The beginning of the end of the Rajapakse ochlocracy?

| by I.S. Senguttuvan

(January 07, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The gang-rape of young Victoria Alexandronova – a tourist who had chosen to come here believing the Govt’s claims of a safety haven for visitors – who found herself attacked, seriously injured and nearly bleeding to death. The rape – by someone said to be a legislator and close to President Rajapakse - must be one of the lowest points in human savagery in the contemporary world. A woman virtually dying was raped by men lead by a leading government man. That it should happen in a country that boasts of following a Code of Conduct that calls upon adherents not to harm even the life of an ant is paradoxical. Chandrapushpa Vidanapathina is notorious for carrying dangerous forearms threatening and cowing down people. in and around Tangalle. It is said even the protests of the Police of the area to disarm him has been poopoohed by political high-ups in Colombo.That is only the latest in the long catalogue of State-aided barbarism that is characteristic of the Rajapakse sibling rule. Yet they take pride in describing their tottering land as “the Wonder of Asia” and the one in which around 2 million are invited to visit. So South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam are way behind this self-deception of make believe.

And now comes the news in that holy of holy new cities – Kelaniya. 12 of the 14 Pradeshiya members lead by the Chairman Prasanna Ranaweera have noticed the government to restrain their pet attack canine Mervin Silva - Cabinet colleague of the President - and a serial offender of ghastly crimes. The people of Kelaniya was action from the President to save them and from further harming the good name of their Constituency. They charge this notorious anti-people carpetbagger has brought ill-fame and disrepute to their Temple City. Even sections of what is described as the “kept Press” in Colombo – who gladly sing the regime’s hossanas at the drop of a hat – are now editorially crying out that Kudu Raja must be weeded out. Many are speculating if the Pettah fish market was shifted to Peliyagoda. in the Kelaniya electorate to assist Kudu Raja in his Kappang Sellama – so that the spoils can be split. Worse is the news there are moves to shift even the Pettah vegetable market there.

Zombie Jamboree indeed.

The Rajapakse Brothers have much

cleaning up to do within if they want

 world leaders and the diplomatic

community to believe they are not

part of all this nauseating business

of gambling, prostitution, drug-running

 etc.

There is little doubt kappang-karayas, kidnappers, Contract killers have a field day under this regime. Why -s the question that baffles the people. From small time kappan the underworld – with close connections to Kudu raja – appears to be extending its turf in recent times. A few weeks ago kappan was demanded from one of the leading exporters of Tea – Akbar Brothers. They were noticed their export cargo will not be allowed to be moved nor tea for packing will reach their stores unless specific sums are paid to the underworld on a daily basis. Fortunately, they had the right influences and refused to yield. They had a right to speak to the Minister concerned, who in turn – gauging the danger in the situation – contacted the President. The Kappan call on Akbar Brothers was called off – but for how long? Unless the Govt moves and immediately identify the kappan gangs and subject them to the full weight of the law, they will come back again.

The day for Mervin’s terror to end had to come sometime – and now it has come. The regime must move immediately or else the people are bound to speculate why this dreg of society is carried in their bosom. The Rajapakses should have jettisoned Mervin the moment he was "given the treatment" at Rupavahini. He was not. Action should have been taken against him when that poor Samurdhi officer was tied to a tree - with national TV invited to record the great deed. He was let loose then. Action should have been taken when his name was exposed by Wikileaks in a transcript from the US Embass here to Washington as the point man here for the global drug trade. It was not. In this case one cannot blame the Americans if they thought Mervin was only a stand-in for other faceless actors. The Rajapakse Brothers cannot be oblivious of the fact sometime in the future their governance comes up for public discussion, their legacy will be defined by the many tasteless and surreptitious connections they maintain, and, possibly encourage, with drug-traffickers, Contract killers, kidnappers and other dark creatures of the lowlier of society.

There is still another feature that worries decent society in the country - in exasperation - looks upon the religious leadership to step in. While the Government’s efforts to attract FDI’s have failed to realize the $2 billion target, global gambling networks in the region - are watching. Slowly but surely they increase their presence here as they did during the time of Premadsa and Paskaralingam. That was when the Far East crime Lord Joe Sim had tremendous influence over Hema Premadasa. The very alert gambling world knows which countries are ruled by vulnerable leaders who give a damn to rules and regulations. It is no surprise, therefore, Kudu Mervin’s name is mentioned in the deal where the South African Gambling group Sun City is reported to have offered to initially come with $500 million to Sri Lanka. The target is the burgeoning millionaire clientele in India. Already, the former McCallum Road area (adjoining the Beira Lake) is dotted with several gambling casinos. It is common knowledge gambling casinos also need a large number of women of easy virtue, drug-dealers, a massive flow of liquor daily and those on the wrong side of the law to provide its many services. A proliferation of gambling and drug joints can only destroy the culture of the people around. How is that a government claiming to live by the very tenets of Buddhism – that is against all these evils – encourage such socially harming influences. Where does the highly publicized Mathata Titha policy fit in here. Or, is the government run under the influence of a few money-throwing mobsters? It is known one of the wealthier men in the government – a semi-educated former Restaurent server - is now one of the most influential financiers in the country. He is knee-deep in Gambling and Prostitution for a long time.. He remains the main conduit for the global G&P ring to reach the decision-makers in the government.

Duminda Silva was brazenly hovering around Liberty Cinema with hundreds of his goons with Iron bars, wooden poles, knuckle-dusters – under the very nose of the Kollupitiya Police – and while thousands of shoppers, pedestrians and shop-keepers were watching. People merely watched in shock at this collapse of their society right in front of them. Surely, this is no way to earn a place in the revered Mahawamsa - said one woman that day. Duminda Silva stood vigil – by prior-arrangement no doubt with men highly placed in the Government. He was there to launch a brutal attack on unarmed demonstrators a hundred yards away at Lipton’s Circus – a popular place where dissatisfied students, workers agitate for relief from the skyrocketing Cost of Living and so on. . For sometime the it was clear to many people democracy has been forcibly subverted here by ochlocracy – governance by unruly mobs with the sanction/collision of the State.

The Rajapakse Brothers have much cleaning up to do within if they want world leaders and the diplomatic community to believe they are not part of all this nauseating business of gambling, prostitution, drug-running etc.