By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Three days from today (23rd) the nation will be going to the polls to elect the most powerful person in the Country
Twenty-Three potential candidates handed in their nominations on December 17th 2009but with the Commissioner of Elections rejecting one there were only twenty-two in the fray.
Of these two dropped out from the race with one-a Buddhist priest-transferring his support to Mahinda Rajapakse and the other-a Muslim parliamentarian-extending his solidarity to Sarath Fonseka.
Of the twenty contestants for the Presidential stakes, Sixteen are contesting from big, huge, medium, small, tiny and miniscule parties. Four are Independents
Front-runners
The Front-runners are of course incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse and his chief challenger Sarath Fonseka.
Adding sizzle, sparkle and spice to the presidential campaign are other candidates such as Dr. Wickramabahu Karunarathne, UB Wijekoon, Sirithunga Jayasuriya, Sarath Kongahage, Wije Dias, IM Ilyas, MK Sivajilingam, Achala Suraweera, ,Aruna de Soysa,Sarath Manamendra and MCM Ismail.
Of course, there is no secret about the pivotal theme around which this presidential election is revolving-The clash of the Titans between the Commander-in-chief of the armed forces and his erstwhile Army commander and Chief of Defence Staff!
It is indeed a remarkable turn of events where an ex-Army chief is contesting his former C-in C in the aftermath of a magnificient military victory.
As I wrote in an earlier article in “Daily Mirror” of Nov 21st 2009, it is as if Bernard Montgomery is challenging Winston Churchill after world war two or Sam Maneckshaw is contesting Indira Gandhi after the Bangladesh war.
What was supposed to be a one-horse race at first has transformed into a keen tussle with the entry of the old warhorse. What is certain at this stage is that Mahinda or Sarath will win Presidential stakes 2010.
None of the others in the race are “dark horses” capable of causing an upset. They will either canter or trot far behind while the two main contestants gallop towards victory.
With Presidential stakes 2010 turning into a violent but exciting campaign there is no doubt that it would be observed with keen interest by Sri Lanka watchers worldwide.
Since the two tipped to win are either Rajapakse or Fonseka, it is in the nature of things for both to be topping publicity centred around them.Both are hogging the limelight.
“Also rans”
Against such an interesting backdrop I was pondering for quite some time about writing on one of the “also rans” for this column on the eve of the Presidential poll.
During the 2005 presidential polls I wrote in “The Sunday Leader” about the maverick “Siddhalepa Vedamahathaya” Hettigoda. His-out of the box-ideas captured my imagination then. Besides I have this fascination for underdogs challenging top dogs.
In that sense I felt that I should focus on an underdog this time too. Someone who has absolutely no chance of winning but is contesting on principle.
Initially I thought of the leftist trio Bahu, Siritunga or Wije. I have the greatest respect for these three comrades who have not betrayed their policies for political gain or office.
Besides all three have consistently adopted a progressive outlook on the Tamil national question. But the problem was which of the three?
Finally I decided on someone who may have been a well-known personality years ago but was now in the realm of the forgotten being away from the public eye for more than a decade.
Ukku Banda Wijekoon ~ http://apeyswarajya.com/
I am referring to the mild-mannered gentleman in politics UB Wijekoon whom I knew to a limited extent when he was Jaffna district minister and I a reporter on the Tamil daily” Virakesari”.
“Apey Swarajya”
Subsequently UBW became cabinet minister and later an ambassador
Wijekoon has come out of “retirement” to contest as an Independent backed by the “Apey Swarajya” movement. He stands for a partyless people’s democracy where the rural areas would have some form of self-rule.
However Utopian his vision may seem to appear UB Wijekoon strikes a responsive chord in my heart.
In this mega-campaign for the Presidency Wijekoon and his policies are strikingly different. I do not know whether they will ever be allowed to work but I do respect his clarity of purpose and the sense of dedication with which he is facing the hustings.
Wijekoon Mudiyanselage Ukku Banda Wijekoon generally known as UB Wijekoon is contesting presidential elections 2010 as an Independent candidate with the Jak fruit as his symbol.
UB Wijekoon is contesting as a party-less candidate but is representing and is backed by the organization known as “Apey Swarajya” (Our Self-Rule) Movement.
Utopian
He espouses the ideals and policies of the movement which wants a radical transformation of our system of governance whereby power is given back to the people and the rural or village unit becomes a self-reliant entity.
