Mangala & Sripathi crosses over for good...

The hatred towards the government of President Rajapaksha has been revealed once more yesterday. The campaign leaders of MR's presidential election Mangala & Sripathi crossed over and sat in the opposition with a great round of applause by the UNP & TNA.

Former ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Suriarachchi crossed over to the opposition benches yesterday morning, before the government presented a supplementary budget to parliament to obtain approval, for 6 ministries exceeding 650 million rupees.

They sat in the front row of the government and speaking here Mangala Samaraweera said that they arrived at the decision since they cannot adhere and agree with the government's moves.

Todays parliamentary session drew high attention of the public as the JVP too for the first time was scheduled to cast their votes against the government. So for the first time the TNA, JVP and the UNP were voting against the government simultaneously. The constitution says that if a government fails to establish a financial act then the parliament should be dissolved.

Therefore the government had asked all the parliamentarians to immediately return to the country and chief government whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle yesterday stressed that the government cannot be defeated.

When the government was tightening their screws the Opposition Leader left for India last evening and sources say he went their to attend a wedding.

Meanwhile Suriarachchi and Samaraweera have decided to establish a separate wing of the SLFP called the Mahajana Wing.

The two former ministers have informed this move to the speaker in writing.

The letters sent to the speaker with their signatures state they would therefore continue to sit with the opposition and have asked the speaker to assign them seats considering their seniority.

Issuing a statement the media unit of the Mahajana Wing of the SLFP says the two parliamentarians would begin the wing�s political activities after paying floral tribute to the Bandaranaike Samadhi Statue on the 22nd Friday.

Both Sripathy and Mangala have sent letters to the speaker, with the same points included and hereby we publish one of those letters.

19 June 2007

Hon. Speaker
W.J.M. Lokubandara
Sri Lanka Parliament
Jayawardenapura, Kotte.

Hon. Speaker,

Sitting in the Opposition in Parliament and Issuing a Private Statement

1. At the Parliamentary election held on 02 April 2004, I represented Matara district under the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and was elected to Parliament by the people.

2. The main coalition partner of the UPFA, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, has seen its principles and political philosophy betrayed by the present Government. They have rejected the party's centrist policies and are taking our country in an extreme direction.

3. We are totally opposed to this path of extremism and in order to protect the principles of the SLFP, Member of Parliament for Gampaha district Mr. Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi and I have decided to sit in the Opposition benches of Parliament as MPs of the UPFA. We shall represent the Mahajana Wing of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

4. Therefore, I respectfully request that necessary arrangements be made for me to be given a seat in the Opposition according to my seniority in Parliament.

5. Furthermore, I wish to explain my political decision to my constituents and the people of Sri Lanka. I hereby request that arrangements be made for me to give a private statement in Parliament in the morning of June 20, 2007.

Thank you.
Yours sincerely,

sgd/ Mangala Samaraweera
MP for Matara District
United People's Freedom alliance

Former ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Suriarachchi crossed over to the opposition benches this morning, before the government presented a supplementary budget to parliament to obtain approval, for 6 ministries exceeding 650 million rupees.

They sat in the front row of the government and speaking here Mangala Samaraweera said that they arrived at the decision since they cannot adhere and agree with the government's moves.

Today�s parliamentary session drew high attention of the public as the JVP too for the first time was scheduled to cast their votes against the government. So for the first time the TNA, JVP and the UNP were voting against the government simultaneously. The constitution says that if a government fails to establish a financial act then the parliament should be dissolved.

Therefore the government had asked all the parliamentarians to immediately return to the country and chief government whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle yesterday stressed that the government cannot be defeated.

When the government was tightening their screws the Opposition Leader left for India last evening and sources say he went their to attend a wedding.

Meanwhile Suriarachchi and Samaraweera have decided to establish a separate wing of the SLFP called the Mahajana Wing.

The two former ministers have informed this move to the speaker in writing.

The letters sent to the speaker with their signatures state they would therefore continue to sit with the opposition and have asked the speaker to assign them seats considering their seniority.

Issuing a statement the media unit of the Mahajana Wing of the SLFP says the two parliamentarians would begin the wing�s political activities after paying floral tribute to the Bandaranaike Samadhi Statue on the 22nd Friday.

Both Sripathy and Mangala have sent letters to the speaker, with the same points included and hereby we publish one of those letters.

19 June 2007

Hon. Speaker
W.J.M. Lokubandara
Sri Lanka Parliament
Jayawardenapura, Kotte.

Hon. Speaker,

Sitting in the Opposition in Parliament and Issuing a Private Statement

1. At the Parliamentary election held on 02 April 2004, I represented Matara district under the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and was elected to Parliament by the people.

