Dr. Sudath Gunasekara
An open letter to His Excellency the President, Hon Prime Minister, and all concerned on the destiny of the Sinhala nation
Dr. Sudath Gunasekara : Retired Secretary to Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandarnayaka and President Mahanuwara Sinhala Bauddha JesTha puravesiyange sanvidhanaya.
28.12 2020.
Why PC elections should not be held just now
Because
* It is not the priority no 1 at the moment with the Covid 19 disaster and a crippled and debt-ridden National economy. Finding solution s to the should be the top priorities.
* It is a national crime to spent probably over Rs 25 billion (going by expenditure incurred for the past 2 election) for a worthless cause for a country already sunk in abysmal depths with an unbearable debt repayment burden
Why they should be abolished immediately instead of trying to bring them back to life
*It is the time to abolish this Indian curse rather than trying to unearth it from the 4 ½ year old grave
* It has brought about more political, economic and social chaos and confusion, hunger and misery for the masses than ever before
* It has drained out over Rs 94, billion (calculated using the 2017 expenditure on Provincial Councils Rs 286,031,000 as the base) expenditure from the national coffers for the past 33 years just to maintain a national deathtrap and a bunch of political parasites like 9 Governors. 9 Chief Ministers 36 Ministers and about 700 PC Members and a chain of wasteful institutions and a bunch of superfluous officials with no benefit worth a penny to the country or the general public.
* It has completely destabilized and derailed the once efficient District Administration and increased the number of politicians and officials and decreased efficiency and quality of public Service and tremendously increased government expenditure and at the same time decreased the revenue of the central Government
* It has increased the urge for separation and self- assertion on ethnic and religious lines and run counter to national integration
* above all it is political suicide for the government in power and destruction and disaster for the Sinhala Nation and Buddha Sasana and
* Finally It is going to be a hay day for India very soon that fathered this fatal trap and a dream come true for Tamils all over the world including the separatist Tamils in this country as before long this Island will end up as their dream EELAM and the 30th State of the Indian subcontinent.
Apropos the news item broadcasted over the Pattare vistare this morning that the Cabinet has decided to get the views of the Party leaders on a Cabinet Paper submitted by Minister Local government to have Provincial Councils elections, I am making this all important and serious request to you on behalf of the whole nation not to have it at this critical hour of the nation, even if the whole world request you to hold Provincial Council Elections. It is extremely unadvisable to have it under the desperate mass protests in the country against it, which will accelerate phenomenally all over the Island and go beyond control if you don’t listen to them and furthermore will be disastrous in view of Covid 19 pandemic situation. Moreover in addition to the political, social and extremely depressing economic situation in the country, I also appeal to you not to go for it for the following reasons as well.
Reason 1
Why do you want to go for elections for these utterly useless and disastrous white elephants when the whole country lead by all the Mahasangha, the Muradevatavo of this nation for the past 2500 years, including the 7 million people who voted this Government in to power twice within a span of 9 months are vehemently against it. Abolition of provincial Councils is the will of the people who voted you in to power, with whom sovereignty is supposed to rest under Sec 3 of the Constitution. In this backdrop I am posing the question to you as to why you consult the leaders of political parties rejected by the people as late as May 2020 and right now who oppose the policies of this Government endorsed by the people with whom sovereignty lies. Doesn’t that contradict and negate the concept of majority rule, a fundamental principle of democracy
In view of this inviolable and supreme right of the majority and the thumping mandate they have given to you and the Government, I am making this appeal to both of you as the President and Prime Minister of the government elected with a 2/3 majority mandate, to reject this Cabinet paper and instead to take immediate actions to abolish Provincial Councils, that has come to stay as a proven national disaster and a tragic Huuniyama on the Sinhala Nation together with the illegal 13th Amendment and the intrigue that is Rajiv/JR Accord of 29th July 1987, a virtual death warrant on the 2500 year old Sinhala Buddhist State on this blessed Island.
In this backdrop we, the Bhuumiputras of this country earnestly request you to take this bold and historic decision to abolish this Indian death trap without groping in the dark and without getting lost in thick wilderness. Yanta Desat penenam kima Bediwala yanne manmulavuu ekekuse”
On the other hand even if you consult Party Leaders this is what will happen
1 They will be the first party to ask for it as leaders of political parties who oppose the Government
Firstly, to put the Government in to more trouble and create confusion in the country to enable them to come to power as soon as possible and
Secondly to appease and bait their political bandwagon at the Provincial level who are craving and dreaming for positions in the new Provincial Councils in the event they win,(which of cause is very unlikely) claiming that it was they who wanted the government to have this election when it was hesitant
Thirdly, and more importantly, this is like giving a pot of curd to cats”, or putting a tortoise to water”, as the wonderful Sinhala sayings Dii kirata balallut saakki” and Ibba diyata demmaa wage” as they want to mobilize their supporters to capture power at Provincial levels
I can assure you that none of these Party leaders have any concern for the people or the country as they are only concerned with coming back to power by hook or crook and to enjoy the luxuries they have lost temporally. We need not speak about their patriotism, for, as perhaps you know it better.