In present day Sri Lanka where existing systems of governance are being misused or abused by vested interests to centralise powers in the urban areas or concentrate power in the hands of an elitist few the idealistic vision of UBW and those of his ilk provide a refreshing contrast.
Their Utopian dream of empowering the rural areas with a reverse flow of power and setting up virtual village republics in this world of mega-cities, mega- projects and mega-corruption evoke memories of that classic by EF Schumacher “Small is Beautiful”.
Messenger
UB Wijekoon does not project himself as a presidential candidate. He portrays himself as the messenger. His message is that of the policies and ideals of the Swarajya movement. The message is the candidate, he says.
Ukku Banda Wijekoon and his ideological fellow-travellers have a Utopian vision for Sri Lanka. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s goal of empowering the villages they hope to re-structure the prevailing political system in a novel manner
This objective however quaint and unattainable it may seem to appear strikes a responsive chord in my heart too. However archaic it may seem in this modern era rural empowerment is a cause I am in harmony with.
Furthermore UB Wijekoon the messenger deserves some exposure on the merits of his message too. The Swarajya movement which he represents has an original plan to radically transform the existing structures of power for the better in this country
That by itself warrants the spotlight being turned on the man and his mission. The ideas espoused deserve greater scrutiny and consideration.
District Minister
I first met the gentle, soft-spoken UB Wijekoon after he had been appointed by Junius Richard Jayewardena as District minister for Jaffna in 1979.
This was two years before the District Development Councils were set up in 1981.
Section 45(1)(a) of the Constitution enables the President to appoint non-cabinet ministers from MP’s and assign them functions.
JR appointed district ministers as a form of de-centralised administrative measure where he as Executive President delegated some of his powers in practice to the newly-created district minsisters. This was not an exercise in Devolution.
Jayewardena appointed people from his UNP as district ministers to the North and East though the provinces were pre-dominantly represented in Parliament by the then chief opposition party the Tamil United Liberation Front(TULF).
People like GD Mahindasoma for Vavuniya. MH Maharoof for Mannar, Nelson for Trincomalee etc were appointed district ministers.
JR held back from appointing a District minister for Jaffna (encompassing present Kilinochchi district also) thinking the Tamil United Liberation Front may accept that post.
The TULF then held all fourteen seats in the Northern Province.
The political atmosphere was electric then with the emerging militant movement beginning to challenge the TULF “old guard”. The TULF was trying desperately to ward off this challenge.
It was however shackled by the mandate of Tamil Eelam which it claimed to have received in 1977 elections.Unable to co-operate with nor confront the govt the TULF kept on asking JR Jayewardena to provide them with “a viable alternative to Tamil Eelam”. JR was in no mood to oblige
Also Jayewardena was of the opinion then that a reasonable amount of de-centralisation would be enough. Devolving powers to the regions was not something he favoured
JR had also centralised power in the institution of the Executive presidency. He was not prepared to reduce such powers through actual devolution
What he wanted to do was delegate some of his powers in practice to the district minister.
Soft Power
It was only when it was clear that the TULF would not accept that JR filled the vacancy with UB Wijekoon.
It was a master stroke because only a person with “soft power” like UB Wijekoon could have got on amicably with the TULF Politicians of that time.
Appointing a Sinhala Politician from Govt ranks as district minister of an overwhelmingly Tamil district represented by an opposition Tamil party was a delicate issue.
Despite the turbulent political climate and the sensitive nature of the office he held, the non-strident, quiet, amiable Wijekoon established good rapport with the Tamil leaders elected on a separatist mandate.
In what was perhaps another of JR’s Kautilyan tactics he had transferred out of Jaffna, the enormously popular Lionel Fernando (Envoy to Paris now) as Government Agent and replaced him with ex-diplomat Yogendra Duraiswamy
Now Yogendra Duraiswamy had contested the Kayts constituency as an Independent in 1977 and lost. There was rank hostility between him and the TULF in general and “Pundit” KP Ratnam the Kayts MP in particular. Both hailed from Velanai.
Most meetings presided over by the District Minister soon turned into verbal fireworks displays among the MP’s and the GA and it was left to the “outsider” UBWijekoon to uphold peace among the natives of Jaffna
Though shuttling to and from Jaffna, UB Wijekoon had his finger on the Jaffna pulse through his secretary Balasingham (Not Anton). I believe UB was District Minister of Jaffna from 1979-89.
In UB Wijekoon’s own words the “function of the District Ministers happened to be the implementation and coordination of government policies and development activities of the districts”.
