By Tisaranee Gunasekara –
“The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.”[i]
The UPFA’s election campaign is based on Four Ignoble Lies: Sri Lanka and all true-born Lankans are suffering; the reason for this suffering is the defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa on January 8th; national salvation depends on bringing Mahinda Rajapaksa back to power; the way to do it is to make Mahinda Rajapaksa the prime minister on August 17th.
At their inaugural rally in Anuradhapura, the leading lights of the UPFA stood in orderly rows on the main stage, held up their hands and swore a solemn oath, not to protect the country or to improve the lives of the people, but to make Candidate Rajapaksa the prime minister of Sri Lanka.
In his July 14th speech, President Maithripala Sirisena used the word monarchy (rajanduwa) twice to identify the regime of his predecessor. The Rajapaksa comeback project seems to have regressed beyond monarchism and assumed the form of a primitive, virulently monotheistic faith. Mahinda Rajapaksa is the sole deity of this political religion. Salvation can come only through him; denying him is the path to eternal damnation.
Prof. Nalin de Silva, a key Rajapaksa-ideologue, let the cat out of the bag when he informed the media that the UPFA intends to gain a two-thirds majority, deprive President Sirisena of party leadership and impeach him. The plan, said the professor, is already in place[ii]. The comeback story is easy to imagine. UPFA wins the election. A cowed President Sirisena appoints Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister. PM Rajapaksa does in 2015 what President Rajapaksa did in 2010: use carrots and sticks to ensure a sufficient number of defections from a reeling opposition. A new amendment removes presidential term-limits. Maithripala Sirisena is impeached. Mahinda Rajapaksa becomes president. Paradise is regained.
It must have seemed so easy and so beguiling, during those late night discussions in various echo-chambers, especially with in-house electoral statisticians proclaiming that the UPFA will get 7.1 million votes this time![iii]
The Party Coup
Pictures, they say, are worth more than any number of words. Just such a photograph appeared on the internet the day after President Sirisena delivered his verbal blast against the Rajapaksa-comeback project. Members of the UPFA election steering committee sit around a table with Candidate Rajapaksa at the head. Anura Priyadarshana Yapa stands beside Candidate Rajapaksa’s chair, looking not like the powerful general secretary of the largest constituent party of the UPFA, but like a footman waiting for his lord’s commands[iv]. (A satirical website[v] compared the General Secretary to a tea boy, a comparison which does tea boys substantial injustice).
That submissive pose helps understand why it was so easy for Mahinda Rajapaksa to bend the SLFP to his will, even after he was decisively rejected by the electorate. The UNP was liberated from its feudal mindset by the Jayewardene-Premadasa revolution; no such politico-psychological transformation occurred within the SLFP. It remained a Bandaranaike party until 2005. During the next nine years the Rajapaksa brothers worked with systematic – and ruthless – thoroughness to turn the SLFP into a Rajapaksa party. The SLFP hierarchy, including the Central Committee, consists predominantly of Rajapaksa loyalists. Mr. Yapa was Mr. Rajapaksa’s choice as the General Secretary. It was this thraldom of the hierarchy, rather than any pressure from the grassroots, which enabled the Rajapaksa faction to win the nomination battle so decisively.
When Maithripala Sirisena inherited the SLFP on January 16th, the obvious course of action would have been to appoint a less disloyal general secretary and change the composition of the Central Committee. And President Sirisena did make a try, when he dismissed five prominent Rajapaksa-loyalists and appointed five of his own supporters to the CC in April (one of those appointees, Prasanna Solangaarachchi, filed the petition which prevented the Rajapaksa faction from summoning the CC to remove Mr. Sirisena from party leadership). But President Sirisena needed the support of the UPFA to implement his election promises (especially the 19th Amendment). That dependency may have prevented him from taking any further disciplinary action against errant party bosses. At least that is what he said in his speech, and it does have the ring of truth.
Had Mahinda Rajapaksa been satisfied with nominations for himself and a handful of loyalists, President Sirisena, who seems to prefer the middle ground, might have played along. He did come up with a compromise formula – blacklist 20 politicians with particularly noxious reputations and give nomination to Mr. Rajapaksa from his usual Hambantota district. Had the UPFA and the SLFP seen the sense of these proposals and persuaded Mahinda Rajapaksa to go along, they could have enjoyed the best of both worlds. But they lacked the guts to stand up to Mahinda Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa wanted nothing less than a total victory. He threatened to contest separately if all his demands were not met, thereby breaking up the SLFP. So the SLFP hierarchy succumbed. They lined up behind Mr. Rajapaksa and made clear that their allotted role for Mr. Sirisena was not even that of co-leader but Rajapaksa-appendage. Mr. Rajapaksa told his supporters that Mr. Sirisena is now isolated and needs their protection. Perhaps he did not understand how demeaning such condescension would be to the man who was elected the president of the republic by an absolute majority of Lankans just six months ago. Given no option other than utter humiliation and political hara-kiri, Mr. Sirisena, not unsurprisingly opted to fight back.
There is no internal democracy in the UNP and the SLFP. Both parties have constitutions which give dictatorial powers to the leader. The General Secretary’s authority is limited to election times. If Maithripala Sirisena decides to exercise his powers as party leader, there is little the party can do to stop him. In fact he is already doing so. While the Rajapaksa Carnival is busy with its own brand of electioneering, Mr. Sirisena seems to be moving with unusual decisiveness to place his own stamp on the SLFP. He has already appointed several new electoral organisers. The success of Mr. Sirisena’s efforts will depend not just on the soundness of his own moves but also on the fundamental nature of the SLFP.
Is the SLFP a party of free citizens or a slavish entity which responds not to reason and intellect but to the whip?
The Zombie Apocalypse?
