by Anura Gunasekera
In the decade that I have been living in Hokandara there has been an exponential growth in the number of residences and vehicles using the Hokandara – Talawatugoda road, particularly in the morning and evening. The recent move of an international school to the area , from Nawala , has further compounded the existing problem.
This narrow three km stretch of road, sections of which resemble a dried up river bed, is totally inadequate to meet the traffic flow and slows progress to a crawl.
Routinely used by vehicles from Aturugiriya, Kaduwela and Malabe to access points in Etulkotte, Nugegoda, Maharagama and other destinations in between and beyond, there are instances at peak traffic time, when it takes up to an hour to traverse.
Apart from this, the condition of the connecting roads between Koswatte, Malabe and Kelaniya, traversing Angoda and Kelanimulle, are simply abominable. I speak from first hand knowledge as I use those roads daily, to my workplace at Peliyagoda.
But, In close proximity to these vexing problems, along the Talwatugoda- Pelawatte road, we see massive development taking place, involving the creation of lakes, new roadways and the overall beautification of the surrounding area; aesthetically very satisfying but does nothing to alleviate the practical problems of the citizens of the area. That these activities have closely followed the translocation of the armed forces headquarters to Pelawatte , is perhaps a mere coincidence.
Every possible vantage point along these roads is festooned with environmentally damaging posters and huge cutouts of political aspirants, seeking office in city and town bodies. The accompanying slogans are a nauseating collection of noble intentions, sanctimonious platitudes and embarrassing statements of self aggrandizement.
The personal virtues that each candidate has ascribed to himself , despite the well known sordid personal histories of some of them, depict them as composites of Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. Many of these people have come and gone, perhaps the richer for having occupied positions of power and influence, but very few have made tangible contributions towards making life better for the ordinary citizen.
I shall use this opportunity to speak on other matters as well , lest this be seen as a selfishly personal grumble. It is only one small example of the real problems that exist right across the country and with the government, which has been overtaken by a malady of frightening proportions ; and that is a clearly cynical disregard for the critical issues that the country faces today, combined with an imperviousness to criticisms of state sponsored lawlessness , supported by the bland denial of unpleasant truths.
Instead, it has set itself on a course of high profile profligacy in the name of national development, in blatant denial of simmering social and ethnic issues, barbaric human rights violations and other unpleasant realities which ,unfortunately, demand honest self-examination as a pre-requisite for resolution.
In the North and the East there is the distressing problem of the dispossessed and disenfranchised Tamils and Muslims, many of whom have lost jobs, homes and kith and kin. Large tracts of land in these areas , previously owned either by the mainly Tamil residents ,or unoccupied as they were natural reservations of environmental importance, have been appropriated by the government, with much of it being administered by the armed forces.
In yet other parts of the country , in areas of natural and historical significance, thousands of acres of dry-zone jungle have been cleared for the cultivation of mono-crops by foreign companies, with total disregard for the clearly destructive impact on a fragile environment. Despite the cessation of conflict and the decimation of the LTTE, and the frequent assurances from the presidential podium that the country is at last secure, permanent armed forces bases are being set up in areas where none existed earlier.
Inexplicably, the country’s peace-time defence budget is several billion rupees more than its wartime budget .
Superhighways traversing the length and breadth of the country, international airports in remote mudflats where ,earlier , only migrant flamingoes used to land, the millions of dollars spent on a harbour which will never permit the berthing of a deep draft vessel, none of these massive initiatives will raise the quality of everyday life of the average citizen.
They are high profile projects which are photogenic, easy to boast of and ,largely, benefit construction companies and those who award such contracts. Whilst they will , eventually , have an impact on commerce , they cannot match the benefit of improved national medical services and the assured availability of essential drugs , the easy access to well managed state schools for children, a strife-free university education system geared to meet actual employment needs , and the comfort of trouble free travel from home to school or to work, will have on the collective psyche of the populace. Perhaps
eighty percent of citizens rely on the national health service for their medical needs whilst a similar proportion of parents look to the national education system , to ensure a decent education for their children.
The focus of the present government is on development projects and other initiatives designed for international visibility and immediate income generation for a narrow segment . They also involve the burden of financially crippling debt servicing and, wittingly or unwittingly, the political capitulation to oppressive regimes in return for funding assistance for the realisation of grandiose personal dreams.
