The main opposition party today challenged the ruling party Colombo District Leader to disclose his stand on Casinos, political culture and political ethics. The United National party also questioned ruling party Colombo District Leader’s self-styled anti- Casino patriotism.
Writing to the UPFA Colombo district leader Udaya Gammanpila, the UNP candidate President’s Counsel Srinath Perera said; “We are also interested to know why you – who stated to stand against establishing casinos in the country – chose to launch your campaign with the support of Mr. Gotabhya Rajapaksa, who explicitly favours casinos in Sri Lanka.”
We publish below the letter in full;
Mr Udaya Gammanpila,
District Leader of Colombo for the UPFA.
Dear Mr. Gammanpila,
We have come to know – through media reports – that you have launched your election campaign under the auspices of Defense Secretary Gorabhaya Rajapaksa.
Although you brag about political ethics and adherence to election laws, you have launched your election campaign under the aegis of a government official, showing the level of your hypocrisy and duplicity.
It is an offence to use state officials and state property in an election campaign under any circumstance, and the fact that you have violated election laws in public at very outset of your campaign disqualified you from boasting about political ethics or “new political culture”
We are also interested to know why you – who stated to stand against establishing casinos in the country – chose to launch your campaign with the support of Mr. Rajapaksa, who explicitly favours casinos in Sri Lanka.
The Urban Development Ministry was the body that gave approval to start new casinos in Colombo, and Mr. Rajapaksa, in his capacity as the Secretary of the Defence and Urban Development Ministry, handles various key responsibilities in this regard. He has always been of the view that Sri Lanka should have an open policy towards casinos.
This brings into question your self-styled anti- Casino patriotism. It is clear that you have betrayed your policies, ethics and values for your new ‘position’ as the District leader for the UPFA.
We therefore challenge you to disclose your stand on several matters,
- Have you changed your policy on Casinos?
- Have you changed your view on ‘political culture’ and political ethics’ ?
- What is the reason for sudden shift of core beliefs?
We openly challenge you to answer the aforesaid questions.
Thank you
Srinath Perera PC
Colombo District UNP Candidate
Sirimal / February 16, 2014
People should raise the question to make contribution to Udaya G `s election campaign or not.
Can politicians like Udaya G like EVER be honest ? So how would people keep faith on him ?
Is he not a shame to those practice the LAW PROFESSION (if the guy is really a LAWYER as he claims himself?)
It is high time ones who are in law profession/all those respect law and order to protest against – this kind of breaches of law.
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Dinuk / February 16, 2014
UNP should file a case against Gamanpilla and Gota the Goon for breaking the law rather than writing silly letters like this!
Gamanpilla should not be allowed to contest if he has indeed broken the law and if he does and wins it should be nullified for election law violations.
Gotabaya Jarapassa the war criminal should be fired from his job as Secretary to MOD since he is constantly violating the law and taking and land grabbing and displacing people in the name of (Casino) “Development” !
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Rohan / February 19, 2014
Haa… haaa…. haaaa….. Whom do you think will set up the hearing date and the persons to hear the case? The ‘God Only Knows’ fame OUR Chief Justice! We will pass a judgment against the person who filed the case, arrest him and take his civil rights off. Mind You…..
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S. Modaya / February 16, 2014
The policy of the Jarapassa regime is DISTRACT, DIVIDE and RULE the Sinhalaya Modayas.
Gota the white van goon who is accused of war crimes is running a Buddhist-military-business complex in Sri Lanka today. Hence, his tie up with the Sinhala RACIST JHU…
Why is the SLFP old guard and the cowardly Muslims and that prop up the state non protesting the JHU taking over?
What this shows is that Buddhism has been militarized and DISTORTED. Sri Lanka is no longer a Buddhist country in the true sense of the word. The non-violent Buddhist religion has been turned upside down, POLITICIZED and MILITARIZED and is used to DISTRACT SInhalaya Modayas and to attack the minorities (Muslims and Christians and Tamils).
Gota’s military businesses that are state-subsidized raise money for the militarization of Buddhism and hide the fact that today Sri Lanka is no longer a democracy but rather a military dictatorship with a circus called elections.
The JOINT opposition should stop participating in elections and boycott all elections until the Jarapassa regime is forced out and go on the streets as in Thailand to protest. There is no level playing field to contest elections in a military dictatorship.