Comeback attempts in democracies work, but they usually require a decent passage of time and sufficient makeover, if not in terms of policies at least in terms of rhetoric. The Rajapaksas, blinded by their power-hunger and guided by their innate extremism, are attempting a comeback with neither condition fulfilled. It’s the same rogues’ gallery and the same failed arguments.
There is no virtue in Basil or Gotabaya Rajapaksa not seeking nominations. Their absence does not indicate a dilution of the familial nature of the comeback project. Post-19th Amendment neither can contest without giving up his American citizenship; and both opted to keep their ties to Uncle Sam. Basil Rajapaksa remains his brother’s campaign manager. As Namal Rajapaksa said in his first post-defeat interview, “….the leader needs someone they (sic) can trust… We always trusted each other….”[vi]
In his hour-long speech in Anuradhapura, Mahinda Rajapaksa made clear that he will be waging a campaign which is fundamentally racist and Sinophilic. He claimed that the LTTE has made a comeback and stated that once again people are frightened to travel from South to North. He said that with Chinese help he turned the country into a workplace and accused Mr. Sirisena’s government of putting a stop to this ‘development’.
The Kurunegala district has a 7% Muslim populace; but the UPFA list, headed by Candidate Rajapaksa, does not have a single Muslim on it[vii]. According to a media report, tellingly titled ‘UPFA banks on Genevaleaks’, the UPFA is hoping to use the ‘Imperilled Hero’ syndrome to win Sinhala-Buddhist sympathy and votes: “If the UPFA, by its contacts, especially in the international theatre, are able to get a whiff of what the international community’s agenda at Geneva would be in another two months’ time and if it has found that the island’s then leadership has been made culpable of alleged war crimes, then that may be to the UPFA’s advantage….. If, however, there are no leaks….then such a campaign among the Sinhala masses by the UPFA would be ineffective.”[viii] In the absence of actual leaks will the UPFA manufacture a fake Geneva report, like the Elephant-Tiger Pact it fabricated during presidential election? According to Dharisha Bastians, Rajapaksas faction is indeed preparing a “fake draft of an OHCHR report, highlighting 42 names including that of Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa…. The fake ‘report’ could be released only a few days ahead of the election to mislead voters and whip up mass hysteria….”[ix]
The best possible riposte to the Rajapaksa development myth came from a very unusual quarter, the Mahanayake of the Malwatte Chapter. In an unprecedentedly forthright statement the prelate said that “….no proper development had tricked down to village…. People of Hambantota had pressing needs besides a port and an airport… As a result people virtually took to the streets to unseat the last government.”[x]
Sri Lanka has to pay Rs. 250 million, monthly as loan-servicing, for an airport which gets only a single flight a day (maintaining that airport costs another 250 million rupees)[xi]. Starting this year, Sri Lanka has to pay another Rs. 7 billion annually, to service the loan (also Chinese) used to build an equally unnecessary port in Hambantota. Little wonder the Chinese might be so keen to have the Rajapaksas back in power. A text message, reportedly sent by the Chinese Embassy to business leaders, claims, “Chinese funded projects created 100,000 job opportunities to SL in the past five years. 90% of workers in Chinese funded projects are Sri Lankans. Spokesperson Chen Chuan of China Chamber of Commerce at Sri Lanka told media today…. One Minister figure’s allegation of only Chinese workers lost jobs at Chinese Funded projects is totally wrong. We suggest politician check facts and figures before make remarks and misleading people.”[xii] The message is not backed with facts about how many jobs were created by each Chinese-funded project. In the meantime, four Chinese beggars (reportedly sponsored by a wealthy Chinese resident in Sri Lanka) were arrested by the police outside the Fort station[xiii]. What will we have next? The Triads?
So once again Sri Lanka is facing a make or break election. The political momentum, even in spite of such criminal disasters as the Central Bank Bond scam, is with the UNP. This is the UNP’s election to win or to lose. Ironically, without the threat of a Rajapaksa comeback, many floating voters and first time voters who played a key role in the January 8th victory might have stayed away on August 17th. With the Rajapaksas out of the way and democracy restored, there was nothing much to be excited about. It was precisely the comeback project of the Rajapaksa raj which turned a standard, somewhat boring, democratic election into a do-or-die battle. The potential danger of every single democratic gain of the last six months being destroyed is likely to drive young voters, minority voters and floating voters to the polling booth in unusually large numbers. If there is such a surge, the UNP will be its main beneficiary.
The electorate will be beat back the zombie apocalypse on August 17th. But a narrow UPFA defeat may not suffice to put a definite end to Rajapaksa zombie politics. The defeat must be undeniably substantial, so that the absolute majority of SLFPers will realise with Mahinda they can only fail and fail and fail.
[i] This quote is popularly attributed to Einstein even though a source cannot be found.
[ii] http://www.inside.gossiplankanews.com/2015/07/tcksi-nhg-wdfjda-ffusg-tfrys.html
[iii] http://www.english.gossiplankanews.com/2015/07/unp-will-lose-this-time-because-of.html
[iv] http://www.lunudehi.gossiplankanews.com/2015/07/tcksi-uesjrk-fufyhqi-iauug-wdmq-luah.html
[v] http://newscurry.co/newscurry-election-in-briefs-16th-july/
[vi] http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/dynastic-rule-helped-sri-lanka-win-war-against-ltte-says-former-president-mahinda-rajapaksas-son-728505
[vii] http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2015/7/94552.html
[viii] http://www.ceylontoday.lk/52-98321-news-detail-upfa-banks-on-genevaleaks.html
[ix] http://www.ft.lk/article/443711/Revolution–betrayed?
[x] http://www.dailymirror.lk/79703/were-not-developed-under-slf
[xi] http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=local/sri-lanka-pay-rs-250-m-monthly-loan-obtained
[xii] http://lankanewsweb.net/news/11215-chinese-embassy-washes-mud-off-rajapaksa
[xiii] http://www.english.gossiplankanews.com/2015/07/four-chinese-beggars-taken-into-custody.html
dcn / July 19, 2015
Though a lot spoken of MR’S comeback with a big bang by all the speakers on 17th rally in Anuradhapura, it was only a sheer imagination.
MR and his clan will face the real taste of defeat on 17th August. UNP alliances will lead the parliament and all good thinking SLFP stalwarts would join in a national government which would rule the next 5 years successfully under Ranil’s premiership and MS presidentship.
In kurunegala, don’t be surprised if all UPFA voters do not give MR a preferential vote.
On January 8th, when MR lost the election after serving 2 terms he should have gracefully retired from politics and enjoyed his retirement happily leaving politics to his children. Unfortunately, there are many cronies who cannot stand on their own on electoral politics have misled MR.
The president is taking a neutral role and with the powers vested on the election commission and police together with no interference from the government the elections would seem to be conducted more democratically. The ex presidents group not used to this kind of cleanliness would find the days forward more tough whilst they continue their empty retoric in singing the same song about war victory also giving a racial touch.
In any case only 30 days more when we will know the final truth.
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Hinniappu / July 19, 2015
People must grasp it even if My3 took the office sending the bugger home on the 8th Jan, it was just similar to change of the outer cover of the book. All the adminsitratve offices were still under the rude and illegal nature of MR had been entwined with them. So, even if the newly elected govt made every effort – thta did not them to succeed, this i s the reason why people have to elect them today.
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Dodo / July 19, 2015
Good one Thisaranee dear.
There is no internal democracy in the UNP and the SLFP and both parties’ leaders have rotted and guttered democracy and political culture in Sri Lanka. The culture of impunity and immunity for politicians has been perpetuated by both Ranil and Jarapassa and must be ended by concerted civil society action against both. This is why not a single criminal politician has been locked up during the past months despite the available evidence and those politicians who were put behind bars release. The AGs office has been singularly USL
Ranil’s Bond scammer Arjuna Mahendran needs to be prosecuted for INSIDER TRADING – a charge that is easy to prove once Perpetual Treasuries and Mahendran’s son-in-law is investigated – given the very unique specifications of the Perpetual Treasuries bid which reveals access to inside information re. change of Bond issue from 100 million to a much larger sum from Central Bani. Criminal Charges must be brought against Mahendran.
Of course, the COPE, report which got politicized got the other end of the stick. Now Prez. Sirisena must intervene and the AG must file Criminal Charges against Mahendran. Except the Attoney General seems to be asleep on the job and has not concluded a single corrution case which means the
If the UNP leader were not Ranil, the fake development which as actually UNDERDEVELOPMENT of Sri Lanka by China and the huge economic and environmental disaster that the so-called Hambantota white elepahnt port and airport would have been exposed to the public by the UNP opposition and PREVENTED before they happened.
The failure of
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Amarasiri / July 19, 2015
Tisaranee Gunasekara –
RE: The Freak Show Returns
“The UPFA’s election campaign is based on Four Ignoble Lies: Sri Lanka and all true-born Lankans are suffering; the reason for this suffering is the defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa on January 8th; national salvation depends on bringing Mahinda Rajapaksa back to power; the way to do it is to make Mahinda Rajapaksa the prime minister on August 17th.”
Tissaranee, thanks for the write up.
Never underestimate the ability of deception, especially when the audience who voted for Mahinda Rajapaksa has an Average IQ of 65 and comprises, Modayas, Mootals and Fools.
MaRa MaRa Chatu MaRa amana MaRa Boru MaRa Dushana MaRa ……..
Even today, 1 in 4 Americans, 1 in 3 Europeans, and 1 in 2 Sri Lankans believe that the Sun goes around the Earth. Never mind, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton and Foucault and what they found out.
So, Mahinda Rajapaksa can get on stage and say that the Sun goes around the Earth, and most of His audience will believe him.
Mahinda rajapaksa worst lie ever told
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dt4A8MdEoE
Mahinda walking in all fours now – Fonseka
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKq5ugdz7sQ
Published on May 14, 2015
Leader of the Democratic Party (DP) Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka says that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is crying out against revenge from the defeated because he always extracted revenge from the victor.
/
CHANAKYAN / July 19, 2015
dcn
You are absolutely right. In January, not to lose by 1.5 million but by a margin of 4 lakhs, M R stood on a tripod of:
1 Abuse of state machinery and unethical deployment of state personnel.
2 Ready at hand the coercive apparatus of government to drive terror.
3 Money power and its unfettered use.
Today a formidable triumvirate to shatter his nerves. He is already disorientd. None to do him reverence. The margin will approach 20 lakhs.
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Srinath / July 19, 2015
[Edited out]
Mahinda Rajapakes lead the country for 10 years acihieving great things to Sri Lank.
What has Thisaranee achieved in her life? Vengeance, hatred,?
When Mahinda lost, thousands of people visited him from four cornes of the world.
Does Thisaranee get 10 people to visit her and appreciate her? Even now! Forget about when you are dead!
When the history is written, Mahinda is the hero and future genrations will analyse how Maithreepala back stabbed him!
Who would even remember Thisaranee!
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acn / July 19, 2015
Even so, MR is going to be truly humbled on 17th August.
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Amarasiri / July 19, 2015
Srinath Mahinda Rajapaksa Shill and White-washer
“When the history is written, Mahinda is the hero and future genrations will analyse how Maithreepala back stabbed him!”
When the history is written, Field Marshal Sarath is the hero and future generations will analyse how the defeated President Mahinda Rajapaksa back stabbed him!and Put his in jail for 2 1/2 years on trumped up charges.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKq5ugdz7sQ
Mahinda walking in all fours now – Fonseka
Published on May 14, 2015
Leader of the Democratic Party (DP) Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka says that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is crying out against revenge from the defeated because he always extracted revenge from the victor.