The bid for the Commonwealth Games in Hambantota , a case in point, at a proposed cost of 1.1Bn USD , will be of absolutely zero benefit to the country and the population in its entirety, whilst introducing specialized installations to a location which will have little further use for them.
However , more significantly, it will showcase an upwardly mobile presidential offspring and is certain to provide a useful vehicle for the projection of his political ambitions . Perhaps the colossal cost to the country will eventually be justified by the realisation of the relentless Rajapaksa quest for perennial power and dynastic succession.
There is now another spectre which looms over our country, posing a greater threat to social stability than the combined effect of corruption, galloping inflation, bad roads, an ill-designed educational system and a poorly managed national health service; and that is the rampant lawlessness that has enveloped every aspect of our society; this is reflected in the total impunity to punitive action and the freedom from public accountability enjoyed by the rulers; it is evident in the everyday conduct of a criminalized police force , answerable neither to the public nor to the law but to its political masters; it is mirrored in the decrees of a subservient judiciary, clearly prepared to abide by the ruler’s will; it is demonstrated in violent confrontations between ruling party politicians, when an election campaign is reduced to the level of drug gang warfare, with rival groups battling for turf; it goes unheeded by a fragmented and supine opposition, which is diverting all its energies and resources for personal survival; it is tacitly condoned by an apathetic public, which includes you and I, who are prepared to accept anything as long as it does not affect us personally.
The MP for Keleniya , from time to time, issues personal edicts on what is permissible and what is not in his kingdom; he releases animals consigned for ritual slaughter- a meritorious act in itself- by invading a kovil with his private army. The fact that the issue is the subject of ongoing litigation is of no consequence , obviously. He has also forbidden the sale of beef in his area although, from all accounts, the trafficking in narcotics ,a much greater menace, continues to flourish in his satrapy along with the serial killing of destitute people, eight of whom have been murdered recently , within the space of three months.
A group of people, allegedly led by the “Sinhala Ravaya Organisation” , demolish a mosque in Anuradhapura because it is in close proximity to a stupa , said to be the burial spot of king Dutugemunu. That an unauthorized structure can be removed only by court order, under fiscal and police supervision, is obviously an irritating technicality , safely ignored as the building belonged to a minority religious group ,whilst the assailants were part of a well known Sinhala Buddhist organization and therefore, by definition, “patriotic”.
Beware, that patriotism is no longer what ordinary citizens believe in but a matter defined by presidential decree. In a country which has descended in to unacknowledged totalitarianism, the ruler invents, and re-invents, both the country and the rules as he goes along.
The, ” he died whilst trying to escape” explanation, attributed to the death of suspects in police custody , has become a grotesque assault on public perception , on account of the regularity of its occurrence. Nobody believes it anymore and the Police do not care that it is well known to be a preposterous untruth. Even the recent death sentences handed out to perpetrators of a similar crime have failed to act as a deterrent .
Over time the forces responsible for law and order have become emboldened by the tacit endorsement by successive regimes , of the extra-judicial elimination of political opponents, critics and other similar irritants on their political skins. Given a slow-moving judicial system and an obviously inept criminal investigative process, which enables the major proportion of criminal suspects to go free, the delivery of summary justice is more convenient than proper law enforcement. Killing , it is said, is habit forming.
The elimination , the permanent disappearance and the incarceration of journalists critical of the actions of the rulers has ceased to be serious news. Perhaps journalists are no longer at serious risk as most seem to practice a discreet self-censorship, consequent to the yet unresolved elimination of many of them. The suppression of truth and the prevention of the public dissemination of facts critical of the rulers , are cornerstones of despotic administrations and the essential first steps on the road to tyranny. The crumbling regimes of Libya, Syria and Egypt are perfect examples , although the worms have finally turned after decades of oppression and suppression.
Our society is now teetering at the edge of a moral precipice. Normally, the greater majority of people are law-abiding and are frankly critical of those who break the law .The human rights violations, such as illegal arrest , eviction from personal property and summary execution, which accompanied the conduct of the war in the North and the East, largely affected the subject Tamils and Muslims and did not touch many of us in the South . Now the same violations of personal liberties and rights and other iniquities, which were clearly very much part of the war in the North ,notwithstanding vociferous denials by successive governments, have become part of our lives in the South.
