Associated Press,  Tue Oct  7 07:40:37 EDT 2008

    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lanka's top opposition party called Tuesday for an international investigation into a bomb attack the previous day that killed a popular former army general and 26 others.

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- The Academic

First they used Janaka and Vajira  when they were alive.  Now they are using  Janaka, Vajira and other's tragic death
to the fullest extend. Present government  also guility of not providing adequate security although this incident may not have been totally prevented with security. Janaka was too naive to think politics was s a place where he could have made
a positive  contribution for the common good. As a well experienced ex-Army officer, he made a monimental mistake by taking LTTE threats for his life very lightly after his retirement. At least now, all political parties and people from all walks of life must come together in effort of  defeating the LTTE militarily. This is the need of the day.

I suggest that they should also investigate why there have been no bombing attempt by LTTE at the events Ranil attended in the past so-many years  


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Some are wise, others are otherwise!

Mr Ranil Wickramasinghe said in the parliament yesterday
"Janaka Perera was an officer of the army who had defeated terrorists in many battles. He was totally opposed to separatism and stood to protect the territorial integrity of country. He was opposed to recruitment of child soldiers. He performed an excellent service in the army and was one of the officers who had contributed to its modernization and was know to have protected human rights while fighting against the LTTE,".
Are these not adequate reasons for the LTTE to assassinate this first-class officer?  Why Ranil cannot at least admit  that LTTE must be happy to have Janaka dead?


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RAGU

To investigate what ? We always investigate after the LTTE bombs us to thy kingdom come.


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We need to resolve the historical grievances of Tamils because it is a right and civilized political act to follow by the political leadership in the country. -Dayapala Thiranagama-

We should hang our heads in shame for the way this National Hero was treated by 2nd Leut Gotabaya
and the Jonny come latelies..

I am yet to see a picture of even a Provincial Minister paying respect to this hero of our times. Todays
Daily Mirror shows a couple of cops guarding the funeral cars.. Where are the "Nationalists" of the lunatic
Fringe? .. Except for the children of the General and his wife where are the people who should be lining
up for miles.

And to add salt to the injury we see Mahinda grinning with the "Colonel" who bucthered 600 Policemen.


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There are no minorities in Sri Lanka. --- Dr.Percy Mahinda Rajapakse Ph.D

Why there was not a single UNP top brass present for the opening of this office?

avi1 wrote:

First they used Janaka and Vajira  when they were alive.  Now they are using  Janaka, Vajira and other's tragic death
to the fullest extend. Present government  also guility of not providing adequate security although this incident may not have been totally prevented with security. Janaka was too naive to think politics was s a place where he could have made
a positive  contribution for the common good. As a well experienced ex-Army officer, he made a monimental mistake by taking LTTE threats for his life very lightly after his retirement. At least now, all political parties and people from all walks of life must come together in effort of  defeating the LTTE militarily. This is the need of the day.

Facts:
Janaka Perera was in the UNP at his own will.
Janaka Perera lead the UNP list in the recent election at his own will.
Janaka Perera wanted a better security ring, but the government said there was real threat against him.
Janaka Perera was invited to join he government, but he refused at his own will.
Janaka Perera was advising Ranil on national security, and was going to take formal spokesman role.

Over to you!

You all talk big but are you not ashamed that foreigners have to tell you how to behave.

[quote]You all talk big but are you not ashamed that foreigners have to tell you how to behave.[/quote]

Dear forum members, please behave. Here is a sample of expected behaviour :

[color=brown]Amicus: You may learn something after all from Mr Prabakaran.
Proxi: I certainly have. It is this.. "how to destroy a people from within and actually make them thankful for it."[/color]



Last edited by rm7000 on Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:46 pm; edited 1 time in total
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*I am not the only one*

rm7000 wrote:

You may learn something after all from Mr Prabakaran.
Proxi: I certainly have. It is this.. "how to destroy a people from within and actually make them thankful for it.

This has to be the quote of the year at The Lanka Academic forums.

There have been very rare occasions that you feel proud to be a Sri Lankan. All other times it has always been disappointment, shame, inadequacy and all the way downhill – that empty feeling. What we take for granted in other countries, is not every day life in Sri Lanka.

Many countries in the world have good decent governments and voters who hold them accountable not only for what they do (or don’t do) but also for what they say. They have vibrant oppositions keeping a close scrutiny on the governing party. In the times of a national calamity both sides suspend the politics and get together in the national interest. This is how a genuine democracy should function.  Some people incorrectly expect the major parties to unite. This is nonsense. There should always be a strong opposition to act as a check and balance to the excesses and mistakes of the government and that is the only way to keep it honest. The opposition should act in a credible way to step in at any time if the existing government fails and that is why the opposition is called the alternative government.  They will have policies different to the government but not dramatically. This is why when the government is either slightly centre right (or centre left) the opposition is usually the opposite – slightly centre left (or centre right) as the case may be. However there is one common thread binding both sides. Both sides have one single goal – that is the welfare of the country at large, the well being of the people and good governance. There is no conflict here. To the best of their ability both sides want to govern well for the country.

