The Government and its friendly media affiliates have kicked a campaign to hold elections amid the Coronavirus pandemic into high gear as member of the Elections Commission Professor S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole raised the alarm that the Commission might be surreptitiously putting plans in place to hold the poll on the President’s schedule.
Across the board the Sri Lankan media has fallen in line with the Government plan for elections with the privately owned Daily Mirror publishing a huge image on its front page on Saturday about how voters will be managed at polling booths while the viral outbreak rages.
Lankadeepa also owned by the Wijeya Group shocked the country earlier this week when its front page headline screamed that the “Corona risk was over” prompting a denial from no less than the Director General of Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe that this was not the case. Medical experts are urgently calling for more widespread testing before lockdown measures are lifted and the country goes back to normal life.
Mawbima the newspaper owned by Gotabaya affiliate Tiran Alles also published a full page article praising the Government’s work to combat corona virus once again citing the GRID index that has now been exposed as fake news by Colombo Telegraph’s own research.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s confidants mounted their own propaganda operation to assure the country that the corona virus situation had been “managed” and the process was complete. Nalaka Godahewa, SLPP candidate for the Gampaha District used his good offices with the Certified Management Accountants Australia to get Sri Lanka ranked 9th in the world on an obscure index with little credibility for tackling the corona virus.
Meanwhile Derana CEO and staunch ally of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Dilith Jayaweera has used his television channel and his pro-Rajapaksa anchors to propagate information using erroneous charts and graphs that the spread of the disease was on the decline in Sri Lanka.
While this operation gets underway the Elections Commission chairman and a section of his department appears to be in league with the Rajapaksa administration to hold elections in May in spite of reservations expressed by both other members of the Commission.
The Commission which requires a quorum of three members to meet and make decisions has been unable to hold a meeting since 1 April 2020 due to the ongoing curfew, according to an article published by Prof. Hoole. The Elections Commission member warns that Sri Lanka’s powerful army commander, the IGP, several other senior cops and the Director General of Health Services will meet with the Commission on Monday, 20 April in a bid to strong-arm members of the Commission to hold the election on 28 May as it is the Government’s preference.
Colombo Telegraph learns that the much respected Dr Jasinghe who has earned the respect of the Sri Lankan public for his professional role during the coronavirus crisis is under severe pressure from certain sections of the Government to giving the Elections Commission the green-light to hold the parliamentary election on 28 May.
Chairman of the Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya has acted on his own for years before the Commission was reconstituted by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 2015.
He has continued to act like a sole authority despite being only one of three members on an independent commission that he chairs when the Commission meets. The media savvy Chairman of the EC Deshapriya is continually referred to as “Polls Chief” in the Sri Lankan media and reporters rely heavily on statements made by him unilaterally without consultation with the other members.
The Daily Mirror newspaper dedicated a huge section of its front page to an image about how to hold an election during the pandemic
Deshapriya who earned public trust when he held a fair election against all odds in January 2015 when Mahinda Rajapaksa’s political fortunes were on the wane has since proved he cannot exercise his authority over politicians as a constitutionally empowered independent commission member.
In October 2018 Deshapriya blithely supported former President Maithripala Sirisena’s illegal attempt to dissolve parliament after his failed coup attempt. Against the wishes of the rest of the Commission Deshapriya consulted with Sirisena on dates for the parliamentary election the President had called without the constitutional right to do so.
He showed a similar interest in pandering to the Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the run up to the 2019 presidential election refusing to even question his citizenship status before accepting his nomination papers. Sources told Colombo Telegraph that Deshapriya continues to be a pawn in the hands of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration despite his strong letter to the President on 1st April claiming that the Commission had decided that elections could not be held before the 2nd June deadline to summon Parliament.
Despite this public show behind the scenes Deshapriya has allegedly been consulting and conspiring with the Government to hold elections on the SLPP schedule. The Chairman of the Elections Commission made the restoration of normalcy in the country a condition to be fulfilled by 20th April in order to proceed with the election by end of May.
Mawbima owned by Tiran Alles dedicates full page to GRID INDEX 2020 rating for Gota’s handling of COVID-19 based on fake news
The Government and its cronies have gladly obliged. (by Chamika Madiwake)
JD / April 19, 2020
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JD / April 19, 2020
It looks SABOTEURS are still not conclusive about the. Some, no elections as I say. Others say wait until October while others say we need a CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS first. Where is the quick action force hiding ? Are they responsible for shooting at meegasthotamulla, catholic fisherman and muslims at different times ?
