President Maithripala Sirisena‘s official greeting for Sri Lanka’s traditional New Year has the country’s leader positioned in the art work in a way that he appears to be sporting a pair of blue horns.
It is not possible to determine whether this was a deliberate attempt by the Presidential Media Unit to depict Sirisena in less than complimentary light or if it was a case of poor creative execution.
However, the image that has been posted in the President’s official Facebook Page could very well be a Freudian slip considering numerous examples of Sirisena’s bullish behavior after assuming office, quite in contradiction of his pledges to establish good governance, root out nepotism and cure the country of the many ills that were brought about by his predecessor.
Sirisena’s track record during the first 15 months in office includes appointing his brother to a key state-owned enterprise as its Chairman (within a week of assuming office), coming up with bizarre definitions for nepotism in the face of criticism over allowing his children (Daham and Chathurika) to arrogate upon themselves their father’s powers, facilitating ‘back-door entry’ to Parliament for individuals rejected at the polls and extravagant self-promotion. Throughout this time, his critics maintain, Sirisena has displayed a devil may care attitude, bullish to the core.
Experts are at a loss to determine which kind of creature has these types of horns, but they closely resemble the horns of Scottish highland cattle, albeit not as majestic and also being more droopy at the end.
Creative hilarity aside, the greeting itself is sober and deserves applause: “I call upon every Sri Lankan to celebrate this year’s New Year in a way to actively contribute to building a country free of intoxicants adhering to the national programme initiated by us.” – Maithri
Hamlet / April 13, 2016
The Writer must have a Warped Mind to see the Blue Wings in the Background as a Pair of Horns!
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Amarasiri / April 14, 2016
“President Maithripala Sirisena‘s official greeting for Sri Lanka’s traditional New Year has the country’s leader positioned in the art work in a way that he appears to be sporting a pair of blue horns.”
The horns may be blue, but nevertheless they are horns.
Is this a new species, buffaloes or sheep with blue horns? That is what evolution does. It adapts to the environment.
http://tibetnature.net/en/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/BLUE-SHEEP.jpg
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Hamlet / April 18, 2016
Amarasiri:-
Have a look at the Picture again.
Do you see the ‘Blue Birds of Happiness’ at the Top Left Hand Corner.
That is the Blue Bird Behind MS’s Photo! Not a Pair of Horns!
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Amarasiri / April 14, 2016
President Maithripala Sirisena,
Happy Tamil New Year. Later on it became the Happy Sinhala New Year too.
Happy Tamil and Sinhala New Year to all. The Sum is directly overhead on New Year. The traditional Tamil year starts on 14 April 2016 [Kali Yuga 5118].
Were the Sinhala originally Tamils, and later became Sinhala? Or was it that the Orissans and Kalingans adapted the Tamil New Year because it was based on the Hindu Solar Calendar?
Over Head Sun’s Position-2016 April -2016
Sun on it is apparently March from the Southern hemisphere to the Northern hemisphere,” will be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka during the period 05th April 2016 to 14th April 2016.
The latitudes at which the Sun will be directly overhead, the closest towns corresponding to the given latitudes and the times at which the Sun will appear overhead are as follows.
http://www.meteo.gov.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=135&lang=en
The Sinhala New Year adopted the Tamil New Year. If it was Sinhala, the New Year would have been Apri 6, 7. 8. 9 pr 10 or 11.
Puthandu (Tamil Puttāṇṭu), better known as Tamil New Year, is the celebration of the first day of the Tamil new year in mid-April by Tamils in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in India, Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka, and by Tamils in Malaysia, Singapore, Réunion and Mauritius. On this day, Tamil people greet each other by saying “Puttāṇṭu vāḻttukkaḷ!” ( புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துகள்) or “Iṉiya tamiḻ puttāṇṭu nalvāḻttukkaḷ!” (இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துகள்). The festive occasion is in keeping with the Hindu solar calendar.
