A chastened MR

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa appears to be a chastened man. At least wisdom seemed to have dawned on him even at this late hour. Speaking to the media following a religious programme at a Kandy temple Rajapaksa has bemoaned the lack of a strong Opposition in the present Parliament. A strong Opposition is a prerequisite for preserving democracy, the former President has asserted. True, provided that the strong Opposition is allowed to function to fulfill its role as a bulwark against excesses by the Government in power and to maintain checks and balances. But was the Opposition during the Rajapaksa era permitted to function the way MR wants the Opposition to perform in the present day?

It is a truism that wisdom dawns on politicians when they are out of power. If not Rajapaksa would have held firm to his belief of having a strong Opposition as a countervailing force when he was at the zenith of his power. But what did the country witness? Opposition politicians were bought over in their droves dangling Ministerial office and other perks before them. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress was broken up by inveigling its members to the Government which invariable forced its leader too to join the Government. Even Opposition Provincial Councillors were not spared if they were seen as tough opponents and more importantly vote getters, to perpetuate Rajapaksa dynastic rule. One such UNP Provincial Councillor from the Colombo District was bought over and a rape case against him withdrawn. Rajapaksa therefore is hardly in a position to speak on the merits of a strong Opposition after having done everything in his power to destroy Opposition political parties.

Curiously Rajapaksa sees the SLFP as the only political party that can form a powerful Opposition at present while the bulk of the SLFP parliamentarians are today Cabinet Ministers, including those who took public pledges to stand by Rajapaksa before the General Election. Doesn't say much for that party does it?

True, crossovers have been legion in this country's Parliaments since independence and not all of them for altruistic reasons. One witnessed mass crossovers led by C.P. De Silva in 1964 that saw the defeat of the Press Council Bill and the saying was that big bucks passed hands. Then there was the crossover drama in 2000 when CBK foisted her new constitution that was set fire in the House. Where the Rajapaksa era crossovers deferred from the rest was that he engineered crossovers for the sole purpose of prolonging his stay in power (18th Amendment) and pass on the reins thereafter to his offspring. Nay ALL acts of MR was designed to strengthen his hold on to power.

It is gratifying indeed to note Rajapaksa's concern about Parliament not having a strong Opposition. We thought the noises made in the House by the likes of Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanapila would have impressed MR. Apparently even the former President Rajapaksa thinks they are deadwood - empty vessels that make a big sound.

A poser for Gammanpila

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya General Secretary and parliamentarian Udaya Gammanpila is making much of the Presidential pardon granted to ex -LTTE combatant Sivaraja Jenivan who tried to assassinate the President when he was a Minister in 2006. Addressing the media, Gammanpila once against mounted his hobby horse in demanding the release of military personal now in custody in the same way Jenivan was pardoned.

The ex LTTEer who made the attempt on the President's life was already serving a lengthy prison term when he was granted the Presidential pardon. President Sirisena no doubt came in for high praise for this single act of pardoning the man who tried to kill him, an act we thought a staunch Buddhist like Gammanpila would have endorsed. Instead he had chosen to play to the gallery as is his wont in appealing to nationalist sentiments to portray himself as a true patriot who is taking up cudgels on behalf of the war heroes. We have asked this from Gammanpila before this in these columns and we repeat. “Where were you when the foremost war hero of them all, the man who led the war on the battlefield, was thrown in jail like a common criminal on trumped up charges. Where were you when this war hero was made to wear a ‘jumper’ worn by common criminals and wither away in a cell for two long years. Where were you when the family members of this war hero was hunted down and driven into exile? Where were you when this war hero was spending his time in jail and the mass murderer named Karuna was made a MP and appointed to a senior post in the SLFP. When THIS pardon was granted by Mahinda Rajapaksa why did you not ask him as you are asking President Sirisena today to release the war hero in jail at the time?