28 March, 2024

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Was Dayasiri’s Crossover Planned 3-4 Years Ago?

By Malinda Seneviratne –

Malinda Seneviratne

A conversation took place between a singer, a lyricist and a journalist, in Kaduwela. This was 3-4 years ago.  The topic was the charisma and charm of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.  The singer, Kithsiri Jayasekera, brother of the in-the-news Dayasiri Jayasekera told a story.  He had no reason to lie.  Chaaminda Ratnasuriya was witness.  This writer remembers.  Kithsiri spoke in Sinhala.  Here’s a translation.  

‘Lokka (that’s the President), called Malli (younger brother).  He told Malli that he knows that Malli wanted to work. He pointed out that he could not do anything for the people while in the UNP.  He asked Malli to join him and do some real work.  He told Malli to think about it.

‘A few weeks later he had called again. This time he had told him that he (the President) had thought about it again and decided it was not a good idea.  This is what he said: “I thought about it.  You should remain in the party.  You have a future in the UNP.  The opposition needs people like you.  And anyway, despite all the insults I’ve had to suffer, I didn’t leave my party. I think you should remain in the UNP”.

‘Malli was astounded.  Now he doesn’t know what to make of it.  He was totally confused.’

The confusion probably was temporary. After all we have heard Dayasiri deliver scathing attacks on the Government from time to time since then.   The two telephone calls, looking back, might have achieved something which helped Dayasiri ditch the UNP.  It opened a door.  The President may have had a ‘long term plan’, but even if he didn’t, anyone with even an iota of understanding about party politics in Sri Lanka would realize that Dayasiri was bound to fall out of favor with Ranil, sooner or later.  He might suffer insult after insult, but there would come a breaking point.  In the event, it may have been precipitated the dismissive and ungracious treatment meted out to Dayasiri by Sajith Premadasa.  Bottom line: it was bound to happen.

And when breaking point arrives, relative merits are weighed. There is ‘This leader’ and ‘That leader’; the one who treated Dayasiri like trash and the one that opened a door.  Justifying defection to self, from that point on, is easy.  And that’s the hard part!  But once a decision is justified to self, it’s child’s play to justify it to the voter.

The focus is on Dayasiri and his defection, but if the theatrics are to be understood maybe there’s a significant clue to be found in those two telephone conversations.  It may all seem a lottery. Some might call it luck.  It may not be wise to be hasty in conclusion!

*Malinda Seneviratne is the Chief Editor of ‘The Nation’ and his articles can be found at www.malindawords.blogspot.com

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Latest comments

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    Malinda, why did you take three or four years write this article. As a journo isn’t it your duty to tell the public what’s happening around. We knew that Dayasiri wasn’t a genuine or a strong guy. He is wayward. Dayasiri was a parasite in the UNP for the past few years and an agent, wasn’t he? MR knew that Wayamba is going to be difficult so bought this chap just before the elections like he did with Grero sometime back. UNP needs a cleansing. Ranil cannot wait till things happen. Ranil must change and make things happen.
    MR isn’t a leader but a good gambler. Sri Lanka needs a leader now not a bookie.

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      Senerath:
      Yours is an interesting though slightly naive interpretation of events: your expectation of anything resembling ethics from a journalistic parasite like Malinda Seneviratne, is a totally false one! Dayasiri Jayasekera was a low life from the very beginning and Ranil Wickremesinghe’s biggest error was allowing him within a thousand miles of the UNP/

    • 0
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      Some people today comment with using their intellect.. it is as though their fingers are not connected to the thinking cap on top…

      if the Journo had reported this earlier he would be scoffed at since Daya was still in the party and no one would believe the journalist

  • 0
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    Dayasiri’s defection had been planned not four years ago but long before that when the 17 fellows left the UNP led by Karu. Basil and MR are master maipulators. The plan which is now coming to fruition is to dismantle all checks to their fascist path. They managed to make the police, the judiciary, Auditor-Genral all subservient to them. They brought in the 18th Amendment to complete all that.Only hitch is the presence of the UNP, which has the potential of spoling them at some point in the future. So they kept pulling out UNPers step by step and in stages. Those who crossed over were all asked to slay Ranil. This pattern they all followed.

    • 0
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      Thilak Dissanayake:
      You are correct except that you give the criminals credit for more intelligence than they possess! That lack of any real education is going to be their undoing because they can’t tell the difference between simple criminality and strategy.