As decent human beings and responsible citizens we do not have a choice but to condemn such acts, individually and collectively and compel our unprincipled rulers to acknowledge the disapproval of the society of the ruled. Otherwise we will, eventually, be consumed by our own indifference as our society degenerates in to a jungle , unbearable for us and our children to live in. We will surely suffer the consequences of our own apathy, when we personally become victim to such persecution.
The much discussed city ‘beautification’ oc Colombo is confined mainly to Galle Face, the commercial center in the Fort and Colombo 7 areas and conists of knocking down walls, painting and paving pavements and destruction of the tree canopy of Colombo since the Defense Ministry also seems to be doing a timber business and is denuding Colombo of its trees. All of this is being done by the Defense Ministry under the command of Gotabaya Rajapakse and his now brain dead Monitoring MP Duminda Silva one of the chief suspects in the murder of MP Baratha Luxman Premachandra, and actually masks the more fundamental de-development of institutions through politicization, brain drain of the qualified and capable human resources due to marginalization due the system of political patronage in urban institutions. The over-centralized and over-politicized governance system whereby heads of institutions be they hospitals or libraries are appointed on the basis of their political connections has led to the marginalization of those individuals who actually have the knowledge and expertise to make real development of institutions which are the core of sustainable and real development.The Urban Development Authority was brought under the Defense Ministry as a means of justifying the increase of the Defense Ministry budget in 2012 – more than two years after the end of the war in May 2009, and in the context of mounting civil society opposition to the overt militarization of every aspect of governance, education and civic life in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government has allocated the highest amount, nearly 230 billion rupees, of expenditure to the newly organized Ministry of Defence and Urban Development in the 2012 Appropriation Bill that was presented to the parliament today by the Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne for its first reading. According to the government, the total expenditure for 2012 is estimated at Rs. 2.22 trillion (US$ 20 billion) necessitating an increase in Recurrent Expenditure from Rs.1. 029 trillion in 2011 to Rs.1.109 trillion in 2012, and the Capital Expenditure from Rs.938 billion to Rs.1.111 trillion.
The alledged murders in Kolonoawa by the monitoring Minister of the Defense Duminda Silva has shown the extent of the dis-functionality of the Defense Ministry in a time of peace and the need to reduce rather than extend the influence of the Defense establishment increasingly under a pall due to the Rajapakse regime’s refusal to even consider investigating credible allegations of war crimes during the conflict.
It is now incumbent on civil society and opposition parties in Sri Lanka in order to save democracy in the country from the Rajapakse regime, that there be a broad rainbow coalition formed to oppose the take over of the UDA by the Defense Ministry, which has no concept of urban development and planning and is in fact systematically de-developing local govt bodies and institutions. Sri Lankans must now speak up in one voice – Gotabaya Rajapake who is out of control and cutting down Colombo’s tree canopy among other crimes needs to be sent back to the US! Let us rescue the UDA from him at least and oppose the attempt to rename the Ministry of Defense and Urban Development.
The much discussed city ‘beautification’ of Colombo is confined mainly to Galle Face, the commercial center in the Fort and Colombo 7 areas and conists of knocking down walls, painting and paving pavements and destruction of the tree canopy of Colombo since the Defense Ministry also seems to be doing a timber business and is denuding Colombo of its trees. All of this is being done by the Defense Ministry under the command of Gotabaya Rajapakse and his now brain dead Monitoring MP Duminda Silva one of the chief suspects in the murder of MP Baratha Luxman Premachandra, and actually masks the more fundamental de-development of institutions through politicization, brain drain of the qualified and capable human resources due to marginalization due the system of political patronage in urban institutions. The over-centralized and over-politicized governance system whereby heads of institutions be they hospitals or libraries are appointed on the basis of their political connections has led to the marginalization of those individuals who actually have the knowledge and expertise to make real development of institutions which are the core of sustainable and real development.The Urban Development Authority was brought under the Defense Ministry as a means of justifying the increase of the Defense Ministry budget in 2012 – more than two years after the end of the war in May 2009, and in the context of mounting civil society opposition to the overt militarization of every aspect of governance, education and civic life in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government has allocated the highest amount, nearly 230 billion rupees, of expenditure to the newly organized Ministry of Defence and Urban Development in the 2012 Appropriation Bill that was presented to the parliament today by the Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne for its first reading. According to the government, the total expenditure for 2012 is estimated at Rs. 2.22 trillion (US$ 20 billion) necessitating an increase in Recurrent Expenditure from Rs.1. 029 trillion in 2011 to Rs.1.109 trillion in 2012, and the Capital Expenditure from Rs.938 billion to Rs.1.111 trillion.
