EDITORIAL
[December 10, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian] A government under siege from many directions – both natural and man made – is forced to throw to the wolves, as it were, tens of thousands of children, men, women, the old and the sick who were all until recently part of the middle and upper class. Thrown into virtual poverty since December 2008 for the “crime” of trusting Lalith Kotelawala and the name of his family with their life’s savings placed with the Golden Key Credit Card Company (GKCC) Bernard Madoff in New York was sentenced to 150 years in June 2009 and Tanzi of the Italian giant firm Parmalata - sentenced to 10 years (because of his old age) last week by their respective governments for similar scams ans defrauding investors in their countries. In the nature of the system here - crass bribery and corruption coming into play as well - such a deserving fate has spared Kotelawala. He continues to live in super-luxury in his mansions in the company of his close friends dining, wining as usual while listening to music from live bands purely because he has the right connections in the right places. The large number of people Kotelawala defrauded by his own Ponzi scheme are provided with no other option by their government but to continue to live in fear, tension and misery. Some of these people have lost their homes while a few families have broken down into divorce and disintegration.
Representatives of these depositors met with President Rajapakse in recent times and received the assurance good times are ahead of them soon under the Rajapakse government. Over 6 months ago the Supreme Court ordered the payment of Rs.200,000 each to around 7,000 depositors. Astonishingly this remains unpaid still. Since then, contrary to all assurances, the government has exited through a safe route formulae of a “new vehicle” which most depositors took exception to. This new Company is to be run by “a dynamic set of Directors” where the cash of all these depositors – around Rs.28 billion will be capitalised. Curiously there is speculation this large sum is now spoken of in terms Rs.2 billion. How and why nobody knows say the depositors. The government can be assured of one certain development here – many more will commit suicide and there can be several further deaths from shocks to the sizeable number who have already taken their lives. Does anyone care?
There will be no Christmas or New Year joy to these once prosperous, law-abiding and respectable people. The little children of these families who had it good all these years are now left simply to look down and shed tears for their fate – the reason of which they are too young to know. Where is compassion, governance and meaningful justice to these people whose cause we have taken up in the cause of social jusice. President Rajapakse is known to be children-friendly and,,therefore, we suggest those around him should bring this matter to his immediate attention.
Mr. President, please spare some time to bring back the smiles and joy to these innocent victims in this season of good cheer.
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