{"id":175443,"date":"2017-03-24T12:03:29","date_gmt":"2017-03-24T06:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=175443"},"modified":"2017-03-30T10:24:51","modified_gmt":"2017-03-30T04:54:51","slug":"yesterday-today-tomorrow-whence-where-wither","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/yesterday-today-tomorrow-whence-where-wither\/","title":{"rendered":"Yesterday, Today &#038; Tomorrow &#8211; Whence, Where &#038; Whither"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s=Sarath+De+Alwis&amp;x=7&amp;y=8\">Sarath De Alwis<\/a> &#8211;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_152611\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Sarath-de-Alwis.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-152611\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-152611\" src=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Sarath-de-Alwis-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Sarath-de-Alwis-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Sarath-de-Alwis-50x50.jpg 50w, https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Sarath-de-Alwis.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-152611\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sarath de Alwis<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cGotabaya can build a new urbanized technocratic civilization which is the 21<\/span><span class=\"s2\"><sup>st<\/sup><\/span><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0century equivalent of the magnificent civilizations that this island once built;<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>civilizations that put us ahead of the rest of South Asia, until the Tamil invaders drove us downward and the Western invaders finished what they started\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/reply-to-mangala-samaraweera-sarath-de-alwis-sinhala-tiger-or-smart-patriot\/\">says<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">I will leave the brazenly chauvinist, historically erroneous part about Tamil invaders and Western <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>conquistadors completing what they started for another day. Let me deal with Gota\u2019s ability, capacity and propensity to<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>build a 21<\/span><span class=\"s2\"><sup>st<\/sup><\/span><span class=\"s1\"> century technocratic state. Before we entrust the task of building the 21<\/span><span class=\"s2\"><sup>st<\/sup><\/span><span class=\"s1\"> century technocratic state, Gota should tell us who owns the house in Malwana, valued at<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Rupees Two hundred and eight million the source of which seems hidden in a hocus pocus riddle wrapped in<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>a mumbo jumbo enigma. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">Dayan is not the first to discover the miraculously magnificent leadership qualities of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s=Gotabaya+Rajapaksa&amp;x=10&amp;y=5\">Gotabaya Rajapaksa<\/a>. The Business Today Magazine \u2013 the <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>voice of our business community said it on 20<\/span><span class=\"s2\"><sup>th<\/sup><\/span><span class=\"s1\"> November 2014. It was barely 24 hours before Maithripala Sirisena in the company of Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaratunge announced his Presidential wager at the New Town Hall.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Readers have to forgive me, linking the former President Chandrika with the event and subsequent change that held promise now turned chimera.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>I confess my unabashed admiration for her political spunk. Political spunk is something Ranil thinks he has but doesn\u2019t, Sirisena briefly borrowed from Chandrika but failed to retain.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Dayan-and-Gotabaya.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-175446\" src=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Dayan-and-Gotabaya.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"639\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Dayan-and-Gotabaya.jpg 639w, https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Dayan-and-Gotabaya-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px\" \/><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s3\">When the Presidential Election was called, <\/span><span class=\"s1\">the affluent and the amoral classes riding in fast lane in Miracle country, were in a deep stupor celebrating Gota\u2019s urban renaissance. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s4\">\u201cThe <\/span><span class=\"s1\">city is clean and green, pedestrians have been given priority there is a lot of activity happening and this transformation is not only in Colombo, but also in other parts of the country\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\">The adulation was brazen. The Rajapaksa rule was beyond challenge. Business today mirrored the aspirations of the parasitic entrepreneurial class that supported the super structure of the patrimonial state of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s=Rajapaksa+family&amp;x=12&amp;y=4\">Rajapaksa family<\/a>. It rivalled only Suharto\u2019s Indonesia. More than the tyrant the business class was desperate for stability and continuity.