By Mangala Samaraweera –
What should be of great concern to all Sri Lankans at this moment of time is not the MCC Agreement, but the fact that one of the principal candidates of the Presidential Elections to be held next week has still not renounced his US citizenship and his wife and son continue to be fully fledged citizens of the United States of America.
In order to renounce the citizenship, a US passport holder must obtain a “Certificate of Loss of Nationality” with the US Treasury, where the DS 4079 is approved for renunciation.
In the 1st six months of 2019, about 1090 have been officially recorded with who have renounced their US citizenship.
However, there is no approved DS 4079 for Gotabaya Rajapaksa in any of the 94 US District Courts.
The filing could also be seated in US Embassy in Colombo to be cleared. Usually, transactions and procedural backlogs between the US Treasury and the US State Department are taking 16 to 24 months to clear.
It is also a lengthy process due to the taxation portions if income and assets are greater than the stipulated amount.
Even after approval by the State Department, there is further 6 to 9 months with the US Treasury when the DS 4079 is approved for renunciation.
Therefore, it is extremely clear that Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains a US citizen today, while being a candidate for the Presidency of Sri Lanka.
In fact, in the unlikely event of Gatabaya Rajapaksa winning on the 16th, Sri Lanka will have a President, who is a US citizen and Sri Lanka will also have the dubious honour of having the only other American first lady in the world other than Melania Trump, the First Lady of USA.
Therefore, I challenge Gotabaya Rajapaksa to produce the “Certificate of Loss of Nationality” and the DS 4079, proving his renunciation of his American citizenship before the country goes to the polls next week.
JD / November 7, 2019
Mangala has been american agent even during the LTTE wars.That is why he is talking about MCC. Mangala was removed from SLFP govt because he took decisions on his own, sacrificing Sri lankan interests, for his foreign beneficiary.
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QED / November 7, 2019
This is not about MS being a american agent. This is about proving to the public that you are not what you are supposed to be.
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Don Stanley / November 9, 2019
The MCC Compact is most dangerous and with its twin SOFA will turn Sri Lanka into another Afghanistan, Venezuvela or Haiti all in one!
Sajith must get rid of 2 US puppets when he becomes President-
1. Bondscam Ranil who must be impeached for looting the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and thus ensuing that no FDI would come to Sri Lanka and thus forcing the country into a development debt trap and foreign borrowing
2. Mangala the Moron, the financially illiterate finance Minister of Banana Republic Sri Lanka who madly dances to the tunes of the Washington Consensus and has further contribued to the Washington Debt trap and international bailout business, to enable the US to set up it military bases in Sri Lanka cheap and fight its diety wars against China and Iran using Lanka as is War machine serviceing Hub
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Raj / November 8, 2019
JD,
You’re right; look at the number of foreign beneficiaries who comment against you!
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Amila / November 7, 2019
Should ask Ranil, the relative of Rajapaksa’s family.
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A Disgusted Citizen / November 8, 2019
This thread has nothing to do with Ranil, it is about Gotabhaya who is trying to hoodwink the Citizens of Sri Lanka.
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bhumiputhra bandaara / November 7, 2019
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Pon Kulendiren / November 7, 2019
It is a well-known fact the Gothabya lacks patriotism. He is keeping one leg in Sri Lank and his family another leg in the US. If he looses he will fly to the US. This strategy is not new to him. What is his political experience with the village people. ? e is using his brother’s commission money for the elections. If the voters fail to vote sensibly the country will suffer in the hands of a dictator
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Raj / November 8, 2019
Pon,
Most people in Sri Lanka say a dictator is better than an idiot! Now it is well acknowledged in villages, confirmed by cities, and will be endorsed by the entire country on Nov 16, 2019.
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whywhy / November 9, 2019
Raj ,
Raj , ballot paper is provided by Srilanka to Srilankans but the
wind blows from overseas to direct where the cards will end up !
