Sources in Hulfsdorp expressed amusement at the sight of the recently appointed President’s Counsel being ‘summoned’ to meet the President on July 26th (yesterday.)
According to the President’s official website, this was following a ‘tradition’ for them to meet the President after they were appointed as President’s Counsels.
However a senor lawyer and President’s Counsel of an older generation, speaking to Colombo Telegraph explained that there was no such tradition at all. None of us ever were called to meet either past President JR Jayewardene, past President Ranasinghe Premadasa or even former President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
“These are not state appointments but discretionary ‘honours’ so why are these lawyers being asked to come like this?” he asked.
President’s Counsels meet Maithripala – Photo via http://www.president.gov.lk/
Another senior lawyer informed Colombo Telegraph that it was a shame to see President Maithripala Sirisena following in the footsteps of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
“The person who started this was former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. In fact, he got all the PCs appointed by him to come and sit in the Supreme Court like tame puppies when the 18th Amendment was being approved by the Court, also acting under his dictation. Now it seems that President Sirisena also wants to show who is the boss” he said.
The appointments of PCs by President Sirisena a few months ago attracted criticism on the basis that they were given to political favourites. The list also did not include a single female senior lawyer though Colombo Telegraph understands that several had applied. In addition, heavy public criticism was directed against some of the PCs including activist JC Weliamuna who held extravagant parties at five star hotels to celebrate this appointment despite two hundred flood victims dying on the same day due to the massive floods that swept Sri Lanka at the time and lawyer Saliya Pieris (also appointed a PC on the same list) who defended the holding of the parties. Both Pieris and Weliamuna attended yesterday’s meeting summoned by the President. Peiris also serves as a member of Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission.
State media reports said that the PCs were asked to meet the President so that he could ask them to contribute a greater service to the country through their knowledge and experience in the field. President Sirisena had said that he wished them to carry out their professional work independently.
“If that was the intention, it would have been better if he had never summoned them at all for this was the opposite impression that was created by this meeting” said an activist involved in the ‘yahapalaya’ movement which backed the President in 2015. “We are just repeating the past,” he said.
Uthungan / July 27, 2017
WouldPresident My3 have revoked the’discretionary honour’ conferred to a PC with some self respect of himself if he did not heed the call to attend the boru thamasa?
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Jagath Fernando / July 28, 2017
Disgraceful!!
But what would you expect ???
Most of them don’t even have a decent practice!!!
The whole thing has become so political and shameful.
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punchinilame / July 28, 2017
“Why the man is the only animal who does not learn from previous experience?”
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saj / July 29, 2017
punchi.
the man is a nin cum poop. all brawn.
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Don Stanley / July 30, 2017
The fish rots from the head down!
The lawyers are the most corrupt professional crooks in the country! Avant Guard Wijedasa Jarapassa should be arrested for financial crimes with the Mahinda Rajapassa brothers.. He should not be Minister of Buddha Sasana. In fact, there is a conflict of interest with the INJustice Minister protecting Buddhism when other religions are being attacked. Shibly Aziz who is on Bond Scam Ranil’s Constitutional Council is the most corrupt of the lot.
He owns an apartment a Nimal Perera’s condominium at Premier Pacific in Colombo 7 and is helping Nimal Perera and his family of thugs to loot the owners after charging massive service charges.
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Non PhD / July 27, 2017
When MR was in power none these lawyers or learned elites dare to question MR or his regime and kept their mouth shut.
Now they dare to question with out reasoning why MS do this.
Why they did not make use of the freedom they got in using Colombo Telegraph ?
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Anon / July 27, 2017
Why shouldn’t anyone “dare” question the President? Don’t you think that it is
slightly hypocritical?
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Chandra / July 27, 2017
What a lot of jokers! Grinning away like monkeys.
The Triple Gem save this country if these are the lawyers worthy of honour! Can you imagine Nadesan QC, or others of that ilk agreeing to be lectured to by the executive on the importance of being independent?
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Jimsofty / July 28, 2017
What a lot of jokers! Grinning away like monkeys.———————— Exactly,
Donkeys. What else they know. they vote come and bark.
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Ad / July 27, 2017
Free education and freed from education.
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bo / July 27, 2017
Archaic left over nonsense from imperial days. Time to throw them into the fire!
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K.Pillai / July 27, 2017
SWRD B ushered in “Ape Anduwa”. We have come a full circle back to colonial days – Saville Row suit and tie and Italian shoes.
Ostensibly the purpose of the meeting was: “State media reports said that the PCs were asked to meet the President so that he could ask them to contribute a greater service to the country through their knowledge and experience in the field…..”
Or was it to tell the PCs of the ethics of defending known wrong doers?
Remember the former Defense Secretary GR adopted a different method. GR at some stage sued a newspaper who retained a defense. GR named the lawyers in the then Defense Ministry website and called them “traitors in black robes”.
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shankar / July 27, 2017
did they get laptops when they were leaving?
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mike / July 28, 2017
Shankar – During Medamulana Meeharaka’s tenor (terror!) of office, his synthetic “lowyer” son Namal Rajafucksha acquired several “LAPTOPS” from Sri Lankan Airlines! Where are all the laptops??