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Sirimal / February 17, 2014
why cant they the opposition (JVP and UNP) challenge a debate on this issue in the parliament ? If EC is on the side of the opposition ?
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genny / February 16, 2014
Please go though his past/ When he was working for Sydney Jayasinghe ( Metal Recyclers PLC ) He and his bos got to gether and [Edited out] a lot of Money. That alone is disqualification for him to be in politics. hope the masses are aware
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Safa / February 16, 2014
Can a public servant openly canvass and back a racist political party? Is the elections commissioner asleep?
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Sirimal / February 16, 2014
I MYSELF wanted to check this on the constitution but failed to do so.
Great we could publish the list of tasks of DEFENCE SECRETARY on this platform so that the CT readers make very clear about the issue.
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Sirimal / February 16, 2014
CT@,
please publish the paragraphs as given in the constitution
what is the role of a Defence Secretary – this is not a small issue
Thank you.
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Leo / February 16, 2014
Obviously Udaya Gammanpila knows all about the election laws. He tries to paint a picture that he is an exceptional politician who is honest, clean, and law abiding. We should judge him not on his words but on his actions. Public officers cannot engage in politics publicly. Gota is not only a public officer but he is in charge of defence and in his capacity as the secretary to the ministry of defence, he has much authority over police personnel. Udaya, so called Mr. Clean, gets Gota to his political stage to give a clear message to the law enforcement officers.
Both Gota and Udaya are Buddhists where there is no teaching against hypocrisy.
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Sirimal / February 16, 2014
He is not at all Mr. Clean – an another like WW like planted figures as animation mechanisms. However, Udaya^s arguments in Balaya or any other TV programs give all and sundry a feeling that the entire existence of the man is a birth failure. These kind of radical minded politicians – no doubt destroy all values in our society. If people would see it correctly, not many would vote for him in this election.
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Gnasaara / February 16, 2014
Udaya is an Australian citizen too. Therefore dual citizens have got together!
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Sirimal / February 16, 2014
So, where have the BBS and other segements been ? They made big big public statements, their rise was against INJUSTICE AS I understood… but today ?
So why have they too been in SILENT mode today ? Where have their guts gone ?
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Sirimal / February 17, 2014
The current situation is like A CIRCUS RUN by Rajapakshes.
Audience seem to have no RIGHTS at all, either they are scared of Gotabaya^s unpredictable acts or the people just let it go – being indifferent (knowing the rulers are nothing but high criminals)
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Park / February 16, 2014
We must ask ourselves whether its worthwhile to even ask a simple question from a untrustworthy politician such as Udaya Gammanpila. What has he done for the masses in Sri Lanka, nothing, absolutely nothing. These guys are the downfall of Sri Lanka. Its time we start being honest to ourselves and start electing honest trustworthy politicians. Not THOPPI PERALLANNO!
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Sirimal / February 18, 2014
You are dead right here, but how many of the population would SUPPORT THE RIGHT VIEW. Not all and sundry but significant fractions that are on that mode “literate but stupid” seem to never grasp it. Udaya G^s half bake theories seduce the mentioned fractions easily. Having watched a youtube video lately, I understood, Udaya G would not EVEN study the gravity of of his counter arguments, but just make every effort to succeed own arguments. That is the nature of radical thought bearers. How would a learnt lawyer oversee issues that bother almost everyone in the society today but apparently not to these bunch. So has WW (Wimal Weerawansa) performed all along. Listeners and onlookers gape at them but leaving no signs of reactions. Are people made to behave so ?
Today I read headlines about monk^s POSSIBLE self immolation against cattle slaughter. Instantly, what came to my mind was – if Udaya G, Wimal Weerawansa and the like would be compelled to self immolate, how would Rajapakse pass their UNTRUTHS to the very same folks ? Role of Udaya and Wimal and the like are comparable to waste canals leading to eco pollution.
Wimal, Udaya are also comparable to hard weeds found in crop cultures. One has to uproot these weeds to achieve targeted harvests.
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Anton / February 16, 2014
How can you expect peeper sidings from papaya seed ?
,The country is now steadily prepared for a headlong sociopolitical economic full scale suicide .like Jim jones cult the sri lankan cult members have been prepared .
They will never learn.
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Anton / February 16, 2014
Corrected\
How can you expect peeper sidings from papaya seed ?