  • 0
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    I don’t understand what kind of journalistic opinion Malinda addresses here! Is it just leaking some telephone conversation between two can be categorized as journalistic revelation? I do not understand what principle based ethical take Malinda pass to audience here more than revealing a piece of discussions.

    Lets understand the reality of Sri lanka today.No single political party in Sri Lanka have a way forward to solve the national questions of our country in terms of economic stability and growth, full employment, education and higher education for all citizens and protecting freedom and ensuring the security.

    No religious bodies in Sri lanka have any project to ensure co-existence within pluralistic atmosphere.

    In the same manner no media have national vision to empower the citizens and institutions by demanding more responsibility, contribution and accountability to solve the national questions of the country. We need media that demand reform, contribution and accountability within governments and political parties and politicians to make the country much better place for its citizens.

    Ultimately we gave chance for corrupt political systems, racist religious projects, and explosive activism to appear in front of us.

  • 0
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    what a load of rubbish from this Rajapakshaa bootlicker again.
    All this was revolved around 250Million Rupees and that was the asking price from Dayasiri and I m sure he can happily live hereafter.

    Money can do anything in this RajaFukisTan including your sole.

    the question is this 250M was paid from selling the ancestral land of Medamulana or the water buffalos? my guess of from some of the kickoffs got from the ‘Development’ work for the poor masses.

    good luck Daya-Sorry !!!!

    • 0
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      The delay in moving DJ out of the UNP was until the liquidity issue of
      MR was ready – a read here should indicate:
      [Edited out]

      Please don’t post gossip links – CT

  • 0
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    So Malinda had come to justify this defecation. looks nobody have any iota of shame in Sri Lanka.

    MR had started reached new height on this new culture of defections. (defecations in Puswedilla terminolgy. -:)). They can be jubilant that they have power, money, and thuggary to get opposition defecated to UPFA.

    But karma will one day come back to haunt them. What it needs is just 10% voter swing in a presidential election from UPFA to UNP. Once this tipping point is reached, the whole lot of unsatisfied SLFPers, defected UNPers will do a summersault to UNP.

    MR loosing a presidential election very unlikely, but never challenge karma.

  • 0
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    Mahinda Rajapakse can never be and never was a statesman. He doesn’t know the difference between leading the country as a statesman and behaving as a politician. All his actions thus far are proof of this point. He and his brother Basil are Machiavellian manipulators, as Tilak has stated. Imagine the President of a country behaving like this! He should stand above the fray of dirty manipulation to give and implement policies for the country. He cannot do that not only because he has a small mind but because he has no time or priority for policy formulation which is the most important thing in governance.How ridiculously poor he looks receiving the renegade,Dayasiri, from the UNP. What an example he sets to society?
    What is the party of the gentleman, Oxford alumni SWRD, doing about all this? The SLFP is being destroyed never to rise again.

  • 0
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    Put it this way pal.

    What was he doing in the UNP in the first place?.

    UNP used to be the party of the thoroughbred Elitists, although our Keselwatta Senior tried to steer it in to the common man territory and sucked in a few new money.

    Did it succeed?.

    Does the UNP articulate and express the passion and the vision of the great majority of the inhabitant population to go forward as a prosperous, united nation of Srilankans after a thiry year hiatus.

    Does the UNP mission statement provide any clues to this effect?.

    Do the current Leader and his closest allies have anything on record to indicate that they have the talent, the guts,and the interest to defend and protect the independence of the Nation ?.

  • 0
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    “In the event, it may have been precipitated the dismissive and ungracious treatment meted out to Dayasiri by Sajith Premadasa.”

    Er…what gives?

    ” to Dayasiri BY Sajith Premadasa” or “to Dayasiri AND Sajith Premadasa?”

    In his farewell speech in (and to) Parliament which we all saw on various TV channels, Dayasiri sounded quite warmly comradely and respectful in his references to Sajith Premadasa…

    In fact if ever the latter takes over the UNP, I expect Dayasiri to be back.

    • 0
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      Discarded Lilliputians, burning midnight oil to hatch RW’s ouster not only for Dayasiris to return, but for them to return as well. What wishful thinking these have?

