By Shyamon Jayasinghe –
Shyamon Jayasinghe
‘Political chemistry does not necessarily follow the logic of election statistics. Had the United National Party kept together and fought together, the whole result may have been different and Sri Lanka would have had a strong UNP Opposition- to say the least. The 20th amendment would never have seen the light of day.”
Sound of Echoes in Empty Space
We have had enough time to reflect with some reasonable detachment the political outcome of the break -away behaviour of Sajith Premadasa’s faction, which eventually led to the ‘Samagi Jana Balawegaya’ (SJB) – now the little Opposition Group in parliament.
Echoes are heard sharply in empty spaces; but the space is empty. Every-time Sajith Premadasa and his men yell at the government even over serious misdemeanours, the volume one hears is similar to that emanating from an empty space. Sans Ranil Wickremesinghe and the United National Party there is something hollow in the current opposition ranks of parliament.
Ranil always used to command attention because MPs on all sides anticipated something substantial, something considered and knowledge-based from his mind. Government ranks would disagree with Ranil but they showed a liking to listen. When Ranil stood up to talk here was somebody who exuded immense political vision, maturity and a wide – ranged knowledge of public policy and parliamentary procedure. With nothing of that baggage in any of the SJB MPs in parliament, our parliamentary system fails and thereby governance fails.
Sarath Fonseka seems a growing exception. One witnesses a burgeoning maturity, political understanding, balance, preciseness and focus from this former army General. On the other hand, Sarath Fonseka needs a party and SJB is just not that.
Political Chemistry
The implication of the tenor of my argumentation is that the SJB is a political error. Such a conclusion will be counter intuitive to many who tend to look at election results in the conventional way.
Election statistics are not about unchanging entities. They rarely reveal the complexities of human voter behaviour. In this particular instance, the results didn’t mean that had the SJB not left the the UNP matters would have gotten worse from the point of view of broad UNP opinion or that the Sri Lanka parliament would have had a much weaker Opposition. Political chemistry does not necessarily follow the logic of election statistics. Had the party kept together and fought together the whole result may have been different and Sri Lanka would have had a strong Opposition- to say the least. The 20th amendment would never have seen the light of day.
On the other hand, the spectacle before the people had been a fetid and stinking infighting scenario engaged in just the time it should have closed ranks. It is easy to speculate that the the large base of party loyals had been disgusted by this awkward and atrocious display. The timing of this brinkmanship had been unfortunate and unpractical. It was just election time. What kind of Machiavelli could say that that was the moment to raise divisive issues within the party and arrive at a resolution? It surprises me that persons like Dr Harsha De Silva and Eran Wickramaratne thought of becoming part of the faction. Mangala Samaraweera, the savvy politician that he is, instantly withdrew.
Ranil’s Managerial Style
It could well be that the Ranil Wickremesinghe had managerial problems over the impatience that grew within the party ranks. It maybe that he had an arrogant and unbending nature that drew hostility and certainly not personal loyalty. A lot of speculation is possible that points to the fact that it was not a compliment to Ranil Wickremesinghe that a sizeable block like this had been disenchanted. That’s a different issue.Having acknowledged that, the faction may be perceived as not been realistic when expecting perfection from a most imperfect political ambience. That faction had possibly overestimated their own rating in the electorate. Sajith and his men would have hallucinated that the rank and file UNPers throughout the country would have abandoned their party leader and come over to them. Once again, a complexity had been simplified.
Ranil’s Role in the Presidential Elections and Sajith’s Intemperate Behaviour
Despite all the acrimony shown toward Ranil Wickremesinghe the latter as Party leader supported Sajith at the Presidential hustings. That gesture went unacknowledged by Sajith. Furthermore, if Wickremesinghe did not canvass in the Northern and Eastern electorates for Sajith at the Presidential elections Sajith would not have earned more than15 per cent of total votes. What a foolish and ill-mannered thing Sajith did by asking Wickremesinghe not to attend any of his meetings in Sinhala electorates! Did he not understand that his leader had a better grip over the Sinhala voting public and Maha Sanga than he had?
Humbly, Ranil Wickremesinghe obeyed the wishes of his party candidate and restricted his visits to non-Sinhala areas.
To make matters worse, Sajith announced that he would, as he became President, remove his Prime Minister. Did he not see that the broad UNP supporters in the country would have been shaken by such an arrogant and abhorrent threat? Besides, under the operative 19th Amendment it was not possible to eject a Prime Minister.