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Gota was their chosen prophet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p9\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cContinuity, is vital for Sri Lanka. We are a stable country with peace, freedom and security, our economy is vibrant and is driving forward with energy. There is greater activity and movement in the Sri Lankan economy. A change at this point of time will hamper the continued progress of this country. Can anyone deny that they are not living a better life and are able to freely move about in this country? We have emerged from a 30 year-long conflict, stronger as a nation. What we were in 2005 is not who we are today. We are proud to be Sri Lankan\u2026\u2026. Business today takes this moment to recognise His Excellency&#8217;s great contribution to this nation by eliminating terrorism, bringing stability and peace, economic development and instilling in all Sri Lankans that we are on par with the rest of the world and have the ability to compete globally.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p9\"><span class=\"s1\">Under the benign rule of Mahinda and hawkeyed surveillance of Gota there was no shortage of <\/span><span class=\"s5\">flagrant, ass-kissing, self-serving bullshit. <\/span><span class=\"s1\"><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>The Defense Secretary&#8217;s \u201cforte in ensuring the security of this country was highly admired. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p9\"><span class=\"s1\"> \u201cOnly a few years ago that we were introduced to his knowledge and expertise in urban planning and development. The transformation in Colombo alone is amazing. This has been well supported by the Mayor of Colombo, A J M Muzzamil.\u201d Hurrah! <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p9\"><span class=\"s1\">This message conveyed to the business community gathered at the Hilton on 20<\/span><span class=\"s6\"><sup>th<\/sup><\/span><span class=\"s1\"> November 2014 sums up the enduring resilience of the Rajapaksa juggernaut.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p9\"><span class=\"s1\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s=Viyath+Maga&amp;x=3&amp;y=8\">Viyath Maga<\/a> gathering at the Golden Rose in Boralesgamuwa has its genesis in a more prestigious location near the Dutch Hospital, a relic left by the Western intruders who came according to Dr. Dayan J to complete the job begun by Tamil invaders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p10\"><span class=\"s1\">This is what was said at the Colombo Hilton on 20<\/span><span class=\"s6\"><sup>th<\/sup><\/span><span class=\"s1\"> November 2014. That is two years and four months and a mere five weeks before the watershed election of 8<\/span><span class=\"s6\"><sup>th<\/sup><\/span><span class=\"s1\"> January 2015.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">The audience held the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me of the islands commerce, the best of the best in finance and the pick of the crop in politics and mark you, the choicest choice of the Buddhist clergy of urban Colombo. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">The chief guest was not the President, the Prime Minister or the Minister of Finance. The Chief Guest was Gotabaya Rajapaksa the Secretary of Defense. The guest of honour was Mohan Pieris the Chief Justice who never was. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s7\">In addition to other Toms and Dicks of big business<\/span><span class=\"s1\">, the<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>audience included Harry the tycoon, Sumal \u2013 the Gota prodigy and<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Prime Ministerial advisor and <\/span><span class=\"s7\">thought leader Dinesh Weerakkody. <\/span><span class=\"s1\"> They were told:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p11\"><span class=\"s1\">&#8220;Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the Ministry of Defense and Urban Development is a man of his word. During the height of the conflict we worked very closely with him and saw firsthand, his straightforward approach, attention to detail, his thinking and his love for the country. He was responsible for bringing all sections of the security community together so that we all worked as one. He is meticulous and always in touch with the happenings of the country. He has ensured that we remain free, and safe. Mr. Rajapaksa, will never allow the country to fall prey to disharmony and terrorism again. That is why we need continuity in this country.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p12\"><span class=\"s1\">I have too many friends whose sons have turned out to be trapeze artists in political theory and social commentary. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>This is what Malinda Seneviratne wrote for Business Today, on the occasion. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p12\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cA few years ago, he was just another retired army officer, a little-known brother of a politician with a promising future, and a name referenced infrequently, if at all. Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, today, is not just the President&#8217;s brother, but the man who carries on his shoulders the aspirations of a nation yearning to be rid of a terrorist menace; a man who is on the verge of accomplishing what was thought to be impossible by many; a leader, a strategist, defender of the nation, a man who has done time in the trenches and who spends sleepless nights, so citizens can slumber in the comfort that someone is watching over them.