By Pearl Thevanayagam –
Pearl Thevanayagam
The executive presidency hangs over like the sword of Democles and President Mahinda Rajapaksa is seeking loopholes to elect himself for a third term running. Two schools of thought by former Attorney General Sarath N.Silva and constitutional expert and lawyer K.N. Choksy place the President in a conundrum. While the former states he could not seek a third term the latter contends he is eligible under constitutional law. EAM G.L. Peiris too is of the view the President can seek a third term under the 18th amendment which bestows him unlimited powers.
Sri Lanka is facing political challenges both locally and internationally in the coming months and it is in a mighty hurry to hold elections in advance of the Pope’s visit in January as announced by the Vatican. The Pope has pressing issues within Vatican where it faces financial scandals and its clergy accused of child abuse which are surfacing in leaps and bounds.
His visit to Rome with his coterie was marred by Sajin-Nonis saga where the latter was denied audience with the Pope purportedly in the instigation of UK High Commissioner Dr Chris Nonis. Foreign secretary Kshenuka Senewiratne despite her manipulations does not count since she is seen by the President as a headache he can very well do without..
On one end of the spectrum, the UNHRC probe has enough evidence to indict the President and his acolytes for kingdom to come for war crimes and at the other end he declared early elections to get a third term. This time round he threw a challenge that unless the NPC works with the government (his government) he would not abolish executive presidency.
Some 4558 motor cycles were donated to government employees working in the outskirts of the peninsula. Chief Minister for NPC C.V. Wigneswaran stated in no uncertain terms that unless the central government devolves powers and funds relegated to the North by international donors is not forthcoming he would boycott the President’s overtures.
Twenty five persons in Kilinochchi were given back the jewellery confiscated by the LTTE through the President this week. Why now and why for only 25? The grinning President and maverick minister Douglas Devananda on the choo choo train aka Yaldevi will not cut much ice with the Jaffna man who still awaits redress for the misery heaped during the past 35 years of protracted ethnic war which splintered the nation.
Lands belonging to Tamils who are domiciled abroad are being distributed willy-nilly for development with the concurrence of Governor Chandasiri and Minister Douglas Devananda. Militarisation of NE even after the war ended shows the government does not feel secure and forever looking over its shoulder when Tamil militants would re-surface. Whether this is pure paranoia or a plan to Sinhalacise North and East remain a question mark among Tamils.
Ranil Wickremesinghe’s alleged Batalanda torture chambers probe will remain a thorn in his eligibility for presidential candidature. Sajith Premadasa’s vote base is confined to Ambalangoda and he lacks his late father’s charisma or maturity. Karu Jayasuriya cannot garner enough votes to ascend presidency. Tamils cannot stomach Sarath Fonseka’s stance during the war although he professes to have fore-fronted fight against LTTE terrorism. Fonseka’s claim to victory was pilfered by the President’s brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa who practically runs the country while his siblings and relatives hold onto portfolios for which they have neither qualifications nor legitimacy .
Former chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake lacks political acumen while Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is not exactly the flavour of the day with the government or the opposition and her running for presidency is fraught with hurdles such as her botched attempt and unwillingness to abolish the executive presidency.
Other Johnny come latelys such as Ven Sobitha Thero and JVP would remain vote swingers and not presidential material. Tamil politicians should not even enter the fray for presidency since they are impotent in managing the North never mind seeking votes for presidency.
Which leaves the country at the mercy of the ruling party unless parliament votes against the 18th amendment, the curse of democracy and a thorn in the side of populace who have had it up to their eyeballs the increasing oligarchic powers the Rajapaksas are exercising since 2004.
Bedrock Barney / October 15, 2014
Fear not Pearl! Mahinda, like Zeus, shall bring order out Chaos. Also if Sajin Vass had abused a child and not a high commissioner, then he would have been more acceptable in the vatican
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Ruby / October 15, 2014
“choo choo train aka Yaldevi will not cut much ice with the Jaffna man”?
Speak for yourself, PEARL. Say “choo choo train aka Yaldevi will not cut much ice with the poisonous mad Jaffna [Edited out] hiding in England”. Then we will agree.
The opening of the train was a real hot among the real Jaffnna men an women.
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lal / October 15, 2014
Well come back Pearl! Your submissions never fail to impress; with your style (writing), balance, objectivity and eloquence. Few more men and women like you needed to erase the divide in the troubled isle.Thank you.
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Fitzpatrick / October 15, 2014
Is ‘The Chaos’ some kind of meta description of this article itself? Because it looks like the product of several excursions through garbage cans which has been through a food processor.
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Bedrock Barney / October 16, 2014
Touche!
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Spring Koha / October 15, 2014
Apropos the half-Portuguese SajinVG and his losing out at the Vatican, there is a guarantee that he, who is official keeper of the President’s chamber pot, will be presented to the Pope in January. Alls well that ends well!