Origin and significance
The Tamil New Year follows the vernal equinox and generally falls on 14 April of the Gregorian year. 14 April marks the first day of the traditional Tamil calendar and is a public holiday in both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The Tropical vernal equinox falls around 22 March, and adding 23 degrees of trepidation or oscillation provides the Hindu sidereal transition or Nirayana Mesha Sankranti (the solar transition into the constellation of Aries). The Tamil calendar thus begins on the same date observed by most traditional calendars in India as in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Manipur, Mithila, Odisha, Punjab, Tripura, Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The 60-year cycle is ancient and is observed by most traditional calendars of India and China, and is related to 5 revolutions of Jupiter, or to 60-year orbit of Nakshatras (stars) as described in the Surya Siddhanta.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puthandu
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Sirimevan / April 15, 2016
Sirisena is so strongly against liquor and the police are enforcing it so strictly that the villagers are afraid climb their trees and it was impossible to get fresh kithul toddy or to get someone to tap our kithul trees.
I’m yet to taste kithul raa
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Simonappu / April 15, 2016
I am telling you.. Turkey and other muslim states where tourism is one of their top earnings, are trully opposed alcoholic beverages being served within their soils, but they have to dilute the laws to keep the toursits arrivals. Likewise, even if Mr Siirisena is against them, he has to be very diplomatic in handling lanken bars, since there are fractions in the society that would die without alcohol consumption. Earlier, the man in the field was dope king, he had no the kind of problems, since he was born and bred drunkard way of life, having been a rascal known to Beliaththa than to anyone else in the country.
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Simion Gunasekara / April 15, 2016
What matters is the numbers/percentages ? Just because President s brother has been appointed as SLT director or what.. just because of PM aunty has been appointed as HC to UK, we can t put the fingers at them repeating them being Nepotism promotors so long the candidates meeting with all the requirements of the focused JD.
What I noticed in the previous regime was – Leader of the nation himself appointed all kith and kin not repsecting the least qualifications that the advertised position could meet with.
A) Tea taster, business man – who is said to have not even Olevels was appointed as the SRILANKEN high commissioner to the US….. why the lanken communities stayed as if clay fed /blocked crocodiles not having protested is the question I then raised – typical lanken kind of passivity
B) Former soldiers or the like men were appointed to represent the nation in UNO – the focus was them to be escaped from questioning all the unanswered questions regarding the fiece phase of the war. May be I still believe avalanche of the innocient should have gone missing through the mis managements of the forces in the last end. These were known to Rajathuma and that is why those former Army/Navy/Airforce men with low credentials to diplomatic servicies but were appointed – to seek the the diplomatic immunity.
C)Monitoring minister- was former baggage boy was appointed to monitor law level adminsitrations carried out by their men at Embassies. Most of the embassy staffers were coming from close circles of Rajaakshe – none of them were experts in foreign affairs.
d)And the former head of state never took due actions against crime and drug trafficking but he protected them in public
1)Duminda Silva
2) Beach boy drug kin pin of Negambo- Prince lanza
Were the mostknown names to the people.
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NAK / April 15, 2016
“1)Duminda Silva
2) Beach boy drug kin pin of Negambo- Prince lanza
Were the most known names to the people”
Are they being dealt with now by the Jahapalaya?
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upi / April 15, 2016
Yes they are been dealt with according to the law and not medamulama law.
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Marlon Ariyasinghe / April 13, 2016
Seriously CT. You publish this? This is such a below average article which does not have an ounce of journalism in it. When did personal opinion become news?
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Justice & Fairplay / April 14, 2016
Well said Marlon. It is indeed so below average, I think CT should reconsider calling themselves something else without any reference to the ‘Telegraph’.
The Daily Telegraph was all about a responsible, opinion creating, decent newspaper. The Colombo Telegraph is anything but that.
Sorry, but that’s what it is. They ridicule this President and or his family at the drop of a hat. They were meeker than mice when the ‘strongman’ Rajapakse was in the seat.
What price ‘Brave Journalism’!!
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maalumiris / April 13, 2016
lol! poor guy cant catch a break !
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Native Vedda / April 14, 2016
maalumiris
Wish you a happy Tamil/Sinhala New Year.
I am not sure whether new years are race related.
“lol! poor guy cant catch a break !”
He should have thought about it before he decided to contest the presidential elections.
One cannot have the cake and eat it.
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Hamlet / April 14, 2016
NV, I like to call it the Solar New Year. Hope you Approve!
