In an embarrassing development for the UNP, State Enterprise, Hill Country Heritage and Kandy Development Minister Lakshman Kiriella has not received a single major state institution as per the Gazette on the allocation of subjects to ministries.
Kiriella
Kiriella has only received four minor institutions – namely Ceylon Ceramic Corporation, KESCO, BCC Company and the State Resources Management Corporation – that are on the verge of bankruptcy.
During the pre-October 26 government, the State Enterprise Development Ministry had several major institutions including all state banks, Sri Lanka Insurance, SriLankan Airlines, Hilton and several other SOEs.
The move is a direct attack on Kiriella who stood up against President Maithripala Sirisena during the meetings held between the President and the UNF party leaders on resolving the political crisis. At the last meeting held between the two parties, Kiriella openly said the President had violated the Constitution and the Judiciary would rule against the President’s actions.
During the meeting between the President and the UNF party leaders on December 03, Kiriella openly told the President that his party would only discuss the re-appointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister. At this point, Sirisena said he would not appoint Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister even if all 225 MPs in the House supported him. With these comments, the meeting ended abruptly and the UNF members walked out of the meeting room.
Informed political sources said the latest development was an act of seeking revenge from Kiriella who strongly defended Wickremesinghe.
Sources close to the Prime Minister said Wickremesinghe had told Kiriella today that he was unaware of the development and it was the President who had committed the institutions. Kiriella is scheduled to meet Wickremesinghe on Monday to further discuss the situation.
However, Kiriella has informed his friends and family that he would resign from the ministerial post under the current circumstances, as he cannot “face his supporters”.
“The Prime Minister cannot wash his hands off saying it was the President who immitted the institutions. It is the Prime Minister’s responsibility to protect the people who stood up for him. All eyes are now on Wickremesinghe to see how he handles the situation,” a top UNP source told Colombo Telegraph.
Kiriella who is the UNP Kandy district leader won the district by 84,000 at Sirisena’s Presidential Election in 2015. Further he received the highest number of votes in the general election in 2015 by getting votes close to 200,000 which is the highest any Mp has received in Kandy.
There is also speculation that Sirisena has done this move to try and weaken and de moralize the UNP in the Kandy district due to the pressure received by SB Dissanayake, Sarath Amunugama, Keheliya Rambukwella and even SLPP’s Lohan Ratwatte.
JD / December 30, 2018
CT is sasying appointments are to appease politicians and not to anyother things. When Media is this corrupt how can a country be developed. Probably, CT is paying back the commis for high profits they got this time.
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Ayathuray Rajasingam / December 30, 2018
This is another sabotage by Maithiripala who wants to discredit Ranil’s government. The time has come to kick Maithiripala from being a Presiden as there is a limit to Maithiripala’s insane act.
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Amarasiri / December 30, 2018
The Parliament and the UNP,
Sirisena committed an illegal and unconstitutional act, which the Supreme Court unanimously confirmed. Why are You waiting to impeach Sirisena, the presidential madman the late Fr N M Perera presciently predicted?
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rew / December 31, 2018
Hurry up Ranil
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JD / December 30, 2018
Ayathurei Rajasingham: Ranil’s govt is also LIARS and CORRUPT thives as TNA whic h has three dual citizens in their 16 member Team. Why Sambanthan is that corrupt. Are those MPs to serve people or they could not find employment i the country they got naturalized Kiriella nee perera got rich afgter becoming a Minister.
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Uthungan / December 31, 2018
Like it was known and claimed by the person who contested dual citizen Ms. Geeta Kumarasinghe in Galle, no one who contested the said alleged three dual citizens in the TNA has named them or lodged legal proceedings in court. Nor has the Election Commission Chairman received so far any information or complaint from any one.
In the case of Ms. Geeta Kumarasinghe the aggrieved contestant filed his complaint in court and successfully proved his case and she was unseated.
Until that happens in the case of allegations about the three TNA MP’s they will continue as MP’s.
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Gratiaen. / December 30, 2018
” Both Mythree & Mahinda would now continue from where they were compelled to stop. They will continue with renewed vigor the task of completing their unfinished agenda. Thus we can expect Mythree & MR to continue waging war against Ranil W’s Govt from within and without.MR will launch attacks from outside and Sirisena will sabotage from the inside”- D.B.S Jayaraj’s column in Daily Mirror.
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Upul / December 30, 2018
While RW and MS played games, the UNPers are hard at work…..no no..not for the people who elected them!!! They are working hard to get the best money making institutions. Not everyone can get the National Lotteries Board, the has been everyone pin-katey.
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JD / December 30, 2018
UPUL: UNPers are hard at work still at Bond Scam profits. How much you got.
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D Soysa / December 30, 2018
Given that he is one of the senior UNP members and the only MP of any significance in Kandy, this is a strange decision. This stupid vindictive My3 needs to go! He is not my president
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Ashok / December 30, 2018
Here we go. Our politucal system and the constituon have not been crafted to allow an executive and legislature to be at loggerheads. Supreme Court failed to see this when they interpreted 19th amendment. UNP is at a no win situation..by the end of next year MR will be more popular and may even win a 2/3rds at the next elections. His popularity is not only spreading in the south but also in the north. UNP’s only exit rout is to go for an election immediately. If not they will be swept out of power come 2020
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RP / December 30, 2018
Well said Ashok!
“UNP is at a no win situation…by the end of next year MR will be more popular and may even win a 2/3rd at next elections. His popularity is not only spreading in the south but also in the north.”
I too said this several times!
Many Sri Lankans say it was because of Mahinda’s actions within the 50 day period that UNP has now been compelled to reduce the price of fuel and other consumer items. Many people really appreciate his strong and straightforward decision to abolish the tax levied on earnings of poor foreign workers. He demonstrated that he was and always is a people’s leader!
Look how he relaxes and enjoys the holiday season whereas My3 and RW (UNP) are at each other’s throat during these holy days!!!) There will be no January 1st for the UNP since they are all confused due to their own selfishness. For instance, do you think Kiriella and his family can enjoy this holiday season with peace at home! Is RaviK and his family happy about his lost post (FM) even though they live in a (looted) mansion?
Poor people who live in rural areas are happier than many UNP ministers. Aren’t they? This is what you call ‘Karma’ in Hinduism and Buddhism. In other religions, this is definitely the God’s punishment to selfish wrong-doers.
I’m sure Kiriella will pay a huge Karmic price for what he misdid with the Central Highway and construction contracts during past few years! RW and his lot can never get out of the Central Bank quagmire until they rot and disintegrate at the next national elections.
Until such time, several comment writers who think that the CT space given for comment is their family possession will continue to shout hosannas for the UNP!
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ramona therese fernando / December 30, 2018
UNP Guy won Kandy. Congrats. But Kandy is not a country. Sri Lanka is the country. Sirisena’s party won most of the country. And Sirisena’s party is UPFA prone. Once in parliament, all winners and losers have to be reshuffled and amalgamated into the proper and fitting equation that benefits the whole of the Motherland.
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Native Vedda / December 30, 2018
ramona grandma therese fernando
–
“UNP Guy won Kandy. Congrats. But Kandy is not a country. “
–
Is it not?
I am sorry Kandy was a kingdom.
Kandyans wanted to run their own affairs under Federal system before the advent of Pancha Maha Balavegaya. Whats wrong with it?
–
“Once in parliament, all winners and losers have to be reshuffled and amalgamated into the proper and fitting equation that benefits the whole of the Motherland.”
–
How?
Please give us the formula/equation.
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ramona therese fernando / December 30, 2018
Native Vedda,
_
Kandy became such a kingdom after Tamil Naykers took over. Before that it flowed and interacted with the rest of the country – dried fish and coconuts from the coast, salt from the south, Jaffna mangoes and kottakelenda from the north, integrated agricultural fertilizer from the rest of the Lankan soil etc. They kept their kingdom supreme from the British invaders, but thus isolated themselves. Their agricultural base was severely compromised. It was out of necessity that the Kandyan traitors (that everyone loves to claim relationship to), traitored over the kingdom to the British. Even now, isolating “the kingdom” away from the democratic aspiration of the rest of the country is foul.
–
The formula/equation: President to PM: 75%:25%. And 25% cannot be concentrated in any one place, but dispersed throughout the country for the benefit of the Masses (the 75% is a natural dispersement because it was democratically voted in by the Masses).
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Native Vedda / December 31, 2018
ramona grandma therese fernando
–
“Before that it flowed and interacted with the rest of the country “
–
When did Kandy become a separate kingdom?
When did Nayakkas take over the Kandyan Kingdom?
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ramona therese fernando / December 31, 2018
NV,
–
Take the history books and read will you!
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Native Vedda / January 6, 2019
ramona grandma therese fernando
–
“Take the history books and read will you!”
–
Will you recommend one?
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Anpu / December 31, 2018
Ramano Therese Fernando
Add this to your reading list .
The Sinhalese of Ceylon and The Aryan Theory
Letters of a Tamil father to his son
by Samuel Livingstone https://www.sangam.org/2011/08/Aryan_Theory.php?uid=4446
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ramona therese fernando / January 1, 2019
Anpu,
–
What has this got to do with Kandy being a so-called kingdom? All places on earth had “kingdoms” before countries were born within the last 500 years.
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Leonard / December 30, 2018
RAMONA
Where did the sacking of PM fitted in to “proper and fitting equation”?
I’m not a RW supporter.
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ramona therese fernando / December 30, 2018
Leonard,
–
The formula/equation: President to PM =75:25. And 25% cannot be concentrated in any one place, but dispersed throughout the country for the benefit of the Masses (the 75% is a natural dispersement because it was democratically voted in). Sacking of RW was due to the inversion of the ratio i.e. 25:75 for President to PM. Hopefully the PM will know his position vis-a-vis the democracy for the Masses.
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Leonard / December 31, 2018
Ramona
Your number crunching reminds me of Bean Counter who gave some doggy numbers when got caught his whole hand in the cookie jar.
I was in Sri Lank when MS’s ill-conceived unconstitutional decision was taken and proved to the world that MS with his high intellect has achieved the distinction of making Sri Lanka to be a fully fledge Banana Republic.
I did not see or hear high faulting words like “inversion of the ratio” which really mean constructional to extensional movement.
What I came across hard working people of Sri Lanka disgusted with MS and venting anger and expressing what they thought about his character. And they didn’t mince words with high faulting vocabulary. Language to be kind was simple and very colorful say the least.
By the way at the end of it “inversion of the ratio” had to be inserted in anatomical sense to a place as it happened “That where the sun don’t shine”
Hopefully this did not make MS too uncomfortable.
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ramona therese fernando / January 1, 2019
Leonard,
–
Nonsense. I have been writing about the 75:25 ratio for a long time.
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Kabaragoya / December 30, 2018
Who said Kandy is not a country? It had a king and was the last kingdom to be conquered.
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ramona therese fernando / December 30, 2018
Kabaragoya,
–
Being thus isolated, the peasants were suffering grossly. It had to be integrated with the rest of the country, even if it meant ceding over to the British.
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Somapala / December 30, 2018
‘Sirisena’s party won most of the country!’ Ramonona still seems to be hallucinating, from binge drinking episode on Christmas night.
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ramona therese fernando / December 30, 2018
Somapala,
–
Sirisena’s party in 2015 (the Swan) was a breakaway from the UPFA with the ineffectual UNP and JVP hanging onto its coattails. After that UNP placed all its ministers into parliament. The mid-term LG 2018 elections showed up the real results.
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Native Vedda / December 31, 2018
ramona grandma therese fernando
–
Could you tell us which party did your god king the guardian theio Dr Mahinda belong to for the purpose of local government election in August 2018.
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ramona therese fernando / December 31, 2018
NV,
–
SLPP evolved from UPFA as a necessity to preserve the Motherland…..so simple.
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Native Vedda / January 6, 2019
ramona grandma therese fernando
–
“SLPP evolved from UPFA as a necessity to preserve the Motherland…..so simple.”
–
So the party is evolving into many forms, since Banda’s Ceylon National Congress, Sinhala Maha Sabha, United National Party, Pancha Maha Balavegaya, Sri Lanka Freedom Party, …………………………………. many racist years later split into SLFP and SLPP.
–
Is it still evolving?
