19 March, 2024

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Waiting For Godot: Can Some Developing Nations Unite & Transform The Planet?

By Kumar David

Prof. Kumar David

Waiting for Godot by Irishman Thomas Becket explores the absurdity and purposeless of existence. The performers waste their time trying to meet Godot, who will never show up. The play was first performed in France and is in the tradition of the Theatre of the Absurd. Godot, a made-up name, not a historical person, is used to denote a joker, a mythological character, to lampoon political opponents or to make fun of great expectations such as Thamil Eelam, The Inevitable Revolution, Saving the Nation, Dharmishta Samajaya, Sinhala-Buddhism, Aragalaya, or anything that fits the story line of the user. 

There is a proposition going around in a motley Lankan left-discussion-group that we must not cave into global powers (US, the EU, China etc.) or to global finance capital or to international institutions such as the IMF, IBRD or the ADB. The task is to oppose them and by opposing defeat them. We must and can change the world is the slogan! Sounds great and to the extent that we can benefit, let us – “us” meaning, willing and able nations whose leaders have the iron will of a Castro. Some united efforts though short of world revolution have indeed paid dividends; the Non-Aligned Movement for example. But the way the aforesaid discussants are heralding it, it is the theatre of the absurd! And what is the time frame in their minds? It is a time frame that can be related to resolving the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka; that is to say during the tenure of the present and next governments. Well, these chaps are chasing gigantic flocks of wild geese!

There is a very old debate that bears an anecdotal overlap. In the years between the first and second world wars, that is the 1920s and 1930s, there was a rumpus between Trotskyites and Stalinists about what to do in the context that Russia was completely isolated since revolutionary uprisings in Europe – Germany and Poland – had been crushed. The gist of it was the Stalinist avowal to build socialism in one country and the Trotskyite argument that a single country even as large as Russia, if completely isolated, would not become socialist but some kind of malformed state. In the end it turned out that both were partly correct. Yes, the USSR survived as a non-capitalist dictatorship much eschewed by democrats and liberals alike, and yes, the Trotskyites were right that this was far from socialism. Don’t bother if you have never heard of this esoteric debate.

The relevance to Sri Lanka right now is a curios paradox, an inversion of ideas between a long hardened Trotskyites and Stalinists. It is not the same argument exactly, but has overtones of similarity. On one side is this aged Trot (KD) and maybe a few others. We say that waiting for the world revolution is a crazy wild goose chase. While cashing in whenever possible on the dividends that neo-imperialism may throw in our way, we should focus on what we can do domestically to strengthen our national position. A few local ex-Stalinists now conversely argue that we must focus on changing the world correlation of power and that salvation lies in transforming the global arena. Pretty much a paradoxical inversion between this aged Trot and erstwhile Stalinists. Please ignore this and the previous paragraph if you are under 70. 

If indeed for any reason the world correlation of forces were to throw scraps in our direction, we should grab them, but that’s a different matter. I have frequently argued in these pages that because Sri Lanka is one of few surviving post-colonial democracies the West has a propaganda and ideological interest in preserving some form of democracy in this country. It not psychologically good for the West (and for India of course) to let this country go down the tubes and good to prevent chaos, anarchy and economic collapse. My guess then is that the West, IMF and India will be inclined to give the Ranil Wickremesinghe’s administration some sustenance. Maybe soften IMF conditions, maybe allow RW time to reach a primary budget surplus (that is fiscal balance without making an allowance for public debt servicing) or to help out with the External Account (foreign trade, remittances, tourism etc), or to help in the Balance of Payments which includes both this current account and as well as the capital inflow account. Well, all that’s very useful. I can’t second guess the minds of global actors but if scraps are thrown our way; if it helps the rupee to recover in value, lubricates the inflow of FDI, private equity, etc, well who are we to say “no”?