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JD / April 19, 2020
Parliamentarians like the govt continued without an election. that makes sure their pensions and they have jobs continuous, their liquor licenses, Sand and earth mining, tipper licences continued, distilleries will be working unhampered. Their only problem is they are not part of the new program. Some say “PLEASE, PLEASE, MAKE US ALSO A PART OF YOUR PROGRAM.
If things are working fine why do we need elections which is useful only to get rid of thieves. but, some some saboteurs need something else.
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chiv / April 19, 2020
SJ, the world we live is never going to be perfect, hence there is no country which is perfect. It is for the people to see and perceive as they want. What ever said and done US cannot be that bad compared to China .Russia or Lanka.. (you can ask those people who line up daily outside of respective high commissions desperate to get a visa). At least people who live in USA has their rights to question the official or political version. One more thing there are countries who do wrong to others for their own gain which you can call as selfishness (they may call it as survival skills). But then there are few countries who do wrong to others as well as their own people. You figure out who is who ???????
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jayt / April 21, 2020
They do not like US law, UK Law, EU law, Chines law Saudis law, Iranian law and any other laws that kills tractors, bribes takers or crooks & criminals. traitors in China hang. places like Arab countries or Muslim hand or behead US, UK or life time jail or series traitors directly poison to death by CIA or UK spies or Israelis. or Pakistanis.
And they don,t know want any law from these countries nor any agency that follow above agencies. Sri lanka run by group of class people who established themselves during British colonial period.
They have English schools. They wear like British and act like British colonial officers in front poor class village Sinhalese because could not act like British during British period. They often uses poor class children to servant work. War period, they avoided their children getting into army. Most of them sent their children overseas to avoid army.
These people and their leaders do not like anybody grill them like in the Western countries for bribe taking, stealing or traitor work. Worst part, they are all foreigners. Sinhalese crook & criminal know well that foreigners bribe well than local Sinhalese Buddhists. local presidential candidates give them 100 rupees bribe. Foreign descendent presidential candidate give them 1 million rupees bribe and allow them to steal more from government money plus good jobs at Sl embassies after they come to power( all that anti America. Anti-British and anti-European or slogan only in election period).
All the people who used ant western slogan in the past 70 years live came t Uk and other Western countries live
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Buddhist / April 19, 2020
Rajapakses want to have the election to gain power and their slave medias (Hiru and Derana) want to support them. If the Election Commission, especially the Chair Deshapriya who is bending over backward for Rajapakses, sets a date before the number of Corona cases are zero for two weeks, Deshapriya should be charged in court for endangering the lives of civilians. Today the number of cases has risen to 269 which is higher than three weeks ago. Is this the time even to talk about an election? Also Deshapriya has no right to hold the General Election in stages, the usual Mahinda Rajapakse game. General Election must be held at the same time all over the country and not in stages. In addition how is the EC Chair meeting with Basil who is an American Citizen and who cannot contest the election? What right Deshapriya has to meet alone with anyone in the absence of other two Commissioners?
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chiv / April 19, 2020
SJ, I am still talking about the Covid and not wars. When I quoted the real facts you called it as wild guess. If so how will you term the above mentioned news in Lankan media. . I hope your source of information is not the same. SJ, I personally read what I quoted else where. In early March CDC and other medical experts warned the policy makers of an impending outbreak and estimated (worse scenario ) more than million getting infected, if proper actions are not taken 75,000 to 100.000 deaths, epidemic to last until late July or early August and impact on economy will be felt up to 2021. (even beyond.) You quote trump,s figures as official and called these as wild guess. The truth is not that far from the initial estimation. The current numbers are close to 0.75 million infected, 40,000 death (did better compared to Europe) seven million are unemployed and the impact on Economy is well known. I am not going to give you referral sources for what I clearly read and remember. If you are interested it is easy to find. But please do not call facts as wild guess without making an effort to cross check.
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Mallaiyuran / April 20, 2020
” What ever said and done US cannot be that bad compared to China .Russia or Lanka.. (you can ask those people who line up daily outside of respective high commissions desperate to get a visa). “
Probably the best party to ask whether US is better or Lankawe better is the Royal family. One time they even pumped gas there to survive, but for last few generations, in their entire life time, that includes even during Dutch or British rule, they lived royal life (by being the traitors to Lankawe land). But in this Generation, royal have taken up more US citizenships than remaining as patriotic Lankans.