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Analyst / July 28, 2017
Was there a cocktail party after the tête-à-tête tamashas on tax payers money??
Mind boggles ! Now these cronies can question the importance on media CT ,long before they would have shut up and shit put, the difference between the past and present.
Better days are now to drink and laugh in front of CT but not or never before.
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Jim Softy / July 28, 2017
After the end war, Tamils had migrated to south. Their influence has negatively impacted on our politics. Only way to revert old time is to send back the Tamils and Muslim north.
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Burt / July 28, 2017
Dealdasa seems to be MS right hand man. No wonder he was never touched in the mini shake-up. So now we know who is really supporting Ganasara and why key cases are not going forward.
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Analyst / July 28, 2017
punchinilame
Old habits never dies , the habit of holding on to the skirts of Marapassas for decades are difficult to shrug off even when one becomes THE PRESIDENT OF SL.
That’s the truth nothing but the truth,
so take that whether you like it or not .
President at times he comes out with words like ” the past crooks can never escape the law”
These are just the eyewash on one hand to the masses and CONTINUES TO PROTECT THE JARAPASSA , JARA FAMILY AND THE CROOKS OF THE PAST GOVERNMENT.
As long as the right hand man Deal Dasa as Law n Order minister this saga of cheating the masses will continue.
Another round of wasting tax payers money has commenced by the new Presidential COI.
CAlling the crooks to face the court ! But the crooks are absconding from being present.
WHAT A LOAD OF BULL SH…..T ?? What A BEAUTIFUL STAGE MANAGED DRAMA??
PLEASE PRESIDENT GET A GRIP OF YOUR POSITION AND THROW YOUR WHIP!!
DONT BE A FOLLOWER BUT BE A LEADER ,
PROVE YOUR ABILITY OF INDIVIDUALITY , BUT NOT AS A DONKEY FOLLOWING THE DONKEYS OF THE PAST REGIME.
DAILY THESE CROOKS ARE ALLOWED TO ENJOY THE STOLEN MONEY TO LIVE IN LUXURY.
It’s mine and your Tax Payers money wasted DAILY IN APE AANDUWE.
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punchinilame / July 28, 2017
MS has no precedence in governing – his only Guru is Rajapakse. He will try to improve the Rajapakse
tactics and manner in all situations – as he exhibits now. This is the kind of Leadership we have been burdened with – so be it. (Only difference is now the media can bring up all activities of the Presidency)
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harry hatton / July 28, 2017
Today PCS are appointed because they are good lawyers,have argued complex legal issues or have a wide practice. We cannot even say they are people of good character.
What happens is that they lobby for the appointment through various contacts and political influence.
The President who has no idea about them personally, appoints them on the basis of expediency.
After they are appointed PC these mediocre lawyers deem themselves good lawyers !
So first come the appointment as PC and then comes the pretense of becoming an eminent lawyer !
Having no real eminence and no status in the profession they think being called by the President like this is a great honour
I dont know whether to cry or laugh.
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K.Pillai / July 28, 2017
Is Wijeyadasa Rajapakhsa there?
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Burt / July 28, 2017
First guy on MS right.
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Savithri / July 28, 2017
There was one PC with guts who did not attend this pooja. That’s UPUL Jayasuriya. He is one of the very few who was conferred the PC status with no application.
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Jimsofty / July 29, 2017
I think Upul Jayassoriya was targeting higher by Saying that Maithripala Sirisena Was Nelson Mandela. that did not work. One more is doing the same. Let us see. I Think MY3 stay awake to see what his fate is.
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K A Sumanasekera / July 29, 2017
Wonder whether Sira gave them just Aaappam & Ambulthiyal or Dosai & Sambar or both as refreshments?………Wonder whether any of these PCs have Gigs at the Sira Scheme where he is trying to make Political Capital out of Lootto Ravi and Mahendran’s Bond Scam, instead of getting rid of them ?……
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Welianga / July 29, 2017
I say Jim softy! Whether you are Jim softy of Jim pappa every one can see that you are a jobless creature who still enjoy the farts of Rajapaksa.
You think you know everything.
That only means you know nothing.
There is one job vacancy you will have some good chance of getting one.
Colombo MC is looking for labourers as sorters of garbage of which you are an expert.
Go and apply you will stand a good chance.
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Sirisena Yatawara / July 30, 2017
The current MS regime> from 2015 January 8th………….
1 Law,
2 Legalism,
3 Legislation has lost kingdom of democracy come to end that under led by UNP -Ranil Wick and CBK Tamil Federalist back to helm of State power 2015 January 8th.The values of “rule of law” that justification has disappear from books of law in our LAND!
The logical positivism over-rule of rule of law lost that by uneducated man in core of governance, which its involuntary that lost basic norms of morality of Judiciary, after an appointments and dismissed of Chief Justices by President Executive power 2015 January 8th since……
That is where short-sight man in top of helm and by covered operation of an evil intention of intellectual virtues by MS as President of Republic of SL has destroy an every Judiciary values remain and survived several decades in Island and its Legal foundation .
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