மைத்திரி ஜனநாயகத்தில் மகிந்தவுக்கு ``இனப்படுகொலைக் கெளரவம்``

பின்னர் வந்த சுரேஸ் பிரேமச்சந்திரன்!

அமைச்சரவையில் த.தே.கூ பங்கேற்பது குறித்து தீர்மானிக்கவில்லை ;

அமைச்சரவையில் த.தே.கூ பங்கேற்பது குறித்து தீர்மானிக்கவில்லை ; சுரேஸ்
புதிய ஜனாதிபதியின் தலைமையில் உருவாக்கப்படவிருக்கும் அமைச்சரவையில் தமிழ்த் தேசிய கூட்டமைப்பு பங்கேற்பது குறித்து இன்னமும் தீர்மானிக்கவில்லை என நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் சுரேஸ் பிரேமச்சந்திரன் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

அமைச்சர்களாக 60 பேர் நாளையதினம்  பொறுப்பேற்கவுள்ளதாக தகவல்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்ற அதேநேரம் கூட்டமைப்பின் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினரும் அமைச்சர் ஆகின்றார் என்ற செய்தியும் வெளியாகியுள்ளது.

இந்தநிலையில் அமைச்சரவையில் தமிழ்த் தேசிய கூட்டமைப்பு அங்கத்துவம் பெறுகின்றதா என எழுப்பப்பட்ட கேள்விக்கு பதிலளிக்கும்போதே அவர் மேற்கண்டவாறு தெரிவித்திருக்கின்றார்.

அவர் மேலும் தெரிவிக்கையில்,அமைச்சரவையில் தமிழ் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு பங்கேற்பது குறித்து எந்தவிதமான பேச்சுகளும் இன்னமும் மேற்கொள்ளப்படவில்லை.

 ``தமிழர் அரசியல் வரலாற்றில் தமிழரசு கட்சியாக இருக்கட்டும், தமிழர் விடுதலை கூட்டணியாக இருக்கட்டும், பின்னர் வந்த தமிழ்த் தேசிய கூட்டமைப்பாக இருக்கட்டும், அனைவருமே தமிழ் மக்களுடைய உரிமைகளுக்காக போராடினோமே தவிர, அமைச்சுக்களுக்காக போராடவில்லை.``

நாங்கள் அவ்வாறு அமைச்சுக்களை பெற்றுக்கொண்டு நக்குண்டார் நாவிழந்தார் போல மாறினால் நாளை தமிழ் இனமே எம்மை தூற்றும் நிலை நிச்சயமாக உருவாகும்.

எனவே இந்த விடயத்தில் தமிழ்த் தேசிய கூட்டமைப்பு என்ன முடிவினை எடுக்கப்போகின்றது. என்பது தொடர்பில் கூட்டமைப்பிற்குள் எவ்விதமான பேச்சுக்களும் நடத்தப்படவில்லை.

அவ்வாறு பேச்சுக்கள் நடத்தப்பட்டதன் பின்னர் அது குறித்து உண்மையான நிலைப்பாடு தொடர்பில் தெரியப்படுத்துவோம் என்றார்.

இதேவேளை, நாளை மறுதினம் திங்கட்கிழமை தமிழ் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பிற்கும் புதிய ஜனாதிபதி மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேவிற்கும் இடையில் பேச்சுவார்த்தை ஒன்று நடைபெறவுள்ளதாக நம்பிக்கையான வட்டாரங்கள் தெரிவித்துள்ளன. 

யுத்தத்தை முடித்த கௌரவம் மகிந்தவுக்கு என்றும் இருக்கும்; ரணில்

யுத்தத்தை முடித்த கௌரவம் 
மகிந்தவுக்கு  என்றும் இருக்கும்; ரணில்  

30 வருட கால யுத்தத்தை முடிவுக்கு கொண்டுவந்த முன்னாள் ஜனாதிபதி மகிந்த ராஜபக்‌சவுக்கான கௌரவம் என்றும் இருக்கும் என புதிய பிரதமர் ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

புதிய ஜனாதிபதியாக மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேன தெரிவுசெய்யப்பட்டதையடுத்து கருத்துத் தெரிவிக்கும் போதே மேற்கண்டவாறு தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

அவர் மேலும் தெரிவித்ததாவது,

மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேனவை  ஜனாதிபதியாக்கிய அனைவருக்கும் எமது நன்றிகள். மக்கள் எதிர்பார்க்கும் அரசியல் மாற்றம் நிச்சயமாக ஏற்படும்.

தேர்தலுக்குப் பின்னரான காலங்களில் மக்கள் அமைதியாக செயற்பட வேண்டும் . அவற்றை  மீறினால் சட்ட நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் .

 அத்துடன் மகிந்த ராஜபக்சவை நான் சந்தித்து கலந்துரையாடினேன். அப்போது அவர், மக்களின் தீர்ப்புக்கு தான் தலைவணங்குவதாக   என்னிடம் தெரிவித்தார்.

