28 March, 2024

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Where Ever In This “Miracle Land”, Democrats Should Demand Removal Of NP Governor

By Kusal Perera –

Kusal Perera

The present Governor of Northern Province, Major General (Rtd.) G.A. Chandrasiri, a battle hardened high officer in the State security service was opposed in his capacity as Governor, not for his conduct, but because the high office of Governor should be held by a civilian, for civil administration to function as civil as it has to be. That opposition was on a principle democratic assumption and it applied to the Eastern Province Governor, Rear Admiral (Rtd.) Mohan Wijewickrama as well and to all other security forces personnel, retired or not, who hold public office that should be held by civilians. This was part of the issue, a component of militarisation, the Final Report of the LLRC also showed much concern about and concluded this should be reversed and reversed rapidly.

EP Governor proved his command is rule of law, with even the ruling party Provincial Councillors and PC ministers wanting him removed. He has made the elected Council by the people almost defunct, from what the protesting people’s representative complained to the President. That was not adequately solved as media reports later indicated, quoting the complainants who met with President Rajapaksa in Kandy. The bottom line is, retired or not, security forces high command personnel are not the type who could sit on civilian seats.

Now, NP Governor Chandrasiri has proved himself wholly unqualified to hold such high position, irrespective of whether he is in uniform or not. The CaFFE in a statement said a Governor appointed by the President under the Constitution has the role and responsibility detailed in article 154 (b) of the Sri Lankan Constitution, must carry out duties assigned accordingly which are executive in nature and Governor Chandrasiri should choose between politics and the Governor’s post. Reacting to this CaFFE inference which in every way was right and spot on, Governor Chandrasiri in a very angry and arrogant tone had told the media in Jaffna, “I am not bothered even if my propaganda work has been referred to the Human Rights Commission. There is no law to stop me from travelling around the Northern Province, for which I am the Governor. I have the political right as I am representing the President,” He does not know that he is not there to represent the “political party” of Mahinda Rajapaksa that is contesting elections. He does not understand that he had been appointed by the President to represent executive power. These are distinctly two different aspects contradicting each other.

His arrogance based on ignorance comes out quite conspicuously when he says, “People are stupid to listen to what the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which is contesting in the North, is saying. I have the power and I can go anywhere with anybody. I travel with the President and his brother, Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa, on various occasions, who are toiling to develop the North. I have to be there when they are present in the North.” Again, he can travel anywhere with them, when they come in their capacities as President or Minister. Now they come as political party leaders to canvass votes for their candidates and it is more than stupid to say, “I have the power and I can go anywhere with anybody.” He simply can not. That is the legal and moral responsibility, that is the restriction, that is also the decency in holding such high profile public office with clear Constitutional bindings.

According to the Constitution, the Governor is the authority under whom the entire provincial public service is constitutionally placed. Why it is not placed under the Chief Minister, explains that the provincial administration has to be independent of politics. Also, the Governor has to work with the Board of Ministers, who are elected representatives of the people of the province. Therefore, the person who holds the office of Provincial Governor has to be above politics, so as to comply with any Chief Minister and the Board of Ministers, what ever political party or affiliations they may have.

Governor Chandrasiri has already made it clear, he is anti TNA. He says publicly, the people are stupid to listen to the TNA. He thus gets on political platforms of the ruling UPFA candidates and proves he is a UPFA “politician”. Obviously he will not be co-operating with any provincial council that would not be UPFA led. This very clearly disqualifies him to hold the office of a Governor.

The South, all democrats and independent, impartial citizens, should now understand that this type of arrogant and “I am not bothered” type security force personnel retired or not, but trained only to follow orders and brought in with politics, should not be allowed to hold public office that requires a rational mind. It is in the North, where democracy is being mutilated this way as at now. Be informed, it may not necessarily stop beyond Omanthai. There is no guarantee it would. Therefore the Sinhala constituency too has to stand for the right of decency, for Constitutional dignity and rule of law in every part of this land. It is their responsibility too, to demand that NP Governor is removed immediately for violating the very Constitution that provided for his appointment and extend that demand to have a totally civil administration with civil appointments every where.

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    He does not know that he is not there to represent the “political party” of Mahinda Rajapaksa that is contesting elections. He does not understand that he had been appointed by the President to represent executive power. These are distinctly two different aspects contradicting each other.

