By Sarath De Alwis –
Sarath de Alwis
The sure way to be cheated is to think one’s self more cunning than others. That is what happened to our dear Prime Minister who challenged Mahinda Rajapaksa to fill Galle Face on May Day. Now lets us get down to business.
This is a response to Mr. Shyamon Jayasinghe’s vacuous rhetorical enquiry ‘what is this fuss over crowds’ in the Colombo Telegraph.
I assumed that the caption “In imminent, immediate distress, May Day! May Day” was sufficiently explicit in its purpose. Apparently I was wrong. I should have captioned it “A nation in distress; May Day! May Day!’
The argument or proposition I made was that the May Day in Sri Lankan political landscape was an ego measuring exercise for Political Leaders and their parties to demonstrate their ability to mobilize their respective support bases.
The UNP could have used Galle Face and offered the venue of Campbell Park to the joint opposition. It was good old Ranil Wickeremesinghe trying to be too clever by half. He was challenging Mahinda Rajapaksa to fill the much larger grounds.
There was a time when President Permadasa would not offer Galle Face to any other party and made the May Day in to a musical show with imported Bollywood stars. Ranil could not possibly do that. Instead he challenged Mahinda to fill Galle Face. Mahinda obliged and now Ranil has egg on his face. At the time of my writing this I can see Azath Salley who was promised a National List slot in parliament by Ranil and later jettisoned him on TV blaming Ranil for the May Day Fiasco.
I do not want Mahinda Rajapaksa back. That does not mean that I am ready to be bamboozled by Mr. Ranil Wicktremesinghe.
What did I say about crowds? I said “Mahinda and his Joint opposition had the biggest, largest and positively preponderant collection of people.” While Rupavahini was showing the SLFP rally in Kandy and ITN was covering the UNP rally at Campbell Park, Derana TV was showing clips from all events including aerial shots of the Joint Opposition rally at Galle Face.
What did I say next? “The TV channel that makes no attempt to hide its loyalty and allegiance to Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced it with a creative knockout in political psychology.
“Campbell pitiyata Jana Ganga galai. Mahanuwarata Maha Senagak. Gallafce pitiya pireyi.” [A human deluge in Campbell Park. A massive multitude in Kandy. Galle face cram-full. A masterpiece of creative excellence in the art of fortifying implied consent in television reporting]
The tongue in cheek description by the TV anchor made me realize that in this day and age of instant visual communication, even fooling some of the people, some of the time is easier said than done.
Now, I don’t think the years spent in Australia has dimmed the vernacular wisdom of the ‘Pothey Gura. I am sure he is familiar with the Sinhala saying ‘Kumbiyata Ugey Hujjja Gangavak “. To the ant, its own pee is a river.
Mr. Jayasinghe then resorts to conjecture. “But for the sake of argument, let us say that Mahinda’s rally was more impressive than the other three rallies. Sarath de Alwis’s reasoning isn’t lucid even then. That is not merely due to the obvious truth that one cannot jump from the premise of crowd attendance in one spot on one day to the inference that Mahinda has already won even the momentary concurrence of over 12 million voters spread out all over the length and breadth of Sri Lanka. It is also because the voting time is still over two years away.”
I made no reference to 12 million voters who are spread out all over the length and breadth of Sri Lanka. I can offer no cure for that piece of convoluted logic.
I confess that this response I penned with great distaste. The easiest way to reduce a discussion to a farce is to distort what was said and reconstruct something else that was never intended. They you are well on the way arguing a point that was never raised.
I understand the dilemma of Mr. Jayasinghe. There are instances when people attempt to debunk the obvious. They avoid the glaring truth because they are not ready to acknowledge it. Then subterfuge comes to their rescue. Then you are told that your thought however valid do not matter. Again I hark back to his days of youth. Why did the queen in the Maname story offer the sword to the Veddah king? Passion or reason?
Tassimo / May 4, 2017
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/
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Dodo / May 4, 2017
This debate seems silly!
The elementary student of sociology knows that crowds are fickle. Mahinda Jarapassa brought the masses to the street before he lost the last Presidential election!
The masses went to Colombo and Kandy on May Day because they got a free ride see the mega city – May day is a sight seeing trip to the city for the poor from the country side. The masses have been only partly deluded by the corrupt political circus in Colombo. They just wanna have fun, in the absence of sense and sensibility.
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Amarasiri / May 4, 2017
Sarath de Alwis and Shyamon Jayasinghe’s
RE: “This debate seems silly!”
