By Rajan Philips –
In America, former President Trump is facing serious federal criminal charges and is banking on a presidential re-election campaign to overcome his legal troubles. In the UK, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has quit parliament hoping to escape sanctions for his abhorrent behaviour, but he has been sanctioned, nonetheless. In Italy, the death of four-time former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has brought to an end the Bunga Bunga era in the country’s politics and culture. It was Berlusconi who heralded the rise of perverse populism in western countries and was both a harbinger of and a prototype hybrid between the malignance of Donald Trump and the buffoonery of Boris Johnson. Meanwhile in Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe is quietly morphing into King Ranil of Sri Lanka. He went for the coronation of King Charles, but King Ranil needs no crown to being far more powerful than King Charles. King Charles and King Ranil are both 73, and it took a Biblical lifetime for the two men to get where they are now.
Ranil Wickremesinghe became President as a caretaker President, to take care of the economy. We have had caretaker prime ministers before, and they are so called to highlight their provisional status between the dissolution of an old parliament and the election of a new parliament. In the case of our caretaker President, he is taking care that no elections are held that may disturb his caretaker reign. Which elections will be held and when are entirely a matter of his presidential choosing. He has also extended the scope and tentacles of his caretaker role to go beyond the economy and reach every nook and cranny of the political terrain.
What seems central to King Ranil’s reign is what is being mistakenly called a ‘legal reform’, but actually a scheme to pass a spate of not merely bad but outrightly insidious laws. The list of these insidious laws, still bills, is now common knowledge, and they include – in ABCD order – Anti-Terrorism Bill, Anti-Corruption Bill, Broadcasting Regulatory Commission Bill, the Central Bank Bill, and other (Damn) bills for one or more labour laws. Every one of them is being criticized and condemned by those who are known champions of the “rule of law,” but not the King’s version of “rule by law.” But their concerns are likely to go nowhere because King Ranil has control over a majority parliament comprising all Rajapaksa MPs who are beholden to the King. They may squirm here and there, but throw a few cabinet posts and the Rajapaksa animal kingdom will faithfully follow King Ranil.
The King’s Minister of Justice seems all ready to enjoy the perks of office, but is not at all ready to take responsibility for all the drafting drivels that are circulated as bills. He laughs them off as mere “drafts,” or worse, “proposals.” The Supreme Court is routinely called upon to edit and correct the poorly drafted but insidiously intended bills. Well-meaning lawyers and commentators are crying foul from the sidelines, but nothing different happens. King Ranil pretends to stay above the fray, but sees to it that whatever he wills is done.
Global Comparisons
What is there in common between King Ranil, on the one hand, and the perverse populists like Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and the late Silvio Berlusconi? To the trio, you may want to add the likes of India’s Narendra Modi, Brazil’s ex Jair Bolsonaro, Turkey’s Erdogan and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, as members of a global club of populist autocrats. Modi is better and worse than the rest of them in his own and different ways. But that is for another day. For now, what is there in common between Ranil Wickremesinghe and the global figures I am referencing? The answer is nothing. It is the differences that are interesting.
At a personal and ethical level, Ranil Wickremesinghe has nothing in common with them. Every one of them, with the doubtful exception Modi, is unethical. They are all scoundrels in more ways than one. It is the same with political corruption, and again Modi is only a doubtful exception. Modi’s and the BJP’s connections to upstart billionaire Gautam Shantilal Adani are universally known and so are allegations of cronyism. The Advani group has been accused of stock market manipulation, and the accusations have not only shrunk the Advani family fortunes, but they have also besmirched Modi’s reputation.
As for Mr. Wickremesinghe, while he is personally honest and may not be a direct beneficiary of political corruption, he is not at all insulated from political corruption. On the contrary, he not merely allows but might even encourage political corruption by those around him. For this, he has had to pay a heavy political price at every turn, but does not seem to have learnt anything from the experience. The 2002 peace process was a direct victim of political corruption, and the mother of all corrupt deals came with the January 2015 Central Bank Bond Scam that proved to be the grave digger that buried the whole yahapalanaya project. But there has been no show of remorse or recalibration of political action. As I argued some time ago, there is no point in achieving national reconciliation (arbitrarily arresting Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, the grandson of GG Ponnambalam, is a sure way of botching it) or economic prosperity, while allowing to the stables of corruption to continue and without doing anything to apprehend the perpetrators of too many “emblematic” murders.
To get back to the comparator group, Trump, Johnson, Berlusconi and Bolsonaro have no serious political genealogy or commitment to any serious agenda. Their involvement in politics is mainly to satisfy their gigantic egos and serve whatever interests they have that might benefit from state resources. Erdogan and Modi are different. Both have entrenched political agendas predicated on religious fundamentalism and driven by market philosophies. Erdogan’s goal is to transform Kemal Ataturk’s secular Turkey into a religious state, while Modi’s mission is to upend the Nehruvian secularism and make India a Hindutva state where Muslims will not have a significant place. Putin is an outlier and a queer mixture of Tsarist nostalgia and Bolshevik apparatus, although his primary linkage to Bolshevism is mostly biological in that his grandfather was Lenin’s cook. While his foray into Ukraine has terribly backfired, he has been consequentially successful in isolating the West from much of the Global South.
King Ranil’s Political Makeup
Intellectually and politically, Mr. Wickremesinghe has no feel for the Global South. Practically, he wants to curry favour with every country, north or south, and every leader who matter and even if they might be at odds with one another. That is unavoidable given Sri Lanka’s debt load and economic precarity. The President certainly does not subscribe to the traditional UNP philosophy (under DS at first, and under JR 30 years later) of “Anglo mania and India phobia,” as NM Perera called it at the outset; but what is key to the President becoming King is his domestic philosophy.