எனினும் கடந்த 30 வருடகாலமாக இருந்துவந்த யுத்தத்தை இல்லாதொழித்த மகிந்த ராஜபக்‌சவுக்கு என்றுமே எமது கெளரவம் இருக்கும்.

எனினும், மக்கள் தற்போது மாற்றம் ஒன்றையே எதிர்பபார்க்கின்றனர். புதிய அரசியல் கலாசாரம் ஒன்று உருவாக வேண்டும் என்று நினைக்கின்றனர்.

எனவே அதற்கிணங்க, நாம் அவர்களின் எதிர்ப்பார்ப்பை நிச்சயமாக பூர்த்தி செய்வோம். அதேநேரம், எந்தவொரு பிரஜையும் சட்டத்தை கையில் எடுக்கக் கூடாது என்றும் நாம் கேட்டுக் கொள்கிறோம்.

மேலும் வெற்றி தோல்வியை அமைதியான முறையிலேயே எதிர்கொள்ளவேண்டும். இதனை மீறுவோருக்கு எதிராக பொலிஸார் கடுமையான சட்ட நடவடிக்கைகளை மேற்கொள்வர் என்றும் அவர் மேலும் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

Move To Bring Mahinda Back To Parliament As "Alternate" Prime Minister!

Move To Bring Mahinda Back To Parliament As "Alternate" Prime Minister!

Saturday, 10 January 2015 14:08

 Move To Bring Mahinda Back To Parliament As "Alternate" Prime Minister!
A group of Sri Lanka Freedom Party Parliamentarians have explored the possibility of bringing former President Mahinda Rajapaksa back to the Parliament and position him as the ‘alternate’ Prime Minister.

According to the constitution of Sri Lanka, the person who can draw the support of the majority of Parliamentarians in the house should be appointed as the Prime Minister of the country.

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday appointed UNP National Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister, minutes after taking oaths as the President of Sri Lanka. However, Wickremesinghe has to draw the support of at least 30 more MPs to form a majority in the country’s legislature.

Speaking to his supporters at his ancestral home in Medamulana, former President Rajapaksa said he came to Medamulana for a “holiday” and would continue to represent them in the country’s politics. He also said he had relinquished presidential powers and had handed over the country’s administration to the newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena.

Meanwhile, another school of thought emerging from the ruling party claim that Leader of the House Nimal Siripala de Silva should be positioned as the alternate Prime Minister.

However, when contacted by Asian Mirror, Navin Dissanayake, a key Parliamentarian who played a prominent role in the Common Opposition said, the UNP National Leader would be in a position to draw the support of the majority of Parliamentarians.

Without the support of a majority, President Maithripala Sirisena will have to dissolve Parliament and seek another mandate from the people.

பாரிசில் பயங்கரத் தாக்குதல்!

மைத்திரி அந்நிய ஆட்சிக் கவிழ்ப்பு பாசிச ஜனாதிபதி!

மைத்திரிப் பாசிசத்தை அரியணையில் ஏற்றிய தமிழர் வாக்குகள்!

'Sirisena's election an opportunity for a fresh foreign policy' - THE HINDU

'Sirisena's election an opportunity for a fresh foreign policy'

JAYANTHA DHANAPALA

Sri Lanka can now return to its traditional non-aligned foreign policy maintaining friendly relations with its Asian neighbours, especially with India.

The election of President Maithripala Sirisena in a peaceful democratic process is a welcome opportunity to forge afresh a coherent,consistent and balanced foreign policy based on the permanent national interests of Sri Lanka and executed with professional competence.

Sri Lanka can now return to its traditional non-aligned foreign policy maintaining friendly relations with its Asian neighbours, especially with India with whom we have been closely linked through geo-politics, history and culture. Asia is the new centre of gravity in global political and economic relations and Sri Lanka can develop her economic potential with even-handed and mutually beneficial ties with India, China, Pakistan, Japan and the ASEAN countries using its strategic location. At the same time important economic partners in trade, investment and tourism remain in the West with whom we have had longstanding ties thorough the Commonwealth, the United Nations and other multilateral organisations working together for international peace and security.

The values of good governance, democracy, the rule of law and human rights will be upheld in domestic and foreign policy ensuring that the ethnic and religious diversity of the country is respected and protected . It follows therefore that Sri Lanka will engage in a positive dialogue with the international community on human rights fulfilling its commitments to the international human rights instruments it has signed and ensuring that credible domestic processes are launched for their implementation.

Sri Lanka must also rebuild traditional foreign policy institutions especially a professional diplomatic service with recruitment through a competitive examination and training at all levels minimising political appointees .

(Jayantha Dhanapala is a former diplomat in Sri Lanka, who has held key posts in Beijing, Washington and Geneva)

Sri Lankan President Concedes Defeat After Startling Upset

ASIA PACIFIC
Sri Lankan President Concedes Defeat After Startling Upset
By ELLEN BARRY and DHARISHA BASTIANSJAN. 8, 2015

NEW DELHI — After a startling upset in Sri Lanka’s presidential election, President Mahinda Rajapaksa conceded defeat on Friday morning, bringing an abrupt end to a larger-than-life, increasingly controlling presidency that he had hoped to extend into a third six-year term.