While we are Waiting for Godot, we can however go over the elements of the economic programme that the country needs to mull over and the political conditions it needs to nurture. If you have read my previous columns, I am repeating myself; it’s not my fault since the National Peoples’ Power Movement (NPP) is taking its own sweet time getting down to business. So, what more can I do than repeat myself? The economic programme must strike a balance between the ability of the state to maintain broad policy directions (this is a necessity in any successful developing country as the examples of China, Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore have shown) on the one hand, and ensuring space for enterprises to make business decisions, be assured of the rule of law, innovate and work free of dysfunctional compunctions, on the other hand. A tall order and somewhat contradictory specifications! But what to do; that’s the way the world is made and that’s the way to approach it.

The political agenda is more complicated. A former Stalinist of slightly lesser vintage than I put it like this.I’m simply advocating a social democracy within an Open economic framework which recognises the fact of globalisation”. Good heavens, does this not sound like rampant liberalism? No talk of “socialism in one country” or anything bordering on that. What a paradox, this old Trot and this Stalinist seem to have exchanged places. To get beyond trivial point scoring, there seems to be agreement that the essential socio-political agenda is to establish social democracy (not a vapid hand-out system) and to guarantee political democracy so as to assuage the fears in the minds of ordinary Sinhalese about insurrectionary violence and chaos, and to satisfy the minorities that their interests will no longer be undermined. It’s good that we have managed to reach a commonality that goes this far.

The proof of this pudding however will be in the eating, that is the way that a government that makes such commitments conducts itself when in office. But offering such verbal guarantees and explicitly including them in a Manifesto will go some way in the public relations domain. This I believe is a task for the NPP if and when it starts the process of drafting a Programme Document (Election Manifesto). Nobody is likely to take Ranil or Sajith seriously if they chirp anything like this; as for the Rajapaksa-poropaya bandwagon, it is already a Theatre of the Absurd. The NPP should call for proposals from the public as part of its consultation process in drafting its programme and get down to business without any further delay.

One final point and I have said this before but it certainly needs repetition is that any future government would need checks on its behaviour. I have the JVP-NPP-combo in mind of course, but it is true of even a RW or Sajith government though I expect they will just go on in the same old untrammelled way. The JVP-NPP-combo is an entirely new game in town, a type of government that we have never seen before and that novelty alone makes reassurances of good behaviour important in the public mind. The JVP will obviously provide the muscle in the external domain, it is capable of mobilising the millions and pulling the mass vote. The NPP must be the instrument that ensures correct behaviour, respect for democracy and adherence to the agreed programme and code of conduct. Spelling this out in the pronouncements and programmes of the two participants will go a long way to reassuring the public and more important in ensuring that things actually work like this in practice. These reassurances are important in winning over the voting public because, to repeat, a JVP-NPP government will be a 100% new ball game in Sri Lanka. Those who voted for Aragalaya and against Capitalism in the pictured survey are very likely to be NPP-JVP people.`

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  • 4
    3

    “Waiting For Godot” ……….. I’d rather go with even truer Sartre’s classic ……… “L’enfer, c’est les autres” —-> “Hell is other people”

    At the very basic level co-existence/cohabitation is unspeakable torture. ……. Natve Vedda always wakes up every morning happy and gay …….. until women make their appearance ……. then he loses his mojo ……. and his torture, eternal damnation begins ……… and starts dreaming of a world without women: his heaven.

    One would’ve thought the great lovers, Old Codger and Ramona would’ve made things pleasant for themselves: created their own heaven …….. but alas; not to be!

    It’s difficult for me to coexist with Native Vedda, with his double-standards, when it comes to Ranil ………. throw in Sinhala_Man with all his peccadilloes ……….. I’m left contemplating non-existence ……. to be or not to be …… wondering if ol’ Shakes put his words in poor Hamlet’s mouth ……


    The forum; a microcosm of Lanka ……… to me ………. is “No Exit.”

