As someone said: “Cry the beloved country – let slipped are the dogs of hate” – indeed the dogs of hate are having a field day! With a plethora of allegations levelled against him, how can President Maithripala Sirisena even think of a second-term? Shouldn’t those who ask him to do so have their heads examined first? We are looking at two prominent individuals – the Defence Secretary and the IGP testifying before the Parliamentary Select Committee 
(PSC). One alleges he was specifically told by the President not to invite the Prime Minister, the State Minister of Defence and the IGP to National Security Council (NSC) meetings – accordingly, four meetings have been held in their absence. The question is: why is President Sirisena going through so much trouble to scuttle investigations into 21/4 bombings? Moreover, he is scuttling the investigations into security lapses and refusing to cooperate with the parliamentary probe and won’t allow defence or police officers to testify before the select committee. What is Sirisena TRYING SO DESPERATELY TO HIDE? WHY IS HE OPPOSING THE LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATION INTO THE APRIL 21 BOMBINGS? DOES HE THINK HE IS ABOVE THE LAW?
WHITEWASH ENGINEERED BY PRESIDENT
It does not end there; Sirisena sacked his national intelligence chief Sisira Mendis, got Pujith resigned by offering him a diplomatic post, dismissed Hemasiri Fernando and now threatens he will not allow any police, military or intelligence officer to testify before the PSC.WHY IS THIS COVER UP? FOR THE SAKE OF THE COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE, WE FERVENTLY HOPE THE RIGHT-THINKING KARU JAYASURIYA WILL CARRY THE PSC INVESTIGATION THROUGH TO ITS BITTER END! IT IS THE INALIENABLE RIGHT OF EVERY CITIZEN TO KNOW WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED AND WHY SO MANY DEATHS WERE ALLOWED TO TAKE PLACE! IT IS ALSO OUR RIGHT TO KNOW WHY THIS ATROCIOUS COVER UP IS BEING ENGINEERED BY THE PRESIDENT!
POLITICAL MENAGERIE BEYOND MANGALA’S KEN
The Cardinal who so courageously and assiduously stepped in and averted a bloodbath following the Easter Sunday carnage, and who was put high upon a pedestal, has suddenly developed feet of clay and crashed from the pedestal! Mangala Samaraweera has taken it upon himself to forget what the Cardinal did and write against him to the Reverend Father in Rome stating the Cardinal was creating communal unrest because he visited a fasting Buddhist monk demanding the resignations of one minister and two governors – all Muslims! It would be best for the country if Mangala went back to his dress-designing and the catwalk because the political menagerie and its boardwalk are definitely beyond his ken! Mangala is existing in a permanent state of contradiction, first about the country not being Sinhala Buddhist and his repetitious discrediting of Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and Ven. Athureliya Rathana Thera, he seems to be fostering hatred and showing he is hell-bent to discredit Buddhists! Some time back, Mangala claimed drug lords and kingpins were the Lion, Rotarian and Buddhist Associations! Contradicting this statement the subsequent day, he said the very statement was incorrect; which left the Buddhist Association leaders wide open as the drug lords and kingpins! And he wonders why he isn’t welcome to Buddhist temples – sad! Is Mangala displaying the compassion, tolerance and peace Lord Buddha preached when he continues to insult the clergy, both Christian and Buddhist? Of course he is! He says: “I am a devout Buddhist, not because I say so, but because I believe in the tenets of Buddhism and the teachings of Lord Buddha. I believe that when our Constitution calls upon our country to ‘give Buddhism the foremost place’ and to ‘foster the Buddha Sasana,’ it means defending the values Lord Buddha preached, such as compassion, tolerance and peace.” What an upright, outstanding Buddhist citizen we have here! Perhaps, this is why the Sangha Sabhas in Gampaha and Matara declared him ‘not welcome!’
CONCERNS OVER $480MN GRANT BY MCC
On the subject of Mangala, we are constrained to ask why an enormous sum of USD 480 million has been requested from Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), part of which is apparently going to be used to create an inventory of State-owned land in seven districts. What has been offered as collateral for this gigantic loan and how and with what is it to be repaid? What were the evaluation criteria for our country to receive this? Has the Finance Ministry forwarded an application? If so, what was the purpose of this money? Does the Finance Ministry have any special project for this funding – the people have a right to know!
DELAY IN MUSLIM LEADERS RESIGNING EN MASSE
The resignation of the Muslim minister and governors prompted a show of Muslim solidarity; it is sad though that they had to wait for Ven. Rathana Thera to start a fast unto death to give them a kick-start! They would have garnered universal acclaim had they staged their solidarity as soon as the bombings happened! Resorting to resign much later has given rise to many questions; even the probability of ‘guilt by association’! The presidential actions however give rise to serious concerns, particularly his desperation to halt the PSC proceedings! As one newspaper rightly said: ‘the PSC process needs to be expanded, not stopped and hushed up.’
POLITICAL MELEE
In the horror of our current political melee, I would like to leave our readers with a smile:
“You might think you don’t matter in this world, but because of you someone has a favourite mug that you bought to drink their tea with each morning. Someone hears a song on the radio and it reminds them of you. Someone has read a book you recommended and gotten lost in its pages. Someone has remembered a joke you told them and smiled to themselves.
Someone’s tried on a top and felt beautiful because you complimented them on it. Someone has a memory that makes them grin that involves you. Someone now likes themselves a little bit more because you made a passing comment that made them feel good. Never think you don’t have an impact, your fingerprints can’t be wiped away from the little marks of kindness you’ve left behind.”
In the course of his political misdemeanors, our President needs to read and be aware of what Benjamin Disraeli said: “POWER HAS ONLY ONE DUTY – TO SECURE THE SOCIAL WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE.” Read and understand it Mr. President, if such understanding is within your mental capacity!
-THE VOICE -