    Stupid Statements by KUSAL PERERA.

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      No Kusal Perera’s statements are not stupid. Lt. Gen. Chandrasiri is a renowned jackass with a prominent trait of arrogance..ask any army officer above the rank of Captain and they will tell you this. Chandrasiri should have been a politician at Pradeshiya Saba level..this is where is quality belongs!

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        Sunil

        “Chandrasiri should have been a politician at Pradeshiya Saba level..this is where is quality belongs!”

        Is it true that Pradeshiya Saba have been turned into shooting range?

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    The South, all democrats and independent, impartial citizens, should now understand that this type of arrogant and “I am not bothered” type security force personnel retired or not, but trained only to follow orders and brought in with politics, should not be allowed to hold public office that requires a rational mind.

    KUSAL PERERA:

    Why with the same argument, you don’t consider that TNA is threatening Sri Lankan Sovereignty and the home Security ?

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      If you believe TNA is threatening home security you are smoking something illegal, of course for which you will not be arrested due to your employment with the Goat. Stop blowing smoke. You men are ruining our country, live and let live. Get over your insecurity!

    • 0
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      They should understand they are there to represent people and to serve people,
      not to lick asses of so called elected President [ bribing LTTE] , his clan, goons of politikkas and white van goons.
      and to give a Bad reputation to the S L ARMED FORCES.

      Unfortunately all those trained to follow orders, not to serve,
      like
      “GO AND GET THAT BONE,
      Slowly keep it here, wait till I suck the bone”.

      like that type.

  • 0
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    So, you should be one of those DEMOCRATIC JOURNALISTS who left Sri Lanka ?

  • 0
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    Kusal needs to be congratulated for making an attempt to expect everyone to uphold the law, ethics and decency. But who is on the other side? There was a time when high officials of the army were cultured, educated gentlemen – capable of analysing right from wrong.
    What we have now in the upper echelons of the forces are semi-educated brutes whose philosophy in life
    and in their profession is to blindly follow the dictates of their political bosses. The judgement of the Nuremberg trials or the
    Warsaw Convention and other directives – governing the conduct of military officers vis-à-vis their interaction with civilians – is unknown to most of these “officers” Governor Chandrasiri should have the basic intelligence to decide for himself what functions and where he should go and where not. What more the Defence Secretary himself addresses political meetings promoting the candidature of established
    drug-traffickers and gangster.

    I stood at the waiting hall of the BIA years ago and was talking to a friend of mine and the family for many years – a Supreme Court judge waiting to receive members of the family returning home. A well known Customs official, who was later sentenced to jail for bribery and now deceased, spotted us and came rushing inviting the SC judge to come inside the Customs area to receive his visitor. The Judge politely declined – and continued his talk with me. He said nothing more until his visitor came out. Those were the days when we had educated, learned and decent men and women gracing our civil society and governance. They knew the difference between their private and official persona.

    But today, to use common parlance, it is the age of the “pandankaraya” – which is why Chandrasiri virtually says “I don’t care for the law or conventions – I am the President’s man and that is law enough to see me through”

    Thank you, Kusal, for the effort. Our society is far too contaminated by pettiness and crass lawlessness to be easily restored. It is shared suffering for all communities until divinity (I am old fashioned) decides to step in. Nothing else can save us from what is in store.

    Senguttuvan

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      Your story as per the SC judge is in stark contrast to something that happened not two years ago at the Katunayake airport. Awaiting to go through immigration in one of the many queues, the immigration officer left his desk without a by-your-leave for about 10 minutes, and came back accompanied by about 10 Tamils who had arrived from Canada. He took them through immigration while the others, both Sri Lankan and foreign waited patiently, before returning to attend to them. There were many a comment from the people who had been slighted by this individual, none complementary.
      Till this kind of behaviour is completely eliminated from our society, Sri Lanka will remain a third world country.

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        ram

        “the immigration officer left his desk without a by-your-leave for about 10 minutes, and came back accompanied by about 10 Tamils who had arrived from Canada. He took them through immigration while the others, both Sri Lankan and foreign waited patiently, before returning to attend to them.”

        It is interesting,

        were the Tamils interrogated,
        by whom, were they released,
        when were they released,
        how much did they pay to get themselves released,
        did the intelligent agencies visit their relatives,
        were they alive,
        did the Canadian Embassy provide consular service to these Tamils
        were they tortured, ……………

    • 0
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      Senguttuvan

      Your intervention in this forum has become infrequent.

