The Latest Laughingstock In The Parliament: Holding Mohini’s Baby
By W. Vishnu Gupta –
W. Vishnu Gupta
It was not a surprise at all for Mahinda Rajapaksa to utter the following words on 19th April 2022 in the parliament of Sri Lanka “I believe that, as a first step, the 19th amendment to the constitution with essential and timely amendments should be democratically implemented as a short-term solution.” These were not the words of a respectable politician; it is a prelude to another political drama or a ploy to be staged in the country to deceive glorious protesters emerging in every part of the island nation. The script of this drama appears to be provided by another lackluster politician in the country; Ranil Wickramasinghe, it is obvious, because he could not suppress his ego, and wanted to show the other naïve bunch of charlatans in the legislature that he was the father of deeply flawed 19th amendment. He stated, “I am happy to take the 19th amendment back to the nation as the former PM who proposed it.” Obviously, Mahinda intends to direct this “drama of deception” with the help of Ranil and hopes to save Rajapaksa clan from the wrath of majority Sri Lankans suffering from the misery induced by the kleptocracy led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The First Episode (Mohini’s Act)
One of the SJB charlatans in the legislature known for wacky behaviour said, the appointment of new cabinet, reminded him of the old popular ghost story of Mohini. Apparently, Mohini convinces men who are on the road at wee hours of the night to hold her baby until she adjusts her wraparound cloth. His assessment about the appointment of some SLPP rookies to the cabinet of Minsters is accurate. The rookies have been given some brief period to hold the babies of Basil, Pavitra, Johny, Rambukwella, Aluthgamage, Bandula, Rohitha, Sarath, Dullas and Lokuge. Only Rajapaksas and Ranil will determine, how long Mohini will take to fully adjust the wraparound cloth. It becomes obvious that the babies were just illusions used to trap the rookies into a defenceless position. Unfortunately, the joker who assessed the situation well and rest of the opposition did not understand this is political theatre and the script has been written by none other than their former boss Ranil Wickramasinghe.
By any chance, if the proposed 19th amendment with enhancements as announced is passed by two-third majority, it will be great for the nation provided the enhancements meet the demands of the people echoed by the protesters of Gota Go gama. The people do not expect criminals and ruffians to occupy legislature in the future, it should not be a heaven for the murderers, thieves, drug lords, money launderers, shady individuals of bawdy houses, and their kith and kin. The enhancements to 19th amendment must be comprehensive enough to prevent these ignoble men and women entering the legislature with the help of their ill-gotten money and very cozy relationship with the party leaders. Furthermore, enhancements must ensure that there is no room for kleptocracy and thwart the efforts of charlatans to enter the parliament.
1. Changes to electoral system that combines FIRST PAST THE POST (or single member plurality) voting and the PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION structure.
2. Limitations on election expenditure subject to independent financial audits.
3. Neutralize the executive president by removing the institutional authority over the appointment of Judges, Central Bank Governor, Election commissioners and the Police Chief.
Furthermore, those who believe in strong sense of entitlement, grandiose thinking, need for admiration, and lack of empathy in other words narcissists among our politicians must be weeded out before they embark on various dubious political ploys to become the president, prime minister, or the opposition leader as it was seen during last 74 years. All political leaders since 1955 suffered seriously under obsession and delusion about their own power, SWRDB, JRJ, Ranil and Rajapaksas can be labelled as a bunch of politicians suffering from megalomania. Hence, Ranil will make every effort under different guises to rescue Rajapaksas from total political annihilation in Sri Lanka because it has been proven time and time again that these two autocrats are bonded by an unwritten pact to save each other.
Maha Sangha’s final warning
The Mahanayakes of Malwathu, Asgiri, Amarapura and Ramanya chapters have requested the President, Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, and other parliamentarians to think about the country first and take appropriate steps to restore normalcy and avert destruction of the state of Sri Lanka. Specifically, they have recommended appointment of a transitional cabinet of ministers representing all political parties and abolition of 20th amendment. If they are unable to implement appropriate measures and continue to hoodwink the masses, they will be compelled to issue a Sangha Convention, that will certainly affect the Buddhist politicians and others carrying the Buddhist label in the legislature. The effect of a “Sangha convention” issued against Buddhists must be like that of a “Fatwa” issued against Moslems, it should rattle the Sri Lankan Buddhist political leaders, their credibility and commitment to fulfill the obligations to masses are questionable. This strong apolitical statement of Mahanayakes should be respected by every Buddhist in the country and the repercussion of failure to heed the advice is unimaginable, but for sure it has signaled the impending perilous situation of the government.
Best time to quit
It is obvious that Rajapaksas are digging trenches to defend the beleaguered government by reconstructing the cabinet of ministers with novices this week, in addition the regime has appointed a new secretary of finance and a retired former employee of the central bank as the new governor. Nevertheless, people have not responded favorably and continued to demand the resignation of all Rajapaksas from all official roles in the state of Sri Lanka. The protesters continue to allege that Rajapaksas and many other legislators have committed many crimes including murder and money laundering. So far, Rajapaksas and other alleged politicians have opted to remain silent on these direct allegations, they could have denied these accusations using media channels or by making statements in the parliament or by instructing their lawyers to take appropriate legal actions. Every politician accused of being a party to bankrupting the country through corruption and mismanagement must understand that “Silence gives consent.” So runs an ancient maxim of common law, and from that maxim flows a widely applied legal principle: the rule of tacit admission.
However, one of the Rajapaksa clan members, Namal said in the parliament “to find out if they have amassed wealth in any country in the world under the guise of parliamentary privileges. He added that he is prepared to face prosecution if they can prove those.” Likewise, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Kenya, Veluppillai Kananathan another Rajapaksa associate has sent a letter of demand (LoD) to Hirunika Premachandra contesting her recent statement against him in a press conference on April 15, 2022. Kananathan and Namal have broken the silence of Rajapaksa regime, now it is the ideal opportunity for the accusers to provide evidence and take legal actions against Namal and Kananathan. Hopefully, Anura Kumara Disanayake and Hirunika will not miss the opportunity as they claim to possess evidence in this matter. Otherwise, they should either put up or shut up without grandstanding to earn some political mileage.
On the other hand, many civic organizations, trade unions, professional organizations, religious leaders, and the BASL have come forward to support the peaceful protesters making the position of the government untenable. Also, the alleged murder and carnage in Rambukkana has made Rajapaksas regime highly vulnerable, hence they should prepare to handover the government to a transitional prime minister and a transitional cabinet of ministers immediately, without inflicting further damages to the STATE of SRI LANKA.
The post The Latest Laughingstock In The Parliament: Holding Mohini’s Baby appeared first on Colombo Telegraph.
