By R.A. Ratwatte –
R.A. Ratwatte
A rationalist may have been able to find reasons and excuses for all the machinations that have gone on, ever since the decision was taken to allow the former president to contest the general election.
Give the new president a chance was the watchword and some of us tried and even backed these moves. The appointment of rejected politicians to parliament on the national list was the beginning of our worries.
Now this jumbo cabinet with minsters ranging from those with slightly doubtful reputations to confirmed rascals and thugs not to mention certified incompetents, leaves absolutely no room for doubt.
There are too many skeletons in cupboards and too many backroom deals in effect among the “established” political parties in this Country for us, the general populace to expect any real movement towards identifying corrupted individuals and removing them from the system. It is now confirmed that the game is the same with only cosmetic changes and token compromises.
The only faint hope that the drowning populace can cling on to is that there are plans to reduce the ministries and change some of the ridiculous appointees as the power base changes with time, but that will be a natural progression and not due to Yahapalanaya taking any proactive steps towards achieving it.
This I fear, was the last chance that true democracy had to convince the voter that she was what they needed to build a truly vibrant and self respecting nation. A thinking voter base that could trust their judgement and identify the rogues and kick them out without resorting to blood shed. After this it will be proved that sticking to crony capitalism is the only way to live and thrive in Sri Lanka.
The miracle will continue on the road to being a debacle.
The only hope is for some “new” political parties with no obligations and compromises owing to each other to contest and remove all the current players from the established parties. Is that possible, will an already conservative and mostly partisan vote base ever change?
Enter left of stage, Sarath Fonseka and the JVP, meanwhile the clowns have centre stage!
Mahen / September 5, 2015
Well said Mr Ratwatte. I agree with you 110%!
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Premila / September 5, 2015
Ha !! After having blown trumpets on behalf of my3 and the yahapalanaya gangsters you have the gall to write?? It’s people like you who created this mess with your super wisdom, writing endlessly- sitting out there is some cozy corner of the world. It’s us people in Sri Lanka who are saddled with this manipulative bunch now – thanks to people like you!! Stop writing – your two cents is not worth the time spent in reading it ! If you care an iota for your country people like you need to stop giving us your sorry analyses. God bless Sri Lanka now !
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taraki / September 5, 2015
If Mr Ratwatte lives abroad he did not vote and it is not his fault that we are saddled with these creeps. It is our fault for voting them in. What was the alternative? Sadly there wasn’t one.
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Emil van der Poorten / September 5, 2015
Premila:
The difference with people like Mr. Rajitha Ratwatte is that he is not some “bought-and-paid-for” politician or sycophant, but someone, like many of us, that thought (RIGHTLY, AS IT TRANSPIRED) that ANYTHING would be better than the Fascist horde that ran this country for too long.
However, Mr. R, like any right-thinking people, has recognized the road down which the MRRW government has chosen to go, even temporarily, and has spoken his mind.
I suppose that kind of honesty is totally alien to people of your ilk!
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thepanis Appuhamy / September 6, 2015
Amen!
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thondamanny / September 5, 2015
Jumbos need Jumbo cabinet ………….
MY3 has kicked the masses who sent some Ministers and MPs packing home.
Yahapalanayata suba anagathayak ………………
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RoyalKadaley / September 5, 2015
Mr . Ratwatte, interesting ideas. Do you think, Ranil’s UNP is innocent and Mally and CB issues are all clean?
We will have 80 more new car permits, luxury vehicles, state houses to support these fat lazy gentlemen and the few ladies. Car permits. WOW ! I wish I could go back and become an MP for one 5 year term. Imagine I can get a Range Rover permit, sell it to a Mudalali or Kudu Mannar minority heroin smuggler or someone and retire with 5 million in the bank. Someone said the following. In Singapore ministers are paid like a million dollars an year so they will not be corrupt. It is a great idea, except they (in Sri Lanka) can make a million dollars in a week or month in Sri Lanka in politics via cuts, kickbacks, commissions and outright bribes whether you are SLFPEEEE OR UENN PEEEE . So giving car permits will not stop the rape and plunder. A new set of horas from UNP and now SLFP including JHU types will replace the Rajapakse gang. Jayaweywa.. Horunta Jayaweywa. May there be more Luxury hotels and Paddy business riches in My3 Family, may there be more roadworks in Siripala land, in Malick land, may there be more industries as the Pied Piper claims their bethrothed bridal promises and make our politicians rich. People do not care. They cared to vote their set of Horas to replace the previous set of Horas. Do you really think except for a few like RW, Harsha and Eran others are all virginal brides who will not enrich themselves? The UNP opinion makers here will be deaf dumb and mute. Hell some of them might even go back hoping for plums or is it Papaws of privilege. Did you notice how many only attack one side and pretend their side is clean? Did you notice how all the anti MR people were deadly silent about Batalanda, disappearances, murder, tyre killings, journalist murders under the UNP? do you think if the country goes back to that, they will speak up? Hell no.
Why is Sagala Ratnayake who lost his seat a minister? Why is he so close to Hon. PM? Are you only bothered by the claptrap SLFP losers who got ministries? How about UNP thugs and heroin smugglers from minority?
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RR / September 7, 2015
I have referred to ALL the minsters’ in the cabinet. No way have I excused some of the anomalies that you have pointed out !
Pity you picked Kadalay’s name to hide your anonymity behind….He was an honored friend of mine.
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vishvamithra / September 5, 2015
“The appointment of rejected politicians to Parliament on the National List was the beginning of our worries”.
This is very important statement. I request the readers to read the preamble to the 1978 Constitution that boast about the Representative Democratic Society.
“… While ratifying the immutable republican principles of REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY, we the elected representatives of the people “having solemnly resolved by grant of the mandate by the people and the confidence reposed in us and acknowledging our OBLIGATIONS to the People, we the elected representatives adopted and enacted this Constitution as the SUPREM LAW of Republic Sri Lanka…”
This provision is intentionally incorporated in the constitution for a purpose; that is to protect the people’s inalienable sovereign powers (which includes people’s legislative power, executive power, judicial power, fundamental rights and franchise (Article 3 and 4 of the Constitution), which cannot be taken away without a mandate obtained from the people at a Referendum (Article 83 of the Constitution).
Article 82 of the Constitution states that No Bill to AMEND THE CONSTITUTION shall be placed on the Order Paper of the Parliament, unless in the Bill it is described in the long title as being an Act for the amendment of the Constitution.
It is very interesting to see how this National List concept (introduced through the 14th Amendment) was creped into the Constitution.
• The Bill was never placed on the Order Paper of the Parliament and gazette for the information of the citizens but it was straight away referred to the Supreme Court on 08th April 1988 to consider whether the bill was inconsistent with the Constitution.
• Only on 03th May 1988 the Bill was placed on the Order Paper of the Parliament by the Prime Minister R Premadasa and Gazetted for the Information of the Public by which time the Supreme Court had already had made its determination on 18th April 1988.
• On the Following day (04th May 1988) it was passed in the Parliament.
The following statement of objection filed in Court by a Citizens, namely K Leelasena, during the consideration of the 14th Amendment Bill by the Supreme Court on 18-04-1988 is a vivid demonstration of abuse of peoples’ sovereign power by the two organs of the government, the Executive and Legislative at its best. The so-called people’s representatives who acknowledged immutable republican principles of REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY
The Petitioner informed the Court that.
• the Bill was placed on the Order Paper of the Parliament and not made available to the Citizens
• he requested the Registrar of the Court for a copy of the Bill but the Registrar of the Court informed him that the Citizens have no right to obtain a copy of the Bill filed in Court
• grave injustice would be caused to the citizens by not affording them any opportunity to make representations on one of the most important piece of legislation introduced as 14th Amendment to the Constitution
Therefore, the Petitioner had prayed for a copy of the Bill to make representations
However, 122 (1)(c) of the Constitution, require the Court to make it’s determination within 24 hours and therefore the made its determination on the same day and only communicated it to the President and the Speaker as required by the said Article.
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