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Shan / April 13, 2016
He is facing head on confrontation with MR on May 1st. He may have to use all the powers he has to stop JO from having a bigger rally than SLFP. More ministers may join the government. Bribes galore….
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Fed up of rot / April 13, 2016
” I call upon every sri lankan to celebrate this New Year in a way to actively contribute to building a country free of CORRUPTION adhering to the national programmes iniated by us.”
It should have been the above and not intoxicants as mentioned.
The man is damn incompetent and is slowly adding more nails into the coffin into which the country will finally end up.
Scottish highland cattle are majestic animals and should not be compared to the buffalo look of MS.
The man is running scared of MR, that in any eventuality if the former were to come back to power, MS will have no place to hide other than to stick his bullish head into the sand like an ostrich.
Not only is he scared of MR he is also scared of the ministers in his govt and the pm RW.
When he was the minister of health he had supposed to have made a statement saying that he was aware of the mafia operating inside the ministry of health but was powerless to do anything about it.
This is the back boneless person who leads the country and who was welcomed with great fanfare with the thought that the country was entering a new era. To allow himself to be made a fool is enough proof of his incompetence and jelly fish attitude.
Sri lankans need to seriously wake up from their slumber and collectively find a long term solution that will cure their lovely land of all its ills. If the medicine is bitter but guaranteed of a cure then that medicine has to be taken at least for the sake of the future generation.
Let all hope in a divine way that a Syria like solution will not be the answer, but a sensible democratic way will bring upon desired results. If bad eggs need to be crushed and thrown into the dustbin so be it, for fresh ones cooked properly in any way are a treat for the palate and stomach.
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Justice & Fairplay / April 13, 2016
I think this entire article is childish and silly. It is another President bashing exercise which the President certainly does not deserve.
This country, its people and its press, deserves a more mature outlook.
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Native Vedda / April 14, 2016
Maithri Man
“I call upon every Sri Lankan to celebrate this year’s New Year in a way to actively contribute to building a country free of intoxicants adhering to the national programme initiated by us.”
You are going o be in very big trouble. I can see KASmaalam K S Sumasekere is up in arms.
The politicos who obtained liquor are going to fight their corner. Liquor shop owners who paid the politicos may come like a ton of bricks.
Elections cannot be won without free supply of liquor and MR would be deprived of crowd, hence Dayan, Wimal, …. would be very unhappy.
There is going to be full-scale riots on the streets , for merely asking the people to avoid intoxicants, leave alone prohibition (banning it completely).
KASmaalam K A Sumane, here is an opportunity for you to topple the government.
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Liyanage / April 14, 2016
NV,
I can recall his predecessor playing a similar tune with so called “Mathata Thitha” (End to Alcoholism). But, that’s not what toppled his government.
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Karthigesu Nirmalan-Nathan / April 14, 2016
Poya and Pre poya
Suya basha
Now Making the country Alcohol free.
He is living colud cuckoo Land.
The photograph depicts the professionalism of the whole damn Country. Its gone to the dogs and sinking irretrievably in to the abyss.
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Common Sense / April 14, 2016
There ought to be some common sense. If he merely greeted a happy new year to everybody then that is fine. If he goes a step beyond to wish that the country is free from the vice of intoxications then he is declaring his vision as the resolution for the New Year. Is intoxication the most serious vice? Before one preaches one must set an example and establish that the preacher must be free from vice. On Jan 08, 2015, the voter not only voted MS as President but also voted RW as the Prime Minister as well. [Legalities apart, the voter knew that is what would ultimately be if he voted for MS succesfully into power.] Both of them must answer the public with respect to the progress of eradicating the vice that inhibits good governance, after all Yahapalanaya was the platform in which they came into power. They have been entrusted a sacred task. If they are in the process of eradicating the vice that inhibits good governance then they have the moral right to preach others to be free from intoxicants. NOT OTHERWISE.
RW cannot be a silent partner to the indiscretions committed by the close relations of MS. Alas can he confront MS in their one to one meetings and say “Mr. President you should not encourage this situation”. The prompt answer can be “What about your self in these named instances?” and cite such instances. So RW has a sorry choice of being silent.
In that scenario the least that the Media can do is to publish about that state of affairs.
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Hamlet / April 14, 2016
Common Sense:-
” RW cannot be a silent partner to the indiscretions committed by the close relations of MS.”