Did Sajith not sense the moral violence of such a menace? Here is his leader and the Prime Minister and here he tries to stab him in public?
Sajith’s Misguided Populism
The fact is that Sajith Premadasa never got close to his leader in good faith. Ranil with his astuteness could have spotted that. Sajith had a hunch that Ranil was no model for him and that he had an inborn legacy coming down from his father, Ranasinghe Premadasa which was enough. A realistic humility at that stage could have given Sajith the crown and the skill to find his way up.
Sajith got cosy in his enclave in Hamabatota that did him no good ever. Furthermore, he focused on housing – a subject that had little voter impact value. Housing is costly and cannot stretch to any length that could have made Sajith a political hero. As a matter of fact, providing housing for people at large, no government does. Providing housing for weaker sections like the disabled and aged is all that should be done by state. Like other living priorities housing facilities should be self-generated in a prosperous economy. Sajith had no clue about the overall national economics involved.
It was a misguided populism.
Overture to the New President
After Sajith had been flattened in the Presidential elections he got desperate.The General Elections to follow could now not be won by Sajith’s party.
It was, therefore, a desperate bid when Sajith Premadasa went up to president Gotabaya and tried to woo him to support SJB as a better base of parliamentary support. Here again, he under-assessed the cliched old adage that blood is thicker than water. The politcal chemistry of Lankan politics is such that even ‘proven’ criminals can get to power. What the new President needed was unclenching support from his parliamentarians. Besides, the power of Mahinda Rajapakse was there to ensure a Pohottuwa victory.
Instead of making silly appeals for deals with Gota the SJB should have focused on specific electorates to ensure more wins in parliament. Skilled micro politics was the need of the hour for Sajith.
Into the Seat of the Leader of the Opposition
Sajith Premadasa started off his position as Leader of the Opposition by another wrong statement. He was reported as saying that “the new Leader of the Opposition will be a no-deal Leader of the Opposition.” That had been an undiluted offensive on a man noted for his integrity.
The amazing thing is that Wickremesinghe had all along never got provoked into counter statements. Like the elephant in the Dhammapada Ranil Wickremesinghe did not feel these slurs.
Whither?
Readers can thus recount how Sajith Premadasa made one wrong move after the other that would disqualify him from a leadership contest.
There is a problem at the bottom: a person with no sustaining political policy inspiration has lost compass and often fails in determining as to what should and should not be done when it comes to individual action. A political leader must have a driving political philosophy;Sajith doesn’t have that and so his entire party hasn’t that. Thus, when confronting crises in the country these kinds of individuals go into action like the fire brigade. Misguided though, SWRD Bandaranaike who first broke away from the UNP in 1954, had been able to concoct a Sinhala Buddhist nationalistic philosophy that drew crowds for his meetings. That central world view united many leaders around SWRD.
On the other hand, the Samagi Jathika Balavegaya has none. Sajith and his party men are mere attack dogs and even in that task Anura Kumar Dissanayake and his men can outdo them.
chiv / May 21, 2021
Shyamon, you need to address this to Mr. Pimp/fixer RW.
/
TungsanYu / May 21, 2021
Jayasinghe must either have taken leave of his senses or pens just to see who he can rile up an argument with.
Gardening is a good activity to keep one occupied 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
/
old codger / May 22, 2021
I agree with the author. Whatever Ranil’s faults, Sajith doesn’t come close in mental capacity.
The only thing thing Sajith accomplished with his impatient manoeuvres was splitting the UNP vote and enabling 20A by that.
/
SJ / May 22, 2021
OC
Do not blame SP for it. His minders had RW in the cross-hairs for two well over 15 years.
RW is no angel, but was not the person to target during the elections of 2029 or 2020.
His main fault is inaction, while SP’s has been knee-jerk reaction.
SP will survive as leader because he does not have any serious rival who knows any better. The wiser ones are just catching their corners.
/
old codger / May 22, 2021
S.J,
“His minders had RW in the cross-hairs”
I presume you are referring to a certain media magnate.
/
Native Vedda / May 22, 2021
old codger
–
I completely agree with you.
Whose is the Machiavelli who engineered or behind the split?
Do you thing the Mummy’s boy Sajith is the product of our aspiring Foreign Minister/Foreign Secretary another PhD holder, Dayan?
/
old codger / May 22, 2021
Native,
“Whose is the Machiavelli who engineered or behind the split?”