    • 5
      3

      continued

      The plot: “No Exit”

      Three damned souls, Sinhala_Man, Leelage Malli and (?) are brought to the same room in hell by a mysterious Valet (good ol’ Old Codger?) They had all expected medieval torture devices to punish them for eternity, but instead find a plain room furnished in Second Empire style. None of them will admit the reason for their damnation: Sinhala_Man says that he was executed for being incurious; not inquisitive enough about others, while Leelage Malli insists that a mistake has been made.

      (?) however, demands that they all stop lying to themselves and confess to their crimes. She/He refuses to believe that they all ended up in the room by accident and soon realizes that they have been placed together to make each other miserable: each other’s lives hell. Leelage Malli suggests that they try to leave each other alone, but (?) starts to sing about …………

      When/Where would the battle between Sinhala_Man and Leelage Malli ……. to prove to others ……… who is right/wrong will end?

      • 4
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        continued

        The confinement of the characters extends beyond their physical holding room: they are trapped by the judgments of their cellmates. That’s why one of the characters says, “Hell is other people” — because of how we are unable to escape the watchful gaze of everyone around us. “By their mere appearance of the Other,” says Sartre in Being and Nothingness, “I am put in the position of passing judgment on myself as on an object, for it is as an object that I appear to the Other.”

        Sartre offered a clarification about his much misunderstood phrase:
        “Hell is other people” has always been misunderstood. It has been thought that what I meant by that was that our relations with other people are always poisoned, that they are invariably hellish relations. But what I really mean is something totally different. I mean that if relations with someone else are twisted, vitiated, then that other person can only be hell. Why? Because … when we think about ourselves, when we try to know ourselves … we use the knowledge of us which other people already have. We judge ourselves with the means other people have and have given us for judging ourselves.

        “Hell is other people because you are, in some sense, forever trapped within them, subject to their apprehension of you.”

        • 4
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          NF
          I really enjoyed this.
          Thanks.

        • 1
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          nimal fernando

          “It has been thought that what I meant by that was that our relations with other people are always poisoned,……”

          This sound phillosophical/intellectual.
          Does it mean you are damned all the time, 24/7/52 basis?
          Does it mean you can just ignore China’s man in Sri Lanka?

      • 4
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        Nihal,
        “are brought to the same room in hell by a mysterious Valet (good ol’ Old Codger?) They had all expected medieval torture devices to punish them for eternity,”
        No, a very modern device for Sinhala Man. A computer which has the names and addresses of every denizen of CT, but with crucial letters missing, as in “..p…r. @yahoo.com”.Yes, that is my real e-mail. The poor dear must be pulling his hair out.

        • 5
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          “The economic programme must strike a balance between the ability of the state to maintain broad policy directions (this is a necessity in any successful developing country as the examples of China, Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore have shown”
          says Prof. KD. Add Taiwan to the list, and it becomes very interesting. None of these countries were paragons of conventional “democracy ” when they started on their Asian Tiger journey. People were locked up or worse for being unruly.
          But the very Lankans who want “socialism”, “development ” and support the Aragalaya, also want a 5 star democracy where they can block the streets for hours, invade random ministries with impunity, etc. Is this possible?

          • 1
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            old codger


            Now that IMF has agreed to lend $7 Billion to Sri Lanka do you any suggestion as to how best this is to be divided among crooks without being caught by lenders including IMF?

            Do we know IMF conditionality, the list of dos and don’ts. SJ needs it desperately so he can compare the list with descent Chinese one (virtually no condition )

            In case if Sri Lanka default again and again will Hindians continue to bail out this island? The two Demelas in the Hindian central government seem to have deep pockets.

            Why haven’t the usual super patriotic crooks protest against this loan especially when it is backed by Hindians? Perhaps nimal refused to support super patriotic crooks this time around.

            • 1
              1

              Native,
              There are many social media posts describing this as “just another loan” with interest, by economic illiterates.
              To make it simple, IMF loans carry very low or no interest. There is usually a grace period. The money is given in tranches, subject to quarterly reviews of progress. No chance for crooks.
              There will be pain, and lots of it. But most of the people who will suffer fully deserve it, since they voted for the Rajapaksas.
              The Hindians probably will continue support. Who wants a pimple on their backside?
              https://www.imf.org/en/About/Factsheets/IMF-Lending

              • 3
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                OC,
                Did you not observe how it was interpreted by Wimalavathi in the Parliament?