The alledged murders in Kolonoawa by the monitoring Minister of the Defense Duminda Silva has shown the extent of the dis-functionality of the Defense Ministry in a time of peace and the need to reduce rather than extend the influence of the Defense establishment increasingly under a pall due to the Rajapakse regime’s refusal to even consider investigating credible allegations of war crimes during the conflict.
It is now incumbent on civil society and opposition parties in Sri Lanka in order to save democracy in the country from the Rajapakse regime, that there be a broad rainbow coalition formed to oppose the take over of the UDA by the Defense Ministry, which has no concept of urban development and planning and is in fact systematically de-developing local govt bodies and institutions. Sri Lankans must now speak up in one voice – Gotabaya Rajapake who is out of control and cutting down Colombo’s tree canopy among other crimes needs to be sent back to the US! Let us rescue the UDA from him at least and oppose the attempt to rename the Ministry of Defense and Urban Development.
Absolutely a brilliant analysis and a wake-up call.
Mr.Gunasekera
“As decent human beings and responsible citizens we do not have a choice but to condemn such acts, individually and collectively and compel our unprincipled rulers to acknowledge the disapproval of the society of the ruled. Otherwise we will, eventually, be consumed by our own indifference as our society degenerates in to a jungle, unbearable for us and our children to live in. We will surely suffer the consequences of our own apathy, when we personally become victim to such persecution.”
Well done! I agree with every word you have written. Knowingly or unknowingly the regime has adopted a policy that is akin to that of the Chinese (with the exception of course brutally punishing the law breakers, particularly involved in bribery, corruption, drugs and crimes related to public finance) apparently believing that is the right way to prosperity, especially with the anti-western psychological scenario and that is now getting out of hands. Now that the so called Chinese Prosperity dream of the Chinese itself shattering within China causing many a tycoons fleeing the country, some of them even committing suicide, banks closing shutters for industrialists….we are really in for a calamity.
The political culture, thanks to the JRJ inspired constitution, is headed only in one direction deteriorating by the minute, leaving absolutely no room for honest, service minded and compassionate individuals to come forward. Nothing short of a miracle would reverse this process.
Absolutely a brilliant analysis and a wake up call.
An excellent article. Hope others too will at least open their eyes and realise what is going on around us. Time has come for people to speak out against this cancer for the sake of our children and future generations. Already the Govt has blocked several websites that expose the truth about their dark activities.
Increaseing the defense is to fight with India at times either Pakistan or China urges SL to do so. India masterminded 20 countries getting together to Defeat LTTE. Now SL, Pakistan, Bangaladesh, China and Maldives will get together to defeat India. Koodankulam would be the first Taget to defeat India.
The Drug cartels in Mexico has caused the death of 50,000 during a 5 year period
when the Govt. sought to control it – a lesson for S.Lanka. Watch out as the
head appears for same within MOD in SL.
The economic melt-down in Greece will happen here, when one takes into account
the CWGames budget of 1.1.Bn. USD apart from the other “Development” oriented
waste already incurred.
Let the Sinhala Voters decide sooner than later their own fate.
Good stuff! The UNP and Muzzamil who is the Mayor of Colombo the country’s biggest city must NOT support the Defense Ministry in its so-called development plan in Colombo. The current Mayor MUST oppose and start a aatyagraha against Gotabaya and the take over of the Urban Development Authority. Gotabaya once had a banner “Gotabaya the great” on Dharmapala Mawatha – what a joker. He is Gotabaya the Goon!
The the renaming and coupling of of the Defense Ministry with Urban Development must be opposed. Sadly, however Muzzamil is Ranil’s pet and Ranil needs Rajapakse’s support to remain as leader of the opposition so they have agreed to work with the Defense Ministry. This is ABSURD and the UNP members must start the revolution against Ranil to get rid of him. The time has come for drastic action against the powers that be in Govt and opposition to rescure DEMOCRACY IN LANKA from the Rajapakse thugs as CBK put it!
It is hard to judge with conviction and sincerity of the above article and similar ones by Tissaranee. Yes many problems remain and the Rajapaksa’s are corrupt and continue to make poor economic decisions, particularly from a governance perspective.
The recent gun fight or assasination of Bharatha Premachandra is another indicator of neglect and impugnity that the Rajapaksa’s seem to encourage.