2. The main coalition partner of the UPFA, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, has seen its principles and political philosophy betrayed by the present Government. They have rejected the party's centrist policies and are taking our country in an extreme direction.

3. We are totally opposed to this path of extremism and in order to protect the principles of the SLFP, Member of Parliament for Gampaha district Mr. Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi and I have decided to sit in the Opposition benches of Parliament as MPs of the UPFA. We shall represent the Mahajana Wing of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

4. Therefore, I respectfully request that necessary arrangements be made for me to be given a seat in the Opposition according to my seniority in Parliament.

5. Furthermore, I wish to explain my political decision to my constituents and the people of Sri Lanka. I hereby request that arrangements be made for me to give a private statement in Parliament in the morning of June 20, 2007.

Thank you.
Yours sincerely,

sgd/ Mangala Samaraweera
MP for Matara District
United People's Freedom alliance

Nation bulding or Nation eating...???

The Supreme Court today ordered the Presidential Secretariat to investigate the conduct of Minister of Nation Building Jagath Pushpakumara who is alleged to have spread violence in the Sevanagala area and thereby hampering the production of the sugar company.

This order was issued when a petition filed by the Sevanagala Sugar Factory was taken up in the Supreme Court this morning.

The petition filed by the company state, the particular minister has asked for 50 million rupees from the company and when he was rejected he used some of his henchmen to disrupt the production of the company, the police has not implemented the court order obtained by the company to evacuate a group of protestors that are protesting on top of a building and the IGP has not taken measures to arrest them resulting their production level to drop drastically.

The petition was ten up this morning before Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, Shirani Thilakawardena and Andrew Somawanse.

The Supreme Court issuing and order to the Minister and his henchmen ordered them to refrain from any kind of destructive activities and warned if they do so strict measures would be taken against them under the charges of contempt of court.

The Chief Justice addressing the court said the Ministers of Nation Building were appointed to build the nation but now they are destroying the nation and said that the court has to intervene when corruption in the state increases.

The CJ also ordered the Sevanagala police to present a report to the Supreme Court explaining why they failed to carry out the court orders.

Tiran Alles was a political victim... says Chief Justice

The Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva told the Supreme Court today that Tiran Alles seem to be have been arrested by political influence.

The CJ made this statement when a petition filed by Tiran Alles, stating his fundamental rights were violated when he was arrested while in hospital, was taken up in the Cupreme court this morning.

Attorney of Alles told the court today that he was arrested merely on political influence pointing out that he was arrested after cleverly organized several stages, first by removing Mangala Samaraweera and then arresting him. The attorneys also pointed out investigations carried out against Alles were halted when rumors spread that Mangala was planning to join the government. They pointed out that investigations resumed right next day after Samaraweera made it clear that he would not take up government ranks.

The Supreme Court however granted permission to proceed with the case and look in to the human rights case and stated that the CID or any other party which seeks to obtain any statements from Alles will have to first obtain a court order from the Colombo Chief Magistrate.

The Petition was taken up against a bench comprising CJ Sarath N. Silva, Raja Fernando and Andrew Somawanse.

Honey becomes Poison by time...

There are rumors spreading in the judicial arena that threats are being posed on Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva to resign from his post before the end of his tenure. Silva is due to retire in July 2009.

It is also being reported that the judicial forums have decided to implement strong verdicts on violations of the law.

In the past few weeks the country witnessed the court delivering some controversial judgments such as releasing Tiran Alles on bail, prohibiting the forcible eviction of Tamils from Colombo lodges and prohibiting the sale of Telecom

Gotabhaya indirectly claims responsibility...

The recent interview by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is very revealing in that he has made a tacit admission that abductions were taking place but found fault with how it is termed.

He claimed in his interview with the BBC recently that the West practices what he called "double standards". "All the militaries do covert operations," he said. "When the US does operations they say covert operations. When something is in Sri Lanka they call abductions. This is playing with the words"

So essentially the Defense Secretary, who worked as a petrol pump attendant in the US at one time, admits that abductions are done but they are justified on the basis that they are covert military operations. He takes exception to the term "abductions" and wants it to be called a covert military operation.

How similar these activities, taking place in Sri Lanka today, are to those carried out by the American forces are probably best known to American Citizens like Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. But the accepted definition of abductions given in the Oxford Dictionary; "take (someone) away by force or deception" is what we go by. Furthermore, whatever way we term it, the act of taking someone away by force is morally, legally and ethically wrong - then again the Defense Secretary must be having his own way of defining these words as well.