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p12\"><span class=\"s1\">Therein lies the rub. Who needs someone to watch over while slumbering in comfort? We need someone to watch over us slumbering, when we stop reasoning. In his essay \u2018Intellectual rubbish\u2019, Bertrand Russel famously said \u201cAs soon as we abandon our reason and are content to rely on authority, there is no end to our troubles.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p13\"><span class=\"s3\">Gota has more support than we think and from most unlikely sources. <\/span><span class=\"s1\">The greatest peril to our democracy comes from our fractious, fretful population, in search of easy answers and quick fixes. Nobody knows it better than Gotabaya Rajapaksa. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">Let us not forget. This project is about Gota regaining power. He was already de-facto president.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\"> He has the majority of the Buddhist clergy supporting his return to power. He has a plutocracy that he nurtured assiduously, when in power. They are desperate to see him back on saddle. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">His demagoguery is backed by an unemotional intellectual elite. They are adapt at usurping democracy by manipulative scapegoating \u2013 an art presently perfected by the joint opposition. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">I offer my unreserved apologies to all members of the Viyath Maga movement. I mistakenly assumed that it was a new phenomenon, championing the Gota candidacy. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">Now I know better. The Viyath Maga professionals are not the originators of the project. They are only followers manipulated by a cunning and ruthless plutocracy that is unhappy with these chaotic times.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">We remember 21st November 2014 at the New Town Hall, because the gamble worked. Only a few of us believed it was possible. It was more hope than expectation of success. That is why we have forgotten what happened a day earlier in Colombo.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It has been my unpleasant but necessary task to remind the reader of the glorifications and laudations the Rajapaksa family earned with unbelievable ease. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\"> On an earlier occasion I said that the Rajapaksa family is etched in the Sinhala Buddhist psyche as being responsible for the defeat of the LTTE and restoring normalcy. That is only a part of the story.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>There are the presently dissatisfied oligarchic interests installed and entrenched by the Rajapaksa monolith. They constitute a solid, fortified base. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p12\"><span class=\"s1\">While most of us ordinary citizens desperately wanted a change, the business elite was pleading for continuity.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Why? In addition to providing them with brick paved walk ways for them to lose their excess fat and take care of their fatty livers, Gota , promised authoritarian stability. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p13\"><span class=\"s1\">History tells us that periods of crisis are inevitable. That, perhaps is what prompted Hannah Ardent, the political philosopher who experienced fascism first hand, to remark that \u2018even in the darkest times we have the right to expect some illumination.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p13\"><span class=\"s1\">It is time we come to terms with the ground realities. Instead of dismantling the national security deep state, the new President has reneged on his promises. He has caved in to demands of the deep state players. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p13\"><span class=\"s1\"> The national security state emerged from imperatives of war. In subsequent peace time, it took shape of an actualizing mechanism of the ruling elite to amass wealth and indulge in unbelievable economic profligacy. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p13\"><span class=\"s1\">So, as the Business show of the year 2014 demonstrated Gota was the de-facto ruler of Sri Lanka. The business community mouth piece wanted continuity. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p13\"><span class=\"s1\">It explains Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka\u2019s belief, that Gotabaya can build a new urbanized technocratic civilization in Sri Lanka. At some stage of his protean political ideology Dayan was a Stalinist. Stalin was a practical tyrant. Stalin knew his democracy. \u201cIt is not the people who vote that count. It is the people who count the votes that count!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p13\"><strong><em>Editor&#8217;s note: The caption in this article was edited &#8211; The\u00a0earlier caption was &#8220;Yesterday, Today &amp; Tomorrow \u2013 Whence, Where &amp; Wither&#8221;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":152611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Yesterday, Today &amp; Tomorrow - Whence, Where &amp; 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