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Ram / October 15, 2014
The Executive Presidency has served us well. Without it, the LTTE terror would still be in ascendancy, with spineless people ‘in power’ waving like a reed in the wind.
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gamini / October 15, 2014
This writers intellect is displayed when she states, ‘ Ranil Wickremesinghe’s alleged Batalanda torture chambers probe will remain a thorn in his eligibility for presidential candidature’.
After RW was cleared by a Commission of Inquiry appointed by CBK govt itself, still these stupids want to harp on their hallucinations. They conveniently avoid mentioning the real Criminals in the UNP then, Premadasa, Sirisena Cooray, Mallimarachchi, Gamini Lokuge, Mathew, Ratnatilakes and crowd.
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Janz / October 19, 2014
What does your innocent chuti baba need power for?
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gamini / October 19, 2014
RW seeks power certainly not to rob and kill as your mentor, the megalomaniac MR who has proved in ample measure and you SOBs cannot hide the facts.
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Janz / October 20, 2014
Recently RW invited all those who crossed over to govt side to come back to the fold giving lie to the charge that they were a corrupt scum who betrayed the voter’s trust for perks and money from Rajapaksha. I too felt infinitely guilty for having thought bad of them. At least we now have the hope to see the same cabinet back again serving the people when RW comes to power. You too must have been justifiably delighted.
Now when RW becomes President can we hope to see Rajapaksha clan investigated for corruption and other crimes and punished accordingly?
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gamini / October 20, 2014
Why try to speculate what Ranil will do and will not do, once he takes the reins? What is assured is he will not rob, he will not kill and he will apply the Law to all equally. Any problem with that?
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Janz / October 21, 2014
No of course, except the revival of the Tiger and another RW-Tiger pact to hand over one third. Last time gods saved Sri Lanka by transfering power to Rajapaksha.
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gamini / October 21, 2014
Janz,
You are a dumb idiot.
Who had a pact with VP? None other than MR. It is VP who transferred power to MR and not any God. Unless VP is a God to your ilk.
As I mentioned before Rohana Wijeyweera, Velupillai Prabahkaran and Mahinda Rajapaksa are all megalomaniacs. No matter how much you try to equate RW to these scum bags, even a dimwit knows the difference between them. You must be worse than a Dimwit to not know this.
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Native Vedda / October 21, 2014
gamini
The details of the deal between RW and VP was out in the open, transparent and the details were published in the media.
VP was paid a fees for his service to democracy.
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Sellam / October 18, 2014
The roads and the trains are very important for the Army and to be settlers in the North in the near future. They are not intended for the Tamil’s welfare but they are developed in the name of the Tamil people. The grabbing of lands by the Army,of nearly 10 villages from Mathagal, Keerimalai, Kankesanturai,Oorany, Thyiddy, Myliddy North and Myliddy South, Palaly. vasavillan and Part of Maviddapuram are not only for the Army but intended for the Sinhala settlers.
Failure to resettle the owners of those lands from these villages and for Rajapaksa to visit North as president to open lavatories supported by a few men like Douglas Devananda is a kick in the ass of the Tamil people. It is considered to be a crime against Humanity. The protests by the Tamil leaders is lacking in terms of continued action as lands belonging to the Tamil people is the vital ingredient to call our land as Tamil land which are being grabbed for new settlement.
The majority Sinhalese in the South have turned into a racial enemy of the Tamils. That is not going to change and never will. So what is the future of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. What can the Diaspora do? Reviving the name of the LTTE and holding it’s flag by the Diaspora is not going to solve the problem of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Action by the UN and the International Community is the answer. And as the government has put additional conditions for the Tamil diaspora to visit North of Sri Lanka, what the Diaspora can do is to impose economic sanctions against Sri Lanka by boycotting Sri Lankan Goods and flights and canvass the European countries to impose Sanctions.
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soma / October 19, 2014
You are asking for a too much of a sacrifice from the innocent war weary Tamil speaking people as there is no way you can punish the Sinhalese with sanctions leaving the 50% Tamil speaking people who are presently occupying the Sinhala areas (your demarcation) intact.
The right way to start sanctions is giving sufficient time for them to move to North and East. Also this is the only way to balance off the effects of Sinhala colonization.
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kali / October 20, 2014
Pearl:
“On one end of the spectrum, the UNHRC probe has enough evidence to indict the President and his acolytes for kingdom to come for war crimes and at the other end he declared early elections to get a third term. This time round he threw a challenge that unless the NPC works with the government (his government) he would not abolish executive presidency”
**** Reading the above from back to front the message to the 20 million RACISTs from MR is clear and that is as follows: Only I can deliver that Sri Lanka is ethnically cleansed. Electing a CM to the NP is dosent give the CM a mandate to decide the Tamil destiny and that rests with me.
As for the indictment to the HAGUE for War Crimes what pleasure will it be see President Mahintha board the Plane instead of an ordinary Mahintha.
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