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The scandal of the Cheap Justice
View(s):The sordid saga of an imposter, as the National Unity Government officially described him in polite language, is over but the stink left behind by that episode is spreading. That is because Mohan Peiris, once styled as Chief Justice 44, never held that office and will not have his name in any official records other than the cases he heard. The Government said the manner in which his predecessor was removed was void. That clearly meant he was no Chief Justice.
Hence, Shirani Bandaranayake, the rightful incumbent walked into the CJ’s chambers on Wednesday. The next morning, she said her farewell at an official ceremony in the Supreme Court. Justice K. Sripavan succeeded her. The Bar Association headed by Upul Jayasuriya carried out a high pitched campaign for the removal of the man who called himself the CJ. With the election of the new Government, many are the events that played out.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who was the main Government interlocutor with Mr. Peiris tried to persuade him to quit. Mr. Peiris sought a diplomatic posting either in New York or London. Though Wickremesinghe first offered Brazil, and then Vietnam, it was later changed to Italy because Mr. Peiris is a Catholic. Mr. Peiris then bargained for Geneva, where he often represented the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government, and is also accredited to the Vatican. “Rome or home,” Mr. Wickremesinghe was heard to tell his ministerial colleagues.
However, the unbelievable happened on Wednesday morning. As moves to oust him went on, Mr. Peiris telephoned President Maithripala Sirisena. While pleading to remain in office, he declared “Mama ithing kiyana vidiyata nadu theendu dennam” or I will deliver judgments the way I am told. That was his philosophy of dispensing justice. A shocked President Sirisena was to later share this experience with some ministers in the Cabinet.
One witty minister remarked, “he was never Chief Justice but one acting as a Cheap Justice. Obviously this is what he did with the previous UPFA Government.”
No trumpet for Keheliya
Many are the stories he told at weekly news conferences held after the UPFA Cabinet of ministers met.
And now, the official spokesperson and former Media Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella, seems tired after he did all this for the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government.
On Friday January 24, he called over at Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office. He said he wanted to return to the United National Party (UNP).
Premier Wickremesinghe was to tell him that a minister from the Kandy District was not in favour of his return. So the matter ended here.
Rajitha’s bombshell on another military plot
Official Government spokesperson and Minister Rajitha Senaratne dropped a bombshell last Thursday.
Briefing the media after Wednesday’s ministerial meeting, he claimed that a Brigadier and a Colonel in the Army were training a group to cause disruption of life in the North. He alleged that the group was to be unleashed when the campaign for the Parliamentary elections got under way.
The new military spokesperson declined to comment on the issue.
Changes at Foreign Ministry
One of the first tasks for Mangala Samaraweera after becoming Foreign Minister was to bring back to the fold all Foreign Service officers, who had been placed on compulsory leave or dumped in the ‘pool’ at the behest of Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, the Monitoring MP of the previous regime.
The officers included seniors such as P.M. Amza, former Chief of Protocol, Sri Lanka’s Brussels Ambassador Shani Karunaratne, and a director sent on compulsory leave allegedly for commissioning a Buddhist monk to chant vas kavi against her tormentors in the Ministry. The Minister quipped, “Apita vas kavith epa, sethkavith epa. Apita oney okkama sahayogen wedakarannata.”
Majintha Jayesinghe, considered a favourite of Sajin de Vass Gunawardena and former Secretary Kshenuka Senewiratne, has been moved out as head of protocol.
He has been replaced by Mr. Amza who was deputy in London until he was banished and more recently was dumped in the Ministry “pool” over a purported email against Vass Gunawardena. Mr. Amza has been resurrected and appointed chief of protocol from today.
Another who has been rescued from the pool in which Vass Gunawardena deposited him is G. Prasanna who was recalled from Kathmandu over the same email. He has been named Director of SAARC Affairs.
Parallel govt. imported Gunaratnam while Immigration fiddled
The Immigration Department has given a new twist to that English wise crack about bolting horses and stable doors.
This was no bolting horse. The horse was very much in public view and on public platforms, too. But apart from trying to close the doors, the department could not even lasso the animal until its usefulness (heaven forbid) was over.
This is the farce enacted by the Immigration Department over an Australian passport holder named Kumar Gunaratnam also known as Noel Mudalige. The man who had been deported from Sri Lanka some years ago entered Sri Lanka on a tourist visa.
Hardly had Gunaratnam or Mudalige or whichever name he wishes to use, set foot here he engaged in politics giving interviews and making speeches.
Now most people including his second cousin know that one cannot enter the country on a tourist visa and participate in any activity other than tourism.
But the wise owls in Immigration behaved like the three proverbial monkeys, if I might mix a metaphor. They said nothing, saw nothing and heard nothing — that is until the Presidential election was over and a new administration was in power.
Suddenly the department gets active and summons Mr. Gunaratnam to explain himself, whereas actually the department should explain its conduct to the people. That is because on several occasions other foreigners here on tourist visas and some even seen at media seminars/ workshops were hauled up and told to leave the country.
Was Mr. Gunaratnam allowed to enter on a tourist visa by a parallel government that operated here until recently to be used as a political cat’s paw meant to embarrass the JVP which had declared itself anti-Mahinda Rajapaksa.
When all is said and done and Mr. Gunaratnam turned out to be the flop that he is, Immigration big wigs or hurrah boys, it seems, want to know what he is doing here. How’s that for a joke?
This could have been passed off as a poor one were it not so serious. For the Immigration Department has now created a precedent where foreign passport holders can come here as tourists and play politics without falling foul of the authorities. Or are some more equal than others?
Prince of Defeat afraid to come back
Some witty UPFA members have lost no time in giving former minister Basil Rajapaksa a new title – the Prince of Defeat.
All because, they say, he was the main architect for the defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa at the January 8 Presidential election.
Barely days after the poll, Basil Rajapaksa took off to his Los Angeles home. Days ago he approached Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera through an emissary to ascertain whether it would be “safe” for him to return to Sri Lanka.Samaraweera made clear it was not his responsibility to offer assurances.
The former Minister of Economic Development should know what he is frightened of, said a Samaraweera aide.
Rs. 2.5 b commission for VVIP relative
Construction work on a multibillion rupee defence complex where all armed forces headquarters will be located continues at Akuregoda, not far off from the Parliament complex.
Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake who assumed duties barely two weeks ago was shocked to learn that a private contractor, a relative of one time VVIPs, had received staggering commissions. Until recently, he has been paid Rs. 2.5 billion.
Exit the dragon
Official Government spokesperson and Minister Rajitha Senaratne was at the Taj Samudra with his hosts, Colombo-based foreign correspondents, when a hotel manager noted that a VVIP guest had not been to his favourite restaurant, the Golden Dragon lately.
“That is because we were fighting a dragon,” the minister said. Agreed the manager: “And that was quite a formidable dragon. Congratulations, Sir.”
Soon after addressing the Foreign Correspondents’ Association, Mr. Senaratne in the hotel lobby bumped into Sunimal Fernando, a long standing aide of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The two were seen in animated conversation. Mr. Fernando was overheard saying he knew the dragon had lost its fire. Mr. Fernando had cleared his desk two days before the election.