/
Ajith / July 19, 2015
Srinath,
What he achieved for 10 years to Srilanka?
First Nation that punished its war winning military commander for contesting an election.
Appointed criminals, drug dealers and murderers as ministers.
Spent billions on his own self posters around the country.
Made Srilanka is the worst corrupted Nation.
Worst place in the world for journalists.
Hundreds of journalists were abducted, tortured and murdered.
Worst human rights violation.
War crimes.
Massacred 40,000 fellow citizens.
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Aia / July 19, 2015
Those who visited from all four corners made a false impression to this power hungry beast who were handsomely rejected by 6.2 M voters. This time also, he will be knocked down to canvass by the voters, making him to feel he could not fool the Sinhala Buddhist even that he claims he has their full support of.
It is nothing surprising that all crooks in the SLFP are backing him as they get salvation only in his government. I made the observation to how meekly that Yapa sits next to MR. Do they have balls or what? This type of characters should not be in politics in the first place. We need people like Gune who seems to have had some interesting conversation with Gota just before Jan 15 prez election. There are these type of people who can stand up for what they believe in. Let take Arujuna, feeling the injustice being done by a Hair, he took all of his players off one of the Australian cricket grounds, stood up against cricketing world putting his playing career on line. There were no precedent to do such a thing. Ironically, not sure why MS could not put one them to the position of Secretary. If MR comes to power, the same Raj project will be the next phase with His Bill in control of Srilankan Airline.
What a joke if a government sent its forces to go in nights as grease devils and scare them. The episodes stops as soon as MR gave assurance to TNA that it will not happened, I will see to it. And, MR response to those who accuse him of corruption was to look them first on the mirror. What does it say? He is not disputing at all the allegations but trying to get square with the accusers: we knew two wrongs will not make one right. Insane. This type of retort can be expected of a street thug, not from a person with legal knowledge background.
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Mahen / July 19, 2015
It looks like you are one of them who believe that the Sun goes round the earth everyday pulled by seven powerful horses!
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Emil van der Poorten / July 21, 2015
Srinath:
The only explanation for people writing the unadulterated piffle that you and the rest of the bought-and-paid-for horde write in praise of Mahinda is that you have all escaped from the same mental institution or from different ones.
Please tell us which is the case.
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Asela / July 19, 2015
THere is no more freak show than Titsaranee [Edited out]
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Gajanayaka / July 19, 2015
It is understandable that you could have disagreements with Mahinda Rajapaskse. I did not vote for him in the last election as well. But calling the comeback as a Zombie apocalypse and a freak shows that who you are than what mahinda is. You should be ashamed of yourself for using the keyboard to spew your vile hatred.
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Vas / July 19, 2015
Good analysis as always!!!!
I think the voters are very knowledgable will do the right thing by rejecting Rajapakse
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Sengodan. M / July 19, 2015
MR will be laid to ( political ) rest on the 18th of August.
Sengodan. M
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aratai / July 19, 2015
.
MaRa will be back and finish his unfinished projects:
– destroy LTTE (complete)
– silence Muslims (unfinished)
– make Lanka a Chinese colony (unfinished)
:-)
/
Tam / July 19, 2015
Very good article, agree the voters are very knowledgeable and cannot be fooled, the only answer is to reject Rajapakse once again so he will realise once and for all that people cannot be taken for a good ride anymore.
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Marwan / July 19, 2015
Well analysed Thisha. I don’t understand why people attack you with personal remarks when you are just a messenger. If at all they dispute your theories on more than what meets the eye, they could put forward better alternate theories at least to counter your message. Sure, we need to take control of our country’s destiny and start living a dignified life, instead of serving as ‘slaves’ to crooked ‘Masters’ and ‘Appachchis’ who abuse their power to serve their own self interests.
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Analyst / July 19, 2015
THE ATTACK ON TISSARANEE BY THESE BIGOTTED CHAUVANISTIC PIGS , due to. FIRSTLY SHES A WOMAN SECONDLY SHE DOESNOT SUPPORT NEPOTISM AND AUTOCRACY,
ANY WOMAN WRITES AGAINST THESE THIEVES ARE. CALLED NAMES. THIS IDIOTIC COUNTRY. IS SIMILAR TO THESE ALCAIDAS , WOMEN ARE TO COOK AND CLEAN AND BEAR CHILDREN. OUR SL IS ON THAT PATH WITH MALE CHAUVANISM , NOTHING ELSE.
I ADVISE TR TO WRITE IN PSEUDONYM. OR RISE AGAINST THESE THUGS ,
HOW MANY WOMEN ARE IN POLITICS HOW THESE RABID DOGS RESPECTS THOSE IN POWER ? , VERY MINIMAL , ALL BECAUSE WOMEN ARE SUBDUED BY THESE THUGS. AND MURDERERS.
GOOD LUCK.
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maalumiris / July 20, 2015
@Analyst
Tisaranee has a proven track record of Anti-Rajapakse feeling. It is well documented anywhere you read her writings
I dont think she is being attacked for being a woman and you need not get worked up about Male Chauvinism either, you’ll get a heart attack shouting like that !
She takes great pride in having pointed out the glaring issues in Rajapakse Administration yet she is silent on the glaring shortcomings of this regime. Instead of speaking Truth To Power as she is (was) very proud of doing in the Rajapakse days, she is dancing around the edges – and even now, mumbling about Rajapakse
Which in my opinion is a great disservice to her profession. In the end, it is these perceived corruption and inaction of the present administration that will be Rajapakses greatest weapon
Sadly a leopard cannot change its spots, no ? So we can expect more of the same from her.
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nilame / July 19, 2015
Sri Nath
What a stupid comparison, particularly in the Fools Paradise. Ofcourse I forgot you are one of them.
Nilame
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Hasala / July 19, 2015
MR won the war mate!!! He was decisive and started and completed many development projects that no other politician had the backbone to undertake for decades!!!
I strongly protest your portrayal of him as a freak show (which is a stupid rant) because he is not! The people will decide if he is relevant or not , but it is the majority of the UPFA wish that he regain power! And it is even more with the grass root people , which is why the UPFA can’t help but make him part of the campaign!!!!
Media freedom is ok but not mud slinging like you do!!!! FYI I don’t agree with this MR cult idiocy! The politicians should be talkig about how they are going to protect our country and how they are going to develop it and make our future secure!!! The past is the past but now tell us what your plans are to make our country a better place!!!!
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Amarasiri / July 19, 2015
Hasala , Shill and white washer for Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Crook.
“MR won the war mate!!! He was decisive and started and completed many development projects that no other politician had the backbone to undertake for decades!!! “
1. The war was well planned by the Gen Sarath Fonseka, now Field Marshall. Velupillai Prabakaran wanted to kill him, not Mahinda Rajapaksa. Sarath Fonseka was the true Hero who won the war.
Sathyagaraya – Sarath Fonseka Full Interview
Published on Feb 21, 2015
Answering to critics, rumors and lies – Important and interesting interview of former army Commander General Sarath Fonseka conducted after the presidential victory of Mr. Maithripala Sirisena. Mr. Fonseka endorsed Mr. Maithripala for the said election.
Featuring: Mr. Upul Shantha Sannasgala
2. The Good economic projects were already on the books or planned by the predecessors.
Mahinda’s Mattala airport, Hambantota Harbor, Hambantota Stadium and Colombo Port city are white elephants giving no Economic return.
MaRa MaRa Chatu MaRa Amana MaRa Pacha MaRa ….
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maalumiris / July 20, 2015
@Amarasiri
The War – No matter how well SF may have planned his battle campaign, if he did not have the Full and Complete backing of the Administration (MR and GR) – in the face of massive push back from the West as you well know, he could not have done anything
It was not SF who went out and supplied the forces with the arms, aircraft and naval power that was required for SF’s plan to be a success. It was the President and Defence Secretary – and it was not the UK, Germany France or Norway who provided the equipment, was it ?
Good Economic Policies – Sure, they may have been on the books for 100 years, or even a thousand. Yet it took MR to actually make them cone true. Colombo was a filthy city under every administration except Premadasa and Rajapakse. What do these people have in common ? They are Do’ers.. not Big Talkers like Ranil
Hambantota – I have no inclination to educate you on the global power plays of great nations. For now, just lookup ‘Maritime Silk Route” and try to understand what Hambantota means in that context
Regards
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yikes / July 19, 2015
Still supporting MR who preaches racism while you live in multicultural bliss down under???
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Ansar / July 19, 2015
Welcome back Tisaranee. Your articles were the only write ups against MR at the height of his BRUTE DICTATORIAL RULE when all journalists were systematically annihilated by the RAJATHUMA.
You did open up lot of minds with your insight and far sightedness which eventually lead to the downfall of TSUNAMI HORA TURNED MONSTER.
No wonder some of the commentors have got jittery of your comeback articles and must be fearing the return of Jan 8th saga for them.
You keep writing madam and saner people will understand reality and will add up to the 7.2 Million saner men and women.
TSUNAMI HORA WILL DEFINITELY BE HISTORY COME Aug 17 and RAJATHUMA CAN HAVE ALL HIS CRIMINALS, DRUG BARONS, RAPISTS AND STATE PKUNDERERS AROUND HIM IN MEDAMULANA AND ENJOY HIS RETIREMENT TILL THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE STOP AT MEDAMULANA.
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Roger Dodger / July 19, 2015
Despite Mahinda’s plundering of state resources to fuel his last election campaign while in government , he still lost.With no such luxuries at his disposal this time around , it’s going to be an uphill battle for him to make a come back on August the 17TH.
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Sithy Hussain / July 19, 2015
Does the author’s realise that the 5.9m votes for Rajapakse were from her own majority community? Perhaps it takes a freak to know a freak?
And then perhaps it’s time we had rulers from the minority communities to stop this freak show?
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Amarasiri / July 19, 2015
Sithy Hussain
“Does the author’s realise that the 5.9m votes for Rajapakse were from her own majority community?”
They were misled and lied to Mahinda Rajapaksa.
See why Mahinda Rajapaks did to the true Hero, Sarath Fonseka. He says:
Prabakaran did not try to kill or damage his Family or Family.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, did that to Sarath Fonseka.
Sathyagaraya – Sarath Fonseka Full Interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqHgk56GjaY
Published on Feb 21, 2015
Answering to critics, rumors and lies – Important and interesting interview of former army Commander General Sarath Fonseka conducted after the presidential victory of Mr. Maithripala Sirisena. Mr. Fonseka endorsed Mr. Maithripala for the said election.
/
lasith / July 20, 2015
Mr. Hussain
Do you know that all the other people are as equally as important as members of the majority?
According to Buddhist teaching its not the cast or creed that defines a person but his or her qualities?
To my understanding, Mara is doing a great dis-service to Buddhism by presipitating division amongst the different ethnic communities.
If I were in power all these assholes that are defiling buddhism and its principles and cheating the innocent masses by playing on their intelligence would be dealt with once and for all, I would bare the brunt, no issues. Its better to cleanse our nation of this scum even if one person has to pay the price. Obviously it would include both SLFP and UNP crooks.
Think about it.
Lasith
Ps: if you are over 65 you wouldn’t be able to comprehend this, because without your knowledge you have been brain washed since your childhood. I feel sorry for your types.
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Analyst / July 19, 2015
WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME. THATS WHAT THEY ALL ARE SUFFERING FROM.
UNABLE TO GO ON FOREIGN TRIPS ,FIVE STAR HOTELS BOOZE AND PARTYING. ENDING UP WITH. BREAKING NOSES AND LEGS , SHOPPING TRIPS, PEOPLE SMUGGLING. TRIPS , STASHING AWAY LOOTED MONEY FROM SRILANKAN PEOPLE IN FOREIGN UNREGISTERED COMPANIES,
FORIEGN. TRIPS ON STATE AIRCRAFTS FREE OF CHARGE DENYING THE POOR AND UNEMPLOYED. THEIR CHANCES IN LIFE.
SELFISH MIXED BLOODED. THUGS WHO DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE COUNTRY WHERE THEY LIVE.
IMPORTED BY THE MISSIONARIES. ,TRADERS AND THE INVADERS THE. DISEASE PSCHIZOPHRENIA , LEPROSY AND COMMUNICABLE DISEACES CENTURIES AGO PLAYING HAVOC IN THE DECENDENTS NOW.
THEY ARE ALL BARKING MAD. LIKE THOSE MISSIONARIES SUFFERED IN THOSE DAYS AND WE INHERITED .
PATHETIC STATE.
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K.A Sumanasekera / July 19, 2015
Obviously Ms T only looked at the photos in LnakeNews.
Ms T says our inhabitants are paying LKR 250 Million a month for the Airport in Mattala.
Wonder how much the Elite in Colombo are paying Aloysious a month now?.
Chinese funded projects are all stopped full stop. Chucking 1.5 Million inhabitants out of their jobs or indirect income..
Galleon Ravi and Whisky Madam are now working hand in hand to destroy Litro and give Shell the Gas Distribution.
Any commissions, santhosams or even political donations can be banked in London as Whisky Madam’s friend Surendran and even the Madam live in London.
Not even one single job for the Dalits since Jan 8.
42 brave Army Soldiers are on Navaipillai, Cameron Harper UN charge sheet which is coming out soon.
Gotabaya and Mahinda are the two main accused in War Crimes Trials which are to be conducted by LTTE friendly Western Courts.
Ranil if officially elected will be more than happy to hand the lot over to the UN to be taken to the Hague.
And Ranil has done similar things in the past on two occasions , one in Batalanda and the other in Athurugiriya.
Ranil is already on record saying that he wants to wipe off Rakapaksas and bury themfor good , as the ex President pointed out in Anuradhapura..
The sad part is Batalanda Ranil never used such hard words on the LTTE Leader Prabakaran, even when the latter bumped off Keselwatta Kid’s dad,Poodle Club President’s loving Hubby and one Mr Athulathmudali.
In fact Batalanda Ranil offered ISGA to Mr Prabakaran as Santhosam , when Ranil becaoe the PM last time.
Strange enough Keselwatta Kid, and Poodle Club President’s Son, are now loyal followers of BTF Leader Suren Surendran.
Wonder where these Youth Ms T reckons who will rush to the Ballot Box come from?.
Unless BTF Surendran’s best mate Mangalan’s [Edited out]
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lasith / July 19, 2015
Mr. Sumanasekara
Seriously, what is your IQ? Please have it checked!
Perhaps you should stop swallowing all the horse shit that Mara is giving you and eat some fish and gotukola. Trust me you will experience a change.
You will thank me one day.
Cheers
Lasith
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gamini / July 19, 2015
Honestly this [Edited out] Sumanaya, has gone bonkers. After Aug 17th he will commit suicide once MR is dumped in the Political dustbin by the masses.
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kumaran / July 19, 2015
The “war” was won. Excellent. There was development. Very good. But there was unprecedented corruption and wastage, arrogance and run-away family bandysm. Right or wrong? Let us face that.
Now, we really want to see (1)real development, beginning at the basics, (2) correct infra-structure development, (3) disciplined judiciary and police services, (4) safety on our roads, where little kids will not fall off buses and die, (4) ethnic parity for all, with security from separatism.
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Vanguard / July 19, 2015
“The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.”
You must be talking about elections.
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Manthir / July 19, 2015
What crap, MR won the war? He was far from it. It was the effort of the combined forces under a military strategy, with foreign forces involved which won the war against the might of the ruthless LTTE forces. MR just happened to be the country’s leader and the civilian Commander-in-Chief. He was the man at the right place at the right time. It is true MR had his time basking in the glory of the victory, and by then a lot of countries came forward with offers of foreign aid to take advantage of the peace situation and build up commercial ties. It all worked out well for him personally with grandiose airports, sea ports and cricket stadiums named after him, but the people never truly felt the relief in their hardships and daily grind, since it did not flow down to the grass root levels. There are enough youth out there who are waiting on the wings to come forward to take over and be groomed to take over the mantle of leadership. If only they were given half a chance. But these old codgers greedy for more, who can’t bear to think what they can do without politics and their voice heard in Parliament, let alone the massive corruption in accumulating ill-gotten personal wealth for them and their family members, family nepotism, bandyism and thuggery, killing of innocents, ignoring hate speech and racism against minorities to capture majority votes are the low downs they have stooped to, which are all third rate cheap tactics means used to stay in power. It is not easy to expect any change as they need to protect what they have embezzled, and to do that they need to be in power.
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justice / July 19, 2015
What Tissaranee says is plausible.
Having tasted the autocratic corrupt military dictatorship, MR is loth to let go.
His profligacy has indebted the entire nation for many decades.
We do not want another MR decadence.
The voters will throw him out of politics.
