Mano Sekarma ?

    then Dayan goes on to say How dare you Devananda to Dissent

    and then in between he praise his dad and his mum and their upper class background

    CT thanks for the entertainment…

  • 8
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    My golly ! This man has now turned into a Sinhala/Buddhist hater ! May be he thinks he has to follow in the footsteps of his Mom & Dad. To be honest, you are getting to be an absolute bore DJ !!! Out of step and out of depth and in pursuit of great heights no matter what. Russia … ??????????

    • 6
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      Gos
      One short sharp advise here from a humble blogger on CT.
      When one reaches Senility ones mum and dad comes to forefront in ones mind.
      So while he is in his weakest mind as at present his mind circles around his dead parents .
      This bugger did not even liked the name of his father! Now because of senility begins to connect himself to his Amma and Thaatha.
      What a moron he is.
      Reaching senility is the characteristics Of ” Senile Dementia ” begins with retributions, hate, love, know it all, Paranoia, Delusions of Grandeur!! Etc in one.
      That’s the stage this simple man is in. Never achieved anything in life , now trying in the name of his Amma and thathas tail ends.
      One should feel sorry for him as he suffers with neurological problems!!!

  • 2
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    If Sinhala-Alt is the problem, where does TNA/ Tamil Diaspora unit sit ? Are they not asking to have their cake and eat it as well. They enjoy all the facilities afforded to other communities but feel the need for special treatment by way of having a separate govt for themslves funded by all the other communities as well ! Lovely jowly huh? Go boil your silly head Dayan J.

  • 9
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    Dr.D.J.
    Not quite. Articulate Cosmopolitan Mano Sekeram of the Tamil Community acknowledged the gesture of inclusivity by the most articulate, high profile manifestation of Sinhala bigotry. Indeed,this is not the Ceylon of SWRD Bandaranaike or of DS Senanayake or of the Ceylon National Congress that you were born in to. This is the loonyland that Mahinda Rajapakse meticulously built after winning the war with his brothers Gota the gate keeper and Basil the book keeper. In a previous missive you had noted the laser sharp mind of Lee Kwan Yew. You are right. Lee Kwan Yew said that Sri Lanka’s civil war ended under the presidency of Mahinda Rajapakse a Sinhala Racist. He was right.’
    Pirpaharan’ wanted to wreck and ruin Sinhala society. In death and defeat , it seems he succeeded. The Tamils have a grievance may be perceived, may be real. But, do be sensible. Wadukkodai resolution was the last resort.

    • 5
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      sarath de alwis

      “Pirpaharan’ wanted to wreck and ruin Sinhala society.”

      I do not believe so.
      If you look at the trail of destruction he had left in this island, which suggests he devoted his entire life working for the Sinhala/Buddhist state destroying North East, including the lives of young men and women, politicians, intellectuals, academics, friends of Tamils(?), businesses, wealth, his fellow militants belonging to different groups, wasted opportunities, ………………….

      On the other hand he had helped to create a new Sinhala/Buddhist wealthy class which benefited enormously from the 30 years of war, become influential, farmers kids have a direct say in the state through respective armed forces, a section of the population thrive on unearned income, …… Look at the armed forces which borne Enfield 303, Sten Gun, …………………. now parade with AK 47, ….. police with side arms, …..
      Bigots, racists, murderers, war criminals, fascists, Hitler are …………………….. well respected being patriots, war heroes, ……..

      However for ordinary people there isn’t much change.

  • 7
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    Dayan Jayatilleka
    Douglas Devananda is wanted in India for murder, kidnapping, ransom coercion etc. etc.
    Tell us Dayan. How come you savour politicians with criminal stigma attached? Is this a prerequisite or corequisite?

    • 2
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      Pillai mate. May be Douglas has kidnapped Dayan, and all the gibberish he is been writing lately is under duress, sitting in a tiny cell in a back yard down Park Road.

  • 4
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    When I saw the heading, I felt that it is about “Dougie for President”. But it has fallen short a hair width breadth. So far every enemy of Tamils has been crowned, with an Arabian Night a day, at the altar of the Chameleon, Mervyn De Silva, the witness of the fence eating the crop.