His initials are K.M. and his group makes plastic pipes among other things.
/
Native Vedda / May 23, 2021
old Codger
–
You mean the one who claim to have the “Courage to be Different”?
/
nimal fernando / May 23, 2021
Ranil in the most unlikely/unsuitable politician …… the people of leisure-class, at some stage of their lives, have to choose a career ……. and he chose politics.
–
He lacks courage/ cojones …….. hence unelectable …….. perhaps, the best president we never had.
–
Sajith is there because he is Premadasa’s son.
–
He has many of Premadasa’s traits. I have never voted in a Lankan election or seen many of the politicians ……. but seen Premadasa. He came to U of MD because of Cyril Ponnamperuma and read out a written speech in English …… and also for a lunch by the vice chancellor (Lankan food cooked by American chefs; tasted terrible.)
–
Later on, there was a function by the Lankans of Washington DC …… the first time I ever saw Mrs Premadasa ……. she walked in to the function-hall with absolute sheer pride emanating from her face; I’ve never seen anything like it or anyone else ever even come close. OC, your Ramona, is not even in the ballpark!
/
nimal fernando / May 23, 2021
continued
–
All the Lankan ladies had cooked all the Lankan goodies and laid out on a table ……. Premadasa got up and gave a speech ……. that went on for 1.5 hours! It was a lesson in the Sinhala dictionary. It’s a speech that would have taken 10 minutes if given in point-form …….. but he stretched it out by giving 5 different words for the same Sinhala word …… and looked directly at you and waited as if he had imparted great wisdom ……..
–
For a young boy ….. away from home for a while, that whiff of Kavum, Kokkis in the air, having to wait 1.5 hours listening to that crap was sheer torture!
–
Native, tone down your outbursts …….. ye have never encountered sadism like that.
–
It’s a trick the Premadasas play …… Ranjan Ramanayake jokingly said ….. Premadasa Snr would change a 100 rupee bill into 100 rupee coins and put in the contribution-till so the people heard the sound of all the money falling. Ah! Lankan pols!
/
nimal fernando / May 23, 2021
continued
–
The greater tragedy for the nation, even more than the Rajapakses, is that the UNP hasn’t got an electable leader in the past 2 – 3 decades.
–
I’m willing to give Sajith a chance …….. he is a million times better than the current lot ……… anyway who else is there?
/
old codger / May 23, 2021
Nimal,
“but he stretched it out by giving 5 different words for the same Sinhala word”
That’s exactly what his son does in English. He sounds like he’s swallows a thesaurus. Thanks for the info.
“anyway who else is there?”
There are more capable people, but unelectable.
I think R Sambandan would make a great President, Eran Wicks a good Finance minister……
But they’ll never make it.
Sajith knows that Premadasaist populism pulls votes.
/
Native Vedda / May 23, 2021
nimal fernando
–
“Native, tone down your outbursts …….. ye have never encountered sadism like that.”
–
I agree however you ain’t heard such party campaigners as Vasu Nayakkar,
NM Perera, Peter, Somu-wansa, ….. You will begin to wonder why theses lying b**tards lying to you. You missed the point-I must have been a masochist to endure pain listening to the thousands of lying b**tards irrespective of their linguistic acrobatics.
–
Even now I have to listen to politician’s bull simply because I want to stay informed, in order to know why these lying b**tards are lying to us.
–
Do you think I could win a prize for the best masochist in this island?
However I recommend the entire population for that award.
/
Native Vedda / May 23, 2021
nimal fernando
–
“I have never voted in a Lankan election or seen many of the politicians “
–
Congratulations you have already escaped from “the cycle of birth, death and rebirth”.
/
MyView / May 21, 2021
……….Had the party kept together and fought together the whole result may have been different……
Only statement of fact by SJ. Ranils obstinacy to give in and stick to the leadership, was the cause. He had reached the “use by” date, but still clings like a leech.
But :
……SJB: now the little Opposition Group ……
You mean the biggest Opposition Group.
…..Sans Ranil Wickremesinghe and the United National Party……
SJB had less bad baggage to answer for, though yet the govt throws some barbs at SJB for even having been there with Ranil.
…….that points to the fact that it was not a compliment to Ranil Wickremesinghe that a sizeable block like this had been disenchanted. That’s a different issue……..
That is the crux of the issue. How you try to glance it off by saying “different issue”
………It is easy to speculate that the the large base of party loyals had been disgusted by this awkward and atrocious display……
Not speculation but it is the truth.