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Dionysius / July 19, 2015
Dear Editor
Here is someone who writes with clarity and brevity. I’m talking of English usage. I can read it from top to bottom without getting a headache. Brief, precise, clear, and yes, factual. What relief!
Then also, her analysis of the situation is perfectly correct. So, so correct!
Dionysius
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Hanuman / July 19, 2015
That fricking freak show was nothing but a parade of the most greedy and corrupt politicians in our country, all gathered as birds of a feather flock together. Those who stole from the wealth and meager resources of the country and those who made the country deeply indebted through massive loans on high interest rates. Loans that will need to be settled by many generations to come.
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PARAGON / July 19, 2015
RAJAPAKSE THE KING HAS CHANGED HIS KINGDOM FROM HAMBANTOTA TO KURUNEGALA AND WANT TO DEVELOPE THIS DISTRICT.THERE WILL BE A HARBOUR OR PORT IN CHILAW AND A NEW AIRPORT IN WARIAPOLA.DAYASIRI JAYASEKERA AND HORAYAPA AND ETHENOL JOHNSTON WILL LOOSE THEIR PREFERENCIAL VOTE TO MAN FROM HAMBANTOTA.WILL THEY LIKE IT.HEART TO HEART THEY MAY NOT LIKE IT.WHAT WILL HAPPEN BY ANY CHANGE DAYSIRI THE YOUNG KURUNEGALA KING GET MORE VOTES THAN CHINSERAJAH.PAKSAYA PAKSAIYA DONT WORRY PAKSAYA I WIIL BE THE PRIMEMINISTER PAKSAYA.THIS WILL BE THE SONG DAYASIRI WILL BE SINGING IN HIS DREAM.MEDAMULAN CHARLTON HOUSE IS AWAITING FOR THE RETURN OF RAJAPAKSE ON 17TH AUGUST.
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K.A Sumanasekera / July 20, 2015
Batalanada Ranil says he is now going to give Development to the dalits in the Village.
He is going to give them special manure to grow rice & Vegetable.
But Didn’t mention about Chicken Feed to get organic eggs for the Colombo Elite.
No wonder Batalanada Ranil and Galleon Ravi stopped all Chinese Funded Developments like the Harbour City, Major Highways, and Industrial Parks. making 1.5 Million i,e 15 lacks in the rural sector, jobless.
Otherwise where would Ranil get rural folk to use all this Bull Shit, sorry Kidney Safe Organic Manure to grow Vegetables and rice.
May be Batalanda and his mates have promised Cargills and Richard Peiris that Keselwatta Kid will be using the Sinhala Buddhist rurals to start mega farms, to ensure Organic Food Security for the Elite , Anglicans and the Vellalas.
BTW e it was excellent forward thinking by the Yahapalanaya to stop the 1000 Mahinda Maha Vidyalas which were being built to send the Dalit kids to Uni.
After Batalanada Organic Farms start in every village, what the hell are those Maths & Science & Technology Teachers going to do?..
And it will cut down the number of Uni graduates too.
How Cool is it culling the Public Service as well the undergraduate intake at the same time.?.
If Yahapalanay continues, we surely , I mean the Sinhala Buddhists will be back to the 60s.
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xlntgson / July 20, 2015
More agriculture graduates we need; they won’t deforest given land in wild life sanctuaries. If chemicals are the reason for soil infertility and kidney failures why import tonnes of chemicals? Eco friendly sustainable natural green culture is made unaffordable through commercialization, back to agricultural era stop high rise concrete development, grow your own to end food imports. If anyone disagrees with this shouldn’t oppose new Adam’s bridge to import food cheap if crops fail and in imported food genetically modified are galore there also affordability a fix! (I can tell more if replied)
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Rizwan / July 20, 2015
My favorite writers on the present day political climate are Ms. Bastians and Ms. Gunasekara. I would wish for more regular updates from Ms. Gunasekara, but I suppose balanced and accurate reporting cannot be hurried!
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InconvenientTruth / July 20, 2015
Oh dear, such vengeance and hate, not a single valid or logical argument, TG, take a holiday, a blood vessel in your head might pop, we all know you are not that young anymore!
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InconvenientTruth / July 20, 2015
And another thing, CT should not have referred to TG’s return to CT after a bit of a hiatus as Freak Show Returns, she/he is a bit upset that is all!
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Barus / July 20, 2015
MR (UPFA) is targeting his 75% Sinhala Buddhist majority votes. By doing so, he has already lost 25% of the total vote base of Sri Lanka.
Secondly, of the 75% possible Sinhala Buddhist votes, a good chunk will go against him, thanks to Champika Ranawaka, Anura Dissanayake’s ardent effort to put some sense in to the common man’s mind.
Now, based on the above two inferences, MR (UPFA) has already lost 30-40% of the total vote base.
On top of this whole dose of reality, UNP has got a strong FIXED following of 30% of the votes in this nation.
Finally, Stalwarts of UPFA are Weerawansa, Susil, Yapa, GL and the like, who will never win the people’s hearts. Building luxury houses, allocating state houses to relatives, forging National ID cards, importing Adulterated Petrol are all fiasco, people will never forget. How many cars’ engines have this adulterated petrol ruined? Not only did these rogues swindle money, they also ruined the common man’s vehicle with such scams.
Now, it is easy to figure out, who the real winner is.
No matter, how big a crowd these jokers bring in buses to their meetings, the truth will prevail and the average Sri Lanka voter is much smarter and intelligent these days. Do not consider them to be blind followers of your claims.
Facebook and Twitter works better miracles than your circus with large crowds of paid attendees.
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kali / July 20, 2015
By Tisaranee Gunasekara
The Freak Show Returns:
TG You say ( or Quote)
“The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.
But I say:
Defeintion of Insanity.
the state of being seriously mentally ill; madness.
“he suffered from bouts of insanity”
***My dear child I dont even want to assume that you are Insane by any stretch of imagination suggesting the above.
But you are almost there ( I dont mean Insane ) with the meaning but not quite.
Let me enlighten you what your denition is it is the end product of Madness.
As for the Title The Freak Show can be explained as Freak Weather.
You have heard of TORNADO I am sure.
What does a Tornado do. It destroys everything in its sight, uproots Houses, Trees and leavs a trail of Devastation.
If the Freak Show becomes a Reality and Mahintha Sweeps the board Sri Lanka will never be the same again and will not be recognisable.
If Mahintha becomes PM he will allow China back in in open defaince of India.
I have aleardy said that it was India who ordered the Cancellation of the Colombo Port Project and the bannninng the Chinese Submarines and Gothha confirmed it.
Sri Lanka will become another Indian State.
MAKKE NO MISTAKE.
1)The UPFA’s election campaign is based on Four Ignoble Lies: Sri Lanka and all true-born Lankans are suffering; the reason for this suffering is the defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa on January 8th; national salvation depends on bringing Mahinda Rajapaksa back to power; the way to do it is to make Mahinda Rajapaksa the prime minister on August 17th.
*** The above is parially correct let me tell you why. The true-born Sri Lankans are the 5.8 million who voted for MR. They are suuffering ( mentally not economically) because their dream of Sinhalamisation has been delayed by MS RW not forgotten. They have seen some reversals.
2) Mahinda Anuradhapura 17 July 15At their inaugural rally in Anuradhapura, the leading lights of the UPFA stood in orderly rows on the main stage, held up their hands and swore a solemn oath, not to protect the country or to improve the lives of the people, but to make Candidate Rajapaksa the prime minister of Sri Lanka.
*** You have conveniently distotred what the Crowd Chanted. It is as follows.
MAKE Candidate Rajapaksa the prime minister of Sri Lanka TO protect the country and to improve the lives of the people ( I mean speed up Colonosation )
3) In his July 14th speech, President Maithripala Sirisena used the word monarchy (rajanduwa) twice to identify the regime of his predecessor.
*** MS the Mentally retarded has become a laughng stock.
He Nominates MR and then says it was my duty.
EC defies him and bans his speech.
His own SLFPers openly defy him.
He has lost the Plot.
4) Prof. Nalin de Silva, a key Rajapaksa-ideologue, let the cat out of the bag when he informed the media that the UPFA intends to gain a two-thirds majority, deprive President Sirisena of party leadership and impeach him. The plan, said the professor, is already in place[ii]. The comeback story is easy to imagine. UPFA wins the election. A cowed President Sirisena appoints Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister. PM Rajapaksa does in 2015 what President Rajapaksa did in 2010: use carrots and sticks to ensure a sufficient number of defections from a reeling opposition. A new amendment removes presidential term-limits. Maithripala Sirisena is impeached. Mahinda Rajapaksa becomes president. Paradise is regained.
*** MS laid the Foundaation for the above and how can be then destroy the Castle.
5)During the next nine years the Rajapaksa brothers worked with systematic – and ruthless – thoroughness to turn the SLFP into a Rajapaksa party. The SLFP hierarchy, including the Central Committee, consists predominantly of Rajapaksa loyalists. Mr. Yapa was Mr. Rajapaksa’s choice as the General Secretary. It was this thraldom of the hierarchy, rather than any pressure from the grassroots, which enabled the Rajapaksa faction to win the nomination battle so decisively.
*** This is how Dynasties come into being.
6) When Maithripala Sirisena inherited the SLFP on January 16th, the obvious course of action would have been to appoint a less disloyal general secretary and change the composition of the Central Committee.
*** How can he do that when he and RW gave MR the promise to protect him. How could he remove the Shield.
7) There is no internal democracy in the UNP and the SLFP. Both parties have constitutions which give dictatorial powers to the leader.
*** This is politics Sri Lanka Style. Similar to Zimbabwe.
8) Comeback attempts in democracies work, but they usually require a decent passage of time and sufficient makeover, if not in terms of policies at least in terms of rhetoric. The Rajapaksas, blinded by their power-hunger and guided by their innate extremism, are attempting a comeback with neither condition fulfilled. It’s the same rogues’ gallery and the same failed arguments.
*** But it is up to the people to spot the impending Tsuanmi and this time they cant blame anybody. There are danger signals and you ignore at your own peril.
9) In his hour-long speech in Anuradhapura, Mahinda Rajapaksa made clear that he will be waging a campaign which is fundamentally racist and Sinophilic. He claimed that the LTTE has made a comeback and stated that once again people are frightened to travel from South to North. He said that with Chinese help he turned the country into a workplace and accused Mr. Sirisena’s government of putting a stop to this ‘development’.
*** This is precisely why I asy if the Freak Show becomes a reality Sri Lanka will cease to exist as an Independant Nation.
We will not be Singing ” Namo Namo Matha”
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Jayalath / July 20, 2015
This article is emphasised the propaganda mechanism of Ranil .i would like to ask him that what seems to be substantially different in Sri Lanka since the 8th of January .have the corruptions and nepotism terminated ? Or has the significant steps taken up to eradicate so called corruptions under imported minority premier ? Have the erected allegations made to be proven in the given time ? Or are they merely bold crafted allegations to humiliated Rajapaksa regime and its stunning developments on the interest of west and India ?? Do not the ethanol containers arrive into our harbours since January?? Have the heroin containers stopped of coming in to the country?? Has the government given endorsement to eradicate of stealing the state properties and resources just like central bank bond fraud. ?
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Jayalath / July 20, 2015
A creepy story of a freak , this is how I put this story. Therefore I beg you to know the result on 18 th of August . Your freaky statements would not stop the mandate of people . I’m pretty sure that people are awaiting to reverse the mistake made last time
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