                These rotten people are so despicable.

                In a European Parliament, they would have ostracized him or the like, however, our existence is more pro-trash than anti.
                :
                Now 134 of those 225 are enjoying the glory that RW and his small team have achieved individually.

                In fact, people should not light firecrackers the way they should light firecrackers. They should iinstead eat punnaku or keep away from milk rice.

                That is the true nature of our people since the rise of Mahinda Rajapaksa and his ideology.
                It will remain a dark cloud over Sri Lanka, Rajakshas will not be imprisoned.

        • 5
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          Nihal ? Who is Nihal ?

          Sinhalese man – may be working for STASI like movements. He adds more colors to the Sinhalese nation.
          .
          No doubt even those closest to him do not believe him. I am not surprised by the social erosion in Sri Lanka.

          • 0
            5

            Dear Dan Silva,
            .
            I have said nothing about you that is not true.
            .
            On the other hand, what you say about me is so outrageous that nothing of that can possibly be true. Please be more careful about what you write, and then submit for publication.
            .
            There is a greater possibility of your working for remnants of the feared and hated STASI still active in Germany. You will probably get away with this sort of balderdash with 99.98% of Lankans.
            .
            I’m not suggesting that I’m anything special, but I know too many quite useless things for you to impress me with your esoteric European stuff. I know that you’re a harmless guy, whom it is best to ignore.
            .
            However, that is contingent upon your behaving yourself!
            .
            Panini Ediriwinhe of Bandarawela (NIC 483111444V)

      • 3
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        nimal fernando

        “.. however, demands that they all stop lying to themselves and confess to their crimes.”

        So that your great heroes Thiruvengadam Velupillai Prabaharan, Patabendi Don Jinadasa Nandasiri Wijeweera and Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa would have found their jobs easier than they actually were.

    • 3
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      nimal fernando

      “It’s difficult for me to coexist with Native Vedda, ….”

      Forget Native Vedda for a few minutes.

      Today The Island news paper published two articles, one on Dutta “81st Birth Anniversary of Gamini Dissanayake A tribute to a great leader” and the other one is Remembering Lester about Lester James Peries, the Sri Lankan film director.

      Unfortunately it is ironic that Lester James Peries is forced to share a page with Dutta.

      • 3
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        Native,

        “Lester James Peries”

        Well, what do you know! ….. Long time ago my father and some of his friends produced a film of Lester James Peries. He was the director; they financed it. Didn’t make any money, just broke even. I don’t know how it came about, my father wasn’t a film buff or anything ….. I think some friends dragged him in and he just went along for the ride.

        I was a kid and was in a crowd scene but it wasn’t used in the film. Missed my chance at stardom!

        What I noticed ….. in the film, there were some (in real-life) better looking ladies/gals that didn’t appear as nice as the famous ones on the big screen. I got to see some famous ones close-up. There was long eye-contact with some young lassies in hotel functions and the premiere ……. dunno about them, it was pure lust on my part.

        Pity I didn’t know Old Codger back then …… would’ve introduced him to some ……. he would’ve ended up as Brad Pitt of Lankan cinema!

        I can just picture him prancing around on the big-screen …… with his sculptured chiselled chest!!

        • 3
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          nimal fernando

          “Well, what do you know! “

          I know very little about him except the fact that he was a genius like Satyajit Ray. I was forced to watch Gamperaliya, which I did not understand, until some years ago. I also watched a Village in the Jungle (based on the novel by Leonard Woolf) which I couldn’t appreciate then (very young, immature and very stupid just like now), also the quality of the video tape was terrible.

          However unlike you (the macho man, Casanova, .. male chauvinist, .. ) I appreciated Sumitra Peries. I loved her Gehenu Lamai.

