(The above link is to the article referred to below to commemorate in another sense the 67 Birthday of President Mahinda Rajapakse.)
There is an excellent unbiased summary
of the President in today’s Sunday Times, Presidency Column. It is worth a read
for those who admire and also those who despise his Presidency. It is just the
reason why one should be wary of its continuation. It is clear from the
article, that he has gone against the grain of thinking, and has overcome all
hurdles due to political mastery of his electorate.
He has gone where others have feared to
tread, and in the interests of getting what he wants, is willing to compromise
on principles and popularity and willing to outmaneuver the media apparatus so
that he could lock in with no outward dissent.
The article singularly fails to document
the excesses that have been used both to destroy anyone who is considered a
threat, and the callous treatment of those he considers expendable. However it
does remind people of how he uses and disposes politicians at his whim, when
they are no longer needed for his long term goals.
This latter threat has stifled his
ministers from expressing independence and has resulted in buffoonery at its
worst in the way the governance and government is managed. Only sycophants are
tolerated or at best fools, as pointed out in the article when referring to
Bandula Gunewardene and SB Dissanayake. This has resulted in a third rate set of
ministers who are singularly unable to improve productivity and only contribute
to more waste and corruption, something Rajapakse is willing to tolerate to build
a second tier of politician who will forever be indebted to him, and deliver him
votes, for his good fortune in fleecing the state.
The level of economic mismanagement has
not been referred to, as the article has no place in it in that aspect. The
apparent success of the regime, thanks to the dividend of US$8B from our
remittances, is one the President claims credit for and no one has been able to
explain to the people that if not for the mismanagement of the economy by the
administration this would surely have yielded far more stellar results. The
squandering of this dividend, along with the casting away of the peace dividend,
is what history will eventually remember him for once the value of winning the internal
war with the LTTE is forgotten in the mists of time.
In short only simple minded folk with no
values, morality, principles and patriotism, never mind even the need for a show
of democracy or governance will endorse his continuation. Until that moral degradation
can be overcome, by education and values, we are left to ponder on what might have
been!!
6 comments:
Happy Birthday Mr President - by your grateful Lotus Eaters, namely your voter base.
Great article, it is all about Power and Popularity, not about Patriotism, Performance, and Productivity. The latter three does not garner votes from Lotus Eaters.
How the war with the LTTE will be forgotten is beyond me, and if you're counting on that to win an election you're not going to win for a while.
with regard to the above voter that wants performance and productivity, that will win an election among robot societies but not human ones.
For those without a good memory the below:
This is Mahinda
November 17, 2012
The Island
by: D. M. Jayaratne, Prime Minister
The year was 1994 when the UFPA Government was formed after 17 years of UNP rule. The victory ushered an era free of post-election violence, a time of joy and happiness enabling the entire population of the country to breath a sigh of relief. As the General Secretary of the alliance I worked relentlessly amid numerous hardships, sometimes even foregoing meals and satisfying my hunger with just a glass of water...
Read the rest in The Island
Sri Lanka has no future as an economy or productive society.
This is chiefly because of the Politicians and corrupt and foolish ruling classes.
It is a great place to live, with fascinating people, great food and scenery.
My advice to anyone interested in Sri Lanka:
1. Don't do any business
2. Take all your assets out of the country
3. Enjoy life in Sri Lanka, eliminating politicians and the corrupt classes from your interactions.
4. Try to uplift people one at a time through education and helping individuals to achieve that one break that can change their lives.
5. Try and distance yourselves from those who support the regime in any way.
Damn you MR, it feels like only God can save us from you!
building on the theme set in the earlier post about perceptions creating people's reality, obviously people in colombo are feeling badly as their political status is fading as the capital was moved out and their commercial status is fading also as the port has been taken out and economic activity is gravitating towards lesser developed parts of the country. colombo's days as the center of activity are waning, and hence if you live in colombo you are not feeling so good.
let's try to get into the heads of those that aren't living in colombo however. what are they feeling? if you look at the north and the east the war is over, no more ltte conscriptions, battles, etc. they can now get on with economic activities and stable lives. roads, bridges, internet, buildings, etc. are popping up all around them -- something they didn't experience for most of their lifetimes.
look at people in the south. hambantota's development is uplifting the entire southern portion of the country. ports, highways, bridges, etc. how are the people down south feeling?
so that just leaves people in the western province that are bitter because their relative importance in the country is rapidly deteriorating. if you don't recognize this reality and work within it, your political fortunes are going to be limited.
"ook at people in the south. hambantota's development is uplifting the entire southern portion of the country. ports, highways, bridges, etc. how are the people down south feeling?
so that just leaves people in the western province that are bitter because their relative importance in the country is rapidly deteriorating. if you don't recognize this reality and work within it, your political fortunes are going to be limited."
Oh really?
Why is it that people leave this earthly paradise in droves-to the middle east, to Korea, Japan, Australia-illegally?
They are voting with their feet.
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