Dr Sudath Gunasekara President Senior Citizens Movement Mahanuwara 12.8. 2015.
Chandrikka Kelinne Okkoma Pissu” ( Sirimavo Bandaranaiyike 1994)
Could anyone imagine of a better evaluation of Chandrika Bandaranayike Kumaratunga (CBK) than this all time truth that comes from her own mother? As I was carefully watching the mess Chandrikka is currently making in the political situation in this country these days, it reminded me the truism deeply embedded in the above golden words of her mother, that Great Lady of the nation, used to tell me way back in 1994 when I was her Ministry Secretary. The real value of the mother’s evaluation of her daughter’s behavior and character has become more relevant and obvious today when we see her rather fanatic behavior displayed by her these days against the very political party founder by her father and nurtured by her own mother, two of the greatest leaders this country has ever produced. Her behavior is nothing short of murdering her own parents.
As the man who suggested to call her back from England to Mrs Bandaranaike in 1993 (25th Dec 1993 at Rosemead Place) I now deeply regrets for the historic blunder I made that day. (You can verify this incident form Rev Keppetiyagoda Seelawimala Thera High Priest of Getambe temple Peradeniya and Prof Visva Warnapala my good friend who were there at the time it took place on that day). At that time I did not know CBK. I only knew her only as the, potentially worthy, daughter of so and so, which alone made me to think she will also act like the Father and the Mother.
The first time the above bitter comments about CBK came out from Mrs B one day when I told her my views regarding the appointment of Vasantharaja Perumal as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. As the Secretary to her Ministry it was my duty by her as well as by my country to give her the correct advice on matters of State. I knew Vasantharaja was an LTTE man or at least a sympathizer. As such I knew it’s would be broader implications and dangers that were bound to arise both in the short run and the long run. Therefore I suggested to the old lady that she ask Chandrikka who was Prime Minister at that time, to immediately remove Vasantharaja and appoint someone trustworthy to be in charge of this key media institution in view of the danger and the risk of putting a man like that, that will have a direct bearing on the security of the country. Hearing the news she was annoyed and disturbed and said Sudath Chandrikka Kelinne Okkoma Pissu Mama Kiyana kisi deyak ahanne ne}”. These words implied two things. Firstly, her great disgust and secondly, her honest assessment of the daughter’s work by that time.
Even on the 25th of Dec 1993 when I suggested her to recall the daughter from England she hesitated. Sudath man kiyana de Chandrikka ahaida, then she posed? Hari kathawk ne madam, Chandrijkka obatumige duwa ne. Amma kiyana de ahanne netnam e duwa gen eti wede mokakda. Kokatath kiyala balantako. Hebei be kivoth apata wena viklalpayak gena hitanata wenava. Mokada Anuratanam pakshaya godaganta be kiyana ekai me rate wedidenage adahasa. Apeth adahasa ekamai, I replied. My two companions also agreed. She then agreed with my proposal and said hondai mama kiyala balannamko. Ere two weeks passed CBK came back to the country with the two children and took over the party. The rest is history now. Everybody in this country knows how she messed up the country for 11 years thereafter. I do not want to delve in to details of her miserable performance as the President as everybody knows about the unique record she has left behind as a Chandrika legacy, with a guineas record of getting late for meetings, so much so people dubbed her as Pamawathi.
I do not know why, but CBK never liked MR. To begin with she did not want to appoint Mahinda as the PM when Mrs B passed away. But circumstances made her to concede though reluctantly. When CBK completed her two term as President in 2005 she had no choice but to nominate MR as the UPFA Presidential candidate. But the way she acted and behaved after nominating him clearly shows that she didn’t like Mahinda at all. Immediately after nomination was given, she started the cold war. She asked the voters not to vote MR and requested to support Ranil who was her arch rival up to that time, the only similarity being the social class, as against the nominee of her own Party. Her argument against MR was that Bandaranaike policies were not safe in his hands. She said if you want to protect Bandaranaike policies don’t vote MR. Both Chandrika and Anura supported Ranil at that election. When I came to know this situation I wrote a piece under the caption ‘Who are the real enemies of Bandaranaike Policies from Wisconsin (US) where I was on an assignment. It was published in the Island 3rd Nov 2005and. Prabath Sahabandu the Editor of the Island was so happy he sent me the following E-mail. ‘Dear Sir Your piece went down very well. I don’t think anybody else would have done better, wrote back after publishing it within two days’. In that article I argued as to why MR should be supported by everybody who love the country and made a strong appeal to lukewarm and reluctant JVP and JHU to go all out to support MR as I felt it was the best chance to shift Colombo based political leadership monopoly to the true base of Sri Lankan traditional leadership, that is the village, as MR came from Magama.
In spite of Chanrika’s malicious campaign thanks to the Tigers miscalculations MR won the election in 2005 unfortunately for the tigers but fortunately for the Sinhalese Buddhists. But the conspiracy did not end there. Chandrika continued her dirty game against MR, marking for time she hatched the coup in collaboration with her chum Ranil and all those anti Sinhala Anti Buddhist elements both at home and abroad and finally in 2015 she was successful in hijacking Maitripala Sirisena (MS) as the common Candidate to hit MR. Hers is the mastermind behind this conspiracy, which definitely had both local and international ramifications. MS who has an ax to grind with MR as he was not appointed Prime Minister was used as the cat’s paw as both Ranil and CBK knew that Ranil cannot defeat MR as Tanil want get any SLFP votes in any case. So this way on Jan 8th 2005 CBK got her first round of malicious wishes fulfilled.