Indeed it is silly. MaRa is silly and Ranil is silly too. They are childish too. The average IQ of 79 helps them as well. The politicians have hijacked the workers day, May Day, and providing amusement to the populace.
How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
The question “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” has been used many times as a dismissal of medieval angelology in particular, and of scholasticism in general. The phrase has been used also to criticize figures such as Duns Scotus and Thomas Aquinas, who explored the intersection between the philosophical aspects of space and the qualities attributed to angels. Another variety of the question is: “How many angels can stand on the point of a pin?”
Scholasticism used these kind of questions in dialectical reasoning to extend knowledge by inference, and to resolve contradictions. The need for rationality as complementary to faith was raised as an important point for Catholic theology at the Council of Trent. The question has also been linked to the fall of Constantinople, with the imagery of scholars debating about minutiae while the Turks besieged the city.In modern usage, it therefore has been used as a metaphor for wasting time debating topics of no practical value, or questions whose answers hold no intellectual consequence, while more urgent concerns pile up.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_many_angels_can_dance_on_the_head_of_a_pin%3F
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nimal fernando / May 4, 2017
Alright, alright …… MR got the biggest crowds …… so, bring back the 18th amendment and make him the president for life.
Give people what they want and make them happy.
What’s the fuss ……
I wish Mahinda could sing! I could have turned him into a mega rock-star. The crowds are already there it’s just the Elvis-act he gotta get together.
Uga uga uga Burning Love …….
Man, what a country we are born in! Aren’t we lucky?
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Amarasiri / May 5, 2017
nimal fernando
“I wish Mahinda could sing! “
Mahinda can’t sing. He is too fat and has a potato in his mouth. Somebody else need to sing for him.
MaRa MaRa ChaTu MaRa
MaRa MaRa AmaNa MaRa
MaRa MaRa HoRa MaRa
MaRa MaRa DhushaNa MaRa
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jimsofty / May 4, 2017
Why did the queen in the Maname story offer the sword to the Veddah king? Passion or reason?
For the above, there was a movie by Akira Kurosawa. Who told a very similar story. Ediriweera Sarachchandra, I think, was in Japan.
Anyway, some are praising UNP. Some are talking because their ego is hurt. Dayan Jayathilake is talking cheap politics. He is, just like most of these prominent politicians, just another fox trying to feed on dying Sri lanka.
I really appriciated how a buddhist monk, In SLBC national service, summarized how Sri lankan labourers (including farmers) contributed to Sri lanka’s growth and at one point Sri lanka was far developed than singapore. Then those anti-establishment LSSP – NM Perera, Peter Keneman, Wicramasinghe ?, and more ganged up and Sinhapa people lost the word CEYLON, They lost the sinhala – flag and SWRD made we even lose our language as the country’s prominent language.
Finally, that labour force made Sri lanka bankrupt and now is trying to come out.
Even the last may day rally, one that just finished, was not to priase the labour force instead it was to show which political party is the most strong and one political party is exploiting the labour leaders including doctors and lawyers to topple the govt by strikes.
That is not like labourers who are patriotic. that is simply a bunch of dogs looking for dead bodies to eat or they wait until it is completely dead to see what would be next.
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romani / May 4, 2017
Jimmy,
“I really appriciated how a buddhist monk, In SLBC national service, summarized how Sri lankan labourers (including farmers) contributed to Sri lanka’s growth and at one point Sri lanka was far developed than singapore”
Do not spread the lies of idiotic Buddhist priests revising history. Ceylon was more advanced than Singapore when it was exporting Tea and Rubber grown by INDIAN workers . Sri Lankan farmers couldn’t grow enough to feed the country. That’s why even rice was imported
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Native Vedda / May 4, 2017
romani
Do you take this Sinhala/Buddhist bigot seriously?
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Shyamon Jayasinghe / May 4, 2017
You say you don’t want Mahinda and you don’t want Ranil either. Funny! The political reality is that if you don’t want Mahinda you MUST want Ranil and vice versa. No other options available. You have to choose. From the various statements made in your article it is clear your option is Mahinda because your romanticisation of Mahinda suggests that. Who told you Ranil suggested Galle Face for MR? Your source of that information is yourself. What is the big challenge in offering Galle Face? MR and his crowd have enough money to drag neighboring Tamilnadu into Galle Face.
We have a right to our opinion and I respect your right, too. All I say is, please don’t think your readers are dumb.DJ is more honest since he blabbers out
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Indrajith / May 4, 2017
Surely, Ranil is not an option. Look at his comical, irresponsible behaviour exhibited in the parliament. No one wants Mahinda too. However, to bring in such a large crowd to Galle Face by an opposition group is a tremendous achievement and it shows the extent of Sirisena-Wickramasinghe government’s unpopularity.