His political philosophy, if we might call its so, is mostly family moss gathered over a lifetime. It is not a set of political ideas that are the result of self-reflection and peer-contestation in a vibrant political party or organization, and ultimately vetted and validated in praxis. The fact that the UNP has mostly been a one-man band ever since Ranil Wickremesinghe became its leader is one of the main reasons for his current makeup. He is both the cause and the consequence of the corrosion of the UNP.
The UNP and UNP cabinets were not always like this, certainly not under DS Senanayake or under Dudley Senanayake. Even JRJ’s cabinet was a formidable one, but cabinet government (as Jennings explained it) was undone by the presidential system and the rivalries it invariably created among presidentially aspiring ministers. That set the tone for every presidential cabinet that came thereafter. Although it was set up to ensure political stability and facilitate efficiency, the presidential system has produced only chronic instability and dysfunctional chaos.
As a political leader, Mr. Wickremesinghe has never been a popular politician and has always been a serial loser in elections. In terms of political popularity and electoral success he is no where near the rest of the global comparators that I am referencing in this article. Trump won once and lost the second time, but he has solidly behind him an agitated mob of 30 to 50 million Americans. No other American leader in history has had such a loyal and rabid support among the people. Johnson won massively in 2019, and was forced to quit, but he has pockets of support throughout England. Erdogan and Modi have had consistently impressive electoral success. Bolsonaro surprised everyone with a strong showing in a close defeat to Lula da Silva in Brazil’s October 2022 presidential election. Putin needs no election, but Wickremesinghe cannot avoid them indefinitely.
Even so, and there is no other way to make this point, none of the other comparators have been able to muster the power and the facility to pass laws, impose regulations, and deploy security forces to thwart protesters, the way Ranil Wickremesinghe is enabling himself to do in Sri Lanka. It is this power and facility that he is unobtrusively exercising that is making me call him King Ranil. Add to them his periodical pronouncements that selectively ridicule opponents and assert the use of state power only in the way that he deems right. Donald Trump could not have passed legislation the way King Ranil is passing them, or trying to pass them. Boris Johnson won a historic majority in the 2019 election, but now he is gone. Ranil Wickremesinghe lost everything in the 2020 election, but now he is able to do anything and everything that no Sri Lankan President before him has been able to do.
None of the comparator leaders could have delayed or deflected election the way only King Ranil seems able to do. Putin has power at home but he has powerful forces against him abroad. King Ranil has power at home and influential support abroad, almost of all of which he benefits from because of the economic plight of the Sri Lankan People. Narendra Modi is a powerful Prime Minister but he is constantly circumscribed by State governments that have clout and they are led by non-BJP regional parties. In Sri Lanka, the President, now King Ranil, can play with provincial elections to boost his political position, and he can run the provinces through Governors whom he handpicks.
Only Tayyip Erdogan has been actually able to expand his power base at the state level and within government. He was first elected as Prime Minister and then turned himself into President, similar to, but much later than, what JRJ did in Sri Lanka. Erdogan is not leaving any time soon, but JRJ retired after one and a half terms, half unelected and one elected but only after politically handcuffing Mrs. Bandaranaike. To his credit JRJ retired from and power and politics, the only Sri Lankan leader to voluntarily forsake power and leave office. By a quirk of circumstances, Ranil Wickremesinghe has become President and seems to be bent on continuing from where JRJ has left. Everyone who came and went in between are not part of the real history of Sri Lanka, a subject about which no Sri Lankan can know more than what the King knows. That is the word according to the King.
In fairness to President Wickremesinghe, my caricaturing him as King should not be taken to mean that he really he means to be a King. Rather, his actions and the ease with which he seems to be getting everything he wants done objectively make those actions seem to be those of a King. In politics, it is not the subjective intentions of political leaders that matter, but the objective results that flow from their actions. It might be the case that President Wickremesinghe thinks that his actions and the laws and regulations that he wants passed will be justified by the economic turnaround that he is anticipating and his forecast of economic prosperity by 2048.
The dreadful prospect, however, is that the economic recovery may not be as swift and as far reaching as the President is expecting, and that the consequences of his political actions may result in bad governments becoming routine and entrenched. Ranil Wickremesinghe could easily avoid all of this by focusing on the economy and not rushing ahead with quite unnecessary legal and political changes that are causing worries not only among his critics but also among those who want him to succeed on the economic front.
whywhy / June 18, 2023
Charles to Ranil : We got more containers of medical waste !
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old codger / June 18, 2023
“As a political leader, Mr. Wickremesinghe has never been a popular politician and has always been a serial loser in elections”
Totally true. The man simply doesn’t know how to kiss babies. He talks to farmers about ChatGPT.
Mahinda has zero knowledge of economics or governance, but covers up with using mandarins like PBJ or Cabral. And of course he makes good jokes, which work better on farmers than ChatGPT.
Perhaps what we have right now is the right combination, Ranil’s brain and Rajapaksa’s beauty.
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SJ / June 19, 2023
“Ranil’s brain and Rajapaksa’s beauty”
OC, are you sure that it is not the other way round as GBS once told an actress who proposed to him?
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old codger / June 19, 2023
SJ,
I see you read the same stuff…
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leelagemalli / June 19, 2023
What beauty of Rajapakse?
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All Rajapakshes in two generations were born as vagrants live as vagrants. They have nothing but hoodwining and looting in their little heads. People in a developing country of our nature, would never see true values, but would be attractive to any selfish gains.
:
I don’t understand why some seniors of the same age still refrain from accusing Rajapaksa even though it is clear in their subconscious mind that the rulers of the day are none other than Rajapaksa. RW is the president, with no power from his own. He risked his life for saving the nation. Can anybody say, if he did not risk, things would have turned better as of today ? No way, JVP jokers would hang on their allegations on all but except them.
–
If the divine forces worked like a forest fire, they were able to free this country from the power of the corrupt Rajapaksa. However, it proved us that there are no such forces existing, even if people are eternally misled by sorcery and astrology in this region.
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leelagemalli / June 19, 2023
OC,
–
My elders told me, it has a lot to do with the background they came from. The Rajapakses were no different from the rascal boys found sitting on the culverts in the village. Ranil comes from a polite background and has never used Sinhala profanity to attack anyone in public. But Mahinda Rajapaksa’s behavior is like the crazy monk of Mangalarama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQB3HHTJA5I
.
not long ago, young former MP, Hirunika said, the reason why she wears an indian saree is to totally mislead the very stupid dominated folks. SRILANKEN politicians use all tricks aiming at the gulliable nature of the majority for voter gains. See, all these are known atleast to some portions in the society, but not to all.
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Knowing that majority of people are ultra fools, Ranil W never started dress in Sarong or use a ” loin cloth” as his scalf.
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Paradoxially, our people (human beasts) attack more Ranil than Rajapakshe pariahs. Even that JOKER from Bandarawella, publicly attacks RW today.
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Even if their lovely ones would have been RAPED and murdered by RAJAPAKSHE and their men on broad day light, people would stay caught by RAJAPAKSHES wild mantras. who to blame ?
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That may the reason why he became a serial loser of hitherto held elections.
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old codger / June 19, 2023
LM,
“Ranil comes from a polite background and has never used Sinhala profanity to attack anyone in public.”
I think he should get more votes if he learns a few vulgar Sinhala jokes from Mahinda.
As for Hirunika, she is definitely better looking when not wearing a saree..,
http://lankanstuff.blogspot.com/2012/01/hirunika-premachandras-as-model-photos.html
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Sinhala_Man / June 18, 2023
Let’s get this clear. This “cordial conversation” lasted only 13 seconds:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rddn2-z9cWg
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Time it yourself.
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Panini Edirisinhe
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Human Touch / June 18, 2023
Dear RP
Yes Ranil has his issues.
But most of the Sri Lankan politicians are much worse than him.
Rajapaksa family for instance are the worst of the worse any yet no one is complaining about them or what they have done.
They way they have taken the stupid Sri Lankans for a big bloody ride and robbed us dry is swept under the carpet.
Yet everyone complains about Ranil. Why didn’t the Sri Lankan public complain and oppose when Ranil was chosen through the back door?
The problem with Sri Lankans is that we are people who want to eat our cake and have it too.
They have always complained about Ranil, yet when the Aragalaya chased. the Rajapaksa bastards out and Ranil emerged everyone kept quiet and the Aragalaya was over. Now we are at it again, complaining and crying.
I am not supporting ranil but we have to be realistic.
Let us give him some time and see what happens.
At least he is not dividing the people along ethnic and religious lines.
That means he is not a cheap scumbag like the Rajapaksa’s.
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old codger / June 18, 2023
HT,
“when the Aragalaya chased. the Rajapaksa bastards out and Ranil emerged everyone kept quiet and the Aragalaya was over. Now we are at it again, complaining and crying.”
You have it in a nutshell.
Sri Lankans chased Gota out because there was no gas, fuel, food, or electricity.
Now they have all that, but complain because they can’t buy new cars or cheese.
Some actually back, as a prospective leader, a “student” who has spent 8 years in the University so far.
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Human Touch / June 18, 2023
Dear OC
Remember what the yellow pets advocated for when Gota was voted for massively by our sinhala buddhist public?
They wanted a Hitler in charge.
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old codger / June 19, 2023
HT,
Your “yellow pets” reference is also used by Sepal Amarasingha of “labba” fame.
The other day he was gloating over Prof.Manatunga being insulted by Ranil, because this was the same guy who worked against him (Sepal).
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Human Touch / June 20, 2023
I use the term yellow pets so that everyone understands whom I am referring to without saying the obvious.
It doesn’t mean that I am a sepal follower.
Truth be told, sepal makes sense sometimes and not so much at other times.
All I can say for a fact is that the yellopets are one of the key groups responsible for the perversion of the Sinhala Buddhist society thus destabilising effective democratic process.
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old codger / June 20, 2023
HT,
“It doesn’t mean that I am a sepal follower.”
Could it be the other way around?
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leelagemalli / June 20, 2023
OC and HT,
.
I called them “Pinguttarayas” without fear.
–
They deserve that term more than any other recognition. They are all free, but thankless. Many people today know that many Sinhala Buddhist monks who entered sinhala buddhist temples did not have enough food at their parents houses to raise themselves.
–
Also, the myth that many generations will go to Nirvana if human sacrifices like this is an ancient myth in the country. But those parents don’t know that sacrificing their little sons to the Sinhala priesthood is like appointing a fox as a guard in a chicken farm. There are a number of medical reports of rectal hemorrhages in the back of child monks through sexual abuse by adolescent monks in such temples.
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srikrish / June 18, 2023
The post of caretaker Prime Minister was a post created by the Soulbury constitution of 1947 and their status was of an interim nature, a stopgap measure in between dissolution of parliament and election of a new parliament.
They were not expected to take any policy decision, but to continue the routine work assigned earlier by Parliament or by law. There is no provision for a caretaker President in the present1 1978 constitution.
Whether elected by popular vote or by Parliament in terms of provisions in the constitution Ranil is the President for all purposes with all powers, he is not an acting President or caretaker President, He is the Executive President with all powers like any elected president by popular vote.