The grapes could not be reached are not sour. Those who lost the deal to get a citizenship in UK are not the real critics of UK or US.
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Mallaiyuran / April 19, 2020
Election Commission is saying, beyond people’s willingness to participate in the unhealthy environment for the election, Commission may face the expense is tripled. One may think this is about the additional staff needed to rush the election, overtime payments and vast amount of protective gears & cleaning supplies needed for voters and polling staff.
Commission has not talked about the International Monitoring team’s availability. These days it is democratic culture to employ IC monitors. Election commission should let people know if it will arrange with Europe for monitors this time too. That is an important issue for opposition parties to cooperate on this rush election.
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S. C. Pasqual / April 20, 2020
Mr. Mallaiyuran the barber,
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Funny logic.
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A idiot who is arguing that
# getting majority votes in a presidential election is dictatorship….
# having elections is undemocratic…..
# no election is more democratic……
saying “””it is democratic culture to employ IC monitors””
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Are you sure that what is in your bottom of backside is not in top of front side.
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Mallaiyuran / April 20, 2020
Yes you are right, I am like a bat, but Only fruit and vegetable eating bat. Not a vampire like your bosses or a coronavirus spreading like you. (Nature has life, excrete by mouth too. It is not wrong or shame)
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Ayathuray Rajasingam / April 20, 2020
Everything well planned as calculated.
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rajash / April 20, 2020
exploiting Tsunami; Exploiting Easter Massacre; now Exploiting Corona Virus…
these bastards will exploit mass scale death of civilians for their own power grab
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Machan / April 20, 2020
Gotabaya Rajapaksa has yet to prove he is not a US citizen anymore before he was elected as Sri Lanka’s President last November thanks to the Chairman of Elections Deshapriya who refused to check his eligibility for fear of his life saying it was non of his business. Gota has praised China as a nation of great workers and insulted his country of adoption the US as mischief makers in the Sri Lanka media. After taking his oaths to obey the laws of the US and serve his country of adoption to the best of his ability he has praised the Chinese knowing very well they were responsible for the spread of Covid-19 which has devastated the whole world due to their incompetency in controlling the virus within their borders. As such I believe the Chinese cannot be trusted anymore as a civilized nation after declaring about a month ago they are Corona free and keep lying and changing the information almost everyday because they are guilty of spreading the virus. Despite numerous requests before the Presidential elections the US Embassy in Sri Lanka for some strange reason or the other refused to take any action to reveal if he had already revoked his US citizenship and Gota could be tried for treason according to US justice system for breaking the laws of the country. There were no records in the US to indicate if he is no more a US citizen. Apparently the US must be having other plans for Gotabaya Rajapaksa who has insulted his country of adoption as the President of Sri Lanka after taking his oaths to abide by the laws of the US.
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Ranil Wijeyesekera / April 20, 2020
Hold the election phasedout. over 5 days and fumigated daily. More polling stations. Reduce congestion at polling station. Details in this article is good. Encourage people to come after a bath. Long sleeve dress will help. Distributing cancelled polling details to quicken the queve will help. Have the queve in sections. The people have to be given the right to vote in their reperresenatives.
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Mallaiyuran / April 20, 2020
What happened to the parliamentarians the people voted in for until next september? Didn’t Ranil decently ( or as a cahoot) resign the PM position and gave it to Old King, who never ran any parliament session in proper manner?
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Mallaiyuran / April 20, 2020
Lankawe Coronavirus fight has flipped flopped badly. Aanduwa paid to some infamous organization to prematurely print their names in the top of the successful countries that fought the Covid-19. Sinhala Media even named the people who were employed in this shameful misguiding, deceiving the mass, project, by Aanduwa. But now Pavithra is saying “We are not a developed country so we cannot keep the people in curfew lockup and the economy shut long”. She means the Lankawe is already burned out by the Royal government’s delusional coronavirus fighting mechanism. Just one month ago the Hitler King declared brutal curfew on the poor and weak workers and on commons, but empty his head were to launch any planned and sustained fight against the killer virus. Now his government is coiling back in its shell, while, at least in the media, the virus is showing a virulent outburst. The interesting part is while they are backing off, claiming that they are not so developed country, from fighting the killer virus, they are comparing their ability with South Korea to conduct election safely. Within 6 months of their arrival, the Aanduwa is now forced to swallow back its throw ups.
May I know where the Low PhD GLP is, please? I need some clarifications from him for the speech that came out from Pavithra.
Everybody please read her confession in your favorite media.
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