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srinath gunaratne / May 4, 2017
Shyaman like Ranil, Because he is another joker! like feather, flock together!
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Native Vedda / May 4, 2017
srinathan gunaratnan
Here is an interview with Chris Nonis:
Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the UK Dr.Chris Nonis CNN Interview about Sri Lanka War Crimes…
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Iw_Ui-1QI8U
Listen to this clip.
Do you think External Affairs Ministry enforcer Sajin Vass Gunawardena was too kind to this wimp?
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max / May 4, 2017
Shyamon Jayasinghe, I thought your somewhat smart, when it comes to political commentary. With this stupid response to Sarath de Alvis, you proved your mere a lackey of UNP and have matured only in your age. When people diagnosed with politically blindness and bias, a rescue mission is impossible! JO won the May Day battle by far. Accept the truth does not mean your blood will become Blue. So open your eyes better and get a life at least in this old age!
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Perriamama / May 4, 2017
Shyamon,
Green blood flows in your veins and you have a soft spot for Ranil.
Unlike many, you still thinks Ranil can deliver.
I have asked this before and I ask again, what would Ranil have become without his uncle JR and his media connections? NOTHING !!!
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punchinilame / May 4, 2017
In the way Ranil thinks, I guess what he wanted to do was capture drone
pictures of Galle Face after offering the grounds to MR, to use it
as his propaganda. This failed. He did not envisage the unprecedented
Buses hired in the history of May Day celebrations.
Figures quoted in the media vary -Rs. 40 million, followed by Rs. 69
million. The actual Nos. hired by MR x 70 each will give an indication
of course plus the locals. A percentage of them did arrive to enjoy
the benefits and not as MR Voters?
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Indrajith / May 4, 2017
There is nothing wrong in what Sarath de Alwis wrote on the 2nd May to CT. His article was realistic. It was indeed a tremendous achievement to have such a large gathering when someone is in the opposition. Sarath in his article explains that fact very clearly as follows.
“The numbers they bring indicate their respective organizational skills and their resources to provide material inducements to ensure attendance at the event.
In the case of the two parties now in office, the matter is relatively easier. The average voter or participant in the rallies of the UNP or the official SLFP may regard participation as a means of ensuring regular flow of patronage goods or services. They may also be compelled by fears of losing them.
The participants in the Galle Face event were moved either by materiel incentive or emotional passion. This writer is passionately opposed to what the Rajapakse family stands for. That said, this writer is not knave enough to underestimate, ridicule or deride the compelling enthusiasm and the intense passion of a substantial segment of the people who stood and cheered themselves hoarse in praise of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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Mallaiyuran / May 4, 2017
“You say you don’t want Mahinda and you don’t want Ranil either. Funny! The political reality is that if you don’t want Mahinda you MUST want Ranil and vice versa. No other options available.”
This is the mentality quickly closed the choices during the CC candidate selection. New King did not win any votes drawing from SLFP. He won by UNP+TNA+JVP+Muslims votes. This crowd was available in that election to any candidate, who was going to oppose Old King. Even Ranil would have won that election. Ranil was deterred for his attitude but then one is worse than him was promoted by Chandrika. A better candidate could have been selected as CC if the Sinhala Intellectuals had born with a different mentality. The one robs the government and the one like to protect it thinks in the same. That is Lankawe is rolling down hill from 1948.
“Who told you Ranil suggested Galle Face for MR”
Colombo Media reported New King saying that it was not Ranil who allocated Galle Face Green, but he did it. That was a clear indication that there was tussle in UNP and SLFP that Ranil had allocated that to SLPP. The real way to cool down that tussle is releasing the documents how the Galle Face Green got allocated to SLPP.(It not late even now to release those documents.) New King’s unnecessary responsibility taking was sure proof Ranil’s role in that. Other than that, these guys who are hiding the daytime murders done with official cell phone calls and shooting with their duty guns not going to come out and tell the truth. They did the war without witness and hiding from going to UNHRC.
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Thassim / May 5, 2017
And you wanted Velupillai to win no? so at least these two sinhala fellows; one in Australia and the other actually in Sri Lanka too have opinions on two people who follow elections and democracy. You guys all are miserable since Velu was erased in May 2009. We will not allow Tiger terrorists again. Stick to your foreign abode.