Dambadeniya
There was also another irony in UB being appointed to Jaffna. He was then representing the Dambadeniya electorate in Parliament. Dambadeniya had for long been represented by the Sinhala hardliner RG Senanayake as MP.
It was indeed a refreshing change to see the “dovish” UB from Dambadeniya capture the hearts and minds of the Jaffna Tamils whereas the “hawkish” RG had only helped deepen the ethnic divide during his time.
The UNP government of JR also introduced the District Development Councils (DDC). The pre-election violence in Jaffna where indisciplined policemen burnt down the Jaffna public library and other buildings marred the atmosphere.
The cops were retaliating for two policemen being shot dead by members of the Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam(PLOTE.
The political fall-out from the violence saw the TULF winning all ten elected seats of the Jaffna DDC. This feat was deemed impossible under the proportionate representation scheme of voting.
The tough-talking ex-Senator S. Nadarajah became Jaffna DDC chairman. There was now a shift in the power relationship. There were two manifestations of district authority.
The District minister appointed by the President on the one hand and the District Development Council Chairman elected by the people on the other.
Again to his credit UB Wijekoon straddled these “divides” with tact and compromise. Sadly the DDC experiment came to naught despite efforts to make it work.
DDC Experiment
With the 1983 July anti-Tamil violence the climate altered utterly. The TULF refused to take oaths disavowing separatism under the 6th amendment to the Constitution and forfeited their seats in Parliament
Jaffna was devoid of elected representation with the DDC and local authorities being defunct and the MP seats remaining vacant. The new authority in Jaffna was the Army. The Tamil armed groups challenged this authority.
Under these circumstances UB Wijekoon continued to function as district minister of Jaffna and attempted to serve the Jaffna people to the best of his ability.
It was during this time that former UNP Parliamentarian Thiyagarajah Maheswaran was involved in shady deals transporting petrol, diesel and Kerosene to Jaffna
Maheswaran was not in politics then and on one occasion forged UB Wijekoon’s signature to get things done. He was detected and for a while Maheswaran was derisively described as “UB Wijekoon” because of the impersonation. Later he was to be called “Mannennei” (Kerosene) Maheswaran
UB Wijekoon’s yeoman service to Jaffna amidst adverse circumstances was much appreciated by the people and politicians. He endeared himself to the people of Jaffna.
Wijekoon made no waves but he did not drown or sink either. Instead he steered himself successfully through choppy political waters.
He evoked cheers from even the ranks of Tuscany!In this case it was the TULF.
Former opposition leader Appapillai Amirthalingam said of him “Mr.UB Wijekoon was one of the best district ministers in the country. The Tamil people in Jaffna respected him not for his title but for his human qualities”
Virakesari
I still remember my first interview with him for the “Virakesari” after he had been appointed District Minister. An interview with the newly appointed Jaffna district minister was crucially important to a Tamil newspaper.
In a bid to scoop the other scribes I went to his house before the crack of dawn in order to “catch” him early.
But what I saw there surprised me. There was a long line of Constituents waiting to meet him. Though looking sleepy, UB was up and active listening to each person sympathetically and doing the needful wherever possible.
He was surprised at seeing me with his constituents but very kindly obliged and I had my interview-feature.
Those were the days when each MP was tied to his electorate and catered to the needs and concerns of the people he or she represented in Parliament.
Since my family has had links with Kurunegala for three generations I had thought the then-Dambadeniya MP was from Wayamba too. But I discovered that his roots were in the Uva.
Welimada
Ukku Banda was born in Madowita in Uva province. He was from a farming family.He did not have elitist schooling having studied at the village school and then Welimada Central school from where he entered Peradeniya University.
His headmaster at Welimada central school was Mr.Aseervatham who later taught at STC Mt.Lavinia.Aseervatham recognized the potential in young Ukku Banda and guided him and encouraged him thus enabling his prize pupil to enter varsity.
Wijekoon graduated from Peradeniya in 1959 and then entered the Ceylon Administrative service in 1960. He served as District Revenue Officer(DRO in Vavuniya, Nuwara-Eliya, Anuradhapura and Kurunegala districts.
The DRO of old was equivalent to the Assistant Government Agents (AGA) or Divisional secretaries of today.
Polgahawela
UB Wijekoon was “attracted” to politics when he was in charge of the Polgahawela DRO division.
Polgahawela in the North-Western province had for long been represented by the UNP veteran MD Banda.Impressed by Wijekoon’s work and sense of duty it was MD Banda who drew him into politics.