The problem, particularly for anyone 40 or over is that many people have seen much worse. So they can keep perpective knowing that there are many improvements that are occurring in the country. The government, however corrupt is accomplishing the completion of projects, some of which are worthwhile, others that are useless. More so than the electorate in general has experienced in the past. To be fair, most of the improvements in the economy and the country, and there have been improvements are due to an absence of war as opposed to good governance and capable economic management.
Elections, are if mired by violence still somewhat fair, which is why opposition parties still win seats (in the recent local council elections).
Is this the beggining of a replay of the time Sri Lanka experienced between 88-93? That was a merry time wasn’t it? It is hard to tell, and the doomsayers are too fervent in their beliefs, but all the signs (rising impugnity and corruption) are difficult to accept.
Part of the problem lies in having a weak, divided and hapless opposition.
Recep Erdoğan, the Prime Minister of Turkey oversaw economic reform and development of his country where “he presided over a record 26 quarters of economic growth”. He is not very popular in the west (due to pro islamic nationlistic politics) and Turkey is one of, if not the second worst country for media freedom (behind Russia). Nevertheless he is incredibly popular in Turkey (due to the economic perfomance of the country), where his popularity level is reaching levels enjoyed by Atarturk himself.
JRJ in his time oversaw a rapid improvement of the economy as resctrictions were liberalised and the economy shifted to a more market based mechanisms. He had huge popualrity for increasing the living standards of people. He literally did not have to do much more than continue economic reform and development to be re-elected. He proved to be a complete moral failure due to his political greed or he was an utter idiot and worse for what he authorised.
The Rajapaksa’s truthfully told and realistically analysed do not need to anything other than continue to develop the economy and like Mahathir they will enjoy majorities in elections for many years to come, particularly if Ranil stays as UNP leader.
Is the beginning of the Rajapaksa’s bringing back Mr Premadasa’s style of governance? Or is this period altogether different and difficult to decipher where there will be many levels of grey when it comes to tranparency and good governance.
Don’t worry, even Somalia is Living.
It is hard to judge with conviction and sincerity of the above article and similar ones by Tissaranee. Yes many problems remain and the Rajapaksa’s are corrupt and continue to make poor economic decisions, particularly from a governance perspective.
The recent gun fight or assasination of Bharatha Premachandra is another indicator of neglect and impugnity that the Rajapaksa’s seem to encourage.
The problem, particularly for anyone 40 or over is that many people have seen much worse. So they can keep perpective knowing that there are many improvements that are occurring in the country. The government, however corrupt is accomplishing the completion of projects, some of which are worthwhile, others that are useless. More so than the electorate in general has experienced in the past. To be fair, most of the improvements in the economy and the country, and there have been improvements are due to an absence of war as opposed to good governance and capable economic management.
Elections, are if mired by violence still somewhat fair, which is why opposition parties still win seats (in the recent local council elections).
Is this the beggining of a replay of the time Sri Lanka experienced between 88-93? That was a merry time wasn’t it? It is hard to tell, and the doomsayers are too fervent in their beliefs, but all the signs (rising impugnity and corruption) are difficult to accept.
Part of the problem lies in having a weak, divided and hapless opposition.
Recep Erdoğan, the Prime Minister of Turkey oversaw economic reform and development of his country where “he presided over a record 26 quarters of economic growth”. He is not very popular in the west (due to pro islamic nationlistic politics) and Turkey is one of, if not the second worst country inEurope for media freedom (behind Russia). Nevertheless he is incredibly popular in Turkey (due to the economic perfomance of the country), where his popularity level is reaching levels enjoyed by Atarturk himself.
JRJ in his time oversaw a rapid improvement of the economy as resctrictions were liberalised and the economy shifted to a more market based mechanisms. He had huge popualrity for increasing the living standards of people. He literally did not have to do much more than continue economic reform and development to be re-elected. He proved to be a complete moral failure due to his political greed or he was an utter idiot and worse for what he authorised.
The Rajapaksa’s truthfully told and realistically analysed do not need to anything other than continue to develop the economy and like Mahathir they will enjoy majorities in elections for many years to come, particularly if Ranil stays as UNP leader.
Is this the beginning of the Rajapaksa’s bringing back Mr Premadasa’s style of governance? Or is this period altogether different and difficult to decipher where there will be many levels of grey when it comes to tranparency and good governance.