      Good to see you again.

      What is your prediction on the NPC election results?

      Are the election commissioner’s computers functioning efficiently to Gota’s satisfaction? Do you think they need last minute fine tuning?

  • 0
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    jim is softly softly purging his verbal diahhorea
    he needed three postings this time to empty his rubbish

  • 0
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    The arrogance and impunity of this so called Governor is overwhelming. He even outdoes his political masters.

    • 0
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      The French Revolutionaries did not march to the palace at Versailles, but showed their irrepressible anger by storming the Bastille.

      The people of the North frothing with wrath will direct their march to the mansion of the hated governor. But the governor is not accustomed to civilized response to cultured conduct.

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        Chanakyan

        “But the governor is not accustomed to civilized response to cultured conduct.”

        And the Sinhala/Buddhists will rejoice, rejoice, rejoice…….

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    The so called governor, the moment Justice Wigneswaran’s nomination was officially announced summoned the officers and told them whoever is Chief Minister , they have to carry out his orders. A total ignorance of the rudiments of governance and of administration.

    How can CVW work with such a person. He therefore said publicly that his first request to the President will be to remove the present governor and to appoint a civilian Governor.

    • 0
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      The security forces do NOT fall under the control of the Provincial Council, and will NEVER respond to their demands. Their orders will always come from the centre, whether or NOT they are to the liking of the ‘local government’

      • 0
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        ram

        “Their orders will always come from the centre, whether or NOT they are to the liking of the ‘local government’”

        In the absence of a centre, democratically elected local government will act as it see fit.

  • 0
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    Kusal-Go tell the marines also address this type of nonsense to the democrazy singhala friends.

    Go to what happened to Imelda Sugumar,GA Vavuniya who was transferred to Jaffnaafter the war for services rendered to MR.How Chandrasiri,was appointed Governor by MR and the fracas that happened between GA/GOv/MR but out went Imelda.She was used and now out like SF.

    Diginataries who flew in helicopters by the fish load had to be met by the GOV and not by the GA.The latter has been the norm in the past.Civil societies protested,fell on deaf and stupid ears.Imelda was mad,her position was usurped.

    Development for Tamils?

    Last straw for the civic society and her was bulldozing the rare species of trees,a 150 yrs old, in the Old Park which the Tamils treasured.Inside stood the ‘residency’ of the GA,though crumbling
    this place is a historic feature in Chundikuli/Jaffna.
    Stealthily in the night just like the Greease Yakkas they bulldozed into the OLD Park,cut down the rare trees and a mansion built for 1 man and his security.

    Devolopment for the North?

    He loved it.Amored cars in front and behind.Traffic stopped because the gov was on the move.Stupid or what.Everything falls into a ‘Show BOX’ similar to MR and brothers.
    Whom are they fooling? The intelligent Civic society,Tamils or the Diaspora.

    Imelda was shipped out to colombo,high faluting job by name and pay and a weight to a chair at meetings.She got lost.

    If a school was to hold an English Day etc they have to get a permit from the Governor.Stupid or what.Then arrives a retinue of army personel whom the school has to invite.Jokers or what?

    Is this ‘Development’for the north .?

    Kusal,try another one.The intelligent Tamil Civic society is busy with the upcoming elections.The intelligent,civic society will get Chandrapala out.

    Your item is old news to all Tamils,wasting your time.If you are trying to say the singhalese must help the Tamils to get rid of Gov Chandrapala from the north you can approach Mahinda.R.Ask him to ship Governor Chandrapala outof the north.Sure this will be easy for you and your cohorts.

    Currying favor with the Tamils at this late hour.?
    Tamils would not care whether he becomes a cheap High Commisioner or an ambassador in a country like Belarus.
    Try it, it will help your guilty conscience.

  • 0
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    I cannot imagine a civilian governor having a greatly different attitude to a military man except that the latter would probably carry a chip on his shoulder when most of his “subjects” happen to be of the same ethnicity as the “enemy” he fought as a soldier…

    • 0
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      As a soldier he fought the terrorists, NOT the Tamil civilians. There is a clear distinction.

      • 0
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        ram

        “As a soldier he fought the terrorists, NOT the Tamil civilians. There is a clear distinction.”

        As a soldier why didn’t he fight the IPKF and the Indians?

        Was he hiding behind women folks, wife, daughters, mother, grandmother, aunties, mother in law, …. or rather behind LTTE women cadres?

  • 0
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    Well,here we are.
    The Tamils from 1948,followed by SJV,followed by other parties and finally the groups and LTTE also said the same.
    We are not fighting with the Singhala people.
    This fight is against the government that treats the Tamils/minorities differently to the rest of the people of Sri Lanka.

    —calling itself a Democratic state.!

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      hannah.rajaratnam

      “This fight is against the government that treats the Tamils/minorities differently to the rest of the people of Sri Lanka.”

      Governments come and go.

      Are you proposing to fight each and every government in the future? And how?

      I take it you would sustain a permanent state of war against all governments come what may.

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    Native Vedha,

    Spot on buddy.You said it right.Every succesive government has continued to treat the minorities differnetly.
    Don’t worry about us dying or getting killed.We know who is out there ready to wipe out the Tamils.

    At Mulliayvaikal- Yes,Prisons- yes,Ethnic riots-Yes,In the north -yes.
    In the east -yes.
    By whom- Government and the stooges of the government- the singhala thugs.

    Let there be light and there was light in the North.
    Finally connected to the NATIONAL GRID.
    Someone said they forgot the North.

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    How on earth can you call him battle hardened? He has never fired a weapon outside of a firing range! Having joined the SLA as a Grade 8 passed private, rose through his ranks and this is indeed his true other rank nature!

  • 0
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    Kulsal,

    The role of a Governor is to Govern and the reason why the arrogant and racist Chndarasri has been flexing his muscles is because up to now there was Direct Rule from Colombo.
    In other words Army Rule controlled by Chandrasri in the absence of a Civilian Administration.
    It is obvious the reason why MR put off the Elections to the Northern Assembly up to now and that was because that would have derailed his ethnic cleansing programme but he has been stopped in his tracks.

    His arrogance based on ignorance comes out quite conspicuously when he says, “People are stupid to listen to what the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which is contesting in the North, is saying. I have the power and I can go anywhere with anybody. I travel with the President and his brother, Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa, on various occasions, who are toiling to develop the North.

    The above is not just damn right arrogance but dictatorial and this is what we have had up to now and the end is near. I have been in the North recently and I have not seen any development except building roads for the army to move around and frankly when he says that they are toiling to develop the north it is a bloody lie.
    India has been giving money to build houses and I will Chandrasri to prove what they have been toiling with.

    I cannot wait for the CM to take office and Chnadrasri will be confined to his bedroom ( Barracks) and if he tries to flex his muscles battle lines will be drawn. This is based on an agreement involving India so he cannot act with impunity.
    We are moving into dangerous territory but I am convinced we will win hands down as justice and the International will is on our side.

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    It will get ugly, the government still underestimates the Lankan Tamils, diaspora and India. They haven’t learned the lesson even after thirty years of brutal war. They know the West is very good in dividing others, yet they have no concern to deal with the diaspora who are living in the Western Countries. The fools must visit the Indian High Commission website in New Zealand, and learn how brilliantly India is dealing with its diaspora to get connected. The Lankans are fools, they are the ass of Asia.
    Without a doubt the Rajapaksa regime is the most deceiving regime in Asia. The upcoming CHOGM has to be a total failure and national embarrassment for the Rajapaksa regime, in order to remove the regime. India must not lose this opportunity. India must boycott the CHOGM, and stop the other countries’ leaders attending.

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    Antany,

    I underestimated your sincerity. I always had on the fringes of Prejudice nothing extreme. You were going through a Chinese Menopause but you seem to have come off it.
    Just Pencil in your Diary March 2014 when our region will begin to change for the better.

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      kali

      “Just Pencil in your Diary March 2014 when our region will begin to change for the better.”

      Is your prediction based on Chinese lunar calender or on Chinese whisper?

      • 0
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        Vedda ( not a Native only a Yakkah is a Native)

        You are too primitive to understand this. So no point wasting time. Ask your elders.

        • 0
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          kali

          “Ask your elders.”

          I can assure you they would never make such a very very very stupid comment:

          “Just Pencil in your Diary March 2014 when our region will begin to change for the better.”

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