….Sajith got cosy in his enclave in Hamabatota……
Yet Sajith won his seat in Colombo. Did Ranil get a seat in Colombo which electorate gave him record wins earlier, thus showing his unpopularity.
…….on a man (RW) noted for his integrity……
Oh No. Arjuna Mahendran and all that not considered? His soft pedalling Rajapakse court cases shows his duplicity.
/
Nathan / May 21, 2021
I am no admirer of Ranil; but, his contribution to viable party politics cannot be denied.
He was instrumental in weakening LTTE. That would amount to, the defeat of LTTE.
Ranil failed as a party leader. That resulted in Sajith Premadasa, who is not fit to a lead anything, let alone becoming the leader of the Opposition. Now, who is responsible for this sad state of affairs. None but Ranil, is my answer.
.
I am happy. Not because Ranil has fallen from grace, but because for the first time in our political map, there is room for fresh thinking among the Sinhalese people.
/
Naman / May 21, 2021
Ranil W some how lacks the Guts/Spine to be counted as a true leader of a multi racial/ethnic/religious country. He along with the other Sinhalese Politicians have let down the Tamil speaking Sri Lankan population. This is because they know that they can win elections by suppressing the minorities. TNA should have supported Mahinda R in October 2018 to be the PM after getting some concessions for the Tamils. He has the ability to convince the Sinhala Masses and clergy. This would have certainly avoided the bloodshed of Easter Sunday (2019). It is wrong on the part of Ranil for not grooming a good & effective leader from his own party. He had a tight grip on the post of Leader of the Opposition for ages with the support of Mahinda R. Ranil W did not have the guts to bring court cases against the rulers from 2005 to 2015. Was it because,They knew that a ‘deep state’ within military might have bump them off. SJ should not be sticking on to Ranil anymore.
/
deepthi silva / May 21, 2021
This kind of pomposity perhaps is the reason why there is so much frustration in the country, so many youth rebellions, terrorism. If a few people like this get into positions of power they will justify everything and remain there for ever.
According to the writer the fact that people have rejected Ranil in toto, not giving the UNP a single seat, less votes than even the JVP is of no consequence. Ranil must remain leader and after him, his nephew Ruwan wijewardena ! Luckily both these are guys will not have any children.
As a Minister or as PM his record is only mediocre, he could never completer his term as PM ! Only servile followers will say he is good. He is not even honest but think that he is some kind of elite and normal laws and ethics don’t apply to him !
Can you imagine the Mahendran crime committed by anyone else getting away ?
/
Raj-UK / May 21, 2021
RW has been a disaster, period. He did not have the guts to nominate an incorrupt politician with international acceptance, Karu J., instead, accepted CBK’s pet dog, slimy Sirisena, who was totally out of his depth & with thugs & yobs in his family to boot, as well. Certainly not Presidential material. If RW acted with integrity & had the right people around him, instead of crooks like Malik, RK, Mahendran etc & stood up for justice, SL would be on a better wicket today. Still, it was JR who made the mistake of nominating a gutter mouth trade unionist with a chip on his shoulder as his successor that made his son, the automatic prince in waiting for the throne. Despite his impressive international academic achievements, Premadasa jnr has not carved out a name for himself in all these years in politics but is still riding on his old man’s wave.
Unless Premadasa jnr is able to show his party in the light of competent members, without the riffraff & deadwood, & transparent in his party reforms & policy, the SJB will be just another version of SLPP.
/
Manel Fonseka / May 22, 2021
Despite what “impressive international academic achievements”, Raj-UK?
Since when has an aegrotat degree been an impressive blah blah blah achievement?
I hope he is at least taking some time off to read a bit of Arundathi Roy. She even visited SL and spoke at the British Council in Colombo. I wonder where Sajith was then.
/
Sinhala_Man / May 22, 2021
Dear Raj-UK,
.
Last night, I had got a comment of exactly the right length (199 words) ready to submit in response to this article by Shyamon, when the power failed. Let me place it soon after this explanation, since my comment, somewhat different from yours, gets neatly complemented by yours.
.
This morning, there was another power failure, and so I had to submit comments working on my mobile phone.
.
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/time-to-pull-down-politicians-from-their-pedestals/
.
They appear to have exceeded the length: 248 and 307 words, respectively. You’ve commented there, and what I have said will be of particular interest to you. I now see them on my desk-top computer, but don’t appear to have been approved yet.