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Native Vedda / May 4, 2017
Shyamon Jayasinghe
“Who told you Ranil suggested Galle Face for MR?”
Ranil must have remembered what Sarath Fonseka told the media few days before the 2010 presidential elections. He vowed to drag the clan to Galle Face Green. I do not know why?
However here is a latest excerpt from their continuing feud:
Namal rebuffs SF
2017-05-04
Responding to Minister Sarath Fonseka’s statement that former president Mahinda Rajapaksa should be hung by his ‘saatakaya’, Mr. Rajapaksa’s son Namal said yesterday it would not be that easy as long as the former president’s three sons and the people were with him. The MP told a media briefing that Mr. Fonseka should hang the former president’s sons and his supporters before hanging him.
…..
http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/
Namal-rebuffs-SF-128290.html
Please note a few years ago in 2010 during one of his outrage Gota told Stephen Sackur (Hard Talk BBC) that he would hang Sarath.
Sarath wants to hang Rajapakse.
Namal thinks that Sarath can’t hang Mahinda the three brats are alive along with their supporters.
Don’t you think Ranil has found a way of getting rid of whole lot of undesirable by one noose?
Galle Face was only symbolic.
How many political coffins does Ranil need to bury all those willing to hang each other?
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Sinhala_Man / May 5, 2017
Shyamon,
I read both your articles and Sarath’s regularly, with enjoyment, and it may have been a little uncritically. It was about two months ago that what someone said about you registered in my mind. He was saying that you are incapable of seeing any fault in Ranil, and just about that time I saw an article by you about that ridiculous trip of Ranil’s to Deakin University (I hope I’ve got the Uni right) for an honorary degree.
The Rajapaksas represent the most horrible politicians in the country, but that doesn’t mean that I think Ranil wonderful! We voted UNP, true, but that doesn’t mean that we are anything except deeply disappointed with their performance.
Maithri has not really disappointed. The criticisms that I see are those that I foresaw. He remains a decent human being; my sole criticisms have been that he allowed his brother to promote himself in Telecom, and that he seemed to lose his nerve somewhat in prosecuting the Rajapaksas owing to his desire to maintain some support among chauvinistic Sinhala-Buddhists; he himself should not be classed as such.
Both Ranil and he are to blame for the way in which the country is being run. Why can’t Ranil allow democracy within the UNP? If he did that, Maithri could have reconciled himself to running a genuinely joint administration, where he wouldn’t have had to think in terms of his faction of the SLFP competing with the Rajapksas. The tragedy now is that when there is an election, people like me may not really be able to vote for a weak Mathri in any first past the post election. Oh, I know that we have proportional representation, but our voters don’t vote the way the French have been voting these last two weeks.
Defeating the Rajapaksas is as important as defeating Trump and Le Pen. Hopefully the latter will happen. Why?
And why didn’t Hillary prevail in the U.S.? Aren’t the reasons similar to the problems that Ranil has been causing us for about thirty years?
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Leel / May 5, 2017
I am not for F****** Ranil OR Mahind, Not For Sirisena or JVP Anura. But I am now in dilemma. There are millions like me.
Shyamon Jayasinghe, I think Sarath de Alwis is also in this situation.
At the next election people like me, if decided not to vote, what will be the outcome?
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Words / May 4, 2017
Yep.. you couldn’t have said it better.. Ranil and his supporters have egg on their face! Imagine how they’d be crowing if Galle Face was not filled! Then of course a this nonsense about numbers meaning nothing would not be heard of..
Challenge given.. challenge met! Acknowledge it and move on to the local government elections now!
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Eagle Eye / May 4, 2017
President Rajapakse used Sarath Fonseka to crush LTTE. President Sirisena is planning to use Sarath Fonseka to crush ‘People’s Power’. Rajitha had told that President Sirisena will show that he has a ‘Spine’. Probably he would have had a spine transplant recently!
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Indrajith / May 4, 2017
No! No! President Sirisena still does not have a spine. He is going to use Fonseka’s spine instead.
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Native Vedda / May 4, 2017
Indrajith
According to the eldest brat Sarath may have to hang all the siblings before he approaches Mahinda.
There are a lot of hanging pending.
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lasith / May 4, 2017
Mahinda is a God who saved Sri Lanka from jaws of cowardly terrorists treding into grounds where no other god dared to go.
Mahinda is no saint for saints dont go to war.
But mahinda is a true man a real man with nerves made of tempered steel like Pavel Korchagin.
He is no mr Nice with lots of hidden agendas trying to make sri lanka an unofficial american colony.