It is lucky that for RW that He has no Children. He does not know that Children or Siblings, do not listen to their Parents, in This Day and Age!
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Bandara / April 14, 2016
Looks like Maithripala is more concerned about ‘intoxicants’ than the dubious characters with proven ‘bad-track’ records he has appointed to powerful positions in the administration. This, in spite of the fact that most of them guzzle intoxicants and whose immorality is well known.
Enough hypocrisy and bullshit! Get rid of nepotism (starting with your brother and relatives) and clean up your own house and put it in order before you try to convert us to being teetotalers.
There are more important matters to attend to than to interfere in the personal (and legal) preferences of our citizens!
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Native Vedda / April 14, 2016
Bandara
Alright, how do you rate MR’s Tamil/Sinhala/Solar/….. new year message? See below (in case if you can’t be bothered) for his caring/gloating message:
“I wish the people of Sri Lanka a happy and prosperous new year. The New Year is an annual celebration of North-South unity which could not be shattered even by the gunfire and bombs of terrorists.
The New Year is celebrated with hopes of prosperity and well-being in the coming year. This is a time when we should be mindful about agriculture and food security. We must not forget the agrarian roots of this festival which is all about food production, self-sufficiency and a vibrant domestic agriculture. It is the duty of adults to pass on our new year observances and practices to the younger generation to ensure that our traditions survive.
We must be thankful for being able to celebrate the New Year in a country that is now free of war. By the Sinhala and Tamil New Year of 2009, the war against terrorism had entered its final and decisive phase. As we express our gratitude to Mother Nature for her bounty during the New Year festival, I believe we should at the same time remember the war heroes who brought peace to this country. I wish you a happy and prosperous new year!”
Please note do we care if politicians don’t publish new year message?
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Bandara / April 14, 2016
Native – How do I rate the message? My original comment says it all!
Do I care “if … politicians don’t publish NY messages”? Not one whit!
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Sinchoappu / April 14, 2016
Bandara – at the begining I was also inthe same thoughts. That is normal and the average feel so, but politicians (lankens) are well aware of the situation currently the country/SLFP faces.
Mr Sirisena is no means similar to dishonest sort as MR has ever been. But he has no other choice than going to lie with the same bunch, else, he has to loose his power within the consensual govt while allowing UNP to raise their head easily. So he is caught by all evils .. he has not got any better agendas. Lanken politics are like a tree with several key branches being affected by a deadly virus. If the tree to be saved – yo need to strengthen its main stem. Here, lanken siutation Sirisena has to be with SLFP since majority of the party are grabbed by Rajakashe men regardless of their highly corrupted nature.
I truly believe, srilanken president is the leader who has been in a very uncomfortable situation in today worlds politics.
Rajapakhe men could even assasinate him at this juncture if the security to teh Sirisna is much less. Because the behaviours performed by Rjaakshe allies are becoming clear, that they want get the power back by hook or crook – else, after being twice defeated to react this way being aside is beyond all ethical and morals nature. Any defeated presidents kept aside leaving the won president to do the job, but tday, we see, a man who is intoxicated by power- has been making every effort to abuse the people further. I believe, they the rulers will have to speed up their invesigations that are in process now, to corner these men for once and foreever. then only we the people can even breathe well for a better future.
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Bandara / April 14, 2016
Sinchoappu – I follow the trend of your logic, but the gist of my comment was to do with interference in personal preferences of individuals that is NOT the business of Mr. Sirisena, who should be more concerned about integrity of our representatives and proper governance.
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Samuel Jayweera / April 14, 2016
Can you please elaborate how he has to do that.. being caught by the situation – I think the blame should be put on Rajakshes – since they backstab on and on.. not allowing current rulers to do their job well. Actually, if CBK wanted, she could also corner Rajaakshe in his days, not allowing him to do the job in that way. .. But former presidents incl CBK di dnot interfere the incumbent .. let him perofrm.. they work as senior instructors. – BACK STABING nature of Rajaakshes make everything worse today. He shoudl finally confess where he went wrong in handling finances…
We have the guy within the nation – why dont any of the powerful men question him yet focusing on the facts.