Mr. Rajapaksa left his residence, Temple Trees, shortly after 6 a.m. “to allow the new president to assume his duties,” a presidential spokesman announced. Before daybreak, the president met with Ranil Wickramasinghe, the leader of the opposition United National Party, to offer his cooperation. His opponent, former Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, was scheduled to take the oath of office on Friday evening.

Mr. Rajapaksa’s defeat is remarkable because he had an overwhelming advantage going into the election, which he decided to hold two years ahead of schedule. During nearly a decade in office, he had built close ties with China, begun a campaign of “megadevelopment” and sharply centralized power in one of Asia’s oldest democracies.


His image is ubiquitous in Sri Lanka’s public spaces. His campaign rallies were lavish, well-funded affairs, where he addressed a sea of voters bused in from surrounding villages. Mr. Sirisena, unable to book stadiums, spoke to people gathered in vacant lots.

On Friday, Sri Lanka’s Election Commission announced that Mr. Sirisena had won about 51.3 percent of the vote, with 47.6 percent going to Mr. Rajapaksa. The margin was just under 450,000 votes.

Mr. Rajapaksa’s son Namal wrote on Twitter that his family had accepted the election results.

“Thank you to everyone who supported us through these years,” he said. “We respect the voice of the people and Sri Lanka’s great democracy.”

Over the past several years, Mr. Rajapaksa had steadily tightened his grip on power, amending the Constitution to eliminate term limits and dismissing a Supreme Court justice who resisted his changes. But he did so under favorable circumstances, riding a wave of popularity among majority Sinhalese after crushing a long-running Tamil insurgency in the north in 2009. Since that victory, Sri Lanka has benefited from a thriving tourist industry and had the highest economic growth rate in the region, leading many to conclude that voters would tolerate his consolidation of power.

Thursday’s vote called that calculus into question, said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director of the Center for Policy Alternatives in Colombo. “Basically, the electorate has turned its back on misgovernance and the dynastic project, as well as authoritarianism,” he said.

After counting began on Thursday night, he said, the president must have quickly understood that he had lost the election, and been encouraged to concede by army and police officials.

“I think he saw the writing on the wall,” Mr. Saravanamuttu said. “He would have realized there was a swing. His representatives within the arms of the state would have told him, ‘Look, we are not going to buck the popular will.’”

Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
The upset introduces significant uncertainty. Mr. Sirisena has promised to abolish the strong presidency introduced by Mr. Rajapaksa and return the country to a parliamentary system, but the coalition around him is a sprawling, diverse one, including Buddhist nationalists, Marxists and center-right politicians, among others. Dayan Jayatilleka, a former diplomat who had supported Mr. Rajapaksa’s re-election bid in recent weeks, said late Thursday that he expected some turbulence to emerge in the coming months.

“The opposition will certainly have a transition plan, and chances of instability are small, because the state machinery will switch to the winner,” he said. “Instability will set in later, if at all, when the executive presidency is abolished and multipolarity has set in.”

A central question is whether Sri Lanka will begin to distance itself from China, which had become a major ally under Mr. Rajapaksa, extending billions of dollars in loans for the construction of new ports and highways. That trend was worrying to India, which formally complained in recent months after Chinese military submarines made unannounced visits to the Colombo port.

In his manifesto, Mr. Sirisena promises to establish “equal relations” with India, China, Pakistan and Japan, and criticizes his predecessor for incurring heavy foreign debts.

“The land that the White Man took over by means of military strength is now being obtained by foreigners by paying ransom to a handful of persons,” the manifesto says. “If this trend continues for another six years, our country would become a colony, and we would become slaves.”

Harsha de Silva, economic affairs spokesman for the opposition United National Party, said the new government would review all major infrastructure projects, withdrawing support from those that appeared to be “white elephants.” If officials discover irregularities, including any involving Mr. Rajapaksa’s family members, he said, “we will hand it over to the authorities to investigate and then put it before an independent judiciary.”

This position, he said, does not indicate “any misgivings or bad blood with China.”

“We consider China a good friend; it just happens that many of these projects in question happened to be Chinese,” he said. “We will have a balanced approach between India and China, unlike the current regime, which was antagonizing India almost by its closeness to China.”

Indian analysts warned against expecting radical policy changes from Mr. Sirisena, who shares a political background with Mr. Rajapaksa and relies on the same core support group, ethnic Sinhalese Buddhists. That group has, historically, been hostile to demands from northern Tamils for demilitarization of the north and restoration of power to elected Tamil leaders.

The contest became surprisingly close in November, when Mr. Sirisena, a longtime loyalist from Mr. Rajapaksa’s own party, suddenly defected and declared himself a challenger. He was followed by other defectors who focused their campaigns on Mr. Rajapaksa’s vulnerabilities, especially allegations that his relatives, who occupy dozens of government posts, have enriched themselves at the expense of ordinary citizens.

Ellen Barry reported from New Delhi, and Dharisha Bastians from Colombo, Sri Lanka.

A version of this article appears in print on January 9, 2015, on page A3 of the New York edition with the headline: Sri Lankan President Appears to Lose Election. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe