28 March, 2024

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Mahinda Is No One’s Baby-Sitter

By Malinda Seneviratne

Malinda Seneviratne

Malinda Seneviratne

It’s easy to offer advice after the fact. Mahinda Rajapaksa had many exit-options. He could have ruled in a way that he could go out, even in defeat, with head held high. He did not. And yet, he had enough popularity and even grudging respect from detractors, to go into quiet retirement, barring of course the possibility that ghosts of wrongs done might return to haunt him.

As the all-powerful executive president everything that happened during his rule either polished his status or took away the gloss. This is why he, more than anyone else, deserves the major share of the kudos for defeating the LTTE. It is also why he, more than anyone else including perpetrators, has to take responsibility for all the wrongdoings during his tenure.

If he wanted to make a come back, then (yes, it’s easy to say), he could he kept away from the circus. His backers needed him more than he needed them. Even in this election. They used him as pin-up boy in their campaign. They played him for a sucker. He got suckered.

Now had Mahinda opted for ‘quiet retirement’. Notwithstanding the antics of Wimal, Gammanpila et al Mahinda hadn’t lost too much ground in terms of popularity. He could have let the demand come to him. He was impatient or else absolutely off-mark in reading the political equation.

Mahinda WimalIt was a long shot anyway. The ruling party has an edge. Mahinda ought to have known that President Maithripala Sirisena could hardly afford to have him, Mahinda, as Prime Minister. He, Sirisena, could and did do much damage to the UPFA campaign. Sirisena played hard. He played dirty. Mahinda’s game during his Presidency was hardly clean and for this reason Mahinda should have expected Sirisena to do the dirty on him, even at great cost to the party.

Had he at least pledged absolute support to the leader of his party in word and deed things might have been different. He did not. That’s a flaw. Humility would have taken him to a different kind of political afterlife. He lacked it. He still lacks it.

As former President he knows the sway of the powers vested in that office, even with the clipping affected by the 19th Amendment. Sirisena’s machinations should have taught him something anyway. He should know, now, that his stock is diminishing at an alarming rate and can only continue to fall given the political circumstances he finds himself in.

There’s very little he can do in the coming years as Leader of the Opposition, especially in what would be a diminished UPFA after Sirisena (as indicated) drags the SLFP out of the coalition. If he has any doubts he should give Ranil Wickremesinghe a call. Ranil knows all about being the Opposition Leader.

Under these circumstances, it is imperative that he be told the obvious. Retire.

Mahinda Rajapaksa can make a good speech. He can make the speech he ought to have made on January 9. He can say that too. He can also point to the huge credibility gap between word and deed as per democracy, good governance, decency and civil conduct as far as Maithripala and Ranil are concerned. He can flag certain things that the people should be vigilant about. Whatever it is, the break should be clean.

He should not fool himself that he would be letting down the people who voted for him. He certainly won’t be letting down those who preyed on his popularity. The people will understand. They’ll find new leaders to articulate their concerns. Those who feel left out by the August 17 result could be given reason by the new government to reconsider their position. If not, they can look for ways of recovering relevance. He is no one’s babysitter. And if people think they are babies, then they need to grow up.

Mahinda Rajapaksa had his hour of glory. He will be remembered. There will be gratitude and there will be hatred. That’s a given anyway. He had his exit-moments. He has one right now. He can still go out with some dignity, less than he had of course, but enough to guarantee a decent retirement.

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Latest comments

  • 11
    1

    Ohh, I though the other way around, Mahinda was the baby !

    Constantly what we hear is Mahinda is spoiled by people around him, so I assume Mahinda is a baby who always listen to other people. Mostly the mati people. (Not that he is wiser).

    I have also heard many people saying Mahinda is leader of 40 babies thief gang !

    And Malinda writes some heavy words such as Maithree played hard. He played dirty, so Malinda argument is due to that Mahinda played dirty.

    Aney apoi thama baiyek !

  • 11
    2

    You say: “He can also point to the huge credibility gap between word and deed as per democracy, good governance, decency and civil conduct as far as Maithripala and Ranil are concerned.”

    MR would be the last person on earth that I want to hear lecturing on good governance. It will be a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.

    The biggest crime committed by MR as a leader is that he polarized everything that he touched, be it international affairs, internal politics, social reforms or even religion. He destroyed the middle ground completely leaving only hard followers and hard opponents in a perpetual state of conflict. He did not have the ability nor the desire to practice politics as an art of compromise.

    His second sin was that he lacked the intelligence to recognize what his audience was. For him, every audience was a gallery who expected 3rd class comments, some of which were so low that no decent family would have liked to sit together and listen. An example is the jibe that he made against MS during presidential elections, saying “Mage evun (his sons) e vage (like the son of MS) genunge bada uda naginna giye ne”. It was an undisguised display of bad taste unbecoming of any public speaker leave alone the President of a country. International fora were used to display thuggish behavior for the sake local popularity . he thought he could brow beat other countries to follow his wishes and should not complain now if they treated him the way he treated his opponents.

    MR should leave politics without further ado and not wait until his hardest opponents give him the Libyan treatment.

  • 18
    1

    Malinda

    Mahinda’s future is not for him or for you to decide. It will be decided by the law of the land. He is going to prison. What ‘dignity,’ what ‘decent retirement’ you’re blabbering about?

    • 6
      1

      Yes, he should be analysed psychologically these days Mr. Malinda. His political
      journey can be meausred in this manner too:

      Corruption at its peak during MRs Regime as summarized hereunder:
      1. Case No. 474/2015
      at Fort M.C. dealing with Hedging Fund and involving
      A.N.Cabraal, PB Jayasuendra, A de Mel, L.Karunaratne (Rs.200-700 Million )
      2. Case No. 24327/2015 at
      Chief M.C.(3) In the matter of Lanka Hospital shares and
      connected to G. Rajapakse, Roshini ,Cabraal, N.Godahewa, D.Jayaweera, M.
      Medihewa, W.Amunugamuwa, D.P.Y. Wijesinghe. (Rs. 600 million)
      3. B26907/3/15 at Colombo
      M.C re Housing deals connected with W.Weerasena,B.K.J.K.Perera.
      4. B/40/2015 at Kaduwella
      M.C. re Land purchases, involving Mrs. W.Weerasena, C.S.Ranasinhe.
      5. B323/15 in Tangalle
      M.C. about Carlton Pre-school construction involving State Eng.
      Corporation Staff (Rs. 35 million)
      6. 8674/15 in Pugoda
      M.C. re Development works, involving B.Rajapakse, N. Thirukumar
      7. B22467/1/15 at Colombo
      Chief M.C. re Money Laundering by M. Aluthgamage (Rs. 3 – 27 million)
      8. B22468/1/15 in Colombo
      Chief M.C. on Wealth acquired of Dr.P.B. Wickrema.
      9. B25389/1/15 at Colombo
      C.M.Court re Money Laundering by G.Senarath.
      10. B25166/3/15 at Colombo Ch M.C. Teleshan TV Network with A.Pilapita
      S.Wickremasinghe, and Sil Reddi with L.Weeratunga and Ven.V.Somananda Thero.
      11. B9825/15 at Kaduwela M.C. re CSN Channel involving ITN Directorate & Staff.
      12. B35/15 at Kaduwela M.C. re ownership of Marriot Hotel in Dubai with
      N.Lokuwitharne and M.Rajapakse ( Rs. 48 to 190 million)
      13. B27453/1/15 at Hultsdorf M.C. about Lanka Logistics Arms importing connected to G.Rajapakse, P.B.Jayasundera, Mohan Peiris, J.Wickremasinghe.
      14. B/663/15 at Fort M.C. on Bank of Ceylon, Seychelles by M. Rajapakse & family
      15. Greek Bonds purchase with names of Cabraal & Rajapakse in Petition Colombo M.C of 15.8.15 involving Rs. 1257 million
      16. Sajin Vass Gunewardena in abuse of Public property, at Fort Magistrate Court, remanded since May, 2015. Also at Bribery Com. for questionable Assets.
      17. Petition accepted in Supreme Court on 6.8.15 re Vehicle Permits abuse
      18. Case No. 50/10 at High Courts, Kandy: Captain Wickremasinghe`s activity in
      Giritale Army Camp re Torture Chambers – under G. Rajapakse`s directions?

  • 1
    18

    Great stuff Malinda. He was brought down by his own entourage, his brothers, his sons, his so called friends did not help and here you are right. I believe that the Sinhalese Buddhists rightly have to be represented and dragged out of the limbo they lie in since the white man came and brought in the dregs of other societies because the proud Sinhalese man did not want to be the white man’s slave. Today we have the “Uncle Toms and Aunty Chandrikas” backing the most dangerous terrorist organisation in the world the United States Government. The turmoil in thw world today has its epi centre – The creation of Israel and we are sucked into holding the candle to States’ Terrorism.

    • 6
      1

      Peter Casie Shitty:

      Wondered why we hadn’t heard your idiocies for so long and thought the unthinkable… that you might have turned sane!

      Unfortunately, our hopes have not been realised because you’ve returned to bemoan the faith of that monument to naivety (according to you, anyway), Mahinda Rajapaksa who was SOOOO misled by his friends and family, poor thing!

      Will your idiocies NEVER cease?

      • 2
        0

        Emil
        Noooooo! Say it ain’t so!.. tell me that you have not discarded your much-advertised Canadian Sensibilities and Civilities and descended into the miasma of name-calling, oft-indulged in these pages, that usually stands-in for logical rebuttal

    • 0
      0

      Stupid man.

    • 0
      1

      Casie chetty
      Man,get your head examined, each time you open your mouth it spews garbage and shit. You and Malinda must be given the award for gutter journalism at its pinnacle. So refreshing to read aticles by Laksiri and Shyamon who talk sense and not indulge in the great suck for a free laptop or a pol arrack that is at the bottom of the glass that the ex king forgot to finish.

  • 6
    1

    Ah My Well

    He is no one’s babysitter. And if people think they are babies, then they need to grow up.

    No one is going to babysit the Balangoda Man the mentality is he will never grow up. He and his cronies will go to oblivion to seek the peace of Abyss with you.

  • 14
    3

    Malinda,

    Is this an obituary or farewell?

    Dr.RN

  • 8
    2

    Absolutely correct, Lappy Boy Malinda.
    “Mahinda Is No One’s Baby-Sitter”

    But he is certainly every SriLankans Arch-Shitter

  • 5
    0

    Malinda would like to indirectly praise Malinda by whatever way.
    However, whether he retires from politics or not the present government headed by President Maitre and P.M. Ranil cannot ignore or bypass all investigations re various corruption issues of the family of MR to protect him under whatever circumstances. This was a promise made at the Presidents election and they must stand by same and inform the masses the final outcome of all these charges and investigations.

  • 3
    1

    Whisky Madam wants her Son and Daughter to take over the SLFP and continue the Family Rule.

    Rajapaksa put the spanner in the works and kept the Madam on Prosac for good 10 years.

    Now the Madam is back with vengeance , thanks to the Cousin , Elite, Anglicans , Vellalas, Britsh Tigers and the Wahabis.

    And Medulwewa Sobitha’s Bodhi Puja at Naga Viharaya.

    Without Rajapaksa , SLFP will dead as a Dodo.

    JVP worked on that strategy even at the last Election hoping that they can become the main Opposition.

    But it didn’t work , Because our Dalits are not stupid anymore.

    Medulwewa Sobitha will ensure that Sira doesn’t hang around for seconds , although his golayas have started making noises to try and generate some enthusiasm among the Dalits to ask for more Sira’s rule going forward.

    But the Dalits wouldn’t buy that, Because they can never forget how Sira betrayed the only political party which did something good for the country and its great majority.

    • 2
      4

      Who is Sumanasekera?

      Why is he so hung up on Whisky Madam. Did she castrate him or steal his cojones?

      • 3
        3

        frank

        Frankly speaking KASmaalam K.A Sumanasekera is a self confessed malt whisky lover.

        His only issue with her was that she didn’t invite KAS to share a bottle or two with her and he also believes Chandrika is a Vellala princess.

      • 0
        0

        Franco must be a UNP gringo from New Jersey,,,

        • 0
          0

          Sumanapala : Like you are a Mahinda ass-licker from Down Under?

          • 0
            0

            Matty Mate,

            Don’t tell us, you are also one of those Samurdhi reciepients who barrack for the Elite , Anglicans , Vellalas and the Wahabis in Colombo, while living off the hard working Aussies Tax money.

  • 3
    0

    Malinda I really think u should shut up because what you write is so immature. People of this country already know that MR is a baby and how he lost the match because of his stupidity and hanging around with goons. So write something worth reading not this rubbish.

  • 0
    2

    This Baiyya keeps getting on my nerves with his harping of his “never ending LOVE” for Mahinda. CT why waste space on this Baiyya moron ?

  • 0
    0

    Mahinda is Malinda’s baby sitter.

  • 1
    0

    Malinda, you should follow your own advice when you say that:

    “Those who feel left out by the August 17 result could be given reason by the new government to reconsider their position. If not, they can look for ways of recovering relevance.”

    Of course “recovering your relevance” may not be so easy, given your record!

  • 1
    0

    This thug of a president is not going to be missed by any decent human being except the criminals that were close to him like the baluwansas and pissudevas who have no place even in hell. Good riddance to bad rubbish and we hope we will not see this demented ex king ever enter politics again. The people of the country can now look forward to living in a country which adheres to the rule of law and respectability unlike this moron and family that destroyed every human value. RW has no need to be vindictive but MR and family have to be made accountable for the grave injustices and murders and rapes and pillage that took place during their corrupt regime.

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