I have a feeling that all of them will support having elections for the simple reason that elections are the bread and butter for desperate politicians and it will afford them a golden opportunity to wash all their dirty linen against the Government in power.
On the other hand by any chance if they say no and if you listened to them and stop elections to PCC then they will claim credit for their rather bold and Patriotic stand” to safeguard the interests of the masses and blame the government for denying the democratic rights of the people. A message they will carry forward for the next general election
In this backdrop I request you not to go by their verdict, whatever they say as I am confident that you have the power and the brain too to take the correct decision. The correct decision the 7 million voters who voted you in to power twice within 9 months wanted you to take is to scrap the PCC
Obviously with Presidential Executive powers restored under the 20th A and the 7o lakhs public endorsement given to you with 2/3 in the Parliament I am of the view that you have the full authority to make the bold and historic decision not to have PC Elections at this juncture, as you did in 2009 in the fight against the LTTE in spite of serious objections made by the powerful Western powers. This is a golden opportunity to prove your metal once again as undisputed national leaders of the nation without allowing others to get the credit.
Reason 2
Protest against PCC by Mahaa Sangha and 7 million who voted this government in to power
More importantly
All the 70 lakhs Sinhala voters who voted you both at the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections (2019 and 2020) lead by the Mahasangha, (except a very few, of course negligible by way of numbers at elections but who want it, for their own benefits as Governors, Ministers, PC MPP to be and in many other places within the PCC system to enjoy the luxuries that will fall on their heads from heaven for doing nothing in return) are strongly against the Provincial Councils. They all vehemently oppose it and want the PCC to be scrapped and they have already threatened to get on to the streets as you yourself did in 1987 where three patriotic people had to sacrifice their lives on behalf of you and the country. If you delay this the day Mahasangha and 70 lakhs getting on to the road demanding you to dot or quit may not be that far.
Reason 3 Extremely prohibitive cost, problem of procurement of funds and repayment
Firstly, the extremely prohibitive cost of such an Election at a time like this when the country needs billions and billions for the current Covid 19 expenses with a pending third wave on the way where the financial commitments are unpredictable and unimaginable.
This is not the time to go for another useless and meaningless Election after two National Elections just concluded at exorbitant cost with a staggering figure around Rs 30 billion
A PC election at this moment will cost more and it will be at least double the amount needed for one election, or at least RS 25 billion the minimum in view of the prevailing Covid 19 disaster. With the threat of a third wave on the way it could be even more.
From where are you going to get this money and at what cost? Borrow from whom? And how are you going to repay it when we are already struggling on the rim
Reason 4
PCC for whose benefit and what gain to the country?
What is the benefit the PCC have brought in, for the country or the general public for the past 33 years other than the wastage of billions of public funds and disrupting and confusing the once excellent District Administration affecting the governance in the whole country.
Reason 5
Putting the people from the frying pan to the hearth”
As PCC have completely disrupted and killed the once efficient district Administration under GAA and made delivery of services confusing and inefficient due to overlapping, confusion and conflict between the District administration and Provincial Administration
Reason 6
Paving the way for complete disintegration of the eksesath Sinhala Buddhist State that had been protected and defended by our patriotic and heroic ancestors for the past 2600 years and destroying the Sinhala Buddhist State by dividing the country in to 9 independent Governing units with some of them mono Tamil and some mono Muslim, finally heading to mark the end of Sinhala Buddhist civilization in this country.
Reason 7
Finally, If we do not abolish the 13th A and the Provincial Councils and the Indo-Lanka Rajiv/JR Accord of 29 July India will first annex the North and Eastern Provinces followed by merging with the Central, Sabaragamuwa and Uva as provided by that Accord and complete full Indianization of this Island as the 30th State (second Tamil State next to Tamilnadu) of the Indian Subcontinent sans Sinhalese and sans Buddhists. This will draw the curtain over the 2500 year old pristine Sinhala Buddhist civilization in this country
This tragic disaster could be avoided only by taking the following three steps
1 Abolishing the Provincial Councils.
2 Repealing the 13th Amendment and T
3 Repealing the JR/ Rajiv Accord of 29th July 1987 partially already unilaterally violated by India.
This is why I appeal to your Excellency the President and the Prime Minister to complete the above three things as soon as possible without further delay