Download pdf - A Balance Sheet - Mahinda Chinthana 2005 and the Actions of the Regime during the Last Four Years

8/14/2019 A Balance Sheet - Mahinda Chinthana 2005 and the Actions of the Regime during the Last Four Years

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A Balance Sheet - Mahinda Chinthana 2005 and the Actions of the

Regime during the Last Four Years -Lionel Bopage

This article provides a balance sheet on the current political, social and economic

situation in Sri Lanka. This would help in deciding whether, during the last four years,85 percent of the election pledges made in Mahinda Chinthana 2005 had been achieved

or not. This is important because shortly we all have a serious

responsibility to fulfill in the upcoming presidential election.

Politics of Broken Promises

During the presidential election in 2005, the present President made the following

pledges through his Mahinda Chintana.

At all elections, politicians place promises similar to fairytales, before the people.

Although the voters bring the politicians into power, very often the promises are

forgotten. I will take the following measures to end politics dominated by broken

promises (Mahinda Chintana Page 99).

Despite this pledge of the President, have not we faced now with the continuation of

politics dominated by broken promises?

Do you remember the following promises made in Mahinda Chintana?

I extend my hand of cooperation to you and your children with sincere love and

affection, to

expeditiously solve your problems having understood fully your struggle for survival

against various odds

(Page 79); until benefits of the projects aimed at increasing individual and family

income levels to reduce the cost of living are reaped, I intend to implement

programmes to solve the day to day problems of the people (Page 17) by bringing

down the prices of essential food items including rice, dhal, milk foods, spices andcoconut oil so that a weekly food basket to each of the poor families (Page 19) is

available to you.

Remember this was in Mahinda Chintana!

The southern polity brought the present President to power, then tolerated the unbearable

cost of living and sacrificed lives of their own children with certain expectations. With


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the end of the war, they expected the cost of living will reduce, their other socio-

economic problems will find solutions and the development of the country would

advance. They deemed that unprecedented prospects will open up for this to occur. Yet,

there are no signs that these expectations will be fulfilled in the near future. What did the

Tamil people expect? They expected a just and long term political outcome to address

the national problem. Is there a plan of action to fulfill such expectations even in thedistant future? No, certainly not.

Do you remember the election promise given in 2005, to include The Charter of

Rights into the

Constitution based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United

Nations and other international treaties to uphold and protect social, cultural, political,

economic and civil rights of all Sri Lankans (Page 98)?

What have we experienced to date?

Only the decimation of human and democratic rights of the people in total violation of

the international agreements and treaties.

What happened to the election promise given in 2005 regarding media freedom?

The pledge was to recognise the right of the people to have access to correct

information; to truly establish the freedom of the media; and to make State media

the highest example in the use of an independent and responsible media and towards

this, to de-politicise it (page 94).

During the past four years what has been the outcome of this promise?

It has ended up with the use of draconian legislation such as the anti-terror and

emergency laws to violently suppress media freedom; with the assassination of 34

journalists and media workers; with the kidnapping of another ten; with Tissainayagam

being held behind bars; and with over 50 journalists being forced to live in self-exile for

safeguarding their lives from certain torture and death.

Let us remind ourselves of another pledge provided in Mahinda Chintana 2005.

This was to take steps to fully strengthen institutionalised arrangements for law

enforcement (page 5);

to transform the police service into a people-friendly and impartial service (page 38);

and to refrain from using force against anyone (page 26).

What have we achieved during the last four years?


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The use of police, armed forces, para-militaries, thuggery and state media to achieve

political needs of the regime with the complete breakdown of the countrys laws and

peaceful environment. Many more matters relating to the manner the law enforcement

and human rights operates in the country are being confirmed during the current election

process.

What about the pledge to restore the dignity and independence of the public service

(page 9)?

Hasnt it ended up with the public service being made completely dependent and

politicised?

Why does not the President take necessary steps to implement the 17th Amendment to

the Constitution that would establish Independent Commissions such as the Public

Service Commission and the Police Commission?

Could you recollect this pledge?

To present a Constitution that will propose the abolition of the Executive Presidency

with the consensus of all, and in the interim, to present a Constitutional

amendment through which the Executive President will be made answerable to the

Parliament by virtue of holding such office (page 97).

Instead of this pledge, hasnt the present President used his executive powers in an

unlimited fashion to make him unanswerable to the Parliament as much as possible?

Do you remember this pledge?

To strongly implement international treaties, declarations on anti-corruption and to act

under international law against those found guilty of corruption, when engaging in trade

with foreign countries or foreign institutions (page 98, 99).

What have we achieved during the last four years?

The maximum use of corruption, nepotism and family bandyism mainly for theirambitions while completely overlooking the common masses.

What a nice pledge was the following Mahinda Chintana pledge?

To extend the hand of cooperation to you and your children with sincere love and

affection, without being confined to the narrow boundaries of ethnic and religious

differences (page 79); to launch a special programme for the resolution of issues


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encountered by the people due to the ethnic diversity, geographical and cultural

reasons (page 83); to ensure the security of the people so that no ethnic group

should be reduced to being hostages of another group (page 83); to respect all ethnic

and religious identities (page 26) and to build a new society that protect individuals and

social freedoms (page 27) .

Nevertheless, what have we achieved during the last four years?

With the end of the war, havent we consolidated discrimination against various

communities and limited individual and social freedoms by trapping the society into a

narrow chauvinist and religious extreme, by placing shackles to the right of peoples to

equality, autonomy and self-determination and by strengthening the power of chauvinist

and religious extremist groups?

Do you remember these election pledges in 2005?

To commence extensive discussion with all political parties based on the

fundamental platform of an undivided country, a national consensus and an

honourable peace (p.31); to vigorously implement the official language policy

(p.93); to pay a temporary allowance to people who had to leave their homes as those

were located in high security zones; to resettle all those who are displaced in their

villages expeditiously (p.80); to provide a plot of land to each plantation worker to

empower them to stand on their own like any other citizen who owns property (p.88);

and to commence a programme to issue National Identity Card to all citizens (p.38).

What have we achieved after four years of this President in power?

The level of polarisation between different ethnic and religious communities has become

the worst it has ever been in the history.

How about the Mahinda Chintana pledges on education?

To make the blossoming lives of children meaningful (p.6); to provide your children

well paid job opportunities (p.10); not to deprive our children of their right to free

education (p.72); to offer permanent employment to all volunteer teachers serving ingovernment schools (p.7); to settle the crisis in educational administration with

priority given to suitable qualified teachers in the recruitment into the Education

Administrative Services (p.74).

The GCE Ordinary Level results of the last year alone will speak volumes of the

outcomes of these pledges.


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What about the pledges on health services?

To preserve the free health service and safeguard the right of every citizen for the

benefits thereunder and to enhance these services both qualitatively and quantitatively

through increased budgetary provisions (p.70).

I do not have to remind what happened with the import of Indian pharmaceutical items

in the health service.

Wasnt it recently that rubella vaccines killed two people and parts of hair or glass pieces

were found in vials for injections?

The President has been boasting about a labour convention for a long time.

Didnt he during the last four years try and brand all those who demanded their fairgo

rights, including teachers, railway, electricity and port workers and public servants astraitors to the land and to violently suppress the movements and individuals that made

such demands?

Do you remember the pledge to follow a non-aligned, free and progressive foreign

policy (p.85)?

How do you feel when the President has joined hands with anti-democratic rulers and

regimes despised by the civilized world, such as Myanmar (Burma)? When the President

spreads utter falsehoods about imperialist conspiracies to mislead people in order tocover up the current regimes anti-people and proimperialist nudity?

Local industries including the textile industry have slumped while unemployment has

risen due to the unfuturistic foreign policy.

Dont you believe that these phenomena will have dire effects on the future, the

economy and the peaceful environment of the country?

During the 2005 elections, quoting the great leader of India, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, the

President promised to wipe the tears in your eyes.

What has he done during the last four years?

Having consolidated his power after the military victory over the Liberation Tigers of

Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the President has mainly worked for the ambitions of his family

while completely overlooking the common masses.


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If you consider the situation of the country as detrimental to the future, to the economy

and to the tomorrows generations, a change in the regime has to be made.