Letters
View(s):The story of two General Secretaries: Await the people’s verdict
Maithripala Sirisena and Tissa Attanayake were the General Secretaries of their respective political parties. Both of them left their respective posts and parties not being satisfied with the manner their parties and their leaders were conducting themselves.
Maithri complained of family autocracy, corruption by the family and the dictatorial/ arrogant rule within the party (SLFP and UPFA), the Rajapaksa regime and the cabinet. Tissa complained of autocracy and dictatorial conduct within his party and by its leader.
Tissa in Parliament as well in public, like the other members of his party exposed and criticised the autocracy and corruption etc. in the government and the Rajapaksa regime. However, Maithri did not criticise the failings in the UNP, maybe because the said failings were internal problems of the UNP.
However, both have given up their posts as General Secretaries and left their political parties. They are entitled to do that. After leaving they could have retired from politics or continued to fight for what they believed in. Both of them selected the second option.
Both of them, in no uncertain terms said they left not for any personal gain or benefit financial or otherwise, but solely according to their conscience and for the sake of the country, its people and future. To what extent can we, the people of this country rely on them in the future? Are they honest and genuine in their so called reasons for leaving their respective parties? The answer to this is by examining their conduct after they left their respective parties.
What did Maithri do after leaving his party? He did not join any other political party. He led his own revolution with a few others of his party. He was the first speaker at the news conference which was his first public appearance. He gave his reasons for leaving. Then he mentioned the political principles and the culture he stood for and how he was going to achieve them. He spoke from the heart.
What did Tissa do after leaving his party? He went straight to the very person he until 48 hours before, had alleged to be corrupt. He worshipped the very same person and accepted a ministerial post under that person. What more is there to say?
The people are not fools, let them decide. As said before is it an exchange of a General Secretary for a General Secretary of the same stature?
Shamindra Weerasinghe
Colombo
Tsunami, please never ever come back again!
The scariest day of my life that has kept haunting me happened a decade ago, when I was only seven years old living near the estuary of Gin Ganga, Ginthota, Galle.
On the evening of December 25, 2004, having enjoyed ourselves at my aunt’s house we came home as my father had some urgent work the next day.
2004: aerial view of tsunami destruction in Galle
On the morning of December 26, Uduvap full moon Poya day, my father left for Tangalle at 5 a.m. Later my brother and I went to the garden to check on our ducklings and love birds. Our mother was feeding us breakfast when we heard a loud noise outside the gate. I heard screams, and the weeping of our neighbours who were running aimlessly crying for help. My mother had seen an enormous black tidal wave coming over the mosque in front of our house!
Hurriedly my mother carried my baby brother and held me by the hand. The only way to survive was ‘to follow the others’ we thought. We ran along the railway lines heading inland. I still remember the black big wave coming towards me. In a split second I was struggling for breath nearly drowning in the black water. I could only see people crying out for help. Fortunately my mother held me firmly.If not I would have been washed away into the Indian Ocean through the Gin Ganga.
We kept on running. The force of the wave ripped our clothes away. We were like beggars. My mother asked for some clothes from a house for us to wear. All the survivors ran to the hill in the area.
And then l remembered my father! He was on a survey at Thillawatawana lagoon in Tangalle. We wept for him. No one was there to console us, as all the other survivors had their own worries. I still remember asking my mother, “Amma is he dead?” when he did not come.
Luckily my father came to meet us around 3.30 p.m. We ran towards to him hugging him and crying in happiness. He had been to our house and had been horrified at what he had seen. The very first thing I asked him while holding onto his hand was, “Did you see my ducklings?”
Later we went to our aunt’s place at Batapola. During my stay there the most horrifying sight was dozens of blackened bodies being taken in trucks to the Batapola hospital for identification.They were the bodies of those who had died in the train that derailed at Peraliya due to the deadly waves.
We returned home after a week. Only then did I realise what the tsunami had done to us. It had destroyed everything in my house. All the books in my mini library, my school books, my dolls, the two pet ducklings, love birds, the fish tank, computer……….everything .
Due to my parents’ untiring effort, we were able to rebuild everything. But the thought of that scary day- still haunts my mind
I loved the sea a lot before but after what happened I’m not very fond of it.
Tsunami! Please never ever come back again!!!
-Gathmini Vihanga Vithanage
Musaeus College