Banda, a much respected, simple, efficient, honest politician had passed away by the time Wijekoon successfully entered parliament as Dambanediya MP in 1977.UBW was part of the UNP landslide in which the party got 141 of 168 seats in Parliament.
I have written much on Wijekoon’s role as Jaffna district minister because that was the phase in his life that I inter-acted with him.But district minister Wijekoon later became cabinet minister and distinguished himself in that capacity.
I had left Sri Lanka by then and did not have a ringside view of how Wijekoon functioned. But I did hear a lot of good things about what he did then
Cabinet Minister
UB Wijekoon later became cabinet minister for Home Affairs, Public Administration and Provincial Councils and also Textile Industries under President Ranasinghe Premadasa.
As Public Administration minister , Wijekoon re-organized the Grama Sevaka divisions into small and efficient units. He also strengthened the AGA divisions. These changes reflected his genuine interest in fostering grass-roots democracy.
It was during his tenure as minister in charge of Provincial councils that UB developed a distaste for that structure. As Provincial councils minister he saw how it was functioning in the Sinhala-majority provinces and perceived it as a “white elephant”.
The irony of the situation was that the Provincial council scheme introduced through the 13th amendment to the Constitution was primarily intended to help the people of the north and east to share power at the periphery.
But due to reasons well-known the North-Eastern provincial council became a non-starter. Now the two provinces are de-merged.
Provincial Councils
The Eastern Provincial council was flaunted by the Rajapakse regime as a political showpiece of devolution. But the harsh reality has been that of a tussle between the Provincial governor and chief minister where the former is accused by the latter of concentrating all power in his hands and refusing to concede a meaningful role to the elected chief minister.
In this situation where the Provincial councils have been imposed on provinces not desiring them there has been no motivation to make them work satisfactorily. As such the whole scheme stands discredited in the eyes of many including Wijekoon.
His viewpoint on the Provincial councils was illustrated clearly in a letter to the Editor (The Island)that he wrote in June 2006. Responding to another letter, Wijekoon said:
“I fully agree with the view expressed by him regarding the Provincial Councils.”
“I had the opportunity of gaining some experience on provincial councils sometime ago when I was the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Home Affairs”.
“I strongly recommended the abolition of Provincial Council system. Provincial Councils have failed to achieve the objects for which they were created and they have become a financial burden to the country”.
It is this disappointment and disgust with the provincial councils that has perhaps fuelled Wijekoon’s efforts in seeking a different power sharing arrangement through his vision of “Gramarajya”.
Coming from a simple, rural background Wijekoon appreciates and understands the problems of the ordinary people well. Realising that most people preferred to work at a place near their homes he advocated the idea of “walk to work”.
Garments
As Textiles minister he reversed the trend to concentrate garments factories in investment promotion zones or urban areas regarded as being more conducive for locating them.
Since another political leader sensitive to rural needs like Ranasinghe Premadasa was then at the helm, Wjekoon was able to inspire his president with the idea of establishing garments factories in rural areas.
A blueprint was laid out for 200 factories in all parts of the country other than those controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Factories were opened even in districts like Batticaloa,Puttalam, Amparai and Vavuniya where members of the minority communities live in large numbers
When UB Wijekoon relinquished office as Textiles minister 155 of the envisaged 200 garments factories were in operation providing gainful employment to rural women.
It was then that the colourful expression “Kollanta pavement,Kellanta Garment” came into vogue
Wijekoon also served as Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Russia in 2003-2004.
In his phase of semi-retirement from active politics UB Wijekoon was enamoured of the “Apey Swarajya” movement that espoused the ideal of setting up a pary-less democracy empowering the rural regions further.
He became an executive member of the movement and was selected as its candidate to contest the presidency in 2010.
“Apey Swarajya” movement has no illusions about winning the election but hopes to promote its policies and message through the election campaign
Campaign
AS Wijekoon himself has stated “It is our message that is the real candidate at this election. I am only the Messenger.”
What then is the essence of Presidential candidate UB Wijekoon’s message? What does he stand for?
At this juncture I would like to mention some objectives of the Swarajya movement and its candidate.
Presidential Candidate Wijekoon stands for Transparency and Accountability essential for good governance. The ‘Right to Information’ is another fundamental right he is for.
Wijekoon also calls for the public declaration of assets of all Parliamentarians and pubic officers. He wants the present practice of Parliamentarians declaring their assets to the Speaker to be discontinued .He is of the view that the public should have a legal right to know the assets of all those who aspire to hold public office.
