(Lanka-e-News- 03.May.2016, 11.30PM) The security detail of Kurunegala district M.P. Mahinda Rajapakse comprising of about 150 soldiers of the forces had been withdrawn with immediate effect and were replaced by police constables. In this connection , the Rajapakse brigand of the ‘rogues on behalf of rogues’ led by bankrupt politico Dinesh Gunawardena holding a press briefing today alleged this is a vindictive action.
Truly speaking , this is indeed a vindictive action of the Rajapakses of the past that has boomeranged on themselves now.
In 2005 to enable Mahinda Rajapakse to become the president , it was his predecessor Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge who handed over the SLFP party’s presidential candidacy to Mahinda and went on retirement honorably, .Sadly , at that time Mahinda took revenge on her in diverse ways. That was the time the war was at its peak , and when Chandrika fell victim to an LTTE suicide bomber though she managed to escape death after losing an eye. Without taking all these into consideration , Mahinda the byword for lawlessness and ruthlessness withdrew her security detail of 168 members of the forces most inhumanely..
Mahinda successfully carried out his vendetta through Sarath N. De Silva the ex chief justice (CJ) who delivered judicial decisions to suit the aims and agendas of Mahinda, which unscrupulous decisions , Sarath Silva regretted later openly.
When a henchman of Mahinda Rajapakse filed a petition in the supreme court (SC) to decide what security detail would suffice for a president who had gone on retirement , Sarath Silva who was the CJ at that time delivering the verdict said , 7 police officers including an ASP would be enough as security detail for a president who is no longer in power. This verdict was delivered on 2 nd May 2006. That was exactly ten years ago !
Thereafter, Mahinda Rajapakse even without calling for a report pertaining to Chandrika’s security requirements as an ex president of the country , he dismantled her security detail of 168 members of the forces, and replaced them with 7 police personnel. Chandrika who was a direct target of the LTTE realizing this was an orchestrated betrayal exposing her to the terrorists, left for England.
In the circumstances there is already the SC verdict in regard to the security detail that can be made available to an ex president who is now out of power. That decision applies now to Mahinda , and to incumbent president Maithripala Sirisena too in the future . That is , Mahinda should be provided with a security detail comprising 7 police personnel. Ironically , this was a decision that was delivered by Sarath N. De Silva for unscrupulous reasons in favor of Mahinda then now boomeranging on Mahinda himself.
Therefore , Dinesh Gunawardena the bankrupt politico of the Rajapakse brigand who was left with no option except shout ‘ it is a political revenge!’ due to a rare unbearable hindquarter pain resulting from his ‘headquarter’ moving into his hindquarter following his senile decay. It is a pity that this bankrupt Dinesh whose headquarter is in his hindquarter, naturally hasn’t even that little grey matter to understand that the architect of this disastrous situation is Mahinda himself.
Moreover the present government had taken a decision that no politico shall be provided with any security otherwise than police security. Therefore , neither president Maithripala nor prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is provided with security comprising members of the forces. They are also having only police security detail. In other words , Mahinda who is just an M.P. now , cannot be provided with security comprising members of the armed forces.
Strictly speaking, what Mahinda Rajapakse now rightly merits as ‘ex president’ is the status of an ordinary M.P. of a district and not that of a president , because he was a president (one and only !) who faced defeat while seeking presidential election , and also chose to demean himself to become an M.P. via parliamentary elections after having been a president. What belongs to such an individual are not the privileges he was entitled to based on his past official position , rather based on his present official status.
A case in point is that of Prasanna Ranatunge who was the chief minister of Western province…
He is today Gampaha district M.P. What he is entitled to now are not the privileges he enjoyed when he was the chief minister. He is today entitled to the privileges attaching to his status as an M.P. In that case , how can that be different in respect of Mahinda Rajapakse ?
Might it be pointed out ,Chandrika the ex president after retirement did not hold any post , there was therefore nothing untoward in recognizing her as a former president and according the privileges due to a former president . But in Mahinda’s case it is different : He did not go on retirement but suffered defeat. Besides he has shamelessly or otherwise accepted the post of M.P. which post he is holding now.
In these circumstances , he is entitled to a security detail consisting of two police officers only like any other M.P. On the other hand if he is to ask for special security from the government , the latter should make a separate evaluation via its intelligence division in that regard. Or else , Mahinda must pay to the private security firms and seek security detail.
Interestingly , Minister Wijayamuni Soysa made an intriguing and pertinent statement relating to the withdrawal of the military security detail of Mahinda Rajapakse. He said, ‘ Mahinda cannot be allowed to have battalions with him and go around the country in order to overthrow the government .Those with (demented) military mentality like to have military by their side. He has an affinity for extremism and fascism.
Since this is a government that is adhering to Democracy , good governance , human rights and aiming at national reconciliation , none shall be permitted room to change this welcome trend and system. Therefore the security provided shall be of the police.’
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by (2016-05-03 23:13:46)
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A defeated President serving as an MP cannot have a security detail stronger than that of the serving President. When the current president does not have security personnel consisting of members of the forces the rejected president cannot insist on such security.
-- by Peter on 2016-05-04