.
And then I’ve got to provide at least one comment to this article by my classmate who won the Miller Mathematics Prize in our old school for 1966.
.
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-times-of-senthan-little-known-liberator-silent-giant-the-end-of-the-liberation-struggle/
.
He’s now such a serious guy that nobody has commented on this article, and only two on the First Part.
.
Please see if you can say anything there. What happens in the North affects us all!
/
Sinhala_Man / May 22, 2021
Dear Shyamon,
.
I’ve taken a quick look at your article.
.
I agree that Sajith Premadasa’s performance is below par; there are better people in the SJB, who were not allowed to surface because Ranil Wickremasinghe held on too long.
.
Ranil wants to get back into Parliament soon; can’t he, and you, understand that he was dispensable, and we have dispensed with him? The situation in the country is getting worse by the day; the unsuitability of the Triple or Quadruple Rajapaksas is getting ever clearer. Basil is in the USA!
.
See this:
.
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/vaccine-thieves-of-sri-lanka/
.
Your being in Australia is all right, only don’t talk tosh!
.
Try to be more accurate with your welcome and generous observation about “Anura Kumar Dissanayake and his men”. You’ve not referred to the JVP, but please note that the NPP (confusingly JJB in Sinhalese) has three members in Parliament, and the woman among them is not even a member of the JVP.
.
That Party doesn’t get enough votes at election time because of their mistakes in 1971 and around 1989; that phase is over. NPP: they are the only group in whom we can repose some faith.
/
Thanga / May 22, 2021
As an individual Ranil Wickremesinghe is good, honest and hardworking. But as a politician, he is an utter failure. After coming to power in 2015 he got his priorities mixed up. The import of luxury vehicles for 225 MPs and 455 Provincial Councillors was an ill-considered move that drained the already depleted treasury. Some non-MPs who were lackeys of the UNP too were given vehicle permits.
Then Ranil went on to pay Rs.15,000 to the hardly working public servants. He would wisely spend the money on farmers.
Ranil made a mess of the Bond scam. First, he assembled a group of UNP loyal lawyers. As expected they produced a wishy-washy report claiming there was no wrongdoing. What he should have done is to send the Governor on compulsory leave and appointed an independent commission to probe the scandal. This is one important issue that cost the UNP dealy at the hustings.
As for constitution-making, Ranil was not serious. He went through the motion of drafting a constitution to keep the TNA in good humour.
UNP losing the elections came as no surprise. Only Ranil did not read the writing on the wall. He is out of sync with today’s politics. He should retire gracefully and hand over the party to a group of able youngsters not tainted.
/
Mallaiyuran / May 22, 2021
“What he should have done is to send the Governor on compulsory leave and appointed an independent commission to probe the scandal. This is one important issue that cost the UNP dealy at the hustings.
Thanga, your understanding is poor. Ranil swore in TTH on Jan9th,2015 to protect Royals. As you don’t know finance you are understanding nothing. Mahendran used the same method Cabal used to rob 1,000 times larger amount to Royals. Mahendran was needed after the robbery because he was the one suppressed the investigation on robberies took place before Jan, 2015. Now Mahendran is being protected by Royals, so he is still safe. In the interim time, New King attempted to capture Mahendran and by him he wanted to teach a lesson to Ranil. But Ranil stopped it by catching New King’s son-in-law in the hotel garage with the Indian Business man’s bribe.
Please don’t white wash Ranil or write chaff things. Thanks
/
Daham / May 22, 2021
A guy who thinks that Arundhati Roy is a Man should not hold the position of Leader of Opposition.
/
Sinhala_Man / May 22, 2021
Daham, I agree.
.
Not everybody need know about Arundhati Roy, but then, they should not pretend to be familiar with her work. Can you tell me what exactly Sajith said about her and in what context?
.
I read this novel many years ago; an amazing work that keeps you guessing as to what’s going to come next. Important themes pulsate underneath.
.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_God_of_Small_Things
.
Although she is now famous as an activist, I don’t know whether she has written anything as memorable since then. I think that she’s been a guest at the Galle Literary Festival many times but “VishramikaGambadaIngireesiIskoleMahaththaya” cannot afford the trip to the South for the festival; but I’m very glad that it is held!
.
There are all sorts of question marks regarding Sajith’s qualifications. He never properly completed anything. One remembers the aegrotat degree from LSE.