BUT he is salt of sri lankan soil carrying the breath of Kapppetipola and Puranappu.
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harry hatton / May 4, 2017
Well RW will fly to some foreign countries and think all is well!
The day RW entered politics was a sad day for the country and a tragedy for the UNP.
This man thinks being cunning is great. most people think it is a low quality.
As a politician why wont RW try to win the people over ? Why not resort self respect to the nation? Do away with corruption ?
Answer to our problems are not in having fun time in foreign countries or bowing & agreeing to anything the foreigners say.
RW thought that since the bond scam had no direct victims and therefore can get away with it. But what happened to that cunning plan at the central bank ?
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sarath de alwis / May 4, 2017
Mr.Shyamon Jayasinghe ,
“We have a right to our opinion and I respect your right, too. All I say is, please don’t think your readers are dumb.”
Indeed ! You have a right to your opinion. You earn my unreserved respect for respecting my right to a different opinion. Be assured I will never presume, suggest or imply that you are dumb. You seem quite competent in establishing that preposition beyond any reasonable doubt, on your own , without my help.
By the way the Singer Edward Jayakody sings a sort of a post script to the Maname queen. ” Oba ru sapuwen manmath vee mama nokelwmi anuwana kam. ” Not too late to retrieve lost wisdom.
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old codger / May 4, 2017
To Sarath A and Shyamon J,
I don’t see what you guys are arguing about. A home -and -home match basically. Both of you say Ranil’s policies are good and M.R’s are disastrous (I agree). Anybody can see that Ranil is not as macho as MR. That is the truth. It doesn’t make any difference to me but it does to very many voters in villagers.
You should be taking on DJ /Sanja/MR , not each other.
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Native Vedda / May 4, 2017
old codger
“Anybody can see that Ranil is not as macho as MR. That is the truth. It doesn’t make any difference to me but it does to very many voters in villagers.”
Its difficult to assess the mood of the people.
Just after the war had ended I was talking to three wheeler drivers to gauge their mood. All of them believed it was MR who single handedly won the war with his siblings at the battle front fighting the “Tamil” terrorists. They still do.
We need someone honest like Prof Gananath Obeysekere to psychoanalyze the collective psyche of Sinhala/Buddhists.
I am sure you would have thought about the war between 2001 and 2009. The sequence of events that should be look at chronologically. VP, Chandrika, Ranil and Hindians did more damage to LTTE than any others you could imagine.
Dayan believes VP could have been decapitated in 2001 by special forces incidentally trained by the Imperial forces of USA.
Don’t you love hypocrites?
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Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka / May 5, 2017
Our Special Forces were not trained BY the US; they trained WITH them, for some years (Operation Balanced Style). I know because I was one of the lecturers for a few years (before I went overseas) by invitation from the US Green Beret team.
Our Special Forces were originally the Rapid Deployment Force, which was later made permanent.
They obtained their training from many foreign sources, and some of those sources did not even impart all the tactics and firing techniques.
If anybody should be thanked for training our Special Forces, it is their iconic father figure, General Gamini Hettiarachchi.
He would have been army commander and won the war for us with fewer casualties and hardly any human rights allegations, had he been allowed to go to the National Defense College and earn the necessary final qualifications. He could not, because CBK sent her personal favorite, the head of her personal security, to that NDC course, instead of Gen. Hettiarachchi.
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sach / May 4, 2017
LOL this is where you guys went wrong. Unlike you and Sarath Alwis, commoner in SL thinks RW to be an idiot. RW is indeed an idiot. I am more than ready to challenge anyone on this.
The normal sri Lankans who are not stupid UNPers know this. That is why they dislike RW. They infact laugh at RW.
It is not the macho MR that attract crowds. It is the wrong disastrous policies of the government that attract the crows.
People in general are against
1. ETCA,
2. Sale of national assets
3. Indianisation
4.Appeasing separatists
5. Mistreatement of war heroes
See…..if you can work against them..if you cannot get ready for finishing RW’s political life.
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srinath gunaratne / May 4, 2017
This is why people repeatedly rejected him unitl appaya came and swallowed Indian tablet!
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Native Vedda / May 4, 2017
srinathan gunaratnan
“This is why people repeatedly rejected him unitl appaya came and swallowed Indian tablet!”
This is why the rulers should treat their family well, failure to do so usually brings in the strangers. Mostly they come here to grope your women folks.
So don’t blame the strangers, blame yourself.
By the way in the video clip Dayan wants MR to impregnate all women. Your grand daughters have no choice.