Now look at the Sri Lankan politics. Forget the Mervin Silvas, Mihinlankas and the thuggery of the ministers’ sons of the yesteryear - UNP era. Just look at how they responded to what can be called a national tragedy – how they treated a national war hero. We have had so many fallen heroes but here I mean the latest one – Maj Gen Janaka Perera (with his relatively young wife - 48 yrs is not an age for a woman to die).

From the day Maj Gen Perera joined the UNP politics, government treated him callously (I don’t know what made him to join politics for he is not a man of poor judgement generally – probably he made the miscalculation that the MR government will treat him as a respectable adversary in the same honourable way he discharged his duties for the country – he forgot that Sri Lanka is not a normal country!).

They refused to grant him appropriate security knowing very well the risks he faced. They played the cheap game they play to keep their members together with this man too - who was at a much higher and a real risk. In the end he had to go to courts for redress.  Even after his death the ignominy did not end. They messed up his funeral arrangements and I am not going into details because it is too repulsive even to describe the Ratmalana airport saga. I am not sure whether this was done intentionally or otherwise but the results are all the same. They dishonoured a national hero even at his death.

Now look at our celebrated opposition. These guys are so absolutely incompetent, clueless and so much confused - they simply do not know what will take them in to power. Without knowing how to respond to MR’s everyday craftiness they behave like animals caught up in traffic lights. Their behaviour is incomprehensible to say the least. They simply did not know how to respond to this shocking event when in reality they did not have to do anything dramatic. They could have simply condemned the LTTE (the natural suspects) on this attack and said the government is also partly responsible by making it generally hard for Maj Gen Perera to have adequate security. Instead they tried to go further. They tried to be cute by insinuating that the government or at least the TMVP is behind this - letting the real killers off the hook. Thus they botched their attempt even to get any political mileage out of it (however reprehensible it is to do so in a tragedy like this).

It is apparent even to a kid who could be behind this handy work (all the circumstantial evidence suggests in one direction – our old friend in the Vanni and his intelligence chief Pottu) but not these so-called senior UNP leaders. I am sure in their hearts they know who is behind but they are so dim-witted that they think they can put wool over our faces. What do they take us for? Imbeciles?  

Even Karuna Amman – a former military opponent– had some kind words for Maj Gen Perera but not our government leaders. True they condemned the killing but that’s it. Nothing more. Not a single word on Maj Gen Perera. The opposition is no better. They call for an ‘international inquiry’.  Inquiry for what? They are very careful not to use the ‘four letter’ word - LTTE. By doing so these unfortunate characters have become the laughing stock once again.

In any other country the voters would punish this kind of misfits (of both sides) first in opinion polls and then at the elections. But once again this is not a ‘normal’ country. This is sunny Sri Lanka! So don’t expect any dramas from the voters either!


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sp

Good post SP.

First, something to think over on the follwoing you said.

Quote:

SP said: What we take for granted in other countries, is not every day life in Sri Lanka.

There are things that Sri Lankans take for granted in Sri Lanka that they will never even in their wildest dreams would take for granted in another country.  But on the topic of politics, i cannot agree more with you.  


Next is a question on the last thing you said on your post.

Quote:

Sp said: In any other country the voters would punish this kind of misfits (of both sides) first in opinion polls and then at the elections. But once again this is not a ‘normal’ country. This is sunny Sri Lanka! So don’t expect any dramas from the voters either!

Elections are the only legitimate punishment for a crime in a democratic system.  If both parties, govt and opposition are acting like profound genius with only self interest in mind, what is the public to do at the election? What choices the voters have?

Quote:

Dammika wrote:

Quote:

Quote:
Sp said: In any other country the voters would punish this kind of misfits (of both sides) first in opinion polls and then at the elections. But once again this is not a ‘normal’ country. This is sunny Sri Lanka! So don’t expect any dramas from the voters either!

Elections are the only legitimate punishment for a crime in a democratic system.  If both parties, govt and opposition are acting like profound genius with only self interest in mind, what is the public to do at the election? What choices the voters have?

This is a riddle in the system, the weakness of the system.
A proof that theory cannot grasp reality when it comes to system under stress
due to the rulers and the ruled.. and mass people behaviour

Practical common sense would say - the public should still select someone - perhaps the lesser evil ..

How to assess the system - when the executive and legislative segments fail, the
judiciary atleast should not. The judiciary should kick itself to life when the other wings of power
are breaking the system. Often they won't unless someone lodges a formal case/complaint. And in some
govts they are indirectly leashed by the legislative/executive who have the veto power to overrule judiciary.
If the judiciary cannot kick itself to life, then people should do it.
Finally, here is what happens - people are unwilling/unable to legally take on the failing
executive/legislature to task.

No wonder that thinkers say that we all get the govts we deserve; collectively it's all about
govt of, by and for the people. Most of the world is loosening in the standards of governance
just as people are loosening in their own standards - because it is the people who run the govts,
not machines. The better ones make it better, but they come once in a long while.


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*I am not the only one*

Hi sp,
Excellent post.
Unfortunately Politicians in Sri Lanka do not have the brains to think in this manner because GREED has suppressed all the normal functions of their brain cells.