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are condoning the violation of a range of informal and formal rules and regula- tions. When the head of state sets such as example, others follow." This incident illustrates the state of our politics today where the Head of State is less of individual decisions. However, we condoning the breakdown of law have never experienced a judge being berat- and order which is in his charge. ed by an angry public as "patta belli (damn This is not the first such occa- bitch)." sion. Numerous incidents sur- It is to avoid such an unnecessary confronta- faced previously in the country. tion with the public that there is a guiding dic- There was the tum: "Justice must not only be done but must episode where hundreds of wit- manifestly be seen to be done." It appears however that the President and the BIG QUESTIONS FOR government are not interested in being seen to do justice. The announcement of the ver- dict should not have been timed for the President's Birthday since such timing sug- RAJAPAKSE AS THE COUNTRY gests that the President would savour such a decision as a great Birthday gift. The infer- ence here is that the President is vindictive. SLIDES TO HOOLIGANISM Double murderers, drug dealers, and public thieves have been let out and even released from jail. On the other hand Writing to the Island newspaper on the 23rd better punk in government than he. The the treatment to General of November the respected and normally man exists to create a spectacle. If he feels Fonseka is palpably unsus- pro-government lawyer, SL Gunasekera, like boxing somebody's ears, he will. If he tainable and is condoned by was constrained to express his displeasure feels like spewing invective, he will. If he no one except poodles and at what's going on in . SLG feels like tying a public official to a tree, he ignorant people. Here in described current day Sri Lanka as "the age will. If he wants to plod around the country Australia a persons'circum- of the thug, the vagabond and the syco- behaving like a prize bull merely because stances are reckoned before a phant." he feels like it, he will. legal punishment is metered Popular columnist Nemini Wijedasa in the Meanwhile, the leaders of his party-and his out. His age, his state of health etc are impor- nesses were available to vouch for the fact Lakbima of 27th of the same month elabo- government-sit back and snigger delighted- tant considerations. SF is not a healthy man, that this roughy and alleged drug pedlar and rated what SLG captioned in a cryptic way: ly. Occasionally, they stroke his fur. There living as he does with Tiger shrapnel embed- alleged rapist had murdered Bharatha "Sure, terrorism was eradicated," states is nobody like a little Mervyn to divert atten- ded in his body in his relentless and expertly Lakshman-himself a rival government Nemini "but the erosion of democratic val- tion from substantive issues. commandeered war against the brutal forces roughie and caused the death of three other ues, the culture of revenge, money launder- Today, no longer does Mervyn hold a of Prabhakaran. Yet, here he is thrown into a men on the streets in broad daylight before a ing, drug trafficking, smuggling and arms monopoly on boorishness. Other MPs are prison cell for six years dressed in prison multitude of people on local elections day at dealing are your regular, everyday activities following suit. Indeed, they have been for jumpers and eating out of a tin plate. Kolonnawa. Duminda was surreptitiously in Sri Lanka. Increasingly, we solve prob- some time but consider what happened in In the Duminda case, in the Parliament bundled away overseas in the dead of the lems by insulting and defaming each other, parliament on Monday. The UNP held up brouhaha, in his weird acts of exonerating night with government help. It took 14 days beating each other up or killing each other. placards inside the chamber to protest the criminal offenders, in his indulgence to law for a Court to order his arrest and that, too, When police don't act, we pile onto the budget proposals that President Mahinda breakers, in the SF case etc and the 'no care' after Duminda had disappeared. streets or carry out vigilante justice. Rajapaksa was reading out. This was nei- impunity with which he has handled such Abductions are on the increase again. We ther right nor proper. The UNP ought not to The Duminda incident clearly showed gov- cases President Rajapakse has to answer have no respect for our MPs-though we have done it. The UNP are idiots. They ernment indulgence. Defense Minister, how they all fit into the scheme of good and vote for them-and we have no respect for should have protested outside. Still, they Gotabhaya, is said to have been at his bed- compassionate governance. each other." were not violent. side at Sri Jayawardenapura for several People country-wide are now distrusting the hours and the President himself had done We shall continue to quote from SLG as he The reaction of government MPs to the law wielding