19 April, 2024

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Horse-Trading Heats Up As SLFP And UNP Try To Make The Best Out Of Reduced Circumstances

Political uncertainty is not showing any signs of abating in the midst of rumors regarding crossovers and horse-trading in the aftermath of the recently concluded local government election,

The uneasy political alliance between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) is all but torn apart following the February 10th electoral defeat of both parties at the hands of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

Colombo Telegraph learns that the leaders of the two parties, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as well their staunchest backers are in the midst of frenzied negotiations with key MPs in order to cobble together a working majority.

Sirisena initially had agreed to the UNP going solo and forming a government with a cabinet reduced to 30 members as per the requirements of the 19th Amendment provided that Wickremesinghe steps down in favor of someone else. He appears to have abandoned this plan and is reported to be focusing on forming an SLFP-led Government.

The General Secretary of the UPFA, the coalition led by the SLFP, Mahinda Amaraweera has written to Sirisena stating that a government should be formed without Wickremesinghe. These sentiments had also been echoed by party stalwart Susil Premajayanth.

Wickremesinghe however had informed Sirisena that he has the full backing of the party. Colombo Telegraph learns that several SLFP MPs including Duminda Disanayake, Sarath Amunugama, Mahinda Samarasinghe and Vijithamuni Soyza are ready to join the UNP led government and help it control a minimum of 113 seats necessary for a clear majority.

Sirisena meanwhile is exploring the possibility of manipulating the parliamentary arithmetic to have an SLFPer as the Prime Minister. According to party sources Sirisena’s choice is Nimal Siripala de Silva who has been told to demonstrate that he has a majority backing him in Parliament by Friday.

There are also moves by certain elements to have the Speaker, Karu Jayasuriya, take up the Prime Minister’s post. Jayasuriya is said to have expressed a willingness provided that such a move has the full backing of the UNP.

According to sources close to the various parties, Rauff Hakeem and the SLMC will back Wickremesinghe who believes that the TNA would support him if a no-confidence motion is brought against him. Arumugam Thondaman’s CWS and the EPDP are set to back Sirisena.

Meanwhile Mahinda Rajapaksa, the de-facto leader of the SLPP, has expressed the view that the party would support an SLFP premier but would not accept portfolios in an SLFP government in the event that it is established.

While Sirisena is expected to make a special statement to the nation either on Thursday or Friday, political uncertainty is expected to continue for a few more days or even longer.

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Latest comments

  • 19
    6

    Twenty Million is the asking price. Some SLFPers will get more than that. Odds are DisceAmmata Dayasiri the Hora, Seeni Bola Dissa, Sarath Amunugama, Mahinda with Olevels from Royal Samarasinghe will jump ship. they all love the ministerships and the money they can make. Odds are RW and UNP will form their own government with the defections. K.O.L.U Malick and Company including AOG Eran have billions to buy them. Also the stolen money Mahendran-gey baana Alosyius has will be used. Altogether at least 7 will be BOUGHT and made ministers too.

    • 6
      0

      OK this is a good opportunity for Inland Revenue to monitor the horse trading and question both parties where they found this kind of money used for trading. There sources and if income tax has been paid. I bet most of it is blackmoney or robbed money belonging to the natio and poor peoples pension funds.

      • 0
        0

        How naive!

    • 0
      0

      Karadara Dias – of all what you have said I take special exception to one. Evan in not the man you think he is and not the type who will do what you suggest.

      He is a very different kettle of fish.

    • 4
      0

      If twenty million is the asking price it reflects both the rise in the corruption index, and the rate of inflation.
      When Ranil’s father engineered the downfall of the first Sirimavo Govt the transactions took place late at night in a Lake House. The rates paid were Rs30,000 for voting for the no confidence motion, Rs 20,000 for abstaining and Rs 15,000 for keeping away from the House on the day. Mangala Samaraweera’s father Mahanama who was elected to Parliamentthrough the Communist Party ticket received Rs 30,000 and that was his political downfall and virtually hounded out from politics thereafter. Many other SLFPers led by CP de Silva betrayed Mrs B and the govt had to resign. One MP by the name Amarananda Ratnyake MP for Passara arrived after the vote.On seeing him Colvin asked him “ mokada parakku wunney “ to which Ratnayake replied “ Aney Sir magey car ekay tyre ekay hulang giyaney” to which Colvin replied “thamusey kiyanawa thamuseyge tyre ekay hulang giya kiyala,thamusey danne nedda
      Mulu aanduwema hulang gihilla “

  • 5
    5

    President Sirisena,

    70 Years after independence , still there is confusion. Why?

    Mama Seka Kalemi, Mama Dena Gathimi

    I suspected, and I came to know. Why.The data was there for everybody to see.

    The average IQ of the Paras is 79, when it was handed over by the Para-British, whose average IQ is 100.

    The Para-pilitisions are not much different from the Para-Populace.

    National IQ Scores – Country Rankings

    https://photius.com/rankings/national_iq_scores_country_ranks.html

    The intelligence scores came from work carried out earlier this decade by Richard Lynn, a British psychologist, and Tatu Vanhanen, a Finnish political scientist, who analysed IQ studies from 113 countries, and from subsequent work by Jelte Wicherts, a Dutch psychologist.

    Countries are ranked highest to lowest national IQ score.

    • 6
      0

      Hello Amare, how can you make such sweeping assertions about a nation’s intelligence from a single study? Have there been more recent studies? It is difficult to believe that Italians have a higher IQ than Israelis. Also why is Israel so low down in the list when most Nobel prizes have been won by Jews?

      • 2
        0

        Paul,
        (299Words)

        Paul, you are asking an excellent question. Amarasiri has been asking the same question, and wondering as to the best metric or measure to rank the Paras and their various adventures and screw ups.

        So far, IQ seem to be the best metric and measure in the absence of a better alternative metric. Do you know of any other metric to evaluate the Paras in the Land of Native Veddah Aethho, other than IQs?

        Italians on the average have higher IQs than the Israelis, because

        1.) The Italians have produced great astronomers ( Galileo, Cassini) and scientists ( Enrico Fermi, Volta, Tesla, Marconi) and explorers ( Columbus), and the population is more homogeneous.

        2) The Israelis have a heterogeneous population, European, Middle Easterners and Africans, and the IQ distribution is multi-modal, bi-modal, tri-modal etc. The Ashkenazi Jews from Europe have a higher IQ.

        Q. How come the Jews got so many Nobel Prices?
        They are not Israelis. They are Europeans, where there are more opportunities, European Jews, and Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or simply Ashkenazim are a Jewish diaspora population who coalesced as a distinct community in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium. The traditional diaspora language of Ashkenazi Jews is Yiddish (a Germanic language ).

        Due to the Christian, Catholic Pogroms, initiated by the Catholic Church, there was natural “environmental” elimination of less intelligent Jews, who were not smart enough to escape the Christian Anti-Semitism and Pogroms, resulting in a selective enrichment of the more intelligent Jews who remained in Europe and America.

        Unfortunately, there were no natural evolutionary events to enrich the IQ of the Paras. Going by the data, there may be negative events that decrease the already low IQ of the Paras.

        cc. Real Revolutionist

    • 0
      1

      Amarasiri

      Your IQ quote is stale now, it’s not tasty, uttered more than enough of it & it’s somewhat far from truth.

      Please come up with something new unique, sure you can do it.

      • 1
        0

        Real Revolutionist,

        Do you have a better metric, measure to evaluate the Paras in the Land of Native Veddah Aethho, other than IQs?

        Their skull size?

        • 0
          1

          Amarasiri,

          According to the IQ logic India should be far worse than Sri Lanka…..

          • 1
            0

            Shenal,

            The average Indian IQ is 81, whereas the average Para-IQ is 79.
            The Paras came mostly from South India, and more homogeneous in genetics. Para-Tamils became Para-Sinhala, Para-Sinhala became Para-Tamils, and some of the Para-Tamils and Para-Sinhala became Para-Muslims.

            The Indian population is more heterogeneous, and their IQ distributions are multi-modal. For example, the pundits and the Brahmins generally have a much higher IQ than the general population.

            National IQ Scores – Country Rankings

            https://photius.com/rankings/national_iq_scores_country_ranks.html

            he intelligence scores came from work carried out earlier this decade by Richard Lynn, a British psychologist, and Tatu Vanhanen, a Finnish political scientist, who analysed IQ studies from 113 countries, and from subsequent work by Jelte Wicherts, a Dutch psychologist.

            Countries are ranked highest to lowest national IQ score.

      • 1
        0

        Paul and Real Revolutionist,

        Still, IQ seems to the best metric , measure, that is available to measure, intelligence, and competence. Do you have any other metric? Skull size?

        Race and IQ — Sam Harris and Charles Murray Set the Record Straight on Intelligence Testing

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YfEoxU82us

        This is an excerpt from episode 73 of Waking Up with Sam Harris, published on the 22nd of April 2017, titled Forbidden Knowledge, in which Sam Harris talks to Charles Murray about racial, cultural, and gender specific IQ differences..

  • 26
    1

    Nimal Siripala as Prime Minister??? More chaos???

    • 2
      0

      Only development Nimal soiripala De silva was importaint Train engines. Who says that Indian companies do not give commis with their supplies. So, if the relatives of politicians ar in BRexit, what easy way to transfer income. No money laundering. India is also a major route send KUDU to sri lanka. Train engines, Mangal Pickle bottles and there is a long list how those cme. Because one ex-singer is supplieing all the needs of the under world including Kudu, Kasippu, weapons and other things…kaju kello. PEole are complaining and supporting. Why they all are in the same game. One might say, they did not prosecute me. So I am clean and I do it. Another might say just way I know every thing. One more say I di dnot do anything. It is a chess game make people forget and go on. They live on these.

    • 1
      0

      Both can have a bed in the |Parliament and go to sleep!

    • 2
      0

      No shortage of replacement Paras!

    • 9
      0

      I can only say the comparison between Nimal Siripala and Ranil Wickramasinghe is like chalk and cheese.

      THE PRESIDENT is urged to do what is good for the country – not what is good for him. Of course with Siripala, Sirisena will be less intellectually challenged?

    • 6
      0

      Whole country will go to slumber with Nimal as the prime man.

    • 4
      0

      Isn’t he otherwise known as Sillypala? The right person to lead the country downhill.

      • 5
        0

        Sillysena and Sillypala would be the ideal combination to lead this nation to the top of the Failed States list!

    • 2
      0

      Strategist – … Don’t forget, more bribery and corruption!

  • 1
    2

    One G. Artigala Knows that a Female Wijesooriya and a friend of a son of the most powerful politician of the previous govt have engaged humangous money scam. Tehy both are circling the globe with humongous amounts of money. The govt does not know how much of what currency is missing.

  • 11
    1

    All what politicians today do is to go for the general election and let the people.decide who do they want to elect and select.
    Honestly both M&s and Ranil.lost the confidence of people .
    Be with your heart and tell this to your heart..your heart will tell you.
    I’m not try to be philosophical on this ..
    But my inner self tell.me that this sinking ship of government can not go for a long time on this politically troubled sea water.
    Either it will sink one day or it will stay in its precarious condition.
    That is not good for the country and for the politicians.
    80% people think today that Ranil should resign??why?..he is not honest with M&s..
    M&s does not have option but to deal with crafty Ranil..
    So we are caught up.in this internal political dispute between these two leaders..
    They should have wisdom to move out of this trouble.
    So go for the general election and let people have a say .

    • 3
      0

      What we are seeing now is the worst traits of our poly-tikkos, their greed and ego that surpasses their hypocritical and fake proclamations that they are there in the parliament to serve the people. At least footballers do a professional job and show skills before clubs put a value to them, but these vermin that resembles jumping frogs or tikkos are next to uselss in their skills, they are only capable of lifting their hands to express their vote to the highest offerer, and to count the weight of their coffers. Prostitutes in national dress and waitties.

    • 3
      0

      I agree with a fresh election, provided the President first get the criminal charges against the mega bank robbers initiated and handed over to the law enforcement agencies. I don’t trust ranil along with kabir and malik; surely they will utilize the next 2 years to make more hay while sun shines, and will spring out their 2 fellow criminals in remand, and quietly forget the Presidential Commission report on the mega bond scam. They will white wash everything and escape themselves from all charges of corruption and their roles in the mega bond scam/ bank robbery.

  • 3
    1

    SLPP should not form a government wit SLFP because if they do they will have to clean up the economic mess the country is in now within two years or they will get booted at the next election, better strategy for SLPP is to let RW form the government and let him clean up the mess he has made and then come 2020 it is fair game!

    • 0
      0

      .”….better strategy for SLPP is to let RW form the government and let him clean up the mess he has made and then come 2020 it is fair game!” This is confirmed when the late-news says
      MR has requested Ranil not to resign? (MR thinks he has a hidden agenda for his own
      future by saying so.)

    • 0
      0

      wannihami

      “SLPP should not form a government wit SLFP because if they do they will have to clean up the economic mess”

      How many do you think SLPP has at present in order to build a coalition government of the crooks? Do you also believe founder member G L Pieris has hidden some of SLPP members for the rainy days?
      Please educate us as to how did the country end up in such a mess?

  • 2
    3

    Personally I feel Ranil Wickramasinghe should gain power once again with intellectuals like Sarath Amunugama and other SLFP members joining him once again for a stable and forward looking government in the tiny island. Old outmoded patriotic and extreme nationalistic philosophies will have to give way to the new technological world that is encapturing us.

  • 1
    0

    Ranil and New King alike, destroy them and any one around them, unlike Old Royals who at least take care of them.

    It is sure all foreign countries will extend their support to non, Ranil Prime Minister. Sadly this include China, to whom Ranil sold the part of the country. China would think that this is the first step to re-install Old Royals. Sonia Congress supported Old Royals because JR beat Rajiv in Colombo. Mr.Modi is with Ranil or in a middle path. West who brought these guys to power is now looking for a candidate to replace these guys. Old Elder Brother Prince just came from America, It will take some time to Colombo Media some to detect what was going on there. If America was taping him, sooner or later Colombo Media will release it out.

  • 3
    0

    There are 94 ‘horses’ without even O Level.
    But they are able to count the lakhs & millions of loot and plan for their families’ future.
    It all depends on whether they will get posts too, for their kith & kin.

    Sirisena’s family well set, but will they survive the change over, is the question.

  • 3
    0

    It is sad to see President Sirisena is increasingly becoming a person who cannot be trusted even for 24 hours. This was clearly stated by Mahinda Rajapakse who said that he will not trust even 7 pages written and signed by the President but the spoken work of the Prime Minister. If we have such a desparate President as the head of the Government one can imagine what the future of Sri Lanka is going to be. Which ever way he decides he as the head of the country should be firm. Who will invest in a country where the head of the country is like the one that jumps from branch to branch?

  • 2
    1

    If SLFP cannot show majority and UNP shows majority the President should immediately resign his post.

  • 1
    0

    Please sort this out ASAP. Dragging this for days can cause further unnecessary loss to the country.

  • 0
    7

    One of the first to jump will be Sarath Amunugama. He knows that he has absolutely no future with either Mahinda or Sirisena.Mahinda Samarasinghe is the love child of Michael Samarasinghe with Indrani I Walpola who he deserted and vanished to UK in the 1950s. Desertion is in his genes so he will jump to the Ranil Camp and the cost will be met by Aloysius. Of the others can’t say much. Now that Patta vesi is going in for high office and potta vesi is unusually silent and offering a silent prayer to Velu for transforming her into a cyclops, there are not much that I can comment on, in all fairness to everyone. Amen!

    • 0
      0

      Don’t use such bad words against women; don’t forget your mother is also a woman!

  • 1
    0

    I heard Ranil’s long term plan is to stay put because he says CBK is also involved in it and Let me stay until I expose it.

  • 0
    0

    The most burning issue for politicians how to share the cake and eat. Sri lankans do not like SAMBA rice, they eat Basmathi. Yet we import thousands of tons of Fertilizer. I heard Fertilizer is being sold in private businesses as whole bags.

  • 1
    0

    the solution is simple
    ranil to be replaced by mangala who is not involved in the bond scam
    no way that a party who came a distant third appoint one of them to be premier

  • 1
    1

    I ask again . Why is the fat boy silent? Is he busy eating? Has he been silenced by Tilanga. Or is he awaiting his doom. Have no mercy on the bastard Maha rajano, give him the Dasa vathai. He has swindled the Ports, and is openly begging for commissions like boss Sira who was caught red handed in Australia. BTW one of the first things Maha Rajano that you have to do is hand over Sirisena to the Australian Federal Police and tell them that they could do what they like with him..
    Feed him to the sharks I’d say. Interesting times Ahead. The Thsai eaters were jumping with joy when Velu bombed the Central Bank.Then comes Ranil and says I am clever I know how to destroy the Central Bank. I will bring a weapon from Singapore to do the job. And that’s what they did. Now they have billions and the idiotic Sinhalese think there is no such thing called the bond scam.!!

  • 0
    1

    It looks this is going to be a Bull. Bond Scam Leader got the message from CPA and from some living close to Kalutara even the poroppaya leader robbed the bank. that is what was happened. There is one commentator here who knows the story. He comes in multiple names. Some one has said that the purpose of going to the parliament is not just to fill the Aduikkauwa. Person thinks she is the Mariana Trench.

  • 1
    10

    Horse trading? Now that’s where the Bond scam money will come in useful for one side…:))

    • 8
      1

      Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

      Where did the money come from when VP was bribed to rig the elections in 2005. Did the Hindians pay for it?

      Whoever pays for the horses you still remain a public racist.

      • 1
        4

        Stupid Tamil Vedda
        VP was bribed by Mahinda and in return VP arranged for the demalas to boycott the polls. Mahinda won and he returned the favour with honours by having him shot like a grovelling dog,! Now all the demalas are very Happy, but I have a sneaky feeling that Tamil Vedda believes that old Velu is alive cultivating some tobacco and catching the odd fish here and there.

        • 6
          1

          Percy Mahendra.

          Hoo hooo Killi Maharaja has lost the plot to destroy Ranil.
          Hoo hooo to Sillysena and Karoo.

          Long live Ranil we love you.

      • 4
        1

        NV brilliant Reply to Disc Jockey DJ.

        Shaymon will give a further reply to DJ the phony Political scientist.

    • 0
      1

      Bond scam money was robbed by Demelo Emil. To took it with him. No clean Lanakwe Buddhist are got even the smell of that sin. But the $18B is stuck in banks. Owner is not able to accept the free, no need to pay, prime minister position offers. The problem is the jaggery maker has diabetes. So can do nothing but to sell it all to clients. But for how long he can dodge ICC by these techniques?

  • 3
    0

    The whole political system is in mess abolish the prez system

    Pm is UNP and prez is SLFP then they pull each other that’s why they couldn’t do what was promised in 2015

    Bring back the parliamentary democracy and accept and treat all equals for the benefit of country :s sake

    • 2
      0

      That is correct. All what people in the country want is a political system that works.
      But what the demagogues and racists say still prevails and confuses ordinary voters.
      That is the problem.
      What is needed is to convince and persuade the people is to make them understand is that this is the 21st. century and that the ground has now shifted underneath them and the old out dated tales about religion and language have past the sell by date.
      What is really needed today is a government that works to give us a government that would improve our standard of living, by giving jobs, with a decent wage,health care,good schooling for our kids,decent housing,better transport facilities and to ensure that
      peace law and order prevails for us to live a life with dignity. That is all. .Is that too much ?

  • 0
    0

    Horse- trading is on but the DONKEYS remain

  • 4
    0

    WHAT has really made the President to ask Ranil Wickremasinghe to step down as PM and nominate somebody else for the post? As far as the UNP is concerned there is no need to change the leader as they did not perform SO MIERABLY AS THE UPFA & SLFP, coming 3rd and 4th, in some instance, NOT EVEN HAVING A SINGLE PERSON ELECTED! Properly speaking, the President who is the Head of both Parties (UPFA & SLFP) should step down (as he has already accepted responsibility) and, of course, the 2 fellows who has requested the President to remove Ranil Wickremasinghe. Well, all this smacks of a different political campaign targeting, by person, Ranil Wickremasinghe and it is very obvious that these fellows have become the “pawns” in the hands of a Media-Mogul, who is hell-bent on taking revenge on RW!

  • 4
    0

    It is time we all boycott Sirasa Media. Maithree SLFP and UNP should not participate in any of the Sirasa debates. Legal action should be filed against Ranga for telling lies and also against Sirasa for propagating false news by not Fact Checking the false statements made by the participants in those debates. How can a honest TV have politicians who lost as media persons questioning as they are bias. The other guy is the fat guy who conducts Pathikada, he too should be charged in courts. Maharaja TV does not need so many anchors as they play the same record over and over again, they have nothing else. Even during the local government election period they did not talk about the importance of selecting a good person as the voters representative but they were talking about Bond Scam. There is a time and place for everything. All good corporate citizens who are concerned about a clean and honest government should boycott giving any advertisement to Sirasa and also the viewers should boycott Sirasa. Media in Sri Lanka have not clearly understood what Media Freedom means, they need to be educated and until they understand this clearly there should be laws to protect the civilians from FAKE NEWS!

  • 3
    0

    What a shameful act. President appointing Muthu Sivalingam as a Deputy Minister. President is leading bribery and corruption in Sri Lanka. Even after the local government election, the President has not learnt a lesson. In order to get CWC local government votes in Nuwara Eliya President has appointed this joker as a Deputy Minister. This shows clearly that President does not care how the voters feel about him. I am not sure whose advice he is getting. Is he sane to give new appointments at this time when there is so much of turmoil in the political circles. Its like Nero playing the fiddle! I have to question his sanity!

  • 1
    0

    What we talk here is not the reality. We have a New Central Bank governor. JApan Prime rate 0.090%. Canada Prima Rate is 1.25%. Yety Sri lankaz issues bonds At american rate of hiehst 5.! and over 6.0%. I heard some one from there is ready to buy all. what is going on.I think this happened furing the Mahnda Rajapkse times too. In Ranil’s rime it took a very strange turn. Recently Cantral KPe the Prime rate to 8.25% some thing like that. Yet, Ranils bods were 12.5%. Why ?. Larger amounts are not paid that high. All ARE DISCUSSING how to form the govt and not the humongous theft going on. Caountry is bankrupt for sure.

    • 0
      0

      Jim softy Dimwit

      “What we talk here is not the reality.”

      What you typed in this forum never made any sense anyway.
      What is the new problem for you now?

  • 0
    0

    Future GoSL will be coalitions unless we change back to FFP. We must get used to the art of forming coalition governments. Delay will result in being left behind in the quagmire.

  • 0
    0

    The SLFP is still in the socialist era with inward looking policies. UNP is trying to restructure the economy with outward looking policies. These two parties together cannot make much progress.

  • 0
    0

    Why not make this horse-trading illegal?
    These cross-overs are bad. GL P is a champion in this game.

  • 2
    0

    The play …
    Narcissistic family .& Brat de pain in the butt

    Dilemma of – Sri Lanka politics
    ———————————————-
    Brat :Dad who is The government ?

    Dad: Well its me .. because,
    I take good care of myself , so I can live healthy and wealthy, so as to watch over all of you .( ,oh daddy ,daddy ,you are so clever ” um ba- um ba” )

    Brat : who is The Opposition ?

    Dad: your Mother … because she opposes every proposal I bring ,it does not matter if it makes sense or not ,as long as she can continue to oppose .

    Brat: hmm , I always thought so of Mama ,silly she is ,

    Brat :well who are the trade Unions ?

    Dad : your sisters & brothers ,because they always demand for I. Phones ,apple laptops and fast food ,even if I have to beg ,borrow or steel, or have to mortgage the very home we live in.

    brat :Omg,..

    Dad: don’t utter another word son .

    Brat : oh daddy I promise this the last one, ………Who is the Public !!???

    Daddy: The Public is you…
    Brat : confused ,why me ?

    Dad: Because children are only to be seen around ,not heard.

    Silenced permanently
    ——————————

  • 0
    0

    People be prepared for the second round of eating appa and the Ghost of past Chandrika and Ranil era ,the dissolving of parliament ,we see a a preparation of what happened to CBK. unfolding.

    The grey Lizard moves slowly and steadily towards its prey ,its a matter of time to sting the unsuspecting prey with a final blow of death .
    ———————————————————————————————————————————–
    JO meets President & SLFP meets former President

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