          Okay, lets see how our country men are celebrating the news of IMF loan. Do you think it is Ranil’s men who are happy with approval of IMF loan facilities or is it Rajapaksa’s cronies who are still holding most of the ministerial positions?

          By the way Namal Baby told the media he would not accept any ministerial portfolio if offered by Ranil. Do you know any move by Ranil to crown Namal baby?

          • 2
            0

            Native,

            What is there to celebrate?

            “Even before the economic crisis made international headlines, Sri Lanka was a global outlier in the amount it spent to service its debt. In 2020, before the most recent crisis, an incredible 71.4 percent of government revenue was spent simply on paying interest versus a global average of 6 percent and a regional average of 21.1 percent.

            Interest payments are the single largest category of government expenditure, and a lot of fresh government borrowing was used simply to pay the interest on Sri Lanka’s previous loans.

            Servicing this debt has reduced the government’s ability to spend on sectors like health, education and social protection, which directly impact people’s welfare. A survey this month found that half of the families in Sri Lanka are forced to reduce the amount they feed their children.” ………. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/3/9/the-g20-could-help-fix-sri-lankas-debt-crisis-will-it-step

    • 0
      4

      nimal,
      .
      I’m not sure which way the threads you’ve set going are meant to lead. I know Sartre’s play, Huis clos (No exit) well. In fact, at Peradeniya we had thought of staging it for a competition. We gave up after realising that the play would have called for great intensity from the cast of only three.
      .
      However, I don’t want to go into play acting. There are very real issues that have got to be gone in to.

      • 2
        0

        “I don’t want to go into play acting.”

        SM,

        Looks like you have studied English in Sinhala ……… did they ever introduce you to someone called Shakespeare? ……….. All the world’s a stage …….. And all the men and women merely players


        So, you’re getting off the stage, eh?



        Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
        That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
        And then is heard no more. It is a tale
        Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
        Signifying nothing.

        Is that tattooed on ye forehead?

  • 9
    2

    Absurd.
    The word sums up irrationality.
    Kumar David, Sir, You should not be ridiculing anything and everything that you are not in favour of.
    What is absurd about Aragalaya.
    Both Thamil Eelam and Aragalaya are struggles for liberation of the average man. There is nothing irrational about them.

    • 5
      3

      N
      Be fair.
      Kumar David did not ridicule anything on his list. He only said that “Waiting for Godot” could be used to have a laugh at anything of your choice.
      *
      To make exceptions will be undemocratic, even dictatorial.
      Both Tamil Eelam and Aragalaya were said to be struggles for liberation. Ask yourself what they really achieved. Was it not worse than mere failure?
      Tamil Eelam is a dead horse and cannot be whipped back to life.
      Aragalaya has potential to be reincarnated in a truly revolutionary form.
      *
      Good humor can whip up creative thinking.

    • 2
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      “WHAT IS ABSURD ABOUT ARAGALAYA?”

      Agree with KD, he is right saying that.

      Senior citizens said that such protests have never been seen in the history of Sri Lanka. It later became an arena for free thinkers as well as hooligans and parasitic student unions.had it been properly organised, things woudl have turned out to put RAJAPAKSHES forever in jails.

      The struggle to save the nation from the Rajapakse regime began with the good thoughts and minds of the wealthy classes in Colombo. Remember?
      .
      But many of others later wanted to give birth certificates to it.

      Don’t you know how JVP crying babies and front dogs tried their best to turn it to another 89-92 era ? BLood suckers filled this society would not stop it easily.
      .
      And SJB too did that to some extent… remember? Premadasa was not a good leader in 89. That is also clear to the nation yet today.

      Be it so. But through the struggle, some unprecedented victories have been achieved. We kicked out Mahinda and Gotabhaya and also kicked out Nisshanka Senadhipati…. Isn’t that right?

      If Nisshankan Senadhipati (made billions through COVID crisis) is clean, why did he leave the country?