  • 0
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    Hi Dayan Jayatilleka. You seem to be a moving target. In today’s (Sunday)Island you commend both Dayasiri and Mara for what you describe as a ‘smart move’ on their part.
    What a disgrace that a guy like you give praise for a balu move by the head of state. Like your younger competitor Malinda your strategy is to come to the support of Mara in a circuitous way. You don’t have that amount of selfless honesty to speak the truth. Mailnda and you are great company.
    You also know you cannot fool Ranil because he is damn smart. So you fearlessly attack the UNP as follows. Quote:
    “Let alone winning back the patriotic provincial and peasant voters, if the UNP cannot retain media-friendly, educated, urbanised, bilingual young professionals like Dayasiri, Shiral Laktilleke and Maithri Gooneratne, that party may become irrelevant and face electoral extinction.” Unquote.
    You defend Shiral and Gooneratne. Do you know that the latter went round openly slamming their leader making crude and false sexual allegations? Gooneratne said Ranil came to abuse him when we all know that nobody on earth will feel attracted by that fellow. You expect Ranil to go on his knees and plead Gooneratne and Siral to come back? It is the same with Karu and Sajith. Sajith used to attend UNP meetings and speak after the leader left attacking the latter. Do You expect Ranil to go behind Sajith?
    These are all preplannerd by Basil and Mara.
    Whatever may be Ranil’s faults he is a straight man- a gentleman. I admire the way he sat in Parliaemant without saying one word while Dayasiri made his betrayal speech. Ranil’s silence gave the best reply. Why don’t you write about all these. Why talk of the smartness of a villaious and treacherous act?

    • 0
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      Ranil a gentleman ? My foot . He’s the most nepotist ( giving preference to sexuality ) ,cowardly opposition leader ever in the history of SL . Look at the corruption took place under his watch by people like Moragoda . How Sathosa was destroyed , etc. This Ranil the clown should be booted out from SL politics . A Cinnamon Garden clique who hates “commoners” cannot decide fate of party like UNP

      • 1
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        ‘A Cinnamon Garden clique who hates “commoners” cannot decide fate of party like UNP’

        From the contents of the comment one can easily judge from where they spring, obviously the gutter, to hate RW’s pedigree, more than anything else, to despise him so much. Even nature does not favour buggers like this. RW’s concern for the ordinary in this country has been more genuine compared to the pretenses of the ones who came from the downtrodden, the ilk of the JVP and the Socialist SLFP who have robbed State coffers to live the lives of RW, or more ultra rich than him today, than doing for the masses to uplift their standards. A glance at the present Politicians will reveal, they were nobodies before they took to Politics, but today they are more wealthy than RW. Bloody HUMBUGS!

  • 1
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    Palayan Cleevo yanna. There are many who like to wash the toilet for Mara, Bara, Gora, Nara and Chara. These rogue politicos cannot get any close to Ranil who is a real Mahattaya. Before long people will plead Ranil to take over from this muck-ridden rotten rats.

    • 0
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      Albert uncle from London :) you probably don’t care about UNP bled white corpse like under this ineffectual leader . Or you believe Brown Sahibs should rule over it come what may . But we care about democracy of this country made to suffer under the present regime . And a strong UNP is a must to mount a credible challenge to this regime . Your leader is not providing that and I am sure majority of ppl would agree with me save a few old fogies like you

  • 0
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    Gamini , your comment shows the elitist mentality of Brahmins as Martin Wickremasinghe correctly put it back in ’56 . So if you wish to hang up with this leader despite all opposition to him from the common man as a leader divorced from reality , I am happy to note old fogies like you are last remnants of a useless breed

    • 1
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      The Elite of a society are the cultured, educated, well bred honest segment of a society. This segment expands with the growth of a society. Under the Feudal system it was the Aristocracy. Then under the British it expanded more with the products of the best from the CMS schools. It further expanded with products from the Central Colleges as the Iriyagolles, Malalasekaras, Kularatnes et al. This class of elite has always been the envy of the ordinary as this Cleever type. Unfortunately today we have a so called Elite some of whom, who have climbed the social ladder through Politics resorting to all the villainy believing they are also the Elite. Good many of these have taken residence in Colombo 07, which was the seat of the Elite then, but not anymore as the majority who live in Colombo 7 today are Mudalalis into various businesses as Drugs and Nefarious activities. I am afraid Elite has everything to do with breeding and not something that one can purchase as educational degrees. Pedigree is something you are born in to and Cleever with your mind set it looks as if you are out of it. No wonder you hate it as you will never have it in this life of yours. A society governed by the proper elite will always be a reasonable society, but a society governed by the Scum of that society who pose off as the elite as ours will always be rife with criminality and violence.

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