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Mallaiyuran / May 4, 2017
“By the way in the video clip Dayan wants MR to impregnate all women. Your grand daughters have no choice.”
I was thinking to put to Sinhalese like this: “Would you like Your son, father , brother, husband like Thero who worked for RAW joining Varadhar to be traitor for both races or Would you like them to be like Pirapaharan who fought for his race in the way he thought it is right?”
Yours sounds like more relevant for the foreign bottle Thero consumed before he appeared there. So, that is the correct one.
be srinathan gunaratnan blessed!
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Professor Tissa / May 4, 2017
I think crowds don’t mean much politically. Poor old Dudley drew vast crowds wherever he went with his camera round his neck and pipe in mouth during the ‘grow more food’ days of 1967 to 1970. He thought he’d win re-election comfortably in 1970.Yet he was roundly defeated by the UF govt that, for the first time in our post-independence history scored 2/3 majority in the House.
MR has more money than the government. So he must have used some of his black money to bribe and coax most to come.
All this said, the fun and games of Sirisena and Wickremesinghe and their government members must stop. They must work harder and show tangible results, especially on the economic front if they are not to be considered potential losers. And they must take decsions without passing that responsibility to one another. SAITM is a good example
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Ajith / May 4, 2017
Its true that Mahinda Family have more wealth than the country.
During his time of power he earned all his wealth from public and he was able to not only Members of Parliament from all political parties except TNA. He was able to purchase not only within Sri Lanka but also from internationally high rank officials from UN, Commonwealth, US, UK, India, China, Russia etc. Even he bought Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi. You all know how he bought Buddhists thowing some clothes during election time.
Mahinda Rajapakse’s talent in buying people is remarkable. He will continue to cheat people through using race cards, religious cards, money cards and if necessary violence cards.
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Thengai Srinivasan / May 4, 2017
The crowd at Galle face according to intelligence sources was around 78,000 including people who go to Galle face during the holidays TO SEE THE SUN GO DOWN or breathe fresh air.
So its no big deal with the crowd as the former regime have plenty of money to throw about.
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billy / May 4, 2017
If you take out the wade sellers, im pretty sure it would come down to less than 25000 as SB claimed recently
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Tennyson Cooray / May 4, 2017
Billy,
What about the annasi sellers,couples under umbrellas,kadala sellers,kite sellers,achcharu sellers etc etc.
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Upali / May 4, 2017
Crowds won’t say anything. If we were guided by crowds MR should have been made president on 9th Jan.MR filled Apura with a huge crowd in his last rally. The MS Winning gap was too big.[400000] US Presidential elections 9/10 opinion polls predicted a Hilory win with 4% Margin. What happened is history. The way people behave vis a vis the media has changed.Electorate is educated enough to understand media bluff. Social media gives unadulterated truth to the people.The era media made public opinion is over,
Anyway 30% of the electorate did not participate in Mayday rallies. That is the Tamil and Muslim communities which were the deciding factor at the last elections.MR can sleep peacefully thinking about crowds at Nugegoda and Galle face but the proverbial Tortise might surprise all of us at the winning post.
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billy / May 4, 2017
As long as you are not a supporter of the party which had the most successfully may day rally, you statements related to the may day tend to be very philosophical ..lol
more than the crowds, the most satisfying thing regarding this whole thing is being able to read the butt hurt whining of the stooges of incompetent rough ranil hamu, unable to digest the crowd..lol
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Words / May 4, 2017
Love your comment the best!
Yes.. All this whining about a crowd that “does not matter “is hilarious
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Native Vedda / May 4, 2017
Words
” All this whining about a crowd that “does not matter “is hilarious”
Why?
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Native Vedda / May 4, 2017
billy
“As long as you are not a supporter of the party which had the most successfully may day rally, you statements related to the may day tend to be very philosophical ..lol”
Please clarify.
“more than the crowds, the most satisfying thing regarding this whole thing is being able to read the butt hurt whining of the stooges of incompetent rough ranil hamu, unable to digest the crowd..lol”
Please clarify
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Nuwan / May 4, 2017
Fuss with the numbers? Here is what I think. If MR dragged this many people by providing transport, as some would say for a Bath Packet and Adiya, to Gall Face green, then I would ask from where did he get the funds? He has no control of CTB, or Rail, who sponsored it? Who built the massive stage?
Say these are the rupees stolen during the regime, free flow of such black money without the control of the government is worrying. If China provides funds that should be worrying and what is RAW doing? If this many people are desperate for a bath packet and adiya (not even for potential employment or job card as MR has no jobs to offer) government must think twice about the plight of its people.
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rew / May 5, 2017
Ranil has no important short terms plans to help the needy. His only short term plan was to provide safe passage to all big time crooks on January 9th 2015, unprecedented, as he was NOT in any position of power in Govt, on that day
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Douglas / May 4, 2017
After the great “May Day” is over the “Pandiths” are debating whom to select between Mahinda and Ranil. To what LOW levels this May Day has been dragged and pushed by crafty and cunning politicians? This May Day fell on a Monday and the next day, Tuesday was a “Working Day”. The “Workers” who received a holiday had to report to work on Tuesday; but after hectic day walking on roads to meeting venues and listening to the political narrations well passed mid-nights to the morning of Tuesday would have most grudgingly reported to work to earn a days living. Did any of these Political Leaders or the “Workers Leaders” who organized these rallies ever think of the plight of that “Worker” who had to report to work on Tuesday? Did anyone suggest or wanted to shift those rallies to commemorate the May Day to the next Saturday and leave that holiday (Monday) to be freely available to the worker? Instead all Political Parties and the Leaders “Herded” the “WORKERS” like a herd of cattle to their respective allocated venues in a great SHOW of strength to claim “SUPREMACY” over each other. Did anyone at leas talked and explained the MASSIVE LOSS incurred to the EPF? Did the workers know that each one of them lost Rs. 40,000.00 as a result of activities of the Central Bank Management level? Did anyone explain how some are working more than EIGHT hours a day (introduced as overtime) to eek out a fair income to meet the needs of the family? Did anyone talk of the latest introduction of “Manpower Business” under the so called “Liberalized Economy”? OH, What a way to MISLEAD and MISGUIDE the workers and HIJACK the workers’ MAY DAY to achieve political ambitions?
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Percy Fernando / May 4, 2017
MR is richer than the Sri Lankan government- for sure
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Rfernando / May 4, 2017
Crowds don’t win elections.But it is true that Galle face had the biggest crowd. MR does have enough money to give incentives to crowds to participate in his rallies. & he does have a passionate following who would come anyway.Sarath deAlwis did not say anything wrong except that Ranil gave Galle face to Mahinda . Actually I read in the sunday times political column that MS had told HE gave the Galle face to Mahinda for his rally.
So make sure of facts b’fore writing them.
Crowds at rallies don’t translate into votes at elections & what percentage of the entire voters of Srilanka participate in May day rallies ?
hEVER it is an achievement for an opposition party to galvanise such a crowd. But don’t forget that this government never harrassed any crowdinto not coming
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Wimal / May 4, 2017
Mr. Alwis, Brilliant, as always!
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K.Pillai / May 4, 2017
Crowd size is nothing more than “My car is bigger than yours”. The question is “Was the car duty-free AND bought off ill-gotten gains?”
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Expat Lankan / May 5, 2017
To Thengai Srinivasan and others on Crowd at Galle Face,
We all noticed that Galle Face was full to the cap on that day; so, you can calculate how many people it could accommodate on that 1.6km stretch + the adjoining Galle Rd and other byroads leading to Galle Face Green. Total, some say 2 million, some others say 1 million; I would say it is definitely a 6 figure close to a 7 figure. Your estimate is definitely wrong but you have said something correct in your comment, you say: “(some) went TO SEE THE SUN GO DOWN or breath fresh air”.
Obviously it is the day, after Yahapalanaya came to power with the rain-bow revolution, that people in Sri Lanka and abroad clearly noticed how far the ‘YAHAPALAN SUN HAD GONE DOWN’ and sure, it is getting ready to disappear from their eyes. People in Sri Lanka are so happy on this May Day since it has been a nightmare for them for the last 2 and half years under so-called Yahapalanaya.
After listening to MR’s speech, apparently many sighed that they could “breath fresh air” in the near future!
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SweetStone / May 5, 2017
or my penis is bigger than yours story. At least one of those penises in contention is 100% heterosexual; and the other is not! so this story of crowds is becoming a silly partisan writing match. FACT: MR drew bigger crowds than anyone else despite being in the opposition. He has sons; and fathered children. That simple.
