Old Hands slinking away

It is interesting and revealing to see how the aims of the original Aragalaya protesters who were motivated solely by love of country are being realised surely and steadily. When they raised their cry of GotaGoHome, which was meant for Gotabaya Rajapaksa to relinquish the presidency which he had messed up, Cassandra for one smiled indulgently and said to herself: that will never happen. But what seemed impossible did happen. He did not go to his home however; rather did he slip by sea and air first to the Maldives and then to other South Asian countries, not welcome but tolerated. He returned to a palatial house gifted to him by the government but now we surmise he is back in his own home in Nugegoda. One kudos that can be given to him is that he did not order the shooting of the protestors who climbed the walls of the presidential residence. Either he did not want a bloodbath or he feared the police and army would not do his bidding.

The second demand of the Aragalaya protesters was a system change – the old order of the major parties catching onto the ball of governance and thriving and of course scratching each other’s backs for survival, while the ball passed from one party to another. A system change is also taking place. Started right at the top with the election of the President and choice of PM. System changes have occurred with new appointments made to high admin offices: choices made on meritocracy and suitability to the job in hand. Not family bandyism nor cronyism. More change is in the offing after general elections. The changes already made are favoured by most Sri Lankans.

Another change called for was better representation of the people in the seat of government. The Aragalaya cry was all 225 from Parliament must leave and younger, better educated and committed people replace the old ones. We citizens drew the line at ‘all 225.’ There were many MPs from various parties who were country loyal and not using their seats in parliament as a lucrative money making five years. They contributed much to good governance even during horrendous times for the country. Now that demand too is being fulfilled with so many MPs declaring they are not contesting in November. Thank all the gods for that great mercy to the country. Some were almost decrepit-with-age MPs who had warmed the seats in the Chamber for long and latterly often slumbered through sessions when they were not seeking easy money. There were also those with criminal records and accused of even chain snatching in a railway station. Many, many were poor bods who got multi-rich.

So goodbyes would be said to those who left with perhaps a sigh of relief. But even at the very end of their political careers most of them treat the masses like mindless asses. They pretend heroism and self-sacrifice, causing us Ordinaries to hoot them out.

As reported in The Island of Friday October 11, Wimal Weerawansa did not say that he was not contesting – simple and straight. No, he had to pretend, elocute and lie shamefully, trying to raise himself to heroism. Bah! “Weerawansa said yesterday (10) that his party would not contest the upcoming general election… (they were) doing so to ensure President Anura Kumara Dissanayake would secure the majority in Parliament so that he could govern the country.” Cass held her sides in derisive laughter, both bitter and joyful. She said her schoolgirl chant for a welcome goodbye – GROBR. He has proved himself to be rubbish. What an abysmal puerile statement! What he gets by his stupid statement is derision because there is not one truth in what he says. He and party members would sure not have won seats. AKD and the NPP can very well do without his abstinence from contesting.

Weerawansa makes matters worse by expressing his usual fear of seeing an imperialist or conniving power, more especially American, behind every bush by proclaiming the warning: “both India and the United States would exert immense pressure on the President to implement agreements detrimental to national interest like the 13th Amendment and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).” Did he, Weerawansa, always think of the country’s interest? Not one jot, it was all self-interest. Otherwise how explain his palatial private home? The people have confidence in the new Prez and PM after seeing how cordially they were visited officially by ambassadors in this country and the congratulations of Heads of State sent to them both. Also they are leaders who are steady and incorruptible. This we are sure of.

The mystic myth of the bag of gems

Poor, poor Daisy, aunt (punchi amma) of former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa. She was mentioned in the Editorial of the newspaper I quoted above. Her name was dragged in by her nephew – second son of Mahinda and Shiranthi Rajapaksa – when that son was asked how he bought some valuable property in Mount Lavinia. The Editor says Daisy is grandmother of the three second generation brothers in the R clan. She is grandaunt to Namal and his two younger brothers. The story of the sudden riches, however, is ridiculous, again demeaning the citizens of this country to being brainless, insensible asses. How one mysteriously receives a bag of gems which went to purchasing valuable real estate by one of the brothers? That was the explanation given and we the people had to believe it, being considered morons. The bag of gems from heaven perhaps, was led to an argument between the vociferous NPP Wasantha Samarasinghe and SLPP National Organiser Namal R. The latter, too, is not contesting the November elections. Wasantha S is deemed by some mature observers to be too much the radical with militancy inborn. We do not want any force from the NPP members; system change even in the JVP is called for.

Why Cass brought this up is that she is sorry when innocent folk, especially women, are brought into political chicanery. Also it goes to show what mountains of deceit and robbing and grabbing riches were perpetrated by the powers that were, and their progeny. Also how each political party that held power in the last four or five decades took the stance of the three proverbial monkeys and noticed no evil that had taken place or was taking place. They all scratched each other’s backs for mutual safety, as said before. And the country suffered though all politicians averred they were fully loyal to the country and were wholly for the people.

Trump trumpets on

Cass read THE Trump continues spilling nonsense and vile accusations from his uncontrollable maw/muzzle/yap as the American elections get closer and Harris moves ahead. Surprisingly not fast enough considering the South Pole to North Pole difference between them; the lady pitted against a vile, contemptible man. (I prefer the word cad but refrain from writing it down, though the man is one). It’s the white supremacists who are supporting him, hence the distance in the presidential run-up between the two candidates still very small though it’s only a little more than a fortnight to US election day.

Cass quotes for better effect from a news flash she read: “Trump began the week by sharing a xenophobic and false theory that immigrants are genetically predisposed to commit violent crimes, his latest attack on the group as he plans the largest ever deportation of undocumented immigrants in US history.” He averred many were murderers and murder was in their genes. “And we now got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.” Earlier he had borrowed an accusation from Adolf Hitler when he used the dehumanising phrase on migrants: “they are poisoning the blood of America.” Recently he pronounced “big companies have come in to raid and rape out country.” This from the ex-President of the USA, who was found legally liable for sexual abuse of writer Jean Carroll not so long ago. A close clone of then Harrods’ owner Mohamed Al-Fayed,

Can there be a sharper contrast between him and Kamala Harris? And we in Sri Lanka should be so relieved we have pushed for all time a leader and political bods who were similar to Trump. Thank all the gods and our good Karma as a nation to be having a President so different: simple, sympathetic to the poorer person, wanting to do good by the country; and we believe will not have power going to his head, or stooping low to corruption which he derides emphatically.