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Bandara / April 15, 2016
Samuel J – you ask “Can you please elaborate how he has to do that.. being caught by the situation… “
All he has to do would be to stop telling us what we can do with our personal lives that doesn’t impact anyone else, which has nothing to do with ‘good governance’.
The rest of my suggestion that “Mr. Sirisena, (who) should be more concerned about integrity of our representatives and proper governance”, is up to him.
And this is why we voted for him, based on his promises to us voters.
I hope you can follow this, as I have tried to make it as simple as possible for most folk to understand!
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NAK / April 15, 2016
Samuel,Back stabbing is the name of the game in politics. If you can’t protect your back you have no place in politics and at the same time you can’t use it for ever to cover your inability to perform.
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Leelagemalli / April 15, 2016
No a country/society is able to free from Nepotism but can control over it. These are facts. Psychologists and sociologists know this well, I really dont know think what Bandara or the other men here add could be applicable in practice. So is the reality for corruption and abuses too. Western world can discuss of deacresing crime rates, but never would they be able to free from them. That is the nature of people – some fractions in the society regardless them being on west or east, tend easily to be caputured by the like abuses. Those rigorous law bound society such as singapore and germany too have their kind of control systems that have yet to fight against increasing crimes. They each work with psychologists, sociologists, criminalogists, police and other forces together to bring the crime rates lower. Irrespective of rigorous laws, Berlin has failed to control over drug trafficking problems as they reported this morning. Basel/Switzerland there are units that offere the drug addicts their daily intake in order to keep control the increasing crime inthe areas. So much about the western examples. So, I really dont think what you call Nepotism is the real nepotism issue that we saw in the previous regime taking over across the country towards the end of last regime.
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තුෂාර දිසානායක / April 14, 2016
[Edited out] – We are sorry, the comment language is English – CT
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Anushka / April 14, 2016
Seriously CT you need to give MS a break.i am fed up of ur site.
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Sal / April 15, 2016
@ Anusha:
Seriously, Anusha, MS HAS got all the breaks, thanks to us who voted for him. Now all he has to do is to keep his promises and to stop treating us like a bunch of morons.
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NAK / April 15, 2016
You said it my dear.
All those who voted for pacha sira are a bunch of morons and deserved to be treated as such!!
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Sal / April 16, 2016
@NAK:
You may well be right, but what option was there between a proven criminal who was ripping off the country and white-vanning those who opposed his regime, and someone who was willing to take the risk that would get rid of the curse that was ruling us?
At least we can now access sites like CT, which were banned under the last regime!
Thanks be for ‘small mercies’!
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shankar / April 15, 2016
” President Sirisena ‘Bullish’ In New Year Greeting”
That’s because he’s got two bull in a china shop brothers and son.
One of them got killed while the other is still breaking the china shop.
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thumpane gamaya / April 15, 2016
it was this same sirisena that sacked Dr.Nilanga (former head of antic narcotics and drug authority) who took keen interest in publishing the names of MPS in the drug and narcotics game. The gift for this action was his removal by Maithreepala; now talking to eradicate drugs?
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Simonappu / April 15, 2016
It was sama Prez SIrisena who banned the import of Glyphosat while the western world incl Germany have long been waiting for the bann from their soils.
So, please dont mix it up. Good has been done by Mr Sirisena having looked that far… unlike the bugger MR. MR thought to strenghten his pockets and his kind of abusive politics akin to those leaders of far poor countries in africa. MR should not have been leader of the nation – we should be shame actually to have voters to go and elect him. But circumstances faced in war torn country did allow that… consequences we have to face today. It is like the afterhshocks of a powerful earthquake OR the like disaster. Lankens were twice beaten ; first by War then by Rajakshe mediocracy
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NAK / April 15, 2016
Pacha sira got caught with another lie,an unnecessary lie, that he gave a helicopter to MR after losing election.
MR went home to beliaththa in the morning of 9th jan while he was still the president and pacha sira has not even taken his oath which also by the is a joke as he broke that oath then and there.
The other big lie is that he is pursuing a policy to eradicate the use of chemicals in agriculture while 15 container loads of pesticide and weedicides with held in the customs were cleared as soon as he became president.
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shantha / April 16, 2016
Mr President better get security service check out how rejected Rajapaksas can get Asian mirror blocked who are predicting arrest of Namal?
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