Sri Lanka in her long checkered history, has not lacked great leaders nurtured in families whose ancestors were patriotic, honest and sincere men and women whose hearts burned if they came to know of any damage caused to the motherland, religion, culture and tradition. The women of such families gave birth to honest and sincere sons and daughters, educated them and allowed them to select their path of glory. Most of them selected their future career as social work. So, politics was also regarded as social work. The descendants of such upper class and upper-middle-class families were, the late D.S. Senanayake, Sir D.B. Jayathileke, Dudley Senanayake, Sir John Kotalawala, Sir Oliver Gunathileke, J.R. Jayawardene, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, R. Premadasa, and so-on.
They did yeoman service to the motherland, religion, culture and tradition. Some even mortgaged their last-remaining property to indulge in politics, and when they came to power, they never thought of recovering the mortgaged property out of government funds.
The four brothers of the ten year-rule cannot be regarded on par with the leaders of the past. They were involved in corrupt practices during their terrible reign.
Mahinda & Co, wanted to give their late father a similar status as that of the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike.
The purpose of building a massive structure like a tomb out of the national coffer may be such a motive. Could one compare the late Rajapaksa with a ‘giant’ like the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike? His erudition, social status, oratory skill, and his recognition in most of the European countries and even in the U.N.O are factors to be appraised above all his humanity.
What had the late Rajapaksa achieved and possessed to be on par with a person of such calibre? Anyway, this act can be compared to a vain-effort of an uneducated lot.
Today, this shameless set with their henchmen are trying to topple the democratically elected government to come to power as they know the taste of the apple, which they tasted for ten long-years.
In this backdrop, an energetic Minister like Sajith Premadasa, the U.N.P. candidate for Hambantota rose to the occasion to cater to the needs of the homeless, throughout the island. A man with the talents of his father, has devoted his time to win the hearts of the common people.
With his powerful oratory skills, he speaks-out his mind and gets his message across the country, with “Shelter for every family in the country”. He shows how the Rajapaksa family has been drawn towards ‘malpractices’, and categorically points out with facts and figures how-much each brother has played out government funds and how their ‘kith and kin enjoyed public funds and emptied the national coffer in no time. Listening to his inspiring speeches, the villagers who decided to venture-upon the path towards ‘Medamulana’ have now turned towards the other way.
Ministers in the calibre of Sajith are rare in the political history of the country. His policy is to work hard for the betterment of the common man. He never occupies his quarters given by the government, and does not rely on his monthly pay packet, either.
What he wants is work. He is the real incarnation of his dutiful father.
- Dharma Kaviraj