.
I agree that such a record doesn’t inspire confidence. give me an honest, youngish villager without pretences!
/
old codger / May 22, 2021
S.M,
Arundati Roy’s work has been translated into Sinhala too. This is inexcusable for a ” London-educated” prospective head of state.
/
Daham / May 23, 2021
Sinhala_Man
Couple of weeks ago in SL parliament Sajith quoted Arundathi Roy’s statement where she critices the handling of Covid 19 by Hon. Modi. In Sajith’s speech he referred to Arundathi as “ETHUMA” probably assuming Arundathi is a male. He should have said “ETHUMIYA” instead. You could watch Sepal Amarasinghe’s interesting video “https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sajithpremdasa” and listen to what Sajith says in parliament at 6.45 min.
/
Sinhala_Man / May 24, 2021
Daham,
.
You haven’t given me the link in such a way that it will work.
.
I have made an effort to get at it by copy/pasting – it doesn’t work. So, I’m sorry to say it, but you have demonstrated such ineptitude by botching something as straightforward as that, you have provided an explanation for the plight we are in.
.
Rather cruel of me to say that, isn’t it? I guess that I’m in a bad mood!
.
However, buck up!
/
Good Sense / May 22, 2021
Having seen the terrible degradation of our economy since independence, contributed by insurgent/terrorist activities of 1971, 1988 and a 30-year war centered around the Northern Province and the terrible performance of the “Yahapalana” Government, which got even my vote, thus establishing that we have a Hobson’s choice of electing “Kleptocrats” of one color or the other, my choice is to be politically neutral like constitutional monarchs all over the world. Nevertheless, I do enjoy observing political activity that takes place within the quagmire, if not a cesspool, of governance within the country and not from the sublime environs of down-under. Don’t forget that the loosely coupled coalition of “Yahapalana” broke down entirely because of RW’s underhand activity (the usual trait) to overawe MS. RW, though erudite, astute and seasoned, was deemed a misfit by the grassroot elephants, so much so that had not the grass-root leadership offer an alternative then they too would have been a part of the flower-bud. Hence the birth of “Telephonism” and not entirely due to the “impatience” of Sajith. Telephonists have performed considerably OK as an opposition. Alas! Realism faded away from the elephants which Shyamon must come to terms.
/
Ajith / May 22, 2021
“Had the United National Party kept together and fought together, the whole result may have been different and Sri Lanka would have had a strong UNP Opposition- to say the least. “
It is right but it is Ranil who split the UNP, not Sajith. Ranil acted and still act in support of SLPP and he supported the 20th amendment.
/
Mallaiyuran / May 22, 2021
I don’t have time to read SJB’s (Shyamon Jayasinghe Buddyst’s) blah blah – This is about heading only . UNP and Don Stephen never should have happened. That was the destruction to Asian Miracle, the Ceylon, released by Britain.
/
soma / May 22, 2021
What is a “strong opposition”?
I have been always puzzled by this question.
–
Soma
/
old codger / May 22, 2021
Soma,
“What is a “strong opposition”?”
To start with, one that doesn’t call a political truce when it has the advantage.
/
soma / May 23, 2021
Old Codger
An opposition with more than 50% in the Parliament?
–
Soma
/
old codger / May 23, 2021
Soma,
Not a majority, but having enough political ammunition that the government can’t answer questions.
Political advantage
/
soma / May 24, 2021
That way all oppositions are stronger than the government.
But what for?
–
Soma
/
Native Vedda / May 23, 2021
soman
–
Mahinda’s failed coup in October 2018, his consultation with retired former security personnel and Weerawansa’s threat to remove Ranil from his official residence by force and his inclination to bomb the parliament.
–
The state functionaries refusal to implement government policies at that time, snipers targeting Ranil and his ministers from within the government and state departments, his unenviable position to agree to keep enemies of democracy, racists ….. in his government.
/
Captain Morgan / May 22, 2021
If you weigh all the faults and shortcomings of Ranil Wickremasinghe and Sajith Premadasa in turn, you will find that they tip the scales more or less evenly. That is, they will get roughly the same marks, which will be below the pass mark. The issue is not with the individuals per se but is the manifestation of a far more deep-seated problem. It is simply that this country is not capable of producing true leaders.
The most serious character flaw of both these persons is that they want to protect criminals and co-exist with them peacefully as far as possible. Their policy is, “See no evil, hear no evil, and take no action.”
/