PEPPER SEEDLINGS
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Liberal One / February 16, 2014
If I was gammanpila, I will ask back UNP to clarify why they didn’t shutdown the existing 5 casinos when they were in power from 2002-2004 if they think casinos are really bad. lol hypocrites are easily checkmated.
Pathetic to see UNP deviating from it’s original market economic policies and behave like loony leftists. UNP already is like a loony leftist party when national security is taken into account trying to be the same on the economic front is a good way to destroy what little left in UNP.
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Rohan / February 19, 2014
Well, UNP is not talking about their position, but about Gammanpila’s! If I am not claiming to be a vegetarian, I may or may not eat meat. But, if you claim to be a vegetarian, you should not indulge with meat. Now, where is the hypocrisy?
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Liberal One / February 19, 2014
Hypocrisy is UNP claiming to be against casinos while not shutting down the existing ones when they were in power from 2002-2004. If new casinos are bad the existing ones should also be bad isn’t it?
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Don Stanely / February 16, 2014
This is a very silly letter. Basically if Gamanpillar has violated election laws he should be disqualified from contesting..
To begin with, there is NO “Ministry of Urban Development” as mentioned herr, only an Urban Development Authority that Gota the Goon took over under MOD!
UNP instead of this sort of silly letter needs to write an OPNE letter to the GENERAL PUBLIC of Sri Lanka (aka. Sinhalaya Modayas) in the Sinhala Language to educate them on the meaning of DEMOCRACY and its PRACTICE: 4 Corrupt, criminal and uneducated Rajapaksa brothers, their sons and in-laws with serious war crimes challenges against them and accused at the UN, running 75 percent of the country’s economy and holding Govt posts are a violation of DEMOCRACY!
We need a list of all the Ministers whose sons and Daughters are living off their Ministerial posts starting with the DEAD and SHAMELESS leftist Vasudeva Nanayakkara whose son runs the Ministry National Languages and Social Integration which is a SINHALA ONLY outfit.
Vasu claim that there are NO Tamils to work in his office, but the truth is that qualified Tamils are discriminated against in ALL GOVT and educational institutions in Sri Lanka. We need a census on how many Tamils are employed at officer level in the Govt. sector. It is a lie that the mistakes in the Tamil Language posters were due to lack of Tamil staff. Tamils are NO hired into any senior or respectable positions in any Ministry except those of corrupt Thonda and his tribe.
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Sidney / February 16, 2014
Gota the WHITE VAN goon thinks that he is KING OF COLOMBO 7 and Independence Square!
His name is on plaques all over Independence Square and also Water’s Edge. Of course, all these Jarapassa family ego boosting signs will be ripped out once he and his brothers go on trial for war crimes at the Hague and the Jarapassa regime falls – like the statue of Saddam Hussein was ripped out when the regime fell in Iraq!
All traffic has to stop when this goon Gota passes in Colombo 7. The traditional residents of this area are highly inconvinienced by the Hambantota Godayas and LA petrol pump Rajapaksa – Jarapassa family tying to establish themselves in this nice MULTICULTURAL upper class Colombo neighbourhood..
A few weeks ago Barnes Place where Gota and his brother have their security Pow WOWs with posters of Namal the Sport Czar and YOUTH STAR displayed at Sinhala Buddhist ONLY Museus College for girls was closed and cordoned off!
Gota who is a blot on the face of MULTICULTURAL Colombo 7 and an insult to its respectable citizens thinks he is king in the area and walks around there with hoades of tee shirt and sneakers clad “security” paramilitary guards who in their off time cut down all the timber trees and sell them for pocket money and plant stumps in their place and move treas around from Independence Square to Victoria Park depending on where Gota the Goon is headed.
Gota has turned Independence Square, Victoria Park and Colombo Forts Chathem Street area into a military cantonments to secure the Jrapassa dictatorship when the Lanka Spring protests start in earnest. The UNP writing this letter to this clown Gamanpillar is so ineffectual in it “protests” it is laughable!
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mechanic / February 16, 2014
I see stupid and dim witted black white arses like you have day dreams and funny hopes and ambitions. But I bet, they’ll turn out to be just daydreams like numerous aims of the LTTE and rump LTTE afterwards. In spite of the Geneva resolutions and the outcome of the votes for or against it, all and sundry that back the neo colonialists would lose at the coming up elections.
