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| Sunday, 4 April 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Judge them against people's verdict Sunday Observer in keeping with the highest standards of journalism it has always striven to maintain despite the label 'State Media' tagged onto it giving the impression that it is openly propagandist of the government in power, carried in the run up to the General Election just concluded reportage of a series of interviews reflecting the views of as many political parties and configurations, as was possible within the constraints of time and space limited to 7 issues of our weekly. The coverage included interviews of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Presidential Advisor and Information Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, former Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) General Secretary Susil Premajayantha, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader Somawansa Amerasinghe, other JVP heavyweights Wimal Weerawansa, Nandana Gunatilleke and Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) Leader Dinesh Gunawardene, LSSP's Batty Weerakoon, NLF Leader 'Bahu' and Communist Party former MP Raja Collure. The Sunday Observer was happy to give publicity to the interviews granted by United National Front (UNF) Cabinet Ministers, Ex-Ministers and Parliamentarians Mahinda Samarasinghe, Karunasena Kodituwakku, Milinda Moragoda, Rohitha Bogollagama and Ravindra Randeniya who transgressed the bounds of their own party's decision to boycott the 'State Media' in a valiant show of their independence and recognition of this newspaper which is seen to fulfil its responsibility to the general public, as a state owned newspaper should. We also featured Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) spokespersons, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leaders, EPDP political adviser, Swarajya party General Secretary, opinions of the Muslim Community, Clergymen, Academics and Professionals. It is no mean feat especially at an election time then that the public perception of a 'government controlled' newspaper has been demonstrably shed while permitting columnists to express views in their bid to mould public opinion, however counter to the grain they may run. Today, we publish the headlines and highlight some of those comments of the interviewees so that they can be judged against the verdict of the people as registered at the General Election.Let us be mindful of the fact that projecting one's mind to futurity is tantamount to divinity and any mismatch in the pronouncements of those interviewed and the verdict of the people can be attributed to fallibility common to humankind whether interviewee or voter. As the impact of the people's verdict sinks in we have moved away from the practice of carrying a 'serious' article in the Leader page today being sensitive to the mood of our wearied readers, wearied by these incessant and frequent polls. - Lalith Edrisinha ****** President CBK lists conditions : UPFA ready to negotiate with LTTE The Peace Process has its good points such as the Ceasefire, which has now held for 2 years and the relaxation of tensions in the North and East. But while one looks a little further than at the surface, there are issues for serious concern. That is that the Peace Process was conducted in a completely unplanned and unprofessional manner, which led to clearly anything and everything happen in the name of Peace. This has given a situation where the LTTE is militarily very much stronger than at the beginning of the process - in numbers as well as in arms, and also politically, because they have killed a significant number of democratic politicians in the North and East during the Peace Process, whilst, the Sri Lankan Armed Forces were deliberately neglected and demoralised. As for the ISGA proposed, we have already stated that this could be the basis to begin negotiations, whilst, of course the government proposals would also have to be discussed. ****** Media Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar opens innings : 'If UNP wins very undesirable cohabitation situation will recur' The very fact that the President comes from one party and the Prime Minister, in that event will come from another party, means that we are back in this very uneasy and very undesirable cohabitation situation because of the fault of the constitution. So again until you amend the constitution, which is again a dream because you need a 2/3rd majority, you have to struggle through a similar exercise. But the one big difference will be that the President will keep the Ministry of Defence. And then the President will have to try to see whether some kind of new alignment of forces can be arranged. That's possible. But that said, consensus is illusive. It is something you have to work for. You also have to separate hype and PR exercises which tend to cloud the issue. Consensus mean a lot of hard work which means that egos must be shrunk. If you don't have people willing to do that, consensus is not going to happen. And you have to remember that when dealing with the LTTE, due to the monolithic structure there, they don't have the problems of this kind. ****** Freedom Alliance Victory : Opportunity for the LTTE to deal with stable govt. - Mahinda Our effort is to defeat the UNF at the Elections and make the people's wish for a corrupt free regime a reality. We work in the public interest and we will never allow portfolios to block the way. Who will be the next Prime Minister, will be decided by the President and it is too early to comment. However, I am sure that I will receive a place in the highest echelons of the next regime. ****** UNF will get 124 seats Education Minister Karunasena Kodituwakku artfully dodges pitfalls and predicts a clean UNF victory at the April polls in the interview with 'Sunday Observer'. I have only one question. Can all these editors of print and electronic media stand before a mirror judge themselves? The circulation of Lake House Sinhala daily will indicate the public judgment. The English daily and the Weekend don't have news value but the commercial value. Anyhow, today's business community has no alternative except going for these papers. ****** 'Unfair to accuse JVP to be anti-Tamil' - EPDP We are hoping to get at least 10 members elected to Parliament in the forthcoming elections. Our programme is to closely work with the government towards the rehabilitation of the IDPs, assuming that the next Parliament will be for five years. We have formulated programmes to resettle the IDPs as much as possible in their original places of residence, to rehabilitate all damaged infrastructure and to provide employment or self-employment opportunities. ****** Prof. Lakshman Marasinghe on Constitution- making : ' Simple majority in Constituent Assembly sufficient This has been done in many countries. When colonial powers left bequeathing constitutions with entrenched clauses and the newly independent states had to relieve themselves of them a number of methods were introduced as in Pakistan, Ghana, South Africa, Namibia, Uganda... These methods are based on Kelson's Pure Theory of Law. For example, you draft a