  • 14
    1

    The most manifest form of an Aragalaya is now the march of the NPP. All decent people must attempt to understand their speeches, value them as distinct from the garbage that flows from the two major camps of parasitic opportunists and ensure a fundamental change in the status quo that will benefit future generations to come. The sooner peoiple wise up and back the NPP the better for this blighted land.

    • 4
      1

      Dear Lasantha Pethiyagoda,
      I have read on CT several calls from many others to support NPP.
      I ignored them all. But, I am unable to ignore yours, – because I respect your opinions.
      Here is my question.
      Who are NPP? What is their relationship with JVP. Do both JVP and NPP have the same goals?
      If not, where do they differ and why?
      If yes, why use different party names?
      (For me, something sinister behind the scenes is brewing!)

      • 5
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        Nathan,
        .
        Thanks and I agree with all of your questions added above.

        They are all playing political games. But today the JVP people are pointing fingers at Ranil but we know that they yet protect Rajapaksa, even if we know real high criminals are murderous Rajapaksa.. If we teh vicitimized people from 89 riots are to see forward, JVPrs should come with close compromises. We should all get together to stand against RAJAPKSHES and their supporters. That should be the beginning of a real end to mlechcha politics.
        :
        They speak highly of their purity, but I have a thousand and one questions, most of them do not give a damn to come with constructive answers. Sinhala man who is the THEIR CT spokesperson does not have knowledge to answer them either.

        • 3
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          leelagemalli

          I, too, have a thousand & one questions but my first simple question is why carry the JVP tag if the NPP is so much respected & consisting of intellectuals with integrity? Maybe the NPP/JVP share common ground in eradicating corruption, if so, why not start disclosing the wealth of the key members (& their immediate families) in the alliance as starters?
          It was not long ago we voted in GR to shake up lethargic govt. institutions but we seem to be still taken in by impressive public speaking & assumptions. Reminds me of old BeeGee’s song – ‘its only words & words are all I have to take your heart away’

          • 0
            0

            Dear Raj-UK,
            .
            I’ll be making an effort to answer your thousand & one questions, because I feel that you are genuine in wanting those answers. I’m not privy to the thoughts of those who formulate NPP policy, so what I say may be neither definitive nor conclusive. However, I shall continue to assert only what I know to be true.
            .
            LM was my good friend for quite some time, but I will make no effort to answer his questions, since he is not seeking for truth. He starts off with repugnance for the JVP and will never be satisfied with any response which doesn’t confirm his antipathies. When the 1001 questions have been satisfactorily dealt with, he will pose 10,001 more questions.
            .
            It’s worth answering you because you genuinely seek accurate information. You also make allowance for your not experiencing life here at first hand.
            .
            For now let me complete my account of what happened on February 21st, despite the sneer below from fuzzywuzz

        • 2
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          LM,
          “They speak highly of their purity, but I have a thousand and one questions,”
          One question is why all the present and former JVP MP’s used their duty-free permits, but swear to abolish the system when they come to power.

          • 2
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            OC,
            that is why I am telling these are just political games. Believe or not JVPrs are not new to srilanken voters.
            .
            CT’s Satyaguru aka Bandarawela Man (AKD spokesperson) will answer our riddle. He is being tamed by JVP murders today and very loyal to them.

            POST TURTLE is more suitable term for our Sinhala_Manushya.

            He himself put him above for no good reason. His misleading by JVP alone is worrying me.
            SM often talks about IQ levels of others, but today is not the time for him to prove his ?
            .
            He has no understanding of JVP’s murderous ideology – reminds me of their assassination tactic in 1989 and attacks me and everyone.

        • 1
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          Dear LM: Your “Call”: “We should all get together to stand against RAJAPAKSHES and their SUPPORTERS (my emphasis)”.

          I would like to add to “Supporters” and the “SAVIORS”.

          Ranil Wickramasinghe is in the category of “SAVIORS” and the “PROXY LEADER” of “Rajapakase Nade” – NPP aka “POHOTTUWA” – that “134” who placed him as the President.

          What is your opinion?

