(Lanka-e-News -11.Dec.2015, 8.45AM) The falsehoods and uncalled for un –diplomatic utterances of Minister Rajitha Senaratne , the cabinet spokesman of the Sri Lanka (SL) government , has driven the government of good governance into a grave predicament and diplomatic faux pas internationally.
Lanka e news inside information division is in receipt of two such incidents whose architect is no less a person than Rajitha Senaratne , who is also an important health minister under the government of good governance .
The first untwoward incident relates to the diplomatic agreement signed between Sri Lanka (SL) and Nigeria under the last government. Rajitha stated at a cabinet media briefing that it pertains to the supply of arms to Bokoharam terrorists.
This statement of the cabinet spokesman was unfortunately not contradicted by the leader of the cabinet, president Maithripala Sirisena . Consequently , Nigeria had addressed a strong letter contained in 6 pages expressing its disappointment on a diplomatic level . Later an individual of the government of the highest echelons was met by an official representative of that country , who had also verbally condemned the SL cabinet spokesman’s utterances roundly when he met the government higher ups.
While the country is fighting a war against the Bokoharam terrorists , the mendacious and misleading statement made by no less a person than a cabinet spokesman of SL himself has plunged the government into a huge embarrassment not only within Sri Lanka but even internationally, the Nigerian government had pointed out. ( a statement made by a spokesman of the cabinet is construed as that country’s official statement )
Perhaps , Minister Rajitha and president Maithripala are thinking the diplomatic ties between SL and Nigeria are what were established during the Rajapakse era, but truly , these ties began in January 1970 towards the end of Dudley Senanayake era. Besides Nigeria is a commonwealth country. It is lamentable that minister Rajitha made this rash statement , while president Maithripala Sirisena is the chairman of the commonwealth. If the ‘manjang’ (mendacious) cabinet spokesman noted for his recklessness has no grey matter to understand that only an ignorant frog in the well would croak over the agreement signed with that country , whether during the Rajapakse era or any other , at least the leader of the cabinet , president Maithripala ought to have known better. Sadly ,president too is ignorant .
We are using the word ‘ mendacious’ on purpose, for this cabinet spokesman who is the epicenter of the diplomatic faux pas , has on as many as 14 occasions lied brazenly. Yet President has failed to dismiss Rajitha from the position of cabinet spokesman and replace him with a suitable individual .( it is to be noted that president Maithripala has created an inglorious record as the president who appointed the most misfits to high ranking posts during the last ten months.)
While the government of good governance is plunged deeply in despair internationally owing to the cavernous mouth of reckless Rajitha , nationally too the country is driven into chaos owing to the statement made by him to the CID against the media.
Following the report in last weekend Sinhala newspaper regarding an interview relating to another individual , Rajitha has lodged a complaint with the CID headquarters against the reporter who wrote the article and the editor of the newspaper . Based on the complaint the CID summoned the reporter and the editor.
It is very evident that these actions are reminiscent of the media freedom erosion and suppression during the Rajapakse era , and an index that same despotic trend is rearing its ugly head again.
If Rajitha was hurt over the report , he could have first notified the newspaper to rectify the error, if any. If that is not heeded, a complaint can be made to the Press council. If that is also not successful , the newspaper can be sued. When all these options are available , making a complaint to the CID and summoning the journalist for an alleged wrongdoing reflects poorly on a government of good governance ,and such things don’t happen in a country where truly there is good governance.
Rajitha Senaratne despite being a most responsible minister and Cabinet spokesman acting most irresponsibly , has caused irretrievable damage to the country not only nationally but internationally too.
Currently , the 2015 media suppression are being rated in respect of the countries of the world . Rajitha’s rash and reckless conduct is going to affect SL ‘s ranking detrimentally . It is learnt that others of the government in the high echelons are also thoroughly dismayed and disillusioned.
Might we recall when Mangala Samaraweera , Sripathy Sooriyaarachi and Wijedasa Rajapakse left the Rajapakse regime somewhere in 2006 after having understood the weaknesses and evils of the regime , to join with the opposition and work untiringly along with the people of the opposition in their struggle for nine years , Rajitha on the contrary stuck with the Rajapakses for the last 9 years serving and supporting them faithfully in all their crooked and corrupt activities.
When Rajapakses hounded out and chased away the ex chief justice , it was Rajitha who ‘heard’ the case. Rajitha who somersaulted to the opposition at the latter stage (in the final month ), surely cannot understand the aspirations of the people for good governance or the opposition struggle. Now he is conducting himself as an individual who is even above the president, while the latter is behaving as if he is in the group mortally scared of Rajitha.
The recent incident in which the president gave a phone call late in the night to a son of a high profile minister , to inform him not to criticize Rajitha in his face book , is a good illustration. In other words even the criticism of Rajitha in a page of the face book of the youth is offending the president.
In any case the relevant minister had given an answer to the president that was a ‘slap’ across the president’s face . The minister after reminding the president on two recent unsavory episodes had stated to his face , ‘by these alone you are unwittingly betraying that you are not the president of the country.’ ( we believe , for the moment these two episodes are not important to be elaborated to the people) .
In any case , the prime minister yesterday making a special announcement told in parliament that a counter rainbow revolution is in motion . When the cabinet spokesman himself is supplying weapons locally and internationally (apart from provoking and fuelling diplomatic disputes internationally) for these counter revolutions , the country being driven to the edge of a precipice is inevitable and inescapable.
It is in old folk tales we have heard how a single foolish monkey of a good governance King causes monumental destruction, but now we are witnessing that in reality . It is unfortunate that the modern foolish monkey has been given the cabinet spokesman post in lieu of a sword .A foolish monkey wielding a Cabinet minister post of mordern times is much mre dangerous than a foolish monkey wielding a sword of ancient times.
By Wimal Dheerasekera
Translated by Jeff.
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by (2015-12-11 03:17:43)
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