Indeed you are right. However what we need to identify is why thugs and goons are necessary for the political parties. The reason is that in order to compete in preferential voting system you need to have thuggery and other criminal acts. The person who does not succumb to this will eventually fail. Our election system requires thugs not gentlemen.
This election system needs changed. No one doubts that. But it is not the election system that sustains thuggery. The biggest problem you ignore is it is difficult to change the election system; there will be a lot of resistance. And more than that no one has any idea to change the electoral system. Do you see any even a slight attempt to change the electoral system? Does your MR try to change the electoral system? MR will never change the electoral system as this electoral system is advantageous to MR.
So according to your logic we should not care rule of law and bear all the murder, rape, thuggery, robberies of gover politicians and total degradation of SL until when someone changes the electoral system in some future date (of which we see no sign even in the next decade). If you wait that much time SL won’t even exist.
Now look at why thugs are needed to win in preferential systems. Whenever a murder is done or rape is in news the thugs KNOW they will NOT be punished. The parties and party leaders KNOW people still vote them IRRESPECTIVE of what their politicians do. It is this assurance that whatever wrongs the politicians do they know still people vote for them. That sustains this system.
And when politicians do murder and rape politicians need not punish them. Even if MR did not poke his nose, the police and judiciary have enough power to arrest the culprit and punish him in a due process. But it does not happen. Why? Judiciary and police are not independent!
And MR (or any other higher politician) uses his power to STOP the due process.
Even without an electoral system, abuse of law will continue as long as police and judiciary are not independent and as long as people ignore abuse of rule of law.
If we can change electoral system it is good, but it is not going to solve the problem of abuse of law and politicians doing murder going scot free as long as we do not have an independent judiciary and police. And as long as we have people who ignore politicians’ bad acts!
People are responsible for the downward spiral of our political system in partially. You cannot put the whole blame on them. As everyone can see the quality of our politicians dropped from 1978 which was the year that the proportionate voting system and executive presidency came into being.
The politicians come from a society. The society as a whole is degrading. Societies which don’t care or even condone murder or rape produce murderers and rapists as politicians. We have had bad politicians even before 1978. The first major break down of rule of law and mega scale violation of human rights happened in 1971. That is before 1978. No one was punished for the crimes in 1971.
There were race riots in 58 and 65 where people killed people, burned vehicles with live people in it. SL has not been a wonderful place before 1978 either. It is wrong to assume every wrong started in 78. The degradation of SL politicians had started from 48 itself. The continuous degradation, break down of rule of law and politicians abusing state resources have increased with time. Take a look at how Siramavo nationalized Lake House to stifle independent media, changed constitution and brought anti-democratic practices. Each time in every decade the degradation came to a new height. The only reason people like you point at 78 are because you want to give excuses and whitewash the crimes of the politicians of the present government. Had you were a UNP supporter of 1978 you will be whitewashing UNP gover’s crime. And there were people like you and that sustained the system.
The problem is not with any system (may be the system creates an environment conducive to thug politicians) but real problem lies because people in the country approve or ignore even whitewash the crimes of politicians.
So what do you suggest people should do elect UNP or JVP ? Or go on a general rampage ?
It does not matter the party, people should not elect people who have done such frauds, murders and rapes.
Form a civil movement and pressurize a govern to stop protecting criminals and protect law and order of the country. Yes and if the present gove destroys law and order elect a different government.
And more than that bring independent commissions to protect law and order! Stand for independent media who bring out the fraudsters to public. And yes stop voting MR if he continues to protect wrong doers.
Independent commissions? It is really nice to say independent commissions should prevail. But are those independent commissions really independent? Can any one guarantee it's independence? What if some foreign power install their puppets into one of this commissions? Will it work for the betterment of the country then?
You ask this because you have no idea how independent commissions work. No foreign power can install their puppets in commissions. Why should foreign powers need puppets in commissions when MR gove itself is making the situation ideal for foreign powers to exploit. Foreign gover had no supporter than MR gov itself. MR gover is the best puppet so called foreign gover ever had!
The reason judiciary and even police are not independent are because higher posts like chiefs of police, AG dept head, and PSC heads, COPE heads, human rights commission head, bribery commission head are appointed by the executive aka MR. So these people act with allegiance to MR and gover politicians. When high positions in parliament and judiciary commissions and police are filled by gover politicians they act according to the gov politicians. That is why AG is silent on every crime done by gov politicians.
In independent commissions’s head or officials are appointed by a panel of officials and these appointments can be questioned by judiciary. The problem is it cannot be questioned when MR appoints them.
Independent means they are independent from the executive and responsible for all executive, judiciary and parliament equally. After 18th amendment the power of executive to appoint the heads of commissions were strengthened. That is why independence (whatever was remaining) is no more.
And you did not answer how murderers of Kurram Sheikh were punished? Did electoral system or constitution change?
About the 18th amendment. If our opposition leader can contest for presidency for the 4th time. Why can't MR contest it for the 3rd time. Besides president do not choose himself for the 3rd time, it is the people that elect him if he contested. It is the democracy.
This is why I call you an anti SL government supporter. You are ready to bear all the damage MR and his goons do to this country because you are blind supporter of MR. Remember this very well. If you allow MR like this, there won’t be an SL (for you to even damage) if MR is let to continue.
Ranil can contest as long as he likes because there is no constitutional limit for him as he has never held a presidential post. And your qn why cant MR contest for 3rd time if people like is equivalent to asking why cant a rapist be elected as chairman if the ppl vote for him?
If you are concerned about constitution and its powers HONESTLY you cannot justify 18th A. If JR fucked the system bringing totalitarian executive MR fucked it further by bringing 18A. So you cant point at **** number 1 by justifying **** no 2. It is that simple.
BTW in other countries where executive presidency is practiced opposition leaders do not cling in for become presidency even after they loose 20th time. So it has to be amended according to our local conditions.
How many times Ranil contest the election it has had no impact on rule of law in this country or the democracy in SL. I think we were talking about rule of law in SL and government politicians abusing the rule of law and blind anti SL gover supporters forever whitewashing their crimes. How many times Ranil contests it does not have any impact on rule of law or democracy in SL.
You having to talk about Ranil contesting for presidency itself shows how poor you are even when in arguments to whitewash the abuse of rule of law by this government. According to you, what matters most is Ranil fucking his wife/boyfriend but you are perfectly ok with MR raping your mother.
Yes what I meant is unstable parliament. No one gives hoot about electoral system change. Even today many MPs are agreed to abolish it for good and some head way is achieved in the process. I hope in near future we will see the fruits of these efforts.
So then why talk about a changing an electoral system if no one gives a hoot about it? According to you the mother of all evil in SL is electoral system. But no one is going to change it. So we will wait like a century when somebody feels like changing it.
The reason many do not questioning electoral system is that many do not know about the implications of the proportionate voting system. They are much familiar with the implications of executive presidency because many idiotic opposition parties only talk about it while completely disregarding implications of the proportionate voting system.
What is doing the biggest harm to this country is not an electoral system but an executive with very high powers. So yes executive is the one that needs to be changed. The reason is you are stupider than the idiotic political parties.
In 1977 JR had a 2/3 majority parliament with strong premiership. The reason he changed our constitution is not that TULF became the major opposition party in parliament (TULF had close to 20 seats while UNP had more than 125). That is to create a all powerful executive that no other country has ever seen before and to keep his party in power virtually forever.
JR wanted to change the constitution for multiple reasons and strengthening his grip on power was one among them. But the biggest reason was the TULF being the opposition. SL had do go for a executive system in the given circumstances but it needn’t be an authoritative one like JR did. That is what I am saying we need an executive system but with its powers limited.
No sane government will yield to federalism in Sri Lanka. So there is not any threat from that theater. We shouldn't be worried about "Goni Billas" as such.
I did not say gover will be giving federalism, but demands for federalism well strengthen. At the moment demand for federalism is not strong. Federalism can come up even replacing mild 13 A. With the global opposition against MR gover mainly from US coming up any demand for federalism can become stronger. They have aces in their hands. MR has given them aces. The whole request for war crime investigations 2 years back MR rejected, but now MR is having internal investigations he is now inviting an indian into the panel.
In this forum itself you said gove will not have elections in north and will not implement 13A. You said you ppl will not allow gov to implement 13 A. but what happened? Gover is not in a position to counter the global threat. Gov cannot sustain the force coming from US, Europe. And if you add india to it, Gov cannot. So in an environment where global powers are against SLG and partial to sepertaist forces you should not let federalism demand to come up. That is common sense not any goni billa. But I completely understand common sense is not a strength of you.
That is the reality of politics. Even in US the situation is like this.
No. That is not. Politicians are like that, but prevailing system in the country does not allow it. In US or even in India there are strong civil movements. Politicians in these countries are scared of the people, media and law. In SL that is not so. In SL people, law and media are scared of gov politicians.
Had a duminda like politician with his open links to drug trade and murdering a person in broad day light happened in US that party would have seen the door? People will rise against the party and politicians who do the cover up. The judiciary and police act against them.
I am not saying politicians in US (or any other country) are better, it is just that law works against them if they do any crime, in SL it does not.
Yes politicians need not punish rapists and murderers. But they can create a process that can punish the rapists and murderers disregarding their position in the society.
Politicians need not create processes. There are due processes already in constitution. That is why a normal civilian who does rape and murder can be punished. It is just that the due processes are not working when it comes to gover politicians or the processes are stopped from acting against that.
Example: 1. Chandana Kathriarachchi was sentenced by court for murder in 2004. MR after he became president pardoned him and released him. And even gave a chairman position in a gover organization.
In a different country such acts would be headlines and MR would have to resign. But in SL their every crime is tolerated which keeps the culture of abuse.
2. Micheal Perera’s (gov minister) wife killed his girl friend and her servant by burning alive. Court gave the woman death sentence. CBK then president pardoned her and set her free using her executive power.
So the problem is not law or due processes not taking place but rather politicians in higher positions stop the due processes from taking place.
So you suggest UNP or JVP?
If the question is in regard of stopping abuse of power and lack of rule of law, it won’t still get solved by changing the gover. It can be changed only by bringing independent commissions and making the judiciary and police independent. But still not enough, people in this country need to inculcate a culture where criminals in politics are removed from politics by voting them out.
But considering other problems in SL economic mismanagement, crisis in foreign relations, total mess in N and E and rising racism and of course the anti-democratic practices and MR’s protection of criminals, yes we need a government change.
It is big ZERO in MR’s report card.
And you did nt answer my question. If we need electoral change and changing the constitution to punish a mere rapist and a murder from gover party why did Kuram Sheikh’s murderer and his Gf’s rapist got punished? What made them punished?