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JD / December 30, 2018
Most of the SOEs are bakrupt beczause of these thieves. TAMIL LTTE RUMP UNP Mole rats writing in CT do not write the truth.
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Nic / December 30, 2018
This guy Kiriella robbed big time while in the Highways Ministry. He is no clean – he had his share of the loot like Ravi. He had questionable highway deals and projected them as Japanese Government projects while in fact they were highway projects funded by Japanese Commercial Banks at commercial rates of interest. He too robbed from Highway projects like MR and clan. So in away MS not assigning institutions which he could rape and plunder is justified.
He now has a good opportunity to prove his worth by turning around the loss making institutions vested under his ministry.
MPs should note that Cabinet positions are NOT perks to enhance one’s personal cash reserves by putting their daughter’s in front as business managers or collection agents of 10 to 20 percent commissions on projects, but rather positions which they must be qualified if not knowledgeable to handle or manage – have that hind sight for the overall betterment of the country. It is not their birthright because they boot lick a party leader!
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Rubu / December 31, 2018
This guy along with all the over 65 which would also include the party leader should quit politics or be “senior” MPs only and vacate and not sight cabinet. Their ideas and policies have not helped Sri Lanka get any better. For the last 40 years these guys were in parliament and Sri Lanka still continues to be rate a 3rd world country. Obviously these guys and their vision then for Sri Lanka did not bear any tangible fruit other than for their own pockets. Let the young with inspiration, new ideas for the times, innovative, energetic, enthusiastic, EDUCATED be brought forward – those with a vision, SME’s (Subject Matter Experts) – they should be cabinet ministers like in Singapore. All these old codgers are a bane to Sri Lankan society and the country.
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PARAGON / December 30, 2018
why this president is behaving like a child and doing hide and seek game.if he is right why cant he declare all what he is doing openly .AT LAST NOW AFTER THE SUPREME COURT RULING HE HAS NOT LEARNED A LESION AND STILL DOING UNDER HAND THINGS AND SHOWING HIS WEAK MENTALITY TO THE COUNTRY.
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Gratiaen. / December 30, 2018
” Both Mythree & Mahinda would now continue from where they were compelled to stop. They will continue with renewed vigour the task of completing their unfinished agenda. Thus we can expect Mythree & MR to continue waging war against Ranil W’s Govt from within and without.MR will launch attacks from outside and Sirisena will sabotage from the inside”- D.B.S Jayaraj’s column in Daily Mirror.
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Gratiaen. / December 30, 2018
” Speculation was rife that the Political reconfiguration process will result in a defeat for the Govt during the budget vote. If and when this happened Prez, Sirisena is expected to appoint MR as the PM who would then be seen as commanding the confidence of the House in a drastically-reconfigured Parliament. This belief began gathering momentum and it seemed that the return of the Rajapaksas was unavoidable” -D.B.S.Jeyaraj’s column Daily Mirror.
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roy / December 30, 2018
Lucky Kiri ,your time will come , Karma is going to squeeze My3s balls soon, he will bury his head in the sand.
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nalmen / December 30, 2018
kirrella is to old to hold a cabinet post better if he resigns and gives way to a younger man
however the allocation is crazy and the unp cannot get anything done in the next 2 years
none of this would have happened if the unp had appointed someone else as pm like karu or sajith
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Amila / December 30, 2018
If he resigns, good !
Well unp should have waited before greedily accepting the pm post and ministries. This is also a curse of appointing malik n maara-pana instead of those who fought hard to get the government back again. At least now they should bring an impeachment against this mad sira before he creates further fun with unp
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Saman Adikari / December 30, 2018
The UNP leader of that Ranil Wicks was removed from Premiership 26 Octemeber 2018 by President of SL due to his incompetence and engaged vast corruption of 40 moths of mismanagement of Economy, undermined norms of democracy and social discrsmation against majority Sinhalese-Buddhist by jointly rule and handle by RW of UNP and CBK of Tamil Federalism by on that mode doctorial rule.
The 40 months of misgovern since 2015 January 8th that under UNP politics which misused mandate of President MS of 6.2 millions of voters led by RW leadership and his political gang.
Therefor politically back by CBK of that moral support of nation corruptions and frauds has went without control by President of MS…Republic.