Wijekoon also wants the Bribery act to be amended so that the Commission would be required to take note of any reported acts of corruption and have investigations instituted, a power presently denied to the Commission.
Wijekoon is for the enthronement of the Rule of Law and seeks reformation of the Police service and revision of the Judicial system.
Wijekoon also calls for the appointment of a Constitutional Council and the establishment of Independent Commissions such as the PSC, the Judicial Service Commission, the Police Commission the Elections Commission and independent Media Commission, and an Anti Corruption Commission.
Grama Sabha
The Swarajya movement is firmly against the politicization of public institutions.
Wijekoon’s states that a fundamental aim of the movement is “the uniting of all the people of the motherland to be truly free and independent and to live in a democracy in which all citizens of this country have equal rights and opportunities to live where ever they choose and to pursue their life goals without fear of discrimination”.
The Swarajya movement and UB Wijekoon opine that the Soulbury Constitution was imposed by our former colonial ruler and that the two subsequent Constitutions of 1972 and 1978 followed the same path. These Constitutions have divided the people, they feel.
The Swarajya movement suggests an electoral process in the form of a direct democracy. They advocate the establishment of self governing Village Committees or the Grama Sabha.
These village Committees in a particular Division elect the Division level Committee-or the Pradesheeya Sabha-and the Pradesheeya Sabhas in the district elect the District SabhasThe District Sabha could then nominate members from amongst them to an Apex body known as the “Desheeya Rajya Sabha” akin to the present Parliament.
This system envisages a party-less democracy where the peoples’ real representatives and not representatives of political parties would govern the country.Power would not percolate downwards but escalate upwards.
Buddhi Sabha
The Swarajya movement also wants to establish a Second Chamber known as “Buddhi-Sabha” (the Chamber of Intellects) This chamber would be like a Think Tank and consist of representatives from professional organizations, Universities, Chambers of Commerce and Industry and recognized experts in their own fields.
This Buddhi Sabha would nominate a Vice President. The Parliament or the Desheeya Rajya Sabha would be elected from and by the District Sabhas and the Prime Minister would be elected from that Parliament.
The two Chambers would at a joint session elect the President who would preside over the Supreme Council which would comprise the President, the Premier and the Vice- President. The PM would preside over a Cabinet of 21 members only
The Swarajya movement is utilising the presidential poll as a sounding board to propagate their ideals as well as gauge the response of the people. The unassuming UB Wijekoon is a mere messenger in this Utopian exercise.
Appeal
Let me conclude this article by quoting from an appeal made by the Swarajya movement’s independent candidate to the public at large. It encapsulates the Utopian vision of Ukku Banda Wijekoon:
“By contesting the Presidential election I intend to convey a message to the country. We need to change the present political culture and move in a new direction. Today, we are caught up in a trap due to not facing realities. If we are to achieve any progress in the political, social and economic spheres, I firmly believe that there has to be a real change in the present Constitution and system of governance.
Our present Constitution and administrative system are of western origin and devoid of any indigenous features. The political party system, which is one of its main features, has caused immense harm to our country. It has led to political instability, societal problems, ethnic disharmony and conflict, youth unrest, terrorism, mutual hatred, corruption, violence and even character assassination.
Instead of bringing about unity, everyone is seeking to gain power by dividing themselves on political lines. This process has caused a huge setback to the country’s progress.
The country that was once the granary of the east is today dependent on external aid. We continue to live by mortgaging the country’s future. People are lulled into a state of complacency, by narrating fables and hiding the reality. This situation has to be changed.
As a preliminary step, we should strive to set up a Government based on a party-less system. A question may surface as to whether we would be able to break with this system having been used to it for over 60 years. It can be done and it is to explain this point, that I have come forward.
Gramarajya
The Article in the Constitution to the effect that sovereignty is in the people, is limited solely to marking ballot papers at an election. Thereafter, the people who voted become the slaves of the elected representatives. Those elected fly past in luxury vehicles waving at us while we watch them helplessly. We have to make the people participate in administration and development.
Let us hand over village administration to those living in the village as was done by our ancient kings. Let us give them a system of self-administration. This is a system that is workable. It has been so proved by an experiment we have been trying out. That is the concept of GRAMARAJYA.
If the Government is prepared to accept this concept and provide funds, it would be possible in three to four years to build up villages that are self-sufficient. That would mean the emergence of Gramodaya which would pave the way for deshodaya (national awakening) and sarvodaya (awakening of all).