Anura
Thanks for writing this.
But the reality in the Northeast is much worse than ”In the North and the East there is the distressing problem of the dispossessed and disenfranchised Tamils and Muslims, many of whom have lost jobs, homes and kith and kin. Large tracts of land in these areas , previously owned either by the mainly Tamil residents ,or unoccupied as they were natural reservations of environmental importance, have been appropriated by the government, with much of it being administered by the armed forces”.
Even someone like you who dares to point out the atrocities in the South does not know the extent to which militarisation and military administration has been brutalising the Northeast.
More Sinhalese who have writing skills should write more about the socio-economic decay of the Northeast and then civil activism will increase in the South which is needed for transformation of Sri Lankan society.
There is no demand from the South for reconciliation which will have a very good impact on the overall situation in Sri Lanka. There will most likely be demand if what has been going on in the Northeast is conveyed to all the corners of the South.
Anura, please start writing in detail the conditions in all the corners of the Northeast.
What this country needs is many more sons of the soil like Mr Anura Gunasekera. Men such as him do not belong to one community alone. They belong to all Sri Lanka. Tamils, Muslims, Burghers and others can trust men of his mental make-up. He knows their pain and he thinks across the racial divide. Men/women like him know what is in store. They have the capacity to figure out why the Colombo Bourse is closed for 3 days in the running. Why the only few transactions in the Bourse done was only Selling of existing shares. Yes. Central Bank tells us FDIs received are much more than last year. We do not dispute that. There are fly-by-night investors in the world too – like that JRJ appealed to “let the robber barons come” said he gleefully. They did. Some of them are still there helped by our VVIPs.
It is men like Mr Gunasekera who are aware those parents who can afford – reasonably and barely – from all communities are struggling to help their children to “escape” overseas. Most of these children are doing far better than what they would in the home country – where almost every aspect of life is either in drastic decline or destroyed. One wonders why the wisdom and ability of men like him have not been sought and utilised by a regime short of brains but in excess of twits, twerps, dimwits and troglodytes at the higher levels.
ISS
Sadly Mr Gunasekera is doing the opposition’s job. If there was an opposition, the electorate in the South would know much more about these issues.
Unless of course that electorate is in fear of their lives, or the media is too cowed to report what the opposition says or the opposition is really ineffective looking like a deer caught in headlights when the war was won and having no policies or alternative framework to govern the country.
Yeah, China is thriving also, with the same type of totalitarian government, so is Singapore. Burma is faring much worse. It’s a mixed bag really.
Leela Singhala speaking Tamil Politicians and Tamil literate singhala Politicians and journalists have been decimated Time to Time. Don’t you understand this. The politicsof SL will never allow people studying and listening each oter’s Language.
—”the regime short of brains but in excess of twits, twerps, dimwits and troglodytes at the higher levels.” —Says Mr Sengutuan
It is funny the brand new mayor of Colombo, anointed by Mega Metro Visionary Part Leader of the UNP, and installed by the bright and brainy Colombo elite lead by Mr Sengutuan, had to rush to see the UDA boss and beg him to help collect the household garbage and keep the city clean as before.
Latest news that SSP Mirihana and OIC Muleriyawa were with Duminda Silva when the shooting occured is simply mind boggling. Senior Police Officers involved in breaking election laws and wittnesses to murder. Something really rotten at the MOD. Being the wonder of asia no doubt.
Kalu Albert says:
I would add that the country is populated by Sinhalese and Tamils who are short of brains but in excess of twits, twerps, dimwits and troglodytes at the higher levels and plain stupids.
“Rampant lawlessness has enveloped every aspect of our society” caused by LTTE rump and the Tamil Diaspora.
The West must take responsibility for the lawlessness, corruption, rape, child abuse, abuse against women and the old, rising cost of living, ….. and drought experienced by the country. If not for the Rajabakse family there wouldn’t be any water to drink.
SriLankan
Are shedding tears for the demise of Mahinda’s family friend?
No not for Mahinda and his cahoots but for the blatant breakdown of law and order and the justice system in Sri Lanka. Of course this has happened over decades but this incident eats the cake.
SriLankan
I meant MR’s family friend the former Libyan leader Colonel Gaddaffi.
The Mayor knows his job – to approach the “Head of the Rubbish Collectors” of
the city, who as a Public Servant will do anything for his mother country and
USA!
of course you are right.