What is best for Srilanka is not decided by Srilankans just like
the saying goes ” Beggars don’t choose.” Ballot right is not a local
invention and it is not our demand either . It was given to us until
it is taken back at the right time , meaning if we abuse it ! Until then,
dance baby dance to the right tune !
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Abhaya Premawardena / November 8, 2019
You can challenge him from home when the people send you to hell
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A Disgusted Citizen / November 8, 2019
Yes, if by chance Gotabhaya wins many more people will end with the same fate as Lasantha Wickramatunge and Prageeth Ekneliyagoda. So, vote wisely my friend.
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Buddhist / November 8, 2019
I wrote about it long time ago. Gota its ok we all know you will never come for a debate with Sajith, at least to save face please produce the document that is requested by Mangala. Save your honor!
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AshyD / November 8, 2019
Minister Mangala Samaraweeera should do something about it without jumping up like a kid who got his toe trampled. If Gota has still not relinquished his US citizenship the government or Civil Activists should bring action in the Supreme Court and stump him before polling starts.
I wonder if the UNP has an Ace up their sleeve to pull a rabbit out of the hat at the last moment, but time is quickly running out and we cannot see anything on the horizon.
Why wasn’t an Appeal lodged at the Supreme Court against the Appeal Court judgement given on Gota Dual Citizenship on 4th October.
I know that an appeal has to be lodged within 42 working days beginning 5th October and ending on December 4th 2019. If Gota wins the Presidency in the very unlikely case what would happen after that, we don’t need a crystal ball to predict.
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Plato. / November 8, 2019
Minister Mangala Samaraweera has raised a very important issue; But what would the percentage of the voting population who would not vote for Gota on this academic exercise of his citizenship issue?
The election commission has accepted his candidacy. So by and large everything is ok; This is how the voter will bring to bear when casting his vote.No doubt that is how even Gota has played his cards.
But I STRONGLY SUSPECT THAT HE IS STILL A US CITIZEN TECHNICALLY!
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velu Rasiah / November 9, 2019
Yes, Plato I agree with you. The election commissioner was hand picked stooge of MR. I will pose the question to the commissioner that if he is not biased let him show the proof that Gota has given up his US citizenship. I am 100% sure the commissioner will not do that because he is not in possession of any proof.
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whywhy / November 9, 2019
Plato ,
Mangala’s challenge is not genuine . The U N P is not in its infancy
not to raise this issue at the time of submitting Gota candidacy !
They know Gota can not win , the truth ! Gota and Sajith are not
unfamiliar faces in popularity politics of the land but A K D is new
to that height of popularity although he is the leader of J V P ! Real
race has to be between Sajith and A K D and Gota should not even
imagine to stand in front of the public with this load of allegations
against him whether found guilty or not for the simple reason that
HE DOES NOT HAVE THE DUE RESPECT OF THE OPPOSITION AND
THAT HAS LED TO THIS MANY ALLEGATIONS . WHEN RAVI K WAS
ALLEGED TO HAVE INVOLVED IN A SCANDAL , HE WAS EXPECTED
TO RESIGN FROM HIS JOB TO FACILITATE THE INQUIRY ! HOW CAN
THEN THIS MAN WITH SO MANY ALLEGATIONS DARE TO CONTEST
FOR THE PRESIDENCY ? HE MAY BE SHAMELESS , THAT IS ONE MAN
BUT A BUNCH OF OTHERS STANDING BEHIND HIM ? WHERE IS THIS
COUNTRY TAKING US ?
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Chauvinist / November 8, 2019
Champa
You are right at least for once. There is no room for dithering. Come clean, show the certificate of renunciation. After all nobody want to see RW as president who has wasted 4 and half years in office.
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Ravi Perera / November 9, 2019
Mr Mongola forget about certificate of loss of citizenship.Why don’t you ask the candidates to produce the passing of GCE Ordinary level certificate.After all we the citizen of Sri lanka should know the level knowledge and expertise of the next president who will be our head of state.I am sure your mate Sajith can easily adhered to this
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EA / November 9, 2019
Somebody proposed that “The ‘American’ Gota has done more for this country than the Sri Lankan Ranil”. Anybody care to prove him wrong?
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velu Rasiah / November 9, 2019
Gota didnt win the war. It win was by India, USA, China, Pakistan, and Russia. Why even MR told after the war, that they fought the war on behalf of India’s bar girl Italian Sonya Ghandi.
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EA / November 9, 2019
Rubbish Velu. The war was won by MR, GR & SF together. Neither of them could have done it without the other two. Also, as in almost every war in history, the Government got help (as you say) from other countries. This is very common.
Sonia Gandhi’s poor origins are irrelevant. Shame on you for giving importance to class/caste/origins.
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Christopher Pieres / November 9, 2019
So once he loses and runs away to the US, We can sue the elections commissioner and send him to jail for this gross violation of not doing his duty…fantastic…
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JD / November 9, 2019
I heard every ministry in the govt has Foreign agents just like Mangala and He knows it too. Mangala knows who would have said this too.
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JD / November 9, 2019
You can do /Women’s Lingerie designing as the secondary education. Then you get the expertise to run every thing in Sri lanka including finance and foreign service and Family life. Sell the country to multinationals and to the people policing Indian Ocean and make all the islanders have labour work.
It is like Sri lankan stock market It is for service industry and to the products manufactured else where. So, they take the profits. Sri lankan gets narcotics, sex and booze.
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Manel Fonseka / November 9, 2019
Well, the latest news is that Gota doesnt appear on the just issued list of de-naturalused US citizens!
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Sinhala_Man / November 10, 2019
It must now surely be the duty of the 3 elections Commissioners to come up with a statement.
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They have explained to us how the Preference votes have to be cast, etc, which was not done before previous elections because it was judged that this election would be different from the previous seven.
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Now they surely owe it to us to exhibit this Certificate.
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There’s been so much talk about MCC etc, surely this is much more important. And the Rajapaksas themselves owe it to their own supporters.
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On balance, though, I feel it is upto the Elections Commission.
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Sinhala_Man / November 10, 2019
I find that Professor Hoole of the Elections Commission has been talking about aspects of the conduct of the Election on Youtube, but he hasn’t been asked this uncomfortable question. Anyway, here he is talking for ten minutes in English:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W05gyBRKWJQ&feature=youtu.be
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Let me search for something similar in Tamil. No, nothing that I couldn’t find. Would they be interested in this?
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http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2019/11/10/news-features/presidential-election-making-prudent-choice
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No, not really something that I can or need to undertake. Any Tamil who’s interested ought to undertake this!
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Good Sense / November 10, 2019
Much publicity was given elsewhere that candidate Gotabhaya has provided documentation on this subject to the National Elections Commission and it has accepted the nomination of the candidate. So Mangy boy why don’t you arrange for a case to be filed in this regard and establish your point of view?
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whywhy / November 10, 2019
I suggest to A K D and Sajith to bring their family on platforms these last
few days to show the first lady to the public because we have a candidate
whose wife is a foreign citizen . It is so important because this is a history
making event where we have been offered a foreign citizen to represent
Srilanka as the first lady on official tours undertaken by the president if
elected . The story is long to describe here ! If he is an unmarried or
divorced man then of course it is different .
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Seyed Niyaz Abdeen / November 11, 2019
What a country we live in. The election commissioner should have checked GR’s status before allowing him to contest the presidential polls. Is he with SLPP like all “others”?.
Is this a fair election?
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Spring Koha / November 11, 2019
Come Come Mr Samaraweera!
Our intrepid Presidential candidate must have a bolt hole to escape to in case he loses.
After all, he was lucky under the Yahapalana government – he may not be lucky the next time round.
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