By that time CBK kept on blind and silent in every minutes of governances by RW went of that all out corruptions, which including Central bank Bonds scam of looted billions of Rupees poor tax payers by gang of UNP rules which of that high-level leadership of UNP’s .
The Kerella of Minster was one of most corruption man in Island by his Ministry by misapproated of budget allocation comes Billions of tax payers money of citizens of Sri Lankan.
The Central Bank Governor of Arjuna Mahedara was biggest Criminal who left country peacefully that seek safeguard heaven in that no Man’s Island of Singapore. No way that Interpol of International Police can approached to AM at any way ?…in Singapore ??? $$$.
The well to do ex-LTTE ideologist of one of wealthiest Arajuan Mahandra is above the Criminal Law of World . That Kerella said that AM is not a Criminal of CB Bond scam!?
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shankar / December 30, 2018
start impeachment proceedings against the president for violation of the constitution.Also start getting the numbers and pass an amendment to abolish the presidency.enough is enough.
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Eagle Eye / December 30, 2018
While UNP Parliamentarians are immersed in infighting for Ministerial positions without much regard for the wishes of the people who send them to Parliament those who are in the periphery have taken over the control of Parliament. Today, the movers and shakers in Parliament are essentially the Jathana Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the TNA, the former a shameless lackey of the UNP and the latter operating as though the UNP is its lackey. Both parties have terrorist pasts: the JVP in 1971 and in 1988//89 and the TNA as the mouthpiece of the LTTE. They are batting here with the UNP, which while in power unleashed terror and ‘disappeared’ some 60,000 Thajudeens, Ekneligodas and Lasanthas and launched a well planned attack on Demalu in 1983 using their thugs. The irony is these guys are trying hard to portray a picture that Rajapakses are murderers and should be removed from the political scene. If it is not for the leadership given by Rajapakses, even today blood will be flowing in streets in Colombo from people shattered into pieces from bombs blasted by Demala terrorists. But unfortunately, a large majority of Colombians have forgotten that.
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shankar / December 30, 2018
eagle eye
JVP killed many parliamentarians,policeman and innocent people.When they then threatened to kill soldiers families the army had enough and wiped them out.violence begets violence.now can you tell me wasim,prageeth and lasantha what violence they committed against the rajapakshes to be tortured and killed?The wrath of god will come upon the rajapakshe’s at the correct time.Yositha has already got metal plates in his head.That is the just the entree for him.Main course will follow later.
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JD / December 30, 2018
Prliamentarians who are engaged in fighing are NATIONAL LIST MPs. They want Rs 500 million each or Minister posts budgets for Construction
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Mokade badu / December 30, 2018
This f….ng president must be taken before the courts, impeached and beheaded for treason, fraud, obstruction of justice, corruption, breach of the constitution, abuse of power, deceit and misuse of trust.
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hancho pancha / December 30, 2018
Sillysena should have sacked RW the man who is truly behind the Bond Scam within the first hundred days of the Yahaplanaya Government and who tried every trick he could think of to scuttle and sabotage efforts to get to the bottom of the Scam. He pushed very hard to get Arjun Manhendran back as CBSL Governor, the second time. Instead, President should have appointed Mr. Sajith Premadasa to the Post of PM and everybody would have agreed with it. Good idea to defang the RW”s Rottweiler.
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rbh / December 30, 2018
Political sources said the latest development was an act of seeking revenge
First the challenge the rule of law constitutional crisis puts potentially on a collision of election with a constitutional crisis. Constitutional protections extended to defendants generally, none is readily apparent. What alarms is most is continuation of people economic hardship. the equation is latest development was an act of seeking revenge.
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Amaradasa Salgado / December 30, 2018
The proposed alliance by UNP of Ranil Wicks is only aim at change or New ” Constitutional of power balance” in favor of a Tamils puppet regime to give to Federal State in North and east that he promised during that RW of UNP that” political asylum” in Temple Trees on 50 odd days. It was that UNP illegal activities by cost of tax payers money. But judiciary kept dark of key issues by RW.
The RW security was promised and look after by USA and Indian embassy during his forceful & illegally an occupy public property belongs to People of Citizens of Sri Lankan misused by UNP political party activities by R W and his political gang.
At that time RW was not that Primer of govt. after he was dismissed and removed by President of MS was legally and that reveled of legitimacy that according 19th Amendment by the clause 33.
RW has charge of billions of tax money fraud of CB Bonds scam by UNP elders of RW, MS, Kabir Husun and RK. These political corrupted gang are not review by SC judges and its judiciary !
But Judges were blind on 19th Ameadeant that clause of 33,which t was a tragedy of 7 judges verdicts has created political turmoil and uncertainties of credibility of that long-run an undermined legal order ..Island by judiciary.
There is NO that proper power-sharing between UNP-TNA-JVP alliance and People of majority of this nation at any way.
The New social power sharing derive only from by that General Election will be held is ONLY way of that crisis solution by fresh People’s mandate.
We are looking for new and fresh mandated exercise by ballots not by bullets of TNA +LTTE and JVP mode of anti-establishments politics in an Island.
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Muslim / December 30, 2018
Sirisena is the worst President of Sri Lanka , he is revengeful , and is bent on stalling the Ranil government
First and foremost he should be impeached and sent to Pollonnaruwa and then tried for wasting people’s
Money on his and his families travel jaunts, though he puts on a ” no cheating” front he is the second big cheat after Mahinda.He and his family have gone on a shopping spree which the poor cannot afford .
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Real Revolutionist / December 30, 2018
What’s important is the constitutionality of the president’s action; whether revenging or not isn’t important as it’s always controversial.
What some Kandy people say is that Kiriella is over-enthusiastic in giving good/decent jobs like teaching & banking for uncompetitively qualified youth from lower economic social strata in order to build personal political support base for him.
Generally qualified upper social strata people don’t help making support bases for politicians.
In that sense president’s action is right; stopping that incorrect action & paving the way for qualified youth only to have access for such jobs.
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Eric Chang, Kandy / December 30, 2018
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2
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Thiagarajah Venugopal / December 30, 2018
Dear CT
I read what is said in this article with interest
‘Kiriella has received only received four minor institutions – namely Ceylon Ceramic Corporation, KESCO, BCC Company and the State Resources Management Corporation – that are on the verge of bankruptcy.’
removing all the ‘negativity may be the real reasons too’ can we not look at this as a huge responsibilty ‘compartmentalised’ as manageble task to make the above mentioned institutions succeed?
why are fixing people against each other and always giving a ‘narattive’ when we can look at many actions positively too?? Is it not a progressive action to do so too ?
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Suren / December 30, 2018
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Sampath / December 30, 2018
Will he surely resign and join with MR? :)
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Amaradasa Salgado / December 30, 2018
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Gratiaen. / December 30, 2018
” Both Mythree & Mahinda would now continue from where they were compelled to stop. They will continue with renewed vigor the task of completing their unfinished agenda. Thus we can expect Mythree & MR to continue waging war against Ranil W’s Govt from within and without.MR will launch attacks from outside and Sirisena will sabotage from the inside”- D.B.S Jayaraj’s column in Daily Mirror.
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Manilal / December 30, 2018
corruption kiri is one reason for the failure of yahapalana govt.
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K.Pillai / December 30, 2018
Kiriella is a man with principles – an extremely rare commodity in Lankan politics.
He stood firm in the 26 October saga and won.
Kiriella’s angst is understandable. We, lay-Lankans read the intent was to cause disharmony. We hope that Kiriella will brush it aside it for the time being.
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Kumaran / December 30, 2018
EVERYONE of you should resign! Not just you. Starting with ‘Aiyo Sirisena, R.W., M/R and ALL his gang, Modawansa, Lokuge, GLP., etc etc etc the entire rotten, stinking lot must just GO. They dont know how we hate these utter filthy bunch of corrupt, fossils.
And also the JVP murderers!!
I will make ONE exception: Perhaps two. Karu J. and Gamini Jayawickrema P. Even Eran, “Dr” Harsha and Sajith has proved themselves to be time-servers.
One day they will go and the populace will raise such a sigh of relief like never heard.
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Saman / December 31, 2018
Make Ranjan and Tewarapperuma cabinet ministers to resolve this crisis
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