      • 2
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        Nathan

        My thoughts exactly

    • 6
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      I agree absolutely, Lasantha.
      .
      1/Many
      .
      AKD yesterday. 31 minutes

      .
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9fixCGAVWA
      .
      අධිකරණය උත්තරීතර යැයි පාලකයින් හැදූ මායාව | Anura Dissanayake | NPP Homagama Rally | 2023.03.19
      .
      Amazing guy; despite all the obstacles that Ranil places he keeps stomping round the country. And, he talks sense.
      .
      Not many will have the time to listen to him daily. I used to do it, but although the stump speech has something new every day, the last seven minutes each day for his observations on the most recent developments suffices. His message yesterday: there will still be twists and turns.
      .
      The other “problem’ is that he speaks only in Sinhala. No real solution. We can’t all meet him personally. I was fortunate on 21/02/2023. Let me give you a full account; we’re now in a state of limbo.

      He addressed the “Business Community” in Kanmark Hotel, Bandarawela. As he arrived, he sat for five minutes in the chair in front of me before ascending the stage:
      .
      http://hikersbay.com/asia/srilanka/hotel/lk/kanmark.html?lang=en
      .
      A huge new hotel, away from the road, but not a great holiday location. No scenic views. The NPP had hired it for the meeting.

    • 5
      4

      2/Many
      .
      Anura surveyed the audience
      and nothing could be more natural than for him to chat with me, the closest guy. I told him that I venerated him, and that I never tired of listening to his speeches. Always in Sinhala, I said, but it was good that he did not venture into English, because it would be “kaputu, kak, kak.” He smiled agreement, understanding the reference to Basil Rajapaksa’s clumsy effort to talk about crows.
      .
      I then told him how I had heard their Defence Secretary Designate (Retired Major-General Aruna Jayasekera) state how he had discovered that the wash-rooms in the JVP Headquarters are cleaned on a roster basis by all members. I told Anura that he, too, normally would have a designated day, although that was possibly on hold then because of all these public meetings.
      .
      Anura smiled at that, too. Please see the video below (Btw, it’s taken me hours to locate it):
      .
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uujFpMJYMGA – video of 2 hours 39” Please see at exactly 40 minutes, perhaps start a minute earlier.

      • 2
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        sinhalaman,
        The way u write. people might think the sun n moon rise and set in Bandarawela, next to your head.

    • 4
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      3/Many

      .
      On that video: for ten minutes he describes the torments suffered by people in the North; find around 2 hours 00 minutes. It is precisely when addressing military audiences that other politicians rouse racist feelings. When I talk about unmistakable body language, cynics say that AKD is a good actor. No. We must trust the observations that our senses bring us.
      .
      Next : DELIMITATION
      .
      Kanmark Hotel where we were, is on the Bandarawela to Badulla Road. The Ella – Wellawaya road off the Badulla Road, after 4 miles. Bandarawela has been clumsily built among mountains, owing to the Railway Station completed in 1893. Bandarawela cannot spread out like Balangoda town can.
      .
      The main roads from the Bandarawela City Centre lead to 1. Colombo. After following the Railway line for a mile, it divides. One branch is the direct road to Colombo, via Haputale; the other to Diyatalawa
      .
      2. The road past the railway station climbs the towering Poonagala range, then falls steeply to Koslanda (of Diyaluma Falls fame)
      .
      3. The Welimada Road, leading to Nuwara-Eliya and Kandy.
      4. The Ettampitiya Road branches off the Welimada Road, 400 yards out of the town.

    • 4
      3

      4/Many
      .
      There is a serious problem
      relating to the delimitation of Wards in Bandarawela and Haputale. I suggest that you study this topographical and road map
      https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bandarawela/@6.8357516,80.9761286,11504m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x3ae470011c243a85:0xd94f7b8a6c4e9867!8m2!3d6.825878!4d80.9981576!16s%2Fm%2F047q1jr
      .
      Bandarawela was elevated to the level of a Municipal Council about twelve years ago, so we now have a mayor. These Ward Maps are clear, and, since they are PDF, they can be enlarged.
      .
      https://www.mpclg.gov.lk/web/images/wardmaps/badulla/02_Badulla_BandarawelaMC.pdf
      That is the ward map of the Bandarawela Municipal Council. You will observe that it is in two quite separate sections, with the Haputale Pradeshiya Sabha cutting straight through it. The Kahaththewla Ward.
      .
      https://www.mpclg.gov.lk/web/images/wardmaps/badulla/17_Badulla_HaputhalePS.pdf
      .
      The reason, I told Anura, was because W.J.M Loku Bandara wanted some Sinhalese votes in the Haputale Pradeshiya Sabha. If not a Tamil would have been elected to Parliament fro the Haputale Electorate. And if that isn’t racism, I don’t know what is.
      .
      Further, I said, the Office of the Bandarawela Sabha is situated in the Haputale Pradeshiya Sabha. This is that Office.
      .

      https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bandarawela+Pradeshiya+Sabha/@6.8435021,80.9849827,3a,75y,194.93h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_lvmLtzbbkghYaSi4M9Mqw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D_lvmLtzbbkghYaSi4M9Mqw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D194.92596%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192!4m8!3m7!1s0x3ae47aacf0357bc3:0x88bc6d2baceeaffa!8m2!3d6.8433669!4d80.9849509!14m1!1BCgIgAQ!16s%2Fg%2F11c1q4sg0r
      .
      And this the Ward map for the Bandarawela Pradeshiya Sabha (Village Council, to make it comprehensible.)
      .
      https://www.mpclg.gov.lk/web/images/wardmaps/badulla/15_Badulla_BandarawelaPS.pdf

    • 6
      0

      LP,
      Any decent Sri Lankan expat would agree with you if our country had more decent and informed voters than the opposite side.

      Needless to say, we have more culprit minded people than the opposite. We have myths-controlled voters than the opposite.

      The saddest reality is that the people are not intelligent, despite how “our people are intelligent” rogue politicians call them: if one tries to guide them, they will turn against you on the spot. That is why I repeated what was imperative immmediately after so called ” war victory” was to invest more in ” rebuilding the society ” than ” any other physical development projects.
      .
      tbc

  • 5
    3

    “…because Sri Lanka is one of few surviving post-colonial democracies the West has a propaganda and ideological interest in preserving some form of democracy in this country.”
    Are we sure?
    Is it not a parody of democracy like many others in Asia?
    The West does not care two hoots as long as it has its pound of flesh.
    In Ranil there is the advantage of a pro-West, pro-India policy that only avoids antagonising China. Even if he ruled by martial law, they will back him, but of course with some ritual scolding.

    • 2
      0

      “The West does not care two hoots as long as it has its pound of flesh.”

      So is the East.
      CT cannot help you to unlearn what you have selectively learned and selectively remember.

      • 1
        0

        Native
        ____ has only one foreign policy. It is a pro______ policy.
        _____ is not into altruism, except in its own advantage.

        You may fill in the blanks, with the name of any country except Sri Lanka.

      • 1
        1

        “CT cannot help you to unlearn what you have selectively learned and selectively remember.”
        Most applicable to the glass bowl gazer.

  • 1
    0

    The Aragalaya moment is lost. The fickle middle middle class has backed away. Only the young are left. It is not enough to bring any change. NPP and JVP will not draw in the Tamils or the Muslims. They do not have policies on the ethnic or the religious questions. They are scared to speak on them for the fear of losing their Sinhala base. It will not take them far. Ranil is seen by the middle class as solving the petrol crisis and electricity. They believe that he will put the economy in order. The US and India will see that this is done. It will keep China away. So, the sad fact is that we are back to the same old story, the same old crooks. Much as we admire Anura Kumara he will not have his day for a long time to come. Sri Lanka is not made up that way that it would recognise a good leader if he does not come from the right class.

  • 2
    1

    The author has not paid much attention to growing economic power centres like BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. There is more to come in South America and Africa.

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