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Liberal One / February 16, 2014
Kalu suddas are so frustrated that colombo is finally turning around so they can’t continue to brag about colombo declining after their masters left. That is why they call Independence Square, Victoria Park and Colombo Fort developments as army barricades. These are the kind of bogus allegations get leveled at us. Responsible citizen approve the urban development efforts of the government.
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Maveeran / February 16, 2014
Heard your mother and father got arrested for begging in Pettah Market last week. Have they releasd them yet Liberal [Edited out]?and people like Mechanic are shitting their pants as soon as they hear the word LTTE or Tamil Tigers. Both of you [Edited out] were licking white arses when they were ruling Srilanka, now why act like your shit don’t stink?
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Liberal One / February 16, 2014
Lol are “maveeran” and “sidney” the same refugee commenting using two different names? Eelamists are nothing but crooks and deceptors. At-least use one name to bash Sri Lankans while plotting to rob 1/3rd of the country.
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Native Vedda / February 16, 2014
Maveeran
“Both of you [Edited out] were licking white arses when they were ruling Srilanka, now why act like your shit don’t stink?”
Be fair to the Sinhala/Buddhists, say both Tamils and Sinhalese were doing whatever they were doing when white master was ruling. It was a joint venture with equal stake written in Tamil/Sinhala gene.
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Rohan / February 19, 2014
Someone is violating the rule of the land (if anything lest!), and the LiberalOne is glad to attack the persons, not the point. “These are the kind of bogus allegations get levelled at us”? US…? USSSS…? Are you Gota himself, Mr LiberalOne?
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mechanic / February 16, 2014
Gamaya, Don’t you answer questions by the pioneers of casinos and jackpots and those who brought people like Joe Sim.
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Sarath / February 16, 2014
Gota is a public servant. How come he attends a political function? Sarath Fonseka was charged an alleged discussions with a couple of politicians yet Gota getaway. Ass-charya!
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Liberal One / February 16, 2014
Absolutely right. Gota behaved like a dog when avenging Fonseka. Only Rajapakshe stooges with 0 IQ will approve this hypocrisy.
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T Wickramaratna / February 16, 2014
hypocrisy is nothing new to Udaya G
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MrRetort / February 16, 2014
Obviously people don’t need to contribute and even if they do that would be peanuts compared to contribution by Casino GOTA.
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Lapatiya / February 16, 2014
There is no question of breach of Law as King’s brother is above the Law by 4″.
Ethics??? huh..huh… huh… haaaaa……ethics with shameless Gammanpila and Ranawaka..Huh..huh…haaaaa…… joke of the century.
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The Professional / February 16, 2014
It is a simple matter. GR has just entered a “Gammane Pila” (an open veranda of a village house) to feel the difference between an urban veranda and rural (gammane) veranda. Whether GR knows what verandas are meant for is a different issue.
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Senerath K / February 16, 2014
Udaya Gammanpila is a moronic comic fellow like Dilantha Vithanage.
Simply this bugger is an ‘Iththa’ of jarafuksakes. The best term for people them is PONCE who is trading Buddism big time. Therefore UNP Colombo dist. leader Srinath Perera wouldnt get any reply. UNP shouldnt waste time writing letters they must hammer these bastards left right and centre everyday on stages.
Gnanasara buddhists or rather Percy’s New belief followers would vote for this moran Gommanpila beggar who is begging 100 rupees.
Original buddists or the followers of Gouthama Buddha would deny them.
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Saman Wijesiri / February 16, 2014
You can judge a person by the company he keeps, they say. We can judge Gammanpila also by the company he keeps. Is Mr. G qualified to advocate good governance or seek votes in the name of goof governance? Did he raise his voice against the 18th amendment that has turned this country into a virtual dictatorship? Did he raise his voice against injustice meted out to former army commander Sarath Fonseka? Did he raise his voice against mollycoddling KP who should be charged with war crimes while stripping Fonseka, the country’s greatest war hero of everything he rightfully earned including his pension? Did he raise his voice against the injustice meted out to Chief Justice Shriyani Bandaranayake? Why can’t people see this self-styled paragon of virtue for what he really is? A fake and a fraud! Isn’t he?
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Jagath Fernando / February 16, 2014
All mainstream political parties except JVP are in support of casinos. Thats the truth.
We have one of the highest suicide rates and highest per capita consumption of liquor.
What is the issue in starting casinos?
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Jagath Fernando / February 16, 2014
The largest corporates in our country are either fueled or owned by individual with links to different sectors.