agencies- the police, the judici- the man the honour of a hospital visit. will be, we hope, an acceptable critic from UNP protest is rather more priceless. ary, elections etc. The "patta belli" shout is Nemini refers to vindictiveness. She obvious- the perspective of the numerous uncritical Several of them-including Rohitha the ugly climax where our highest judiciary ly refers to the treatment of our war hero supporters of this regime. This is how SLG Abeygunawardena, Mahindananda had been insulted. In the perceived absence General who had been refers to the appalling scene in Parliament Aluthgamage, and the of justice from institutions that are meant to dragged into jail, jailed under a Court Martial on Budget Day when President Rajapakse, inevitable -crossed the floor provide that is it not excusable that victims order that is under question, and later tried donning his hat as Minister of Finance, was for a physical encounter with the opposi- are seeking the intervention of supranational by a Trial at Bar and sentenced to a further making his speech: "It is heartening to note tion. entities? that the President's elder brother, the three years jail. SF's jailing under hard labour Reports say UNP MPs and Speaker , has stated that thus adds up to six years. A criminal charge More than a few instances have occurred Ranjith Maddumabandara started arguing he would hold an inquiry into that incident. has to be proved beyond reasonable doubt where the public have stoned and burnt with government MPs , We do hope most sincerely that that inquiry unlike a civil charge and it is a logical puzzle police stations for failure to carry out the law , Uditha Lokubandara will not turn out to be a colossal farce in the as to how there cannot be reasonable doubt due to interference of government politicians. and . The government MPs nature of the inquiries held into the when one of the three judges on board had When police stations are being attacked the assaulted the opposition MPs. They were internecine thuggery that was witnessed exonerated SF on all charges. This judge- government brings in the army; the people hammering each other inside parliament. during the general elections in the ment will always be a talking point for rea- will next attack the army. The government will Being more numerous, ruling party clods District as well as the inquiry into the hor- sons we are reluctant to discuss as we prefer then have to seek divine grace via interven- prevailed over opposition clods. rendous conduct of the synthetic 'doctor' to consider our judges as sacrosanct regard- tions of the Salvation Army! from Kelaniya that was witnessed by one It is reported that a book flung from the and all on television when that synthetic government benches hit 'doctor', [now one of the multitude of ...... He [Karu] later issued a statement Two Story House For Sale In Ministers with which we are afflicted] actual- saying that an honest and sincere govern- ly tied a public officer to a tree in the pres- ment does not fling books or assault oppo- ence of police officers who, not surprisingly sition members when they demonstrate Negombo and most deplorably, did nothing." SLG peacefully. A water bottle, also from thrown House in heart of Negombo Town. added: "Since the Speaker himself was a from the ruling side, landed near President witness to the incidents, I for one can see Rajapaksa. Sittings were in session. Ten Perch Land, 3 nothing to be gained by appointing a com- Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa should have mittee to inquire into the incident unless of heaved the whole caboodle out. He did Bedrooms, 2 Modern Bathrooms, course it is to gain time, or to let the matter not.... President Rajapaksa, in the mean- Modern Kitchen, Large Balcony, Large die down which is something that may well time, was benignly indulgent. He even pro- happen having regard to the short memo- voked the opposition by egging them on Living Area. ries of our people and the likelihood of with pointed remarks. "I dissolve parliament Outside Bathroom, Car port and Porch. some other equally or more disgraceful inci- and hold elections next year," he jeered, dent occurring before long to over-shadow grinning broadly. "Go on, we too want a the horrendous incident of the 21st." strong opposition." He eventually ordered Close to all locations. Walking distance to Bus stand, Train Station, Bad blow from an anti-UNP, anti-Ranil, emi- his MPs [who he referred to as'Ape Kattiya' Hospital and School. nent government backer! or 'our side'] to sit down but not, it would seem, before enjoying himself immensely." Aus $ 80,000 For the benefit of readers who may not be knowing the details I will now go over to Continues Nemini:"When you stand by Please contact Aubrey on 0422 359 242 chuckling as your MPs cross the floor of Nemini Wijedasa: "Mervyn Silva is contem- or email [email protected] porary Sri Lanka's chief moron. There is no parliament and assault the opposition, you DECEMBER 2011 www.sannasa.net - www.sannasa.com 07