Did the opposition recognize the terrible challenge posed by Ranil Rajapksha in public..?

If it is recognized, be reconciled..!

Defeating Ranil Rajapaksha is the challenge of the day for all democratic forces

(Sunanda Deshapriya-Translated by Rumi Speelberg)

The President’s media unit has reported that President Ranil Rajapaksha made these comments addressing the Colombo Rotary Club "A country needs public peace first for democracy. For that, it is necessary to maintain law and order. Democracy cannot exist without law and order in a country and democracy needs a stable economy second. A country without law, order and economic recovery does not have democracy but anarchy. I will never allow the country to go down through the path of anarchy and commit myself to ensuring law and order in the country."

According to this dangerous theory, law and order is not democracy. Democracy cannot exist without public peace. It defines that rule of law and democracy are two factors. This is the philosophy of murder repeated by all dictators around the world.

According to Ranil Rajapaksa, economic recovery is necessary before democracy. Otherwise, there is no democracy. There is only anarchy. This is a direct repetition of the vision of Pinochet, the dictator of the Chilly country. He killed tens of thousands of people to establish a military dictatorship to revive the economy. In other words, the philosophy of necked neoliberalism. It is not for nothing to say that he implemented neoliberalism to the real sense of word. Neoliberalism gives priority to the freedom of traffickers, instead of human and democratic rights. Ranil Rajapaksha is, in a way, the ghost of Pinochet.

Ranil Rajapaksha considers economic recovery, as even increasing the electricity bill, water bill, oil bill, gas price, school book price, food and drink price to the sky high to build smuggling economy. When Ranil Rajapakse says that he will not allow the country to lead to anarchy, he means that he will not allow any obstacle to a smuggling economy.

Let us replace Ranil Rajapakse's law and order story with the current reality in Sri Lanka. According to Ranil Rajapaksha, he has now established law and order. Ranil Rajapaksha imprisoned Wasantha Mudalige for 165 days under the Prevention of Terrorism Act to establish law and order.

And hundreds of activists of the struggle are being arrested continuously to establish that peace. Two young women who came on a peace march were arrested to establish that law and order. However, under his rule of law and order, the Rajapaksha family who unleashed horrific violence on unarmed protesters on 9 May 2022 escaped without any legal hindrance.

The sugar smugglers who stole 16 billion were unharmed. A convicted criminal for a multi-million fraud is one of his Ministers. Another criminal who admitted that he delivered millions of money to the LTTE organization is his Police Minister. A Minister who got caught red-handed demanding a large bribe from a Japanese company, is also an associate.  A police officer who was held directly responsible by the Supreme Court for the Easter attacks is an in charge of his central province.

Ranil Rajapaksha, who deploys hundreds of armed police and army personnel to quell peaceful public demonstrations, sends only two policemen to protect the printing of ballot papers, because his law and order means suppression of people and destruction of rights.

The most dangerous sentence in Ranil Rajapaksha's philosophy comes after the above theory. "With the recovery of the economy, the necessary background will be prepared for the people to use their votes next year to create the changes that need to be made in the country and create the future you want." This statement is dangerous on two counts.

The first is that Ranil Rajapakshe declared that he has the right not to hold elections. It's an outrageous statement. The right and power to conduct elections on time is constitutionally vested with the Election Commission.

Ranil Rajapakshe can take that power into his hand only by obtaining dictatorial power. In fact, by intimidating government officials and disrupting the local government election process what he is doing is taking dictatorial power.

The second is that until the economy recovers, is an argument that can become endless. Because Ranil Rajapakshe has taken the definition of it in to his hand. Ranil Rajapaksha said in his First Governess Speech that the economy will recover in 2026.

It should not be forgotten that Ranil Rajapaksha's number one henchman Vajira Abeywardena is demanding 12 years for Ranil Rajapaksha to rule the country. Ranil Rajapaksha is using the neoliberal logic that prioritizes the economy to overturn the electoral map.

This speech of Ranil Rajapakshe is a terrible challenge to democracy in this country and to all forces that value democracy. JR, one of the most brutal and anti-democratic politicians born in this country. The evil plan of Ranil Rajapaksha, who thinks that he is the modern incarnation of J.R Jayawardene who was an inhuman anti-democratic politician emerged  in this country, can be defeated only by a joint movement of all forces and people who want free and fair elections as well as democracy in this country.

JR Jayawardena's violent 1982 referendum could not be defeated because of the fights of the opposition and foot-dragging. The compensation paid for that mistake in this country is immense. If the conspiracy of Ranil Rajapaksha and Mahinda Rajapaksha family to shrink the electoral map is not defeated at this time, the people of this country may have to pay an even bigger compensation. The challenge of the day for all democratic forces is to rally together to defeat the common enemy, Ranil Rajapaksha, even marching separately.