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c silva / May 5, 2017
Ranil being a shrewd politician knows very well that he should help Mahinda Rajapakse to get more and more crowds to divide the SLFP for him to win the next election with a bigger majority with the help of minorities in this country
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Hela / May 5, 2017
There are many instances I do not agree with Sarath De Alwis. However on this occasion, I agree with Sarath. It’s an excellent deconstruction of the dilemma and head in the sand approach of Shyamon Jayasinghe and fellow blind followers of yahapalanaya junta. The train has left the station. Rabbits blinded by it’s head lights are in it’s way. The counter response they seem to be turning on to is the stupidest one. That is turning towards the Filed Marshal.
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Pacs / May 5, 2017
Accept the fact crowd is an indication of support to the party, leader and it’s policy. Votes will be in the same proportion. The money spent on bribe and other things also will be on the same proportion during the next election. What is Douglas thinking Now and Pillaiyan is happy. He will get all compensation and reward. probably he will be an MP and then a Minister next time. All dormant supporters will get active now for the next election or ?. Tamils should negotiate with MR rather than the shrewd UNP and merciless hindians. If it is the first pass the post MR will get 95 % of the seats. Go and feel the people in the N-E and see.
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Mona Liyanarachchi / May 5, 2017
Alwis, the brilliant writer (Shakespear of Sri Lanka?; here he goes again
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Justice & Fairplay / May 5, 2017
It is unfortunate that many seem this debate silly. I don’t think so; it is interesting and comes from two persons who have added a lot of substance and quality into this web page something hat cannot be said of a lot of others, by the way.
While having enjoyed many of Shyamon’s offerings over the years, I tend to favour the stance taken by Sarath de Alwis in this instance.
THe two silly fellows have been Wickremasinghe and Rajapakse, who spent a fortune on a useless exercise. Had they spent that money on building houses for the Meetotamulla displaced, now that would have been something!
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Mama Sinhalam / May 5, 2017
[Edited out] Comments should not exceed 300 words.Please read our Comments Policy for further details.
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Rfernando / May 5, 2017
Most people are tongue in cheek about Yahapalanaya but one must never forget that this govt does have plus points as well. Could an opposition party ever draw a crowd for any rally bfore 2015 without being harrassed by armed forces & police & goons ? So all the people who are euphoric about the large Galleface Crowd please remember this!& thanks to monetary rules being followed to the letter CTB got a huge income as everyone had to pay for the buses. Would this have been remotely possible pre2015?
MR has billionaire financiers as well as ill gotten gains & he has a passionate following as well so if unhindered by the government it is not a surprise that this kind of crowd turned up for his rally.I do not think the UNP was hell bent on drawing a large crowd cos the competition was between the 2 SLFP factions.KUDOS to MS for not hindering any of the crowd that came to Galle face.MR HAD to fill up the Galle face to prove he still is a force so without harrasment by the government & the money at his disposal he succeeded in his objective.The only thing worth congratulating him for in this instance was that he succeeded in his endeavour . Sarath DeAlwis thinks it is noteworthy for an opposition party to galvanise a crowd. It is noteworthy only if the government of the day is hell bent on deterring the crowd as happened in MR’S time. This government is not so, so it is not that much of an achievement.I am sorry that even sensible people like SD have forgotten why Srilankan people think that it is a big thing for an opposition party to draw a large crowd. It is so only when the govt is totally undemocratic.
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Annesley Dias / May 5, 2017
GALLE FACE CROWD LETS SAY 100,000.
EXPENSES BELOW
100,000X2500= 250 MILLION. EACH PARTICIPANT WAS PAID 2500/=
100,000X250 = 25 MILLION. EACH PARTICIPANT RICE PACKET WITH BOTTLED WATER
25 MILLION SPENT FOR TRANSPORT
10 MILLION FOR STAGE
25 MILLION FOR POSTERS AND ADVERTISTMENTS
TOTAL 335 MILLION. WHERE DID THIS MONEY COME FROM AND WHO SPENT ON IT
ANY GUESSES????????
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Ismail / May 5, 2017
“The case against former Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa for allegedly misappropriating Rs.2,991 million and another Rs.36.5 million of funds belonging to the Divi Neguma Department .” News story
This is the man who organized the Galle Face May Day of MR.
Sarath De Alwis what do you say to that?
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Pastor J Peiris, California / May 5, 2017
Shyamon Jayasinghe demolished Dayan Jayatilleka. DJ has been unable to meet his points. In same manner, Sarath Alwis has been outclassed by Shyamon. Example: Sarath denied he forecasted MR returning and SJ only had to copy and paste what Alwis wrote. That finished him off. Jayasinhge has a razor edge brain.He exposed Sarath Alwis as a shammer for MR.Proven now and what more? Sarath goes to the kade for MR while DJ is in the kade still eating. Shame on these two
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