constitution through a Constituent Assembly (CA). The important thing is that the people should accept such a Constitution. Only a simple majority is needed to pass it. The legitimacy of such a Constitution would depend on its efficacy. If such a Constitution is efficacious then it is valid. efficacy is determined by the behaviour of the people. This is assumed to be so where the CA is a product of a majority decision of the people at an election at which the establishment of a CA is a matter which has been put to the people. Now that would be to change the whole constitution. ****** JHU leader Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera says..... : We have no petty political agenda If you want to plough the field, you have to go to the field. We have engaged in the general election to be elected by the people. If we get elected, there is no second word about it. We will definitely sit in Parliament. We are not a political party and we have no underhand contracts to send some members of a political party on our behalf. This is a big lie. This is spread to deceive the people. ****** 'SLMC has betrayed NE Muslims' - Segu Issadeen Under the democratic political set up as prevailing in Sri Lanka, it is neither necessary nor desirable to unify different political parties belonging to a certain community. The question as to why the Muslims are not united is being asked very often. Nobody is asking why the Sinhalse or the Tamils are not united! Muslims or the other communities can make a common approach with regard to proposals or matters affecting their community as a whole. 'What is possible for an armed struggle is not possible in a democratic political struggle'. ****** April election, chance for change - Prof. Laksiri Fernando 'This election, is offering an opportunity for change in the existing situation,'Prof. Laksiri Fernando of the University of Colombo told the Sunday Observer in an interview. 'The JVP will have a very positive role to play in the future,' he said, on the question of how the SLFP and the Party it did not quite see eye-to-eye with at one time would pull on together this time. ****** 'An election politicians wanted, not the people' - Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando, We need a genuine leader to solve the ethnic problem. We need a sort of dictator to solve all our problems, he said in his interview with the "Sunday Observer". Politics is a business today. You sell the best commodity of the time. In the past it was the rice ration. Now the ethnic issue has become the best commodity. This has been the issue since 1983. We have yet to find a lasting solution and the politicians keep on playing on it at every election. The politicians are not genuine in this respect. We do not experience that genuineness in our politicians. The issue has become a very popular slogan to win the election. A stepping stone to power. You have to tell the country. I do not see a solution to the problem in party politics. We have suffered enough. If we want to rectify the situation we should get rid of corrupt politicians. ****** Swarajya party supports govt. with only 20 ministries General Secretary of the newly formed SWARAJYA party Navin Gooneratne was interviewed by the Sunday Observer" on the new party's election program. Our party has proposed 10,000 "Grama Rajayas" which will decide which way to be governed by themselves instead of being dictated to by the top. These "Grama Rajayas" will have opinions of surrounding Grama Rajayas and enlarging Grama Rajayas thereby revitalising the entire country. When Grama Rajayas are set up throughout the country all problems could be solved irrespective of race, caste and religion. Any ethnic problem can be solved amicably by addressing the most important and affecting issues and resolving them in a sensible manner and taking impartial decisions without creating friction among different nationalities. ****** 'Only UNF can pave way for bright future' - Rohitha Bogollagama People in my area have already pledged to ensure a huge victory for the UNF. There was an era, when a UNPer was unable to come out of his home. We changed that situation and showed them the reality. They know that it is only a UNF government that can pave the way for a bright future for their children. They have unfortunate memories of the past created by several parties which now shed tears for democracy and a peaceful society cheating the public for petty political advantages. ****** Former Minister Milinda Moragoda values... Not popularity but respect for policies For a politician who resigned his Cabinet portfolio Milinda Moragoda is a rarity. In this interview he talks of a vision to salvage the country and blames all politicians for ruining the country. My basic emphasis is that the political culture of the country has to be changed. We have to focus more on solving problems by having a national policy. Everything should not be politicised and most things should be handled out of politics. A letter of an MP or Minister to send a child to a school etc should not be in political agendas. Further, I am not somebody who seeks popularity and popularity is for other professions. Instead of popularity, I am respected by people. I have worked for the country as a politician with a right vision and people are free to make their decision on April 2. ****** JVP committed to fight corruption - Somawansa Amerasinghe 'The JVP is going to absorb what is positive to develop our country and culture. Among some of the negative aspects of globalisation are child prostitution and things like that,' he said, adding that the JVP will do everything in its power to stamp out such practices. Corruption, criminal wastage, disregard for it, and other such allied corrupt practices will be dealt with 'appropriately. ****** Ranil's govt. a broker's camp - Bahu ****** Wheeler dealers feel threatened with JVP as watchdog -Nihal Sri Amerasekere ****** Opportunists have joined the UNP - Ravindra Randeniya The UNF has been able to perform a number of duties and the party has a proven record of its performance. Even international donor nations and the international community have evaluated the UNF performance to the entire satisfaction of theirs and have granted an unprecedented financial assistance to us to develop the country within a set period of time. I am confident of winning the elections because the performance of our party has been held in high esteem. ****** UPFA Govt.to eradicate bribery,corruption,political thuggery - Dr.Sarath Amunugama A majority of politicians had secretly acted in a prejudicial manner and amassed wealth for themselves at the expense of the people after showing a good face to them. They had not only built luxury homes and purchased limousines but sent their children abroad for education after squandering public wealth. The irony is that some of these people had been paupers before they entered politics. Today people treated such politicians with abhorrence. Therefore people should exercise their votes wisely at the forthcoming election to ensure that only a set of clean candidates were elected to Parliament to serve them. ****** Panel of Interviewers Lalith Edrisinha |
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