Hayleys owner has links to casinos
Aitken Spence owner has links to liquor
Carons owner has links to beer
Largest retailer Cargills getting into beer and meat industry
Most valued company on the Colombo Stock Exchnge is the cigarette company CTC
John Keells greeting into casions
All these shares are sought by pension funds and EPF as safe investments.
Get real and be ready for all these
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Anton / February 16, 2014
A Must read fanatically written article Tiger, Still Burning Bright? February 16, 2014 | Filed under: Colombo Telegraph,Opinion | Posted by: COLOMBO_TELEGRAPH By Tisaranee Gunasekara – “For the enemy to be recognised and feared, he has to be in your home or on your doorstep.” – Umberto Eco (The Prague Cemetery)
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Anton / February 16, 2014
ring a Ring a roses pakcket pul op purses , the hush ha the hosh ha we are all about to pall down – amete hudu !! gilmart ekak
Pillay Calls For An International Inquiry; 74 Point Report (Colombo Telegraph)
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Fathima Fukushima / February 16, 2014
So UNP has already given up!!
If Kothapaya is involved that group will WIN for sure.
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lanka lover / February 16, 2014
sounds like [Edited out] as if you know it well.
[Edited out] is a genius to you.
we dont give two hoots to this mad ex 7/11 labour.
dont count your chicks yet you silly nitwit.
not all people of western province (except some gampaha district village bandos) are medhamulane or beliatte veddhos.
one should salute the vanathe fellows for yesterdays act of them.
your kota-payya’s quata looks finishing.
let him dance somemore till the pot boils.
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Liberal One / February 16, 2014
Tell your leader to stop appeasing west or if he’s too stubborn chase the bugger away without insulting the voters of the country.
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Sapumal / February 17, 2014
Neither Gotabaya is a qualified civil servant norelected member of parliament. He is just a kith and kin appointment to run a ministry to oppress masses. All his past and present orders are illegal and subject to future jurisdiction without any reservations. It is very similar to Radawan Kardovich case under ICC in Hague.
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Sirimal / February 17, 2014
I wonder why the CW nations dont see these things clearly in a time MR is new elected Chair person for these 2 years. Are these CW countries blind and deaf ?
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Fathima Fukushima / February 17, 2014
If Kothapays is involved any candidate can win.
UNP is too chicken to admit that.
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Saman Wijesiri / February 19, 2014
Gammanpila says now that Gotabhaya is a political appointee, therefore not a public servant. In the first place, just because he is a political appointee, can he behave like a bull in a China shop? Now that recruitment to public service is politicized to such an extent, practically every recruit to public service has become a political appointee. Even the lists of the candidates who have excelled at open competitive exams are referred to government Ministers and MPs to eliminate the successful candidates hailing from families suspected to be close to opposition political parties ! And those selected for recruitment have to receive their appointment letters with a bow from a government politician at a ceremony.Isn’t this a joke?
What I really wanted to say is that once a person is appointed to public service be he a Ministry secretary or a KKS,he becomes a public servant and he comes under the control of the regulations incorporated in the Establishment Code and other regulations brought into force from time time binding on public servants.
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Rohan / February 19, 2014
By the way, is Gammanpila a Malayalam origin name? Kaaman Pillai is an old style name in South India, in Kerala (mainly) and Tamil Nadu. Kaaman is cupid, the love angel.
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Sirimal / February 19, 2014
Gammaphila^s blatant lies to manipulate the masses:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph-I5hCH0ZQ
here he insists that they are only 10 countries in the world today that offer free education. Germany, Austria, Netherlands and several other countries in Europe too offer free education.
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Janaka Pannipityia / February 19, 2014
Uthaya Kammanpila is nothing more than a stooge
of Tiran Alles.
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Sirimal / February 20, 2014
Now he says:
Today – 20 Feb 2014
“”As a candidate at the upcoming elections, I inquired from the Elections Commissioner, Mahinda Deshapriya, as to what category of government officers’ don’t have political rights. He told me that staff officers and ministerial officials cannot participate in political meetings. Regardless of my personal opinion, I agreed with him because he is the Elections Commissioner. I didn’t know that Gotabhaya Rakapaksa was ‘public property.’ So I admit my mistake in this regard,” Gammanpila further explained.”
So whether this kind of silly excuses cause authorities to bury the litigation of the issue ?
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