My other commitment is to move our country towards a culture of gentlemanly politics in which personal accusations and character assassination will be unheard of. I genuinely feel sad that character assassination has already commenced in the current campaign.
Presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse is the Commander-in-Chief. Another candidate, General Sarath Fonseka, is the former Army Commander. The country expects them to set an example with regard to discipline. I earnestly urge them to conduct their election campaigns in an exemplary manner, without character assassination.
Please give careful thought to what I have stated here. Reflect on them. Understand them. Discuss them. Thereafter, let us all unite to implement them.”
DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com
An excellent article from DBS as usual
I was working at Jaffna Kachcheri when Mr. UB wijekoon was district minister
He was a very decent gentleman who got work done quietly without any fuss. He became very popular with Jaffna people by his very good conduct
I also remember Maheswaran forging UB Wijekoon signature and getting caught.He was called “UB” as a joke. But everything was forgotten when he made millions of money and got elected as MP
Hello Mr.Jayaraj
Being from Kurunegala I was delighted to read that your family has 3 generation connection to Wayamba
I will be very glad to find out from you more details if possible about your kurunegala connections please
I also remember meeting a Tamil reporter from Veerakesharee called Jayaraj with comrade Dilip Alagiri when he was contesting for mayor for Vasu’s party NSSP
Lot of us had long discussion in Paramount then
Is that you?
DBSJ RESPONDS:
Aloysius,
1.
My grandfather Ramalingam Sabapathy was a proctor in Kurunegala during British times
My father Ernest EJ Sabapathy was also a lawyer practising in Kurunegala from the early seventies to late nineties
My mother taught in Kurunegala and retired there from Hizbulla MMV
My two sisters were also teaching in Kurunegala before their marriages
My brother and I studied/worked in Colombo and shuttled between both places for years
Our family has lived on Dambulla road,Kandy road and Odayar mawatte (Theliyagonna)
2.
Yes .the late Dilip Alagiri who was mayoral candidate of the NSSP for Kurunegala in 1979 was a close friend of mine. I was working as a journalist on “Virakesari” at that time
Although I am unable to place you I do remember that long discussion then at Paramount
I am sure we must have met and talked then
I remember the pharse
“demanded Tamileelam and obtained Japan Jeep”
In Tamil ” Kettathu Thamileelam; Kidaiththathu Jappan Jeep”
Greetings!
The vision and the political path brought forward by UBW is genial and also workable. History matters! His conviction based on past success of ´small units´rather than ´large units´ is magnificient. We know how ´BIG´things do not work-e.g. former Soviet Union and we may experience similar with the EU! Party politics brings forward corruption, violence, unholy alliances-but most important it deletes the citizens in reality. The citizen is importnat only just before the elections-they have neither the influence nor the resource to have any say in the political scene.In short, I fully support the objectives set forward by UBW and frankly the whole concept is workable and will do the nation well if adaopted.
I am Professr in a a leading university in Sweden.
I wish UB and his associates success.
THanks DBSJ, I enjoyed reading this.
The famous Russian writer, Tolstoy who lived through the tumultuous times of rapid industrialisation of Russia alongside the vast expansion of a unionised working class as a wealthy land owner, had a similar vision for Russia and Russian Soul.
I wish readers will also have a look at the painting by Ilya Rapin ‘Volga Boat Pullers’ available in the internet.
It is such a shame that mainstream media in Sri Lanka (at least the electronic variety that I am able to access from the UK) is ignoring candidates of Mr. Wijekoon’s calibre.
Thank you Mr. Jeyaraj for bringing this alternative ‘idiri dekma’ (future vision) to our attention. Hopefully your article will get picked up by some Sunday papers in Sri Lanka and convince some independent voters to give their 1st preference to Mr. Wijekoon come Tuesday.
I look forward to reading other readers’ comments on this article.
DBSJ RESPONDS:
Thank you. My “DBS Jeyaraj Column” appears on Saturdays in the “Daily Mirror” newspaper published in Colombo.This article too was written for my column in Daily Mirror and will be in the print edition of January 23rd 2010
UBW gives me a ray of hope that there are genuine people left in our country that really cares about the fellow Sri Lankans.
When will a UBW have a chance among selfish thieves and murderers who are so powerful?
DBSJ…..Your love for our motherland and its people indiscriminately is so apparent. I Thank you for that.
Hettigoda; bought South Asian election promises to a new height, by countering Ranil’s promise to give a cup of milk to every schoolchild, with the promise to give a cow to every Sri Lankan, including those that lived in apartments.
At least the Lankan electorate was mature enough to send the clown packing, whilst the DMK in Tamil Nadu gained nearly half the votes by promising color TVs, rice at Rs2 a kilo and 2 acres of land a person (presumably to be acquired by invading Australia).
DBSJ RESPONDS:
Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder
Hettigoda may seem a clown to you but others may view him differently
Many political leaders in Sri Lanka are regarded as dangerous clowns by many
Hettigoda in comparison appears to have been a harmless clown
In any case this article is NOT about Hettigoda or DMK
Provincial councils are an utter waste of our revenues. They are maintained only for the betterment of political goons and henchmen.
There is no reason to maintain them otherwise.
Really a white elephant,topping the list of Srilankan white elephants,including hundred odd ministers etc.
Strengthening of decentralized small power unit is vital for the country to progress,but no one has got a feasible agenda.
First we need a set of fresh thinking politicians and a good set of intellectuals as advisors.
Will that ever happen?
Thank you for this article Jeyaraj
It was uplifting to read about policies of Swarajya movement and ideals of Ukku Banda Wijekoon
May the goal of Gramasrajya be reached during our lifetime
If you have provincial councils without any powers and the governor not allowing the Chief Minister to do his work,such as in the case of Pillayan, then of course they will become white elephants.Where i disagree with U.B.Wijekoon is instead of devolving adequate powers to the provincial council, if you get rid of them, it will be like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
As for other than the north east, the rest of the country not wanting the provincial councils. in India too the only agitation seemed to be from Tamilnadu, but finally the whole country benefitted. If Nehru had also thought, others are not asking anything, so why devolve powers at all, then he would not have been leading the country, but being led by the country.
Devolution is more a state of mind of the leader. For example Hitler condemned vehemently the federal system in Germany when he wrote his book Mein Kampf. We all know what a power hungry character he was, not even content with having power in germany only. Contrast him with Nehru as a human being,willing to sacrifice his power for the greater good of the country.
So power hungry people will never allow devolution. For example we have had 2 power hungry leaders in Sirimavo and JR. Jayawardene. JR even went to the extent of having undated letters of resignations of his ministers. Created the executive presidency where the only thing the president can’t do , he boasted is to make a man a woman or viseversa. So you can see that people who lust for power always pull in the direction opposite to devolution. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The peoples power and their leaders power goes in inverse directions. When the leaders power increases the peoples power reduces and vise versa. So we the people in order to safeguard or increase our power have to reduce the leaders power and spread it out.
The concept of going to the self governing at village levels is also good, but it has to flow down from the provincial level to the village level. Otherwise the village headman also becomes a puppet like the present Chief Ministers and provincial councillers.
DBSJ, thanks for telling us that only Mahinda or Sarath will win this election, but tell us which one please. We are all waiting for your verdict to put bets. I have this one hundred rupee note for a long time and i thought this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get rich.
As for me i greatly admire and hope Wije Dias will win because of his magnificent moustache.
Dear Mr.Jeyeraj,
I read your article twice and accept all the contents with out any argument. I think SF may be a very good alternatve to re-build SriLanka.
Good one.
Only way to free ourself from of the dystopian governance is to clipping the powers of demagogues and the mercenary intellectuals by establishing the Sovereignty of the individuals and their empowerment.
Will that ever happen? liberal ideas happening under the feet of religious/nationalistic society. But……
This is the only time I miss Thamby. Had he been alive this thug Sivajlingam will not be in this race and disgrace all the Tamils. What a shame. May be he is looking for another ‘Jappan Jeep’.
As we get old, it is always good to go down the memory lane and reminisce about the pleasant memories.This article seems to fall into that category.
Mr Wijekoon may have been an honest down to earth politician in his prime, He may still be a good person among the current candidates. But the big question is, does the village based governing units suit the 21 century?
Despite all the doom and gloom from the opposition ,the country has done well, since the Presidential system of governance was introduced.For the per capita GDP ,to increase from $1000 to $2200 over a short period of 4 years is not peanuts in anyone’s language.
It is not bad showing for a rotten government run by a corrupt syndicate, if one is to believe the main contender and his free market supporter Ranil.
Now that the election campaign is coming to a close I thought Mr Jeyaraj would have published and in depth analysis of the policies of the two main cndidates and their outcomes after the election
.Although the majority of the readers of these columns are overseas based Srilankans, who can not vote. they would have still had a chance to judge the repercussions, the Srilanka citizens will endure after the election.
#8-Stephen Jones
Hettigoda; bought South Asian election promises to a new height, by countering Ranil’s promise to give a cup of milk to every schoolchild, with the promise to give a cow to every Sri Lankan, including those that lived in apartments.
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You are right. I remember that guy because i was in an apartment and had no room to keep the cow in it, so i did not vote for him. I was thinking of the balcony, but my wife said are you mad. She said you have to decide between me and the cow.
I remember UB Wijekoon as Jaffna district minister.He is good man. But will this country listen to people like him and take advice?
Good timely article DBS
Makes me re-think about whole idea of power sharing
Whole new approach towards governance in the country but the existing powerful elements wont allow this change to happen DBS
Hi! DBS,
Thanks for a Gem of an Article after a while.
What is lacking today is the prominence to time tested Administrators like Mr. U.B. Wijekoon in the Administrative services.
I guess the death knell of the Administrative service with rapid and expedite politicisation caused this over the last few decades.It was heart warming to see that the vision of 200 garment factories scheme was from UB.!!!!
This is what we need opposed to send packing all the destitute mothers to persian gulf as maids.
leave them in their villages and provide them means of employment and help them to cater and raise their families.!!!
The same vision to governance can definetely be workable.
We should start floating these Ideas after SF election( which is given as of now).
( I noticed the ‘Mahinda Chinthana Extension’ trying to steal some of these Ideas in their new manifesto!!!!)
By empowering the village we remove the political manipulation existing today.
With each election the contribution and involvement of resources( intellectual and other) gets halved by VICOTOR/VANQUISEHD mentality.
That divition goes right to the core from University Don to Government Clerk and Farmer.
But with this Swarajya concept all will be inclusive and the available resources will be doubled and everybody will feel part of the process and if anything goes wrong it shall be the baby of all as well as the suceess.!!!
So no more blame and hatred and lot more unity and diversity.
The Predominantly Tamil villages have Tamil Grama Sabha and Muslims have Muslim Grama Sabaha, mixed ethnicities will have such Grama Sabha and so on.
May be Mr. U.B. should also refine the election of these Grama Sabha process just to make it a DEFINETE success.
I believe General Fonseka is an Ideal Candidate( ‘Common’ to all ) to implement such grass root revolution scraping the WHITE Elephants of Provincial and regional councils.
The Infrastructure for the new scheme is already in place and its a blessing to get this scheme to get a jump start.
Then there won’t be the ‘Manape Pore’ ( preference Vote fight ) and political violence etc as the election to such higher organs is mandatory to doing time at grass root level.
Then we shall not have a situation as ‘Anarkali’ getting parachuted and ‘Sajin Vass’ flaunting his ill gotten money to get preferences.
long live mother Sri Lanka and may all live happy and plentiful lives!!!!
-aj
Good ideas like this wont be welcomed in Lanka. This is thought-provoking article DBS but you are throwing pearls before pigs
Gramarajya concept. Reflect on them. Understand them. Discuss them. Thereafter, let us all unite to implement them.
@ Shankar – Comment #11
I think you have it wrong in thinking that having governance that flows down from provincial to village level creates a situation where the village leader more independent. In fact it is exactly this top down governance structure that we have today, where central governance flows down to provincial level and below, that had created a system of political patronage where most local politicians are mere lackeys of those above them (and/or the leadership of the party they represent).
The bottom up approach described by the Apey Swarajya movement – the Gramarajya – creates a much better situation where the politicians are directly accountable to the people who elected them from their local area. No puppetery from above is possible, because if this happens the people have the ability to recall and deselect their local representatives.
Many may think this approach too idealistic and too radical. However, it is becoming increasingly harder to deny the failure of our post-independence system of government in creating a nation where everyone is valued, respected and given the opportunity to enjoy achieve their maximum potential. In this light, the experiment in governance proposed by Mr. UB Wijekoon is worthy of our serious consideration.
As I stated in an earlier post (#6), come Tuesday I sincerly hope that enough Sri Lankan voters will give their first preference to a candidate with the integrity and vision of someone like Mr. Wijekoon. This would send a clear message that the Sri Lankan people want an ‘idiri dekma’ (future vision) and ‘vishvasaneeya venasa’ (believable change) that is more than what is being put forward by the present political establishment.
– Arosha Bandara (UK)
@ Kalu Albert #15
I think whatever economic or other success the country has enjoyed is despite of rather than because of the current presidential system of government. The growth and development of the country under very difