By Shyamon Jayasinghe –
Dayan Jayatilleka (DJ) baffles me so often, making me wonder what really goes on in his head. I am not just employing a rhetorical pose to devalue the man. Let’s face it, there is not a week that passes where he doesn’t write against Ranil Wickremesinghe, our Prime Minister, on one ground or another. I get copies of loads of email written by him where a negative reference to Ranil is almost always on the cards.
I am aware that Ranil Wickremesinghe has been demon to quite a lot of persons on the Rajapaksa side of the divide. The simple reason is that the single-most effective obstruction to their power goal has been and is Ranil Wickremesinghe. That this political leader has been single-mindedly able to defend himself and his side from a myriad of conspiracies over the last decade is eloquent testimony to his unique ability.
Dayan Jayatilleka is often careless with the facts and careless with the contextual side of quotes that seems to flow out of his pen in abandon. He only wants to get on with the job of bashing Ranil. When DJ’s blemishes are pointed out, he self-inflicts an amnesia and proceeds with the next episode of Ranil- bashing.
Dayan Jayatilleka is not even disheartened by the obvious fact that Ranil makes no reference to him, ever. But DJ must go on. A paranoia drives him. He is often off reality because of this paranoia. Obsessive personality delusions are never built on rock or on hard sand. They can morph into malignant aggression.
Take the latest: Writing to the Colombo Telegraph of 15th April under the rubric, “Ranil’s Real Agenda Revealed,” DJ makes reference to a piece written by Ranil Wickremesinghe under the caption, ”Winning Sri Lanka’s Peace,” published on the 8th of April in The Japan Times. DJ starts off with an absolute lie when he states that Ranil in this particular article “uses the phrase ‘…resetting our strategic position in the world.’ I read that issue in the Japan Times and nowhere found such an assertion by Ranil.
In all probability DJ wanted to paint a black picture of the Prime Minister and imported this phrase from somewhere else where Ranil had probably uttered it, in order to link it by association with the rest of his misinterpretation of Ranil’s piece.
Before he does the linking, DJ attempts to evoke in the minds of the reader some apprehension and fear about what Ranil really meant. DJ fails here, too, as any literate reader can see no harm in the use of the phrase, “resetting our strategic position in the world.”
DJ states, “Note that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, a shrewd man, is not talking about ‘re-balancing’, of ‘course correction’; of a shift in emphasis from the ham-fisted external relations of the second Rajapaksa term. He is not talking about tactics, but about strategic positioning; about re-setting our strategic position in the world. This is a fundamental shift from Sri Lanka’s traditional positioning deriving from the island’s history, geography and abiding sense of collective identity (what Dr. Kissinger calls “the character of nations”).”
Citing Kissinger here is typical of Dayan Jayatilleka’s usage of quotes in inappropriate context. Also, having failed to explain what precisely the Prime Minister’s planned change in strategy is and how that is frightening DJ jumps to another conclusion, namely that the PM is going to change our ‘traditional character.’ What is that traditional character? What is the evidence that the Prime Minister is proposing to change such a ‘traditional character”? Besides, what is necessarily wrong in changing a traditional character if there be one like that? There is nothing called a national character, in the first place. If there is, can DJ name one without raising controversy?
Let’s return to the offending phrase. Does anybody know the difference between ‘re-balancing,’ ‘course correction’ and ‘shift in strategy,’ which, according to DJ, Ranil announces? What is frightening about shifting strategy? Any given shift in strategy necessarily includes perhaps a re-balancing and definitely a course correction. A shift in strategy is essentially a change in course. Again, DJ does not give details of the proposed ‘shift in strategy,’ that he is alarmed about. One would have expected him to do just that but DJ shirks that responsibility. One can imply that DJ really has nothing serious to say about the proposal to shift strategy. New governments shift strategy in various areas of governance. For instance, the new Maitri-Ranil government has already shifted strategy from authoritarian rule towards democratic rule. Unless DJ spells out what this ‘fearful’ thing Ranil is about to do he is nowhere and talks nonsense.
In his article in Japan Times, Ranil tells the world about the democratic turn that Sri Lanka has taken under the new government. For instance, he mentions how the judiciary is now able to give verdicts without fear or fervor. Most recently, this became evident over the 19th Amendment. We saw how under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa the CJ was impeached violating all requirements of the very Constitution that he had agreed on oath to uphold. It is a great and visible lift in the political game now and Sri Lanka is better off for that.
Telling the world about the changes under way was the first point in the piece by the Prime Minister. The second and only point was that the democracies of the world must come to the help of Sri Lanka at a juncture like this. Ranil Wickremesinghe made no other points in his piece in the Japan Times. He ends by stating, “But we cannot fully turn the page on authoritarian rule, restore the full range of democratic freedoms and rebuild our economy in an inclusive way on our own. Too much of our country’s wealth has been damaged by war, taken flight abroad or been siphoned off through corruption. We simply lack the resources to undertake the great task of reconstruction without assistance. So we need the world’s democracies to stand with us and support us, lest our people become discouraged and be tempted by the autocratic forces waiting in the wings to return to power in the coming parliamentary election.”
DJ does a joyful dance at this particular statement of the Prime Minister noting that Ranil is reacting with a scare of the possibility of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s re-entry. In doing so, Ranil presumably wanted to draw world attention to the possibility of return to autocratic rule in Lanka. This assertion is necessary if his call for global help to rebuild Lanka was to have any impact.
DJ reads more meaning to that reference than is warranted by the context. He is, of course, resonating to Nugegoda where (according to him) he had been “honoured” by the organizers who had spotted him seated in front and beckoned him to come up to the stage. In an email that DJ sent off he had gone into euphoria about this gesture and expressed that that was a gracious act. DJ wrote then, also to the Colombo Telegraph, suggesting that a counter revolution was, surely, on the way. “People are rising,” DJ cried.
But the crowds at the next rally in Kandy were far less and the one after that even less. It is diminishing returns.
By the way, we have not heard of the chief organizer Wimal Weerawansa after Ratnapura. White Vans don’t operate now. Where, then, is Wimal whom DJ described with much enthusiasm as a rare breed of ‘Jacobian orator’?
Justice & Fairplay / April 17, 2015
Shyamon,
“Let’s face it, there is not a week that passes where he doesn’t write against Ranil Wickremesinghe, our Prime Minister, on one ground or another.”
The greatest advertisement for Ranil W in my view is, that despite all the provocation, he does not feel the need to respond.
Therein lies the character of the man. I hope this point will not be missed by the more discerning persons in our country.
Great oaks do not bend when wild boars butt against them.
To read any more of this Jayatilaka moanings would be to dignify him.
/
Samuel Jayaweera / April 17, 2015
My concerns is break away of JVP could support the opposition. It is really not a good news that SW of JVP to decide for a build of new party right at the very critical moment that JVPs backing as one party to have the amds passed in the parliament. All penisless senior leftists would pave their way to promote MR forces standing against the rulers and their great efforts.
/
Karunaratne Gamage / April 17, 2015
This bugger DJ has got caught uttering a big lie. He has no shame. He avoids the issues and says something else. No wonder he was trained by Evans Cooray and Mahindapala. DJ was caught at the cemetery with his trousers down. Mahindapala ran and hid inside Barney Raymond. Both at Kobbekaduwa’s funeral. These are jokers and not journalists. They play games all the time. Never honest analysis.
/
Ghost / April 18, 2015
Karunaratne Gamage,
“They play games all the time.”
Ya.ya. They did. While hiding naked in the cemetery they played “Atawalu Sellama”!
/
Emil van der Poorten / April 17, 2015
“Dayan Jayatilleka is often careless with the facts and careless with the contextual side of quotes that seems to flow out of his pen in abandon,” is a direct quote from this analysis.
Unfortunately, it is far too kind to a shill who by the very consistency of his seemingly endless defence of the indefensible behaviour of Mahinda Rajapaksa has demonstrated his moral and ethical standards better than any critic of his bottomless propaganda ever could.
Let’s simply call a spade a spade in the matter of Dayan Jayatilleke/de Silva. That’s the least that can be done in the public interest.
CT can perform a public service by ceasing to provide a platform for this man’s endless sycophantic drivel.
/
K.A Sumanasekera / April 17, 2015
Instead of trying to dis the only Elite on the Dalit side, uncle Shaymon would have better spent his time talking about the mother of all promises which our unelected PM made in his 100 day meet.
That decision of this wise man is going to cost our inhabitants big bucks.
Borrowing high and lending low must be the forte of this PM..
After the extra 3 percentage points awarded to Arjun & Arjuna Bond Brokers , the Central Bank has reduced the cash rate by 2 percentage points, according to the financial reports.
Wonder whether Shaymon can tell the inhabitants how much this extra 3 % bonus will net A & A partners over 30 years for their tranche of LKR 500 Billion help to their mate Ranil.
Most of our 58 million wouldn’t pay any income tax, Fair enough
But still they cop VAT on their Bombay Onions and Keeramin ….Right.
/
Gramberg / April 18, 2015
Oi Sumane,
“Borrowing high and lending low must be the forte of this PM”.
Sumane, you disgusting sycophant, what was the forte of the previous PM; that walking geriatric vegetable?
Ethanol?
/
Vanguard / April 17, 2015
The biggest bashing RW got was at election time. I would have preferred him to come forward on his own and win. I cannot help if voters will not support him. That is democracy. Maybe it is foolish but it is democracy.
What we have here is a mix of people wanting their politico to win with wanting him to be popular.
As with MR and RW and many others it does not work that way.
We need a leader who has wide support, solves the ethnic conflict, and does not disappoint.
Oh and I forgot – not authoritarian like Lee Kuan Yew. Democratic.
Singapore did not overtake Sri Lanka because of Democracy.
There is always Sajith. He seems to be coming along nicely.
/
R.M.B Senanayake / April 17, 2015
What sort of political leader do we want- A Mahinda Rajapakse who swindled the country or an honorable man like Ranil? He may not win elections because the Sinhalese are fools and cannot judge wisely. I am surprised that the fools even judged MR correctly. But then the majority of Sinhala fools did vote for him.
Remember Solon the Greek statesman who drafted the Athenian Constitution. He realized that the masses are fools and refused office. Do we want Ranil to follow Solon? That would be the final tragedy for the Sinhalese. Who is most fit to rule? Plato thought it was the wise and suggested a philosopher king.
The Sinhalese who are educated in English understand issues but they count for nothing at the elections.So expect this country to be governed by fools or knaves.
/
sach / April 17, 2015
Of course Sinhalese are fools they voted for MY3, a blunder they will understand in the years to come…
RMB, what makes you think people who dont think like you are fools? What does that say about you?
/
srilal / April 18, 2015
“RMB, what makes you think people who dont think like you are fools?”
RMB is dead right , those who do any thing for a packet of rice & 1/4 of Gal , pseudo patriots cum racists (Booruwansa , DJ et al) and of course those selfish greedy scum bags who profited under mafia rule , all fall under the fools category.
“What does that say about you”
it says that RMB is a really smart person who can think beyond politics .
/
Crazyoldmansl / April 18, 2015
Hi! “The Sinhalese who are educated in English understand issues “. Any idea how this can be changed?
Do give the matter some thought and let me know.
Was this Dayan also educated in English? Is he a Sinhalese? He talks like one of those left leaning Burghers!? You know the Mickey Banda types who thought revolution was something like a rugger match.
/
K.A Sumanasekera / April 19, 2015
Mr RMB,
So your English educated Sinhalyas are the wise ones…Fair enough.
But their Leader you seem to adore so much, was firing blanks for 20 years, after Prabakaran tossed the ISGA in to the dust bin.
5.8 Million good Sinhala people rejected Ranil, Chandrika and even Maithri because they want to preserve their country as one nation.
They didn’t forget how Ranil stuffed up the country big time ,by pandering to the TNA, Diasora and their Western buddies after Nanthikdal..
And how Ranil and his mate Ravi vandalized our public institutions like CWE, CTB and sold valuable public land to foreigners for virtually nothing, during his short 2 year stint.
If you call these 5.8 Million Sinhala people fools, so be it.
BTW, wonder whether Singapore Mahendran is back on deck?..
/
Wickramasiri / April 17, 2015
Shyamon Jayasinghe, This is perhaps the best piece you have contributed in months, and the subject is most appropriate. Dyan Jayatilleke’s writing is frustrating to read, so much so that I find it difficult to reconcile his purported intellectual status with his moral standing. How can a man with intellect advocate bringing back a rogue and a murderer to lead our country? If his moral perspective has been subjugated in deference to personal interest, then, he is nothing more than a sycophant or a hired hack like H.L.D.Mahindapala, and we need not take his writing seriously.
/
Native Vedda / April 17, 2015
Wickramasiri
“we need not take his writing seriously.”
We never did.
/
Medalankara de Choppe / April 17, 2015
How true, I use the paper on which his articles are printed as toilet papers.My frustration is that I cannot deliver the used sheets to him personally.
/
Lasantha Pethiyagoda / April 17, 2015
I agree that Shyamon has written a useful piece in castigating Jayatilake. I am in full agreement that DJ seeks to confuse and conflate issues in favour of the former president.
I recall DJ stating just before the election that it would be a national disaster if Rajapakse is made to lose the election, or the executive presidency is done away with, as the Eelamists and foreign NGOs will then take over.
To me, DJ is no better in his “analysis” using a different style than the invectives spewed by Mahindapala in his tirades against Wickremasinghe, from long before the Jan 2015 election and throughout the last years of the war.
I only hope that DJ and HLD etc take some time to scan through the more decent critical evaluations of their works, before continuing to bark at the moon.
/
gigurwa / April 18, 2015
You are in full agreement that DJ seeks to confuse and conflate….. .Lasantha please ask this man Shyamon to go to night school to learn to write in proper English. and you too Lsantha. look at your last sentence.’ Ihope that DJ and HLD etc take some time to scan through through the more decent critical evaluations of their works….’ Idonot think even you understand the meaning of this sentence. Please do justice to your paymaster; may be he is not paying enough to rite a meaningful sentence.
/
Susira Bandara / April 20, 2015
Where did you learn your English, my friend?
Sunil S
/
Mallaiyuran / April 17, 2015
“Kathai Kadda oruvan irunhthuviddaal Kannaki vaazivlvilum kalankam undu. KaappaaRa silapaeR irunhthuviddaal kalvarkaL valvilum niyaayam undu.” If one setting out, even paththi theiviyo can be proved promiscuous. Same way around, there can be grace brought out of rowdies life.”
Chandrika had said Ranil joked when he said he will shoot TN Tamil fishermen.
further,
It is just for kidding when Ranil refused to talk or invite The NPC Chief Minister to his meeting when went to Jaffna.
When he said, in the same meeting, to the northern principal “shut up and sit down”. it just to imitate and create a fun how that principal behaved with one unruly school kid.
when Ranil refused sign the ICC accord, in a calculated manner, to save the genocide Lankan army, it was just a comic.
When he said during, the election, nobody will be prosecuted,……. These all are only for a joke man!
This is the woman who fought war for peace. She is one joked on “Chemnai mass grave too.” She is one employed Kathirgamar to create negative campaign against of his own race. Now she has to defeat her past prime minister, the old king, from becoming the prime minister. So she is promoting Ranil, again, whom she dismissed from his prime minister post, illegally.
Sinhala Intellectuals’ politics is a 65 years continuous mega series joke!
Comedy thamai!
/
Francis Fernando / April 17, 2015
DJ has come down to Mahindapala level, which is gutter journalism or hackery. With his PhD and his book writing why does he get to such a low level. Mr Jayasinghe has caught DJ lying about the Japan Times. What a brazen lie to say that? He was a diplomat and what a shame to have a diplomat of this bad quality
/
MsMaralathoni / April 17, 2015
DJ has not character. This man has lost his credibility to this day. If his father who earned all respect had been aware of the situation, he would get up from his grab. It is really sad – a man who was once recognized as to have worked for the nation, to turn his way totally supporting the nationalists that just make every efforts to surivive their abusive politics.
/
galahitiyawa / April 18, 2015
Dayan Jayatilleka once worked in the EPRLF that demanded Eelam. What more need you say of this man without morals/
/
neil lankage / April 18, 2015
Seems that everyone is celebrating catching DJ in a lie. On the contrary it is SJ who is guilty of lying, if not at least of total ineptness.
He wrote:
But check this out:
/
Silva / April 18, 2015
neil lankage,
So what is the big deal here? The ‘resetting’ can mean many things. A computer is reset but thereafter it boots into the correct preset configuration, correct booting protocol, correct boot order, optimal performance etc. If at all this is what RW has intended to convey and not something like ‘reformatting’ the entire hard disk and install Yankee Pankee!
/
neil lankage / April 18, 2015
Silva, you ask me “So, what’s the big deal here”?
The big deal is that Mr. Shyamon Jayasinghe claimed that Ranil W. never used the phrase “resetting our strategic position is the world.” In fact Mr. Jayasinghe’s entire article revolves around this “fact.”
/
Prem Vaidyaratne / April 18, 2015
NEIL IS MOUNTING ONE LIE ON ANOTHER. TWO LIES DON”T MAKE TRUTH. ACCORDING TO DR RANSIMALA”S LINK GIVING JAPAN TIMES THE LAST FEW WORDS HAVE BEEN ADDED BY YOU. ARE YOU DJ’S COOLIE DOING HIRED WORK TO SAVE THIS MEGA LIAR
/
neil lankage / April 18, 2015
Prem Vaidyaratne, you can quite easily verify the Japan Times article. Here’s link:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/04/08/commentary/world-commentary/winning-sri-lankas-peace/#.VTJYDvnF-RN
It’s the third paragraph from the bottom.
What Ranil is suggesting in a not-so-subtle fashion is something very sinister. He is asking the western powers to intervene in the most likely event of his party losing power in the coming elections. He wants this to happen for the sake of “refounding Sri Lanka’s state and society”, whatever that means.
/
Editiorr / April 18, 2015
neil lankage,
Moda Haraka, Where on earth has a western country intervened in a post election scenario to alter the results?
Don’t bray like a donkey!
/
maggot / April 18, 2015
Prem Vaidyaratne, Neil Lankage is DJ’s [Edited out]
/
neil lankage / April 18, 2015
Maggot, Editorr,
I guess when you write under a pseudonym you can write stuff that would make your mother ashamed of you. Surely our long tradition of democracy should have taught you the value of reasoned debate and civil discourse.
Editorr, you wanted a history lesson: Please look up “Mosaddegh” for one among dozens of instances which include many countries including Greece, Nicaragua, Honduras, South Vietnam, Venezuela, etc.
/
Editiorr / April 18, 2015
Neil Lankage,
“Editorr, you wanted a history lesson: Please look up “Mosaddegh” for one among dozens of instances which include many countries including Greece, Nicaragua, Honduras, South Vietnam, Venezuela, etc.”
Aa ha! And you mean RW meant just that?
/
Justice & Fairplay / April 18, 2015
Shyamon, Mate,
Bashing Dayan Silva is a far more pleasurable exercise than bashing Ranil or anyone else!
Just look at what’s above, and see the bashing he has copped and continues to cop every time he opens his big mouth!!
Let’s rejoice; he offers us such unadulterated pleasure bashing him!!!
Ha, Haa!!
/
jinkers / April 18, 2015
Yes It has come to a point that he has spitting out predictable venom that most immediately raise the sticks. I think he is just wasting his time here since very few read his unintelligible ramblings. The more he tries the more he slips.
/
neil lankage / April 18, 2015
Obviously this forum is overwhelming biased against MR. Apparently most who post comments here cannot name a single good thing that MR did and are willing to accept uncritically any accusation against MR or those who support him to whatever degree.
But please look up the following link to Japan Times and check out the third paragraph from the bottom:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/04/08/commentary/world-commentary/winning-sri-lankas-peace/#.VTJYDvnF-RN
/
Sqirrel / April 18, 2015
Justice & Fairplay,
How did this [Edited out]
/
colin / April 18, 2015
Dayan can shout from the roof tops but let us all face reality that Ranil is Mr.Clean and no traces of any corruption and is best suited to lead the country in the role of Prime Minister at this juncture in history. I just cant think of anybody else better.
/
galahitiyawa / April 19, 2015
What does DJ say about Namal getting down a huge stock of spare parts in the diplomatic bag via Air Lanka. Uncle runs Air Lanka and nephew gets his commercial stock through the airline free of charge. This is family rule. All the time DJ keeps hacking Ranil who is an utterly clean leader while he has so much dirty baggage about Mara family to expose.
/
james van gaal / April 20, 2015
DJ backing Anura kumara Dissanayake as common candidate is a ‘red herring’. An elaborate plot to divide the common opposition before the last Presidential Election .
/
Piyumi Welikala / April 21, 2015
DJ must quickly see an astrologer to check if he is under a bad star
/