    Dougie was crowned as the Chieftain of the North by Old Brother Prince. That was a response to Chidambaram’s speech in TN, after the loss of the war, “If Pirapaharan has been listening to us (including Karunanidhi and Sonia) he would now be the uncrowned king of the Tamil Eelam”. Old Royals cannot easily dispense the word “King” to Dougie, so they conferred “Chieftain”. That is the relationship between Dougie and Old Brother Prince. Dougie was the only Tamil member severed in the Nimal de Siripala’s Presidential Commission appointed by Old King to repeal the 13A. Manmohan Singh sternly retaliated to Nimal’s Commission and forced the Old King to conduct the NPC election. Latter Dougie had a dream of becoming CM of NPC. That was stopped by Old King and he had to forgo it to Thavarajah. So Old Brother Prince’ Rapist Army printed a second “Uthayan” to get the Dougie’s candidate up in the election.

    It did not arise from the Nugegoda platform of February 18th 2015, the womb of the Joint Opposition (JO) or of the later phenomenon, the Pohottuwa. Yes that Monster was not born in Nugegoda. The dwarf born in Nugegoda was the (basis for the) decision that ” No Old Royals will be contesting in 2020. New King will go against Ranil on SLFP ticket. No Slap Party candidate!”

    But the real monster was born on May 23rd 2009. After winning the story of “Humanitarian Rescue Mission Operation in Mullivaaikkaal” the “Zero Casualty War” story was won in UNHRC, Geneva. That is where the War Criminals were crowned with lies (which costed Russian Ambassador Job) as war Heroes.

  • 6
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    Oh Dayan Here we go again, Mama Mia! Firstly you are wrong about the number of speakers of Tamil origin, there was also Tamara Kunanayakam, wasn’t there, I wasn’t there but you were there and so you should get it right. Secondly, inclusivity is a buzz word used by the liberal west, I have seen it being used by the minority in gratitude and/or in jest or sarcasm. Then Tamara did not say that even though it was a double inclusivity in her case. So Doctor I think you are making a heart attack out of a mosquito bite,

  • 5
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    And DJ hope you did not write the DD bit under duress, sitting in some cell down Park Road, oh I am being cynical, all this must have been discussed over Madras coffee (or is that called Chennai coffee now?)

  • 4
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    I haven’t heard any so called Sinhala Buddhist Right Wingers calling their subjects to treat Tamil people badly.
    Even the current Villain of Dr Ranil’s Neo Capitalist Right Wing UNP Cabal ,Ven Gnassara hasn’t spoken even one word against Tamil people.
    That IT dude from Jaffna must have been totally isolated from the South for three decades by Mr Pirahaparan.
    And we know how Mr Pirahaparan and his Education Department brain washed them against the People in the South.
    And programed them to kill even Mothers, Grand mothers, Children and infants.
    Naturally he must have felt a bit nervous even when speaking to these high fliers in the Audience, although they do not represent the real majority of the South.
    That is another story.
    Even Rajapaksa promised a 13 A Plus to Vellala Party Leader Sampathar .
    Instead of talking ,Mr Sampathar found every conceivable excuse to kick Rajapaka in the groin.
    Because Mr Sampathar had other plans .
    And no need to digress on them.
    Dr Ranil on the other hand also had too many agendas of his own along side Sampathar’s a to fulfill in the 5 years.
    UNP as you know is all about making money and letting their mates and backers make even more money.
    That took priority and the rest is history.
    Which forced Vellala Party Leader’s agenda on to the Back Burner.
    Dr Ranil’s First Draft as I remember wanted Buddhism expunged from the Constitution.
    They also put in Same Sex marriages
    And several other items which wern’t received well and obviously harmful to the culture and practices of the great majority.
    These are the issues which polarized the Nation .
    Still I don’t think the great majority of the inhabitant population who are the poor Sinhala Buddhists are as Right Wing as Dr Dayan is trying to portray them..
    All they want is a level playing field where their children and grand children have a fair go as well.

  • 1
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    Happy to see, at least one has managed to come out of Rajapakse fantacy

  • 4
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    Mano Sekaram is a sucker who doubles up as a joker. Are his four daughters married? Sharanya could loose some weight though.

    As for the Chinese PLA gig at the Shangri La, the most important thing that came out of it was seeing Sambanthan being seated next to Gota and Mahinda. It seems like Sambanthan was tricked into attending this event so that photos of him could be taken and eventually splashed on Mahinda’s Facebook page!

    Indeed, no senior government officer except Kapila Waidyaratne was present. And the manner in which Colonel Xu Jianwei escorted Mahinda to the event makes the whole bloody thing look suspicious.

    By the way, Xu Jianwei has bad teeth.

  • 6
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    What a load of jibberish by D.J.- His repeated efforts to drag his pedigree does not interest us. His father might have said something positive and obvious about the era of transition, in ‘Queen’s English’. So,what? He should look forward to his impending appointment for which he is seemingly suitable.

  • 7
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    “Douglas Devananda has worked with every Sri Lankan government starting with that of President Premadasa. He and Dharmalingam Siddharthan of PLOT are the only Tamil leaders who are willing to settle for the full implementation of the 13th amendment. Beyond him are those who variously want federalism, federalism and self-determination and self-determination up to separate state. So Douglas is as good as it gets and it is going to get. And this is his bottom-line. This is the impasse which cannot be overcome by the Sinhala Alt-Right.”

    What yu have to understand dayan is that the 13th amendment is already given to the tamils.Whether it is fully implemented or not is quite immateral. tamils are trying to get some more like quasi federalism,not full federalsm.if that is not gven they will ask for a UN referendum like in east timor for independence.it is not the 13th amend that sinhalese have to try t stop,but fully fledged independence. Present and past generation of tamils have set the foundation for that.

    • 0
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      SL is a flawed democracy in which the competition for votes between the market dominant minority and a poor indigenous majority race and religion combines to form a volatile mixture for conflagration.
      The island’s current socio economic landscape in the background of an ongoing globalisation crisis constitutes a fertile ground for demagogues from both sides to scapegoat and feed off the frustrations of each other proclaiming vengeful rhetoric while at the same time colluding loosely to further their own self interests.
      The change of beat in DJ’s tune reflects that.

  • 4
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    DJ, you have a nasty scratch on your record!

    How’s that as a punchline?

    Anyway, I am not surprised by Dilmah Uncle’s presence at the Viyath Maga since he is a right-wing nutter.

    However, Dinesh Warusavitharana’s presence at the Viyath Maga takes me by surprise. Does this mean that the World Bank is officially endorsing it?

  • 7
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    Dayan, you are at the height of bankruptcy. Quoting your own father who had stated the obvious shows that you are out of new ideas. All minorities know about the mahavansa mindset of the Sinhalese. Are you so desperate to lean on Chandrdpema and resurrect Douglas Devanand? And we honestly don’t care about the religious affinity of your parents. It is not relevant to us. By the way we heard that in your real life you went with a delegation to meet your darling Mahinda suggesting that Gota must be given the presidential nomination, only to get chased away. Stop writing this this rubbish and quoting your father Jay

  • 2
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    A general theorem: The person who has the loyalty of the Armed Services will control the destiny of the country”. Proof (latest): How Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa won the recent Zimbabwean election.
    A Lankan lemma: “Trade Unions, forced to sleep till they forget what they are there for, can be woken up at election times”.
    Proof: How GMOA & Dr Anuruddha Padeniya woke up and……

    ‘Still sleeping’ Example: Dayan J

  • 0
    0

    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/

  • 1
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    Dayan Jayathilake has shown very well why Sri lanka needs a Deep state. Because there anti-sinhala buddhists among the sinhala people. They are like snakes. they do not give a valuable reason to say why Sinhala buddhists are basd except their parents were converted when they were youg, father was converted because of the attrqction to his girl friend. My concern is whether you are writing for Rajapakses in bhiding and for Devananda. Devananda showed, during last tenure, how he abused use his position. there were lot of violence attributed to EPDP. Devananda was not Tribal but he used violence probably what tobacco farmer Malayallis used on EPDPers. Devananda should have been non-violent instead to get the help from the majority. He may certainly get help from Rajapakses as what they want os VOTES. IT is unbelieveable a majority sinhala buddhist country is behaving like Protestant predominently, or islamic the way they kill animals in that Tamils are also screaming for homeland. Are the political problems for politicians over after the full implementation of the 13th amendment. You claim that you are a political pundit ?

