(Lanka-e-News- 08June.2015, 11.30PM) Many think and say , the main role in the ‘rainbow revolution’ of 8 th January 2015 in Sri Lanka was played by one of the leaders , namely , Maithripala Sirisena , Ranil Wickremesinhghe , Chandrika Kumaratunge , Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera , but according to the writer of this article, on the contrary it is the elections commissioner who should be given that credit.
This is because , the dastardly traitorous master plan of the Rajapakse regime to retain power after the defeat at last elections was foiled by Mahinda Deshapriya , the elections commissioner while the aforementioned leaders and even the field marshals were at a loss, and did not have any plan to counter that plot.
On the night of the elections the Rajapakses got ready , not just to try a game of fun and frolic ,and it is not that the former army commander and the IGP also did not get ready for that traitorous game . The army commander secretly was arranging to assemble the forces in Colombo , while the IGP had made all arrangements to withdraw the police force that was providing security to the people and hand over the security coverage in Colombo to the forces.
Nevertheless , they had one hurdle - to fulfill one condition if they were to make a success of their conspiracy, that is , in case Mahinda Rajapakse lost at the election , to make the elections commissioner to announce that Mahinda won by even 10 votes. In this connection the Elections commissioner was under severe pressure from various quarters.
Let me reveal one example illustrating the conspiratorial moves which revolved around the crucial decision pertaining to date of receipt of nominations .Before the date of receiving nominations , Mahinda Rajapakse tried to halt the presidential elections and postpone it when he realized that his opponent is Maithripala Sirisena who he never expected . Mahinda’s plan was to block the elections commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya from coming to office on the nominations day.
However , on the day prior to the day of nominations ,Deshapriya as though he had intuitive powers and foresight ,before leaving office after finishing his work at midnight , performed another task before he was to depart with his STF security detail, that was ,in case Deshapriya was unable to come to office the following day by any chance , that is the day he had to receive nominations ,he left a letter signed by him so that it will secretly reach the secretary, in which letter he entrusted his duties to his next in command .In other words , this was to remove the barrier that would have militated against holding elections in the event the elections commissioner was killed that night.
Similarly on the day before the elections, Deshapriya made an intriguing announcement aimed at dispelling the fears and doubts in the minds of the people , and also to demoralize and de activate the brutal and corrupt Rajapakses and their followers who were getting ready to use force and violence .At the media briefing prior to elections , when a journalist questioned Mahinda Deshapriya , will orders be given to shoot below the knees of those who try to cast votes forcibly at polling centers ? Deshapriya replied , ‘ why below knees , even the head can be blown out.’ A huge publicity was given to this announcement by the electronic media .
What was not published by the media was the second question and the answer given by the elections commissioner. Can you exactly shoot to the head ? was the next question asked by the journalist. ‘Tell them to come to cast bogus votes. Then you can see whether the shooting will be exactly done to the head or the chest ‘ was the second bold answer of the elections commissioner.
As far as the writer’s knowledge goes , the second question and answer were not published by the media. However the first answer somehow disenchanted and disrupted the lackeys and cronies of the Rajapakse regime.
The impact of the commissioner’s statements were so strong that when a pro Rajapakse politico had told his henchmen about casting bogus votes , they have replied ‘the elections commissioner has given orders to shoot . Hence if you would insure us in a sum of Rs. 5 million each , we would cast bogus votes.’ It was the Elections commissioner’s pro people announcement with true patriotic fervor that truly frightened the mischief making deceit prone pro Rajapakses.
A Sri Lankan abroad told the writer then , ‘ no matter what , the statement of the elections commissioner is not appropriate .’ But that was the very statement that turned most appropriate later to defeat the Rajapakse regime and that truly hit them . By that time , Maithripala Sirisena had addressed over 150 election meetings. Yet , according to the writer’s analysis , it is the tough announcement of the Elections commissioner ‘why below the knees , even the head can be blown off’ was what decisively influenced the minds of the voters. If the second announcement of his that was not published by the media too was reported , it can be imagined to what high value the Rajapakse scoundrels and stooges would have raised their insurance cover they demanded to cast bogus votes.
The elections monitors told the writer , during the previous elections in the past, on the day of voting a large number of tiny propaganda cards with the cross and number are strewn in and around the polling centers , but during this election no such cards or papers were seen at a majority of the polling centers. The reason for this is , not that those cards were not printed but , rather their toughies who expected to cast bogus votes could not be found on the night previous to the day of elections. It was simply because the elections commissioner posed tough and stood strong for and on behalf of the people.
Let us get back to the night of the rainbow revolution .
The Rajapakses had need to fulfill one condition to make a success of their military conspiracy. That is, if Mahinda loses elections truly , then an announcement was to be made through the elections commissioner that he won (even by ten votes), and thereafter deploy the forces.
If that fails , Daya Ratnayake and some military leaders getting on to the roads were to materialize. However not one soldier or the elections commissioner was ready to get on to the road on behalf of the defeated individual.
The Rajapakses however could not succeed in announcing through Deshapriya that Mahinda won by ten votes at least. In any event since Deshapriya has still not made an official statement regarding the undue pressures that were brought to bear on him or how he averted them , we shall also remain silent . Anyway , the truth is , the rainbow revolution began then and there .
Interestingly ,when Deshapriya was asked about his lenient attitude during the mini elections held by the Rajapakses , a close friend of Deshapriya related an intriguing story : ‘ Those are mini elections . I have confidence that Mahinda Deshapriya’s conduct will not be the same when it comes to crucial elections. Yet don’t relent or relax when exerting pressures on him, because that is what can provide him the necessary escape. ‘ When he was questioned on what this ‘ escape’ means , he explained , ‘yakko , until the time of final battle arrives ,it is staying away from the Rajapakses’
The final battle – that is , the conspiracy of the Rajapakses deploying the forces aimed at overturning the victory of the common presidential candidate. If that was to be defeated , though various proposals were made in order to foil the conspiracies , the opposition did not have sound concrete plans to overpower them.
In the circumstances if the elections commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya had even by accident acted partially in favor of the ‘jilmart’ (perfidious activities) of the conspirators , even now the forces would be surrounding our houses including yours and mine, and even been inside. Maithripala Sirisena also disclosed well ahead that he and his family would be six feet underground.
The singer who said ‘ could have even killed and been in power’ may have been made the second singer who sang ‘ayubowewa’ , and would have been pampered and decorated so much so , a road not in Maharagama but in front of presidential palace itself , would have been named after her . If that had happened , today we shall be talking not about the rainbow revolution but about the victory of the destructive meteorite that hit the heads of the people .
You may be wondering why we are suddenly writing about this elections commissioner by the name of Mahinda Deshapriya who was primarily responsible to make the rainbow revolution a reality . The reason for this write up is : today (06 th June) is his 60 th birthday , and as any other government servant the time has arrived for him to go on retirement.
.
Though the elections commissioner has to retire today , after the 19 th amendment , the independent commissions have become active again , and until they are duly appointed , the present commissioner cannot retire. Hence , Mahinda Deshapriya shall not be retiring though he has reached the age of 60 . In the circumstances until the Constitutional council comes into being and the elections commission is appointed his sublime services to the Sri Lankan people will continue, and he will be an adornment to the public service .
Based on reliable sources , the present elections commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya is to be appointed as the commissioner or Director General of the proposed independent elections commission
Long live Mahinda Deshapriya , the elections commissioner of rectitude and integrity who made the invincible rainbow revolution in Sri Lanka a reality !
It is he and he alone in that revolution played the role of the silent wind (not the lofty sails) that moves the ship.
By Wimal Dheerasekera
Translated by Jeff
---------------------------
by (2015-06-08 20:39:44)
Leave a Reply
jaya wewa
-- by Upul on 2015-06-08
A fantastic article. Many thanks to the writer for exposing this to us.Long live E.C.
-- by Gratiaen. on 2015-06-10