To the spineless Government: Wake up or perish

The UNP’s formidable team (JRJ, Gamini, Ronnie and, in addition, Lalith, Ranil and Premadasa) in the ’80s won the confidence of the world

Despite the unprecedented outburst of the President and his continuous attack on his main coalition partner, the UNP, the Yahapalana leadership still has not got the message the Government is heading nowhere and the voters are getting disillusioned by the day. 

The Government must realise it is the public who put this Government into power, not the skill of the President or the Prime Minister. It is the public that wanted a change and to be noticed. If nothing is done soon, the Government will continue on its free fall and perish. Perhaps this is the only Government in history that only focuses on its destruction. 

The bond controversy is now history. Everyone knows who got what. The culprits will certainly pay big time if the Government changes anyway. So why worry about it? A very popular WhatsApp doing the rounds is how Mahathir dealt with the rogues of the previous Government in Malaysia. The question that is asked is, what did this Government do to apprehend the culprits of the past regime for three years? 

They have only worked overtime to catch the small time people in the current regime. There are many allegations (in the public domain) against Ministers Malik Samarawickrama, Kiriella, Kabir Hashim and Duminda Dissanayake that have been swept under the carpet. Say it is lack of time to investigate, then at least complete the investigations of Lasantha’s and Thajudeen’s murders. We want to know who killed them.

This Government is a hapless administration run by 80-year-olds and retirees of the ’90s. It is a disgrace to the grand old party set up by Don Stephen Senanayake. This is a Government that has no track record of anything since passing the 19th Amendment. It is bowing down to the whims of the IMF. 

Many of the appointees of the current administration are publicly taking the high road saying they are independent nominees and refusing to toe the line of the Government. Some of them were seen at the Shang mixing well with the past regime. The Government has no backbone to remove them. 

The key negotiator for Sri Lanka with the IMF is a man who went missing when Premadasa was assassinated, one Mr. Paskaralingam. An 80+ man who has no understanding of the aspirations of the public, only agrees to every condition put forward by the IMF. If he had any economic sense he would know that putting money in the hands of the public is the only way to get the economy off the ground in the shortest possible time. Instead, every little thing is taxed. 

This is the only country in the world that increases taxes by 100% for the poorest of the poor (kerosene was increased by 103%). What does Paskaralingam care, he is already 80+ in age. The person who appointed him needs his head examined. The only way this Government that has created a culture of the wild ass can save itself is:

a) Stop listening to the IMF. Listen to men and women of the soil.

b) Get a man who understands economics who has proven himself in the private or public sector to manage the economy.

c) Put people who know the job to important position (this country needs FDI. We are getting two billion when Vietnam gets 30 billion and Bangladesh three billion and out of the two billion Sri Lanka gets just over one billion is G to G). The public is not interested if they went to school with the Prime Minister or President. We want the best man for the job.

d) Publicity; the Government never publicly talks of its achievements. The media effort is disgraceful when it controls 60% of the bandwidth.

e) Unity of the Government. The President must stop attacking his Government. 

f) Bring law and order on to the streets and complete the investigations. 

If these do not happen in the next month. Sirisena and Wickremesinghe can kiss this Government goodbye. Also to those Rajapaksas dreaming about coming back to power, we the public want someone fresh who has no baggage of murders, robbery and racist tendencies to lead this country into the future. We owe this to our future generations. You have had your turn. We have no time for family rule anymore. We need a new leader who can get the best people of all the parties and form a government. 

I am confident a new leader will emerge who can carry the entire country. It is only a matter of time. May the Triple Gem bless our Motherland!

Davinda