  • 4
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    Dayan ~ “Douglas Devananda has worked with every Sri Lankan government starting with that of President Premadasa”

    In 1990, Douglas shot dead an angry TN citizen. He fled to Colombo and prostrated in front of the Deputy Defence Minister Ranjan Wijeratne. Ranjan gave in – his assessment proved correct. Douglas was allowed to carry arms in Colombo. He proved his worth doing hatchet jobs.
    Douglas never stood up from his prostrated position and this was his magic wand.
    .
    Dayan: You are a version of Douglas. Any success?

  • 6
    1

    It is absurd whenever Dayan writes an essay or speaks, he reminds us that he is a political scientist. He always cites his father for no reason. He sometimes reminds us some people are relatives or friends of him. He also tells us that he knows or has associated local and international high ranking officials. These type of self-praising passages are very common in his articles and speeches. As readers, we do not care much about his high-class upbringing or his high-level associations. Thus, his articles are very subjective and do not have scientific merit.

    Sometimes he also praises some people out of proportion just to push the readers to believe what he writes. He tries to create some kind of fear among Sri Lankans telling that so and so can influence the destiny of Sri Lanka. D.J. was praising Hilary at the beginning and then suddenly changed the track after Trump won the election. That shows he follows a kind of populist approach rather than standing firm on his principles. When the new Secretary General of the UN was elected he praised the SG out of proportion. This was the case for Narendra Modi and Obama. But nobody was able to fulfil any significant service to their own country or the world so far, the way Dayan introduced them to us. Now he praises Imran Khan. He sometimes desperately uses any kind of unscientific articles written by others to support his ideas. All this shows what DJ writes is baseless and self-serving.

    • 6
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      Dissanayake:

      “It is absurd whenever Dayan writes an essay or speaks, he reminds us that he is a political scientist. “

      That is because he himself is not sure whether he is. The day he is able to convince himself he will stop doing that.

    • 5
      1

      Dissanayake

      “He always cites his father for no reason.”

      Dayan never had anything useful, new, or relevant to say.
      He types and drops names as he goes along.
      Its your own fault expecting Dayan to write.

  • 2
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    Dayan Jayathillake who knows how to do karanam, kindly let us know the special problems Tamils in Sri Lanka as a Race before moving forward on this discussion.
    If you cannot answer the above justifiably, please stop your bickering.

    • 2
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      NTW – You are right, this bugger knows how to do karanam. He has been appointed as “Ambassador-Disintegrate” for Russia. He can now address Ranil and say “Yes Sir”, “Yes Sir” and “Whatever you say Sir”.!!

  • 0
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    DEVANANDA is Mahinda Rajapske’s man. Dayan is scolding Viyathmaga to see who are agains tit and scold it. Then start cheering Devananda. Dayan Jayathilake very well shows that he, just like his religious beliefs, has no any value systems. HE says I am there for any one who gives me something. Even at your age, you do not have some attitide instead you are bending to every side as a pole in the mud means, eventhe govt that appoint you as an ambassador will be in trouble. If you are appointed to russia certainly you will protect all the secrets related to what Udayanga weeratuga ?did. Ranil is Mahinda Rajapakse relative. so, Ranil hides all these as Sri lankan politicians are not respectable citizens. they are just there to fatten their stomachs for the whole generation and extended family.

  • 0
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    “This was not the Ceylon of SWRD Bandaranaike that I was born into, or that of DS Senanayake or the..”

    You probably are an ostrich born before 1958 andone who benefited from SWRD Bandaranaike’s and DS Senanayake’s blatant racism which you will not acknowledge. Mano Sekaram is a Ceylon Tamil, a fast vanishing breed. He must have been shivering in his boots before the likes of you. Hence his pathetic words.

    Dayan de Silva, if you are this insensitive and can pretend to be so naive, how can we trust you to be a fair ambassador in any country?

    May be like your mother, you will return to your father’s ancestral faith hearing the Russian Orthodox chants and bells, and come to “love your neighbour as yourself”.

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