King Charles is a lame duck king whereas President Wiramasinshe is the Executive President with powers.
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Ajith / June 18, 2023
“Let us give him some time and see what happens.”
Who are we to decide on the time. It is the Sinhala people of the country has to decide. Criticism is not a bad thing. It is essential to a healthy outcome. How long you are going to him to see what happens to the country? Is it few months, few years?
It is true that Ranil is not Rajapaksa’s but there focus may be one but methodology may different . Rajapaksa’s claimed that they won the war with LTTE. Ranil also claimed that he is the one who broke deal with Karuna which reduced the strength of LTTE and by going to peace talk LTTE he completely weakened LTTE.
Economy is the focus now because that is the barrier for their politics but they have to face elections today or tomorrow. They need the votes of Sinhalese people but the Monks have still powerful in deciding the Sinhalese votes. Even though Sinhalese are in favour of Economic status but they are always in favour special status for Buddhism and Buddhist Monks. We are just observers, whatever happens we have to wait and see.
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Raj-UK / June 18, 2023
Good point by HT.
It is a fact that RW is loyal to his cronies than his loyalty to the country, which he has pledged to uphold but is he the only politician with soiled hands?
There was talk about MR bribing the LTTE to prevent Tamils voting for RW & Tiran Alles, if I am not mistaken, talked at length how he facilitated the meetings with LTTE & Basil in his office, where he witnessed a large some of money being given to the LTTE to buy boats (for humanitarian purposes?). Whether Alles sensationalised the issue for some unknown reason or not, the govt,. including RW, does not seem to have taken Alles seriously. I would consider such an event as financing the enemy, as treason, therefore, shouldn’t such an accusation investigated?
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Sinhala_Man / June 19, 2023
Dear Human Touch,
.
Nobody is bothered about the Rajapaksas because they are now History as far as politics is concerned. Let Ranil dissolve Parliament and conduct elections, and there’ll be no more Medamulana Rajapaksas around.
.
However it seems to be that they have stashed away an incredible amount of money, and each succeeding generation of them seems to get worse.
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And mark this. For my family (which may also have undesirables; let’s be honest, fr Gods sake!) the troubles began in the 1930s. This was my maternal grandmother’s brother:
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V._S._de_S._Wikramanayake
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Read that attentively. There was some foul play also around 1936, but I don’t know the details. Remember that I’ve been in Bandarawela since birth, rarely visiting the Southern Province. But MaRa has “placed” me. Separately, Shiranthi’s brother (the Air Lanka guy) had been with me in STC, Mt Lavinia, although I have no memory of him.
.
Our current problems are entirely with Ranil Wickremasinghe.
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Panini Edirisinhe (NIC 483111444V)
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leelagemalli / June 19, 2023
My dear HT and all other rational thinkers,
, all these days, all what HT has been adding is mere truth about the current context of this country. No doubt, can more of you and OC improve the awareness of CT readership drastically.
-If we know that elections did not bring much to us sofar, why on earth we should hurry for holding elections ?
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`Is that to allow a ticket JVPrs to go on barbaric acts ?This is a curse to this country. Besides, peoples are not yet enough rebuilt so that they could use their brains in their balloting.
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OC has been making it clear to everyone, however, that JOKER from Bandarawella is easily fooled by a hanful of idiots. I never thought that teachers are that naive, but after coming to know SM, I thought how stupid lanken teachers in general are.
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This shows the low level perception of sinhala man. He would have been good with his English knowledge, but his general knoweldge about srilanken politics is far below to a 5th grade pupil.
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For our bad luck, Sinhala Man or the like jokers get easily fished by JVP murderers . THE TRUTH IS BUGGER DOES NOT SEEM TO KNOW THE BASICS OF JVP BARBARAISM in 89-92. And, he has no conssistency at all. If he think that he should take the revenge on someone, he is even more poisonous than a cobra.
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Tbc
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leelagemalli / June 19, 2023
2
The true story is that neither SM nor the Baka Pandits spoke a single word when MARA and his criminals looted this nation in public. At the start of Gotha’s tyranny, I questioned why consumers were not given petroleum reduction concessions by them. Then the stupid Sinhala man repeatedly argued “why not we let Gota government to earn their state incomes”. The late former minister Mr. Samaraweera continued to question this. Remember ?
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Now I am surprised that very same stupid Panini is behaving like a schizophant controlled by Janata Vimukthi Peramuna mantra. Now I understand that the joker of this nation is the Sinhalese man. This is a very bad sign for our future.
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This man lacks any form of constructive reasoning even on trivial matters. He is the mirror image of the so-called educated idiots in this Rajapaksa doomed srilanka.
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May this nation be free from SINHALA MAN or the like ultra fools !
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whywhy / June 19, 2023
H T ,
In a nutshell , no time waste , no energy waste , Srilanka is a
beautiful country among many other such countries and is
full of thieves , murderers , criminals , rapists , fraudsters ,
and you name it we have it , most of the time big timers are
protected by the very people who are expected to catch and
punish them ! These are the people who run the government
from behind the curtain . Nobody with a sense of dignity
can vouch either for Ranil or Rajapkshas as the present
government is a blend of all rotten apples . If Ranil can mix with
any juggler then he is a good juggler . And if the country is able
to be watching what is unfolding right in front of their eyes then
that is what they deserve . The game is ” strongest survive . “
Not about good , bad and ugly !
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Mahila / June 18, 2023
Panini,
13 seconds or 13 minutes doesn’t matter!!!???
He is doing what he has to do as HoS with the minimum of time – That’s Great, because it saves time and Tax Payers Money!!!???
I can’t think of anyone doing it, other than RW!!!??? May be Sir John did or Dudley in the early 50’s, when Queen made state visit soon after her Coronation as Head of State (HoS) and Head of C’ Wealth (HoC)!!!???
When R. Bros., Inc. held the Commonwealth meeting in Hambantota, aspiration was to do so, but Her Majesty slipped out and sent the then Prince to depute for her, so MaRa managed possibly with Charles in that instance – Not HoS and King of England “the Prince – King in waiting”!!!???
You think AKD or SP would be entertained and IMPROMPTO just like what you saw between RW and KC, wouldn’t hesitate to term it as ‘DAY DREAMING’ at it’s best!!!???
Not particularly RW Fan!!!???
Whatever, one’s DREAMS may hold, don’t hesitate, to give the DEVIL it’s due!!!???
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Sinhala_Man / June 19, 2023
Dear Mahila,
.
I saw your comment after posting my response to HC, now above yours.
That brief meeting was the day before the Coronation when there was a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. I can’t now lay hands on another video which showed Charles circulating for a few minutes shaking hands with all the Heads, something for which he is well trained.
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Regarding Sir John: Did you know all this?
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https://island.lk/was-the-third-prime-minister-of-ceylon-the-son-of-a-murderer/
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It’s long, but will keep you rivetted. Google for more.
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My understanding of Dudley (whom I have met) is that he was a simple and decent guy who wouldn’t have been obsessed with obtaining an audience.
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There is one Lankan older than us with whom Charles is on first name terms. Prepare for surprise!
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikramabahu_Karunaratne
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When Bahu was doing his first PhD at Cambridge, Charles was doing his BA, and they became good friends.
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Had Ranil settled for the role of interim custodian, we would regard him as our kindly benefactor; as it is Richard III comes to mind.
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Last words: “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!”
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nimal fernando / June 18, 2023
Good ol’ Lankan Anglophiles must be going cock-a-hoop ….. Native, do you have this photo framed and hung on your wall already?
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OC would’ve given Ramona …… to be a fly on the wall for this one!!! :)))
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Native Vedda / June 20, 2023
nimal fernando
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“Native, do you have this photo framed and hung on your wall already?”
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I am sorry to disappoint you, no I have better things to do.
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Leonard Jayawardena / June 18, 2023
RP:
“King Charles and King Ranil are both 73, and it took a Biblical lifetime for the two men to get where they are now.”
Nice one.
For the biblically illiterate, “a Biblical lifetime” is an allusion to Psalm 90:10 (Old Testament): “The days of our years are threescore years and ten….”
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Sinhala_Man / June 19, 2023
They’re both 74; Ranil a few months younger. Check Wikipedia.
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Even Homer nods, but here, as your your quotation marks indicate, Leonard, it isn’t you who have nodded. Rajan Philips – and that’s a rare nod!
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Panini Edirisinhe of Bandarawela – 8 days older than Charles
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nimal fernando / June 19, 2023
“8 days older than Charles”
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In a non-hereditary monarchy …….. you would’ve been king!
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Something for JVP/NPP/AKD …….. to contemplate.
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Native Vedda / June 20, 2023
nimal fernando
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“Something for JVP/NPP/AKD …….. to contemplate.”
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You mean a perpetual dictatorship of the proletariat!
If it is a dictatorship (the Pol Pot type) SJ would happily support it.
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Leonard Jayawardena / June 18, 2023
RP:
“As a political leader, Mr. Wickremesinghe has never been a popular politician and has always been a serial loser in elections.”
Who agrees with me when I say that the reasons for the above are mainly
1. His lack of enthusiasm for irradicating corruption. He was once reported to have said, “I will not be the class monitor.”
2. His stance on the so called ethnic question, which has made him unpopular among the majority community in the country. This appears to be his biggest political blind spot but, if he is aware of the political cost involved but continues to hold the same stance, I have to take my hat off to him for acting in a principled way at least on that issue (though I myself don’t hold the same position on that subject).
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old codger / June 18, 2023
L.J,
“1. His lack of enthusiasm for irradicating corruption”
I don’t think so. The politicians are only a reflection of the popular culture, which is intrinsically corrupt.
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Leonard Jayawardena / June 18, 2023
OC:
“The politicians are only a reflection of the popular culture, which is intrinsically corrupt.”
But Ranil, so far as I know and as the author himself has observed, is not personally corrupt, so he is not your typical politician corruption-wise. He has no skeletons in his cupboard and so shouldn’t worry about throwing stones for fear of the same stones being hurled back at his own glass house.
Many people are hypocritical when it comes to corruption as I know from experience. They may burn with righteous anger when they see corruption in others but when afforded half a chance they would do the same things. However, the same people would respect and likely vote for a politician impeccable in that respect and seen to be actively doing something about corruption. What were most of the Aragalaya slogans about and why are so many waiting to vote for the JVP?
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SJ / June 19, 2023
How many have voted for ‘impeccable’ candidates in any election?
It is hard to be ‘impeccable’ and have resources to contest elections.
Corruption concerns many things besides ill gotten wealth.
/
old codger / June 19, 2023
Leonard,
“But Ranil, so far as I know and as the author himself has observed, is not personally corrupt,”
The reality is that he is seen to be corrupt (just ask some commenters on this forum), due to a very good hatchet job by the media on a “bond scam” which nobody really understands. There is also the matter of the VW factory, which actually mattered more than the fake bond scam.
“They may burn with righteous anger when they see corruption in others but when afforded half a chance they would do the same things.”
That’s why the mud doesn’t really stick. In the end the votes roll in.
/
leelagemalli / June 19, 2023
OC,
.
As I repeatedly said, BOND SCAM was planted for their sake.
:
Why do Singapore govt remain silent on it ? Not many question the very same state here even if I repeatedly questioned. Not even SM or the like JVP experts give a damn to answer the very question.
/
Native Vedda / June 21, 2023
old codger
–
“…. due to a very good hatchet job by the media on a “bond scam” which nobody really understands.”
–
Also those Rajapakse lackeys within the Central Bank (who benefited from the clan over previous 10 years) made selective leaks which had too much “spin” value for the media. Unlike our poor nimal I never bought the story because the media or the parliament never published any evidence.
–
/
Sinhala_Man / June 19, 2023
Dear Leonard,
.
1. is correct, although I didn’t know the quotation.
.
2. Ranil is not comfortable dealing with people. My sister born in 1950 was only one batch junior to Ranil in the Law Faculty, which you know has very few in it, as opposed to the Law College; and my sister lives very close to Ranil’s place. But they used hardly to greet each other. And you know about how his Uncle, Bishop Lakshman didn’t seem to approve of Ranil’s role in July 1983, and died quite soon after. Add to that the fact that his somewhat younger cousin, Rajiva, seems to loathe him. His unpopularity stems from his personality.
.
Not many are likely to agree with you about his “principled stand” on anything. He has displayed cunning and intelligence in manoeuvring himself into the Presidency, but now hubris dominates.
/
Sinhala_Man / June 19, 2023
And yet, you find many who are happy with Ranil’s performance as “President for Life”. In a country of 22 million, 5% is a million.
.
Yes, those “elite” – or shall we say rich, are very happy that the petrol queues are not there. They have money. For now, those who have the means and run businesses, large or little, find that so long as what they produce are essentials, but not perishable, keep increasing prices. Or comfortably placed, they have no pressing anxieties. My Colombo sister has no children and more money than she knows what to do with. She still has no enthusiasm for Ranil the man, but is happy with what she sees as stability, and wants no elections. These people are relatively high profile, and it is they who create the impression (among English speakers) that Ranil has support.
.
However, those on limited incomes, and who worry about mobility for their progeny are getting desperate. The desire to migrate cannot be dealt with briefly. Most of those who can go, have by now left.
/
old codger / June 19, 2023
SM,
“However, those on limited incomes, and who worry about mobility for their progeny are getting desperate. The desire to migrate cannot be dealt with briefly. Most of those who can go, have by now left.”
So, what’s new? This has been going on since Ranil was a baby. Why do you try to pin everything on him?
Your sister is right.
The fact is, our lives in this country are better than ever before (not due to Ranil). Now try disputing that?
/
leelagemalli / June 19, 2023
OC,
.
“So, what’s new? This has been going on since Ranil was a baby. Why do you try to pin everything on him?”
–
AKDISM has blinded him forever. SIRISENISM and AKDISM were recently questioned by our HT. I think he is right, AKDISM will not succeed in the same way.
.
And this COMMENTER has never said anything meaningful to the readers. Either his family’s pomposity or his education or not being able to get promotion in his school is his hatred. His cognitive nature was manipulated by the JVP all these years.
–
Why on earth do CT commenters have to be aware of his family and how many toiletries and underwear he owns?
–
Can anyone of you, please check this man is changing anatomically ? Then we could better make our mind up.
/
old codger / June 19, 2023
the troubles began in the 1930s. This was my maternal grandmother’s brother:
My Colombo sister has no children.
My sister born in 1950 was only one batch junior to Ranil
My brother runs a chocolate factory.
Aren’t we poor plebs on CT fortunate that posting pictures isn’t allowed?
/
leelagemalli / June 20, 2023
Beloved OC,
.
Those who have nt worked with other nationalities, would nt have much to explain to the audience. That may be the very reason B wella joker to repeat about his family on this platform. I m so fed up of his incoherent comments. 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭
/
leelagemalli / June 19, 2023
Dear Readers,
The truth as it is, unlike SM makes every effort to paint the picture, Ranil is not yet rejected by people. in contrary, some shared to my friends last week, if not for Ranil things would have turned much worse in the country, ruined and run away by Rajapakshes.
.
People clearly know if MEDAMULANA beasts were in leadership, nothing woudl have been able to save the nation from falling in to a somalia-like- state. AKD was not ready to take over power from Gota. Nor has SP guts to do so. However, usual scapegoat came forward, there I respect him today, even if I am unbiased to any poltiician in our motherland ruined by Rajapakshe mlechcha politics.
/
leelagemalli / June 19, 2023
What an idiot to repeatedly abuse web space 🙄 on his siblings and their wealth for no good reason? This 🫏 s pamporiya diverts us from the topic.
Besides, who on earth would be interested in knowing pvt details of anyone ? 😉😉😉😉This man is a real frog no doubt about that. Alas, how some of our behave????🙃🙃🙃
/
Leonard Jayawardena / June 19, 2023
“Not many are likely to agree with you about his “principled stand” on anything.”
This is what I actually wrote:
“[His stance on the so called ethnic question] appears to be his biggest political blind spot but, if he is aware of the political cost involved but continues to hold the same stance, I have to take my hat off to him for acting in a principled way at least on that issue….”
/
Sarath / June 18, 2023
Rajan Philips knowledge of SL politics is impeccable, but venturing into global geopolitics brings on glitches. His is the world of our grandfathers and fathers who taught us to be grateful and obedient to those nations that subjugated and plundered our lands, our minds being part of the plunder.
But now a new global geopolitical reality is emerging, subverting the small minority of Western nations that claim to speak for the rest of us, the largely Anglo-Saxon world and the nations founded through butchery and conquest.
That world, led by the US, is now scrambling to change the rules, such as “free trade” they themselves put in place. But too late. Ukraine has been conscripted into this plan that seeks to maintain a dominant West. The country was made to believe that arms they were being swamped with are unbeatable and would defeat and break-up Russia, a long held Western dream. But Russia’s minerals and agricultural riches will continue to stay out of reach. Instead Ukraine’s young are dying in great numbers if you are not swayed by major Western newsagencies, now broadcasting obvious misinformation and war propaganda.
Continued:
/
Sarath / June 18, 2023
Continued:
Ubiquitous social media and the internet give a clearer picture, a more balanced idea of what’s happening with Ukraine. That’s if access to those channels are not been denied.
US debt must play a pivotal role in what’s happening in Ukraine. Published sources say US debt has jumped 10-fold from $3 trillion to over $31 trillion over the past 30 years. This is two times ahead of the economic growth rate and the cost of servicing it can reach $1 trillion a year, which is a fifth of the budget, and this figure is growing. Printing paper money and passing it around may not work any longer. The biggest risks are held by the so-called Third-World Countries, the main holders of US debt.
/
LankaScot / June 18, 2023
Hello Sarath,
Since when did 2 faced book or any of the other social media site give a balanced idea of what’s happening in Ukraine? Your failure to denounce the mass murderer Putin is unconscionable. Putin has an Agenda. In one of his addresses to the Nation he called the collapse of the Soviet empire “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” His Guru Alexander Dugin shares his outlook and wants to recreate the Russian Empire of Peter and Catherine.
After telling the world that he had no intention of invading Ukraine, Putin did exactly that on the 24th February 2022. The United Nations were in session and about an hour into the Council meeting, President Putin announced in Moscow that a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region had commenced, and that he had asked Ukrainian troops to put down their arms.
Although the UN recognises Ukraine as a Nation State Putin explicitly denied that Ukraine had ever had “real statehood,” and said the country was an integral part of Russia’s “own history, culture, spiritual space.”
To be continued
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LankaScot / June 18, 2023
Ukraine gave up its Nuclear weapons and signed the Budapest Memorandum on the 5th December 1994. The memoranda, signed in Patria Hall at the Budapest Convention Center with US Ambassador Donald M. Blinken amongst others in attendance,[ prohibited the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States from threatening or using military force or economic coercion against Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, “except in self-defence or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.”
Now a delegation from Africa, on a peace mission, led by Cyril Ramaphosa (secretly supplying weapons to Russia) have seen for themselves the conditions in Kyiv. Putin attacked Kyiv with missiles and drones whilst they were meeting with President Zelensky.
Putin has bombed Ukraine with no regard for civilians, hospitals, schools and even huge Hydro Dams (causing many deaths and widespread ecological damage. Zelensky is correct to call for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and mercenaries from Ukraine before talks can take place.
est Regards
/
SJ / June 19, 2023
Sarath
The US has lost almost every war and proxy war it fought in the past half century.
South America is getting bold about trading in other currencies. Even the biggest oil sheiks are ready to ditch the US dollar in favour of the RMB to sell their oil.
The US will be left with bundles of worthless stationery in its hands at this rate.
/
Human Touch / June 18, 2023
Dear Readers
The democratic process needs credible and capable politicians and equally enlightened public who can chose wisely.
Sri Lankan public have their thinking upside down. When it comes to marriage we use our head instead of the brain. We look at the external attributes of the person we want to marry (such as family wealth, caste, religion, social standing, etc) over love.
Meanwhile when it comes to voting we chose our heart instead of the brain.
As a result we end up with the wrong people in power.
.
What is happening right now is not bad in a sense. Ranil is running the government like a CEO. Hard decisions have to be made in order to put the country back on track.
In some countries where the government had failed, military end up taking over. That is much worse, believe me I have seen in happen.
/
Sinhala_Man / June 19, 2023
Dear HT,
.
I know that you have seen all that happen in your adopted non-White country, and you, too, are happily placed, although I know that you must worry about your family who are here.
.
Yours is an almost unique position, with all education also having been there.
.
“Hamuda Aanduwa” (military government) used to be the prescription trotted out by a sizeable number of people. Ironically, we should now regard Gota’s Presidency as a God-send. He still had some money, the Covid-19 seemed to have been contained and he provided such entertainment as no Lankan will ever forget:
.
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/it-is-the-law-because-i-say-so-gota/comment-page-1/#comments
.
It’ll be worth your while leaving aside recent articles, and studying this article thoroughly to see how much Gota then resembles Ranil now in many aspects. And see how inconsistent “leelagemalli’s’ then comments, and now. See also how I excoriated the Rajapaksas, whose antics were reported worldwide:
.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/treat-verbal-orders-as-circular-sri-lankan-prez/article32702309.ece
/
leelagemalli / June 19, 2023
SM,
let s turn to the facts.
.
You though made me a RANIL-s supporter, I still remain as ANTI-RAJAPAKSHE POLITICS. That has nothing to do with my inconsistent comments. So dont be a liar in that regard.
If anyone knows me from the comments, there is nobody that is against MaRa (JATHIYE THIRISANA) other than me. I am always against the criminals of the Rajapaksa family, from the day he got elected as the President in 2005.
:
OC, HT, MF, NV and all other rational thinkers know, my position remain as before. However, naive people of your nature don’t grasp even the smallest things for you, however, that is your nature. WE SOMETIMES wonder how you worked as a school teacher ?
–
Further, You back then promoted Nagananda Kodithuwakku for no good reason.
He is 68 and you are 75 if my memory is right. Also back then your nature of thinking was against facts. Might be, many of us thought you were wiser, however you are not. Even Gota was nothing but became ” most capable” person to 6.9 millions of voters in that country.
.
There we thought your PISSU nature was already ingrained in you.
–
There was a Colombo man named Pasquale who constantly defended well for the Rajapaksa in those days.
/
roger / June 18, 2023
what ever said ranil has borrowed more money during his short period than any other properly elected presidents of this country. Now our total debt is about 91 Billion USD and during the last few months local debt has risen by over 6 billion USD . Ranil has no plans for future , this happened in yahapalanaya as well, the external debt servicing almost doubled (in USD) during that period. There is no one else is not the answer, when Indra Gandhi died there was no one but Rajive Gandhi came and steared India to what it is now. For new force to appear these olf folks should go. We have hit the rock bottom, we have not realised it is not the IMF its the expatriates money (with returns from tourism also) that is used to run the country. Ranil is bussy trying to create a political future for him, he is not atall concerned about the growing debt burden, he will not be there when it will become a real issue. This is a fools pardise
/
SJ / June 19, 2023
“The 2002 peace process was a direct victim of political corruption, and the mother of all corrupt deals came with the January 2015 Central Bank Bond Scam that proved to be the grave digger that buried the whole yahapalanaya project.”
Sounds like cliches.
The 2002 peace process was wrecked internally by the reluctance of the GOSL and the LTTE to compromise where it mattered, but as importantly by outside interests, mainly India, that were determined to wreck it.
The peace process had a hidden agenda which overrode the declared one. Whose hand did Norway play?
/
SJ / June 19, 2023
I doubt if the Band Scam was any bigger a theft than most others.
As for the people, they were bitter with the lack lustre performance of the government.
We are far too used to corruption to be troubled by it when we mark a slip of paper behind a curtain.
/
old codger / June 19, 2023
SJ,
Those who think the bond scam was a great theft ought to spend a few days watching the Colombo Stock Exchange.
/
Cicero / June 19, 2023
The Aragalaya succeeded because the middle class Sinhalese united with the students and the trade unionists. Now, the middle class is satisfied because they have got their petrol and gas. The dollar rates seem okay. There is a return to the normalcy in which the Sinhala and Tamil middle classes thrive. That is the plus point for Ranil. The only opposition will come from the 6.9 Sinhala Only morons some of whom may have seen light in the fact that pursuing nationalism does not feed their children. They will not veer towards Sajith as they should or towards Anura because these men have not been tested. MR and Pothole Sira are dead ducks. So, Ranil, the man with burnt books but no learning, the Batalanda kid and the wily Uncle’s nephew, may still have the chance of becoming King. He will buy off the minorities with promises. He is a smart operator who knows the winds blow and pulls the strings in a manner that ensures his success. The Americans and Indians would support him.
/
whywhy / June 20, 2023
My understanding is , a powerful block of countries intervened at the right
time and before too late , to safe guard their vested interests ! Ranil was their
best option for the job . We may like it or not , it is their choice because it is
their interests that need to be guarded at the end of the day ! There may be
many players from nearby and distant but that is the game . We may never
find the real masters behind the scene but surely it is not a local show because
locals are not capable of producing , directing and screening such a thriller ,
believe me . The biggest Bribe is ALL CULPRITS ARE SAFE . That is the price
for the settlement . That is my calculation .
/
SJ / June 22, 2023
WW
It is very rarely that an ousted leader is persecuted by the ‘international community’ (the US & partners). Punishment is reserved for those who stood in the way of their interests and refused to bow down.
you will not need a list I assume.
*
“We may never find the real masters behind the scene “
True: that is the difference between colonial power and neocolonial power.
/
deepthi silva / June 21, 2023
Why Why, I don’t know why you say these things- don’t you know America, Europe, China etc have whole teams and even universities studying Sri Lanka , the most vital country in the world. They are well aware of Ranil’s incredible talents and in fact discuss him every night with awe.These powerful countries also know 9 with facts and figures) Rajapaksa family are rogues and evil. !
Although neither Ranil nor Rajapaksa have been convicted for corruption in any court, these powerful nations have all the evidence.
Some even in this forum are so sure that Ranil is honest ! Only he will know the truth , not even his wife. I don’t know why or how they are so confident that he is honest !
Most clever rogues have collectors. For a long time I thought Vass Gunawardena was the Rajapaksa collector. Apparently not.
Is Mahendran a collector for Ranil ? I am now wondering about Boggalagama….
/
leelagemalli / June 21, 2023
Prof. DS,
.
Because the whole world knew that the “Medamulana beasts” were rascals and that some robbed poor people like fishing in muddy water.
:
People like Prof. Deepti Silva make every effort to reduce the heinous crimes committed by MEDAMULANA beasts for certain reasons. That may be the reason why these men and women compare the damage done by the Rajapaksa with the damage done to Ranil’s government.
:
To me and anyone with some common sense, the damage done to the country by Ranil or CBK during their administration is relatively small. It is like comparing an elephant with an ant.
–
However, twisted mindsets won’t capture it. srilankens are totally misled. Their vulnerability is relatively higher. There is no doubt that they are behaving like cattle roaming around the Kelaniya temple.
/
whywhy / June 22, 2023
deepthi silva ,
” America , Europe , China etc have whole teams and even
universities studying Srilanka , the most vital country in
the world . ” These are your lines that confirm my
calculation . I do not think I should add anything more here
to prove my point . I thank you for your interest in my
comment . Before winding up , just think about Mahinda
conspiring with Sirisena to kick out Ranil in 2018 and the
same Mahinda just in 4 years time hand over , not the PM
but the Executive , this time not alone , the whole family
agreeing to sit and watch their Darling give them Full
security with all other comforts in return . ” The most vital
country in the world . “
/