Having done all the dirty work to ousted MR as President now again she has got down to the field to do the same treachery and wipe out MR from the political field for good. But what she has forgotten now is that she does not have any captive appeal, charisma or the power to attract the crowed. She does not have a following either. Her voice is not heard in the years of the masses. She is only a dead coin. Though she pretend to know Bandaranaike policies I do not know whether she has read at least the Charakaya and Goyam ketha written by her father in 1933, which succinctly outline Bandaranaike’s philosophy on politics. As a vicious woman who has deserted and betrayed her own mother and destroyed all what her father and mother did from1956 to 1977 she must be ashamed to talk about Bandaranaike policies now over which she has absolutely no claim at all. She hit the last nail on Bandarnaike policies when she openly declared few weeks back that Sinhala Buddhist Majoritarianism should be defeated in this country. This clearly proves that she does not know the history of this country and she refuse to accept the reality and even the basic principle of Democracy. She only displays her ignorance and hate towards the Sinhala nation. That alone disqualifies her from holding any public position in this country. A man or woman who doesn’t love his/her country or people ‘shall go down to the vile dust, from whence he/she sprung, Unwept, unhonoured, and unsung’ as Sir Walter Scott said.
Now look at the following list
How many times she has deserted and betrayed the party
Didn’t she plan to hand over the North and East to Prabhakaran for 10 years in 1997
Is she aware that the SLFP is the only political party in this country that is based on policies that go with the needs of the Sinhala Buddhist aspirations?
Is she aware that it was her Father who started the Sinhala Maha Sabha in 1935 in reply to Ceylon Tamil Congress founded by Arunachalam in 1910 and thus paved the way for the need of a political Party for the Sinhala people who constitute more than 75 % of the total population in this country?
Is she aware that it was his father who championed the cause of the Sinhala Language, Buddhism, Ayurveda, Sri Lankan culture and Independence, freedom and Sovereignty of this Island. Is she aware that she is injecting saline to a leaderless, rudderless anti Sinhala Anti Buddhist and treacherous political gang to destroy the SLFP while continuing to be the patron of the SLFP at the same time?
Does she know that SWRD and MRS B are turning in their graves these days in shame of their daughter’s betrayals?
Does she know that it was MR who defeated the LTTE and liberated the country after 30 years of political instability death and destruction restoring political stability and peace to this country and deployed an unprecedented programme of infra structure development and Economic development and elevated the image of the country to great heights without kneeling down and giving in to external pressure.
On the other hand can she show us a single High way, Airport or any single development work or achievement at least a small culvert she has constructed during her 11 year period in office?
Why don’t you admit the good work of MR and the stark fact that he is more capable than you as a leader?
In fact she should be thankful to MR for giving a new lease of life to the party and keeping the torch burning while she and even her brother were jumping from one side to the other
Dear lady at least now accept the reality that MR is an asset not only for the SLFP but for the whole country who has given a new spirit to the country after 1956 , a man who has inculcated a sense of patriotism and a new vision that will enable to make this country once again a great nation. So lady please give up your malice and rancor against MR and stop your destructive actions against the party and the country by working against MR. Think about your great parents and If you can’t adjust please leave the shore of this Island and go to some place of your choice where you can spend your sunset days in peace.
I have told you even before this to behave like a Bandaranaike. Please don’t try to be another Kuweni instead strive to leave a name as a Vihara mahadevi just like your mother did. Or please don’t go down in history as a Maname Bisawa, that foolish young girl who betrayed Dhanuddhara the King of Benaris to elope away with a Vedda king in the jungle and got destroyed herself. This is the destination you are headed to if you keep on supporting vicious and treacherous forces rallied around UNP that has not done any good to the country after the death of D.S Senanayaka
Finally I must tell you that as for me I don’t have personalities or Political parties or axes to grind against anyone. But I love my country more than anything else. I also love your father and mother and people like DS, CWWC and Lalith Atulathmudali and next in like MR.
My one and only concern is my country, Nation and the Religion. As such I don’t care whether it is MR, Ranil or any other. What is done and how is it done is more important to me than looking for who has done it. Even if it happened to be Prabhakaran resurrected, if he is committed to work for the protection of the above Trinity and for the wellbeing of people of my country and our people, I am with him. Other than that I don’t write with ‘malice towards none, but with charity for all’ as your great father declared, at that historic occasion in Parliament quoting Abram Lincoln, as he left the UNP and sat in the opposition in 1951 as the leader of the SLFP, that Great Political movement and beacon light that laid the foundation stone to the new national resurgence in modern times.
All patriotic Sri Lankans, especially the Sinhalese Buddhist, in my view should vote for Mahinda, if they are really serious about protecting the country and the nation at this crucial juncture of our history. All Buddhist monks should and must take the lead in this Island wide operation as they did in 1956. They must, in the name of the country and the nation, should give up their green, red and even blue robes and go forth only in yellow robes of the Buddha, as the protecting deities (Jatiye Muradevatavo) of this Island nation, blessed by the Great Teacher and honourably offered to him thrice by our ancient Kings.
The purpose of my writing this piece is threefold.
1 To give a message to the people of this country not to tale CBK seriously as per above details
2 To request CBK to stop this anti-SLFP, anti-Sinhala, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sri Lankan actions and sayings and refrain from bringing discredit and disrepute to her parents who are universally accepted as world leaders of great fame.
3 Finally, caution her to refrain from attacking Mahinda Rajapaksa at this critical hour of the nation when he is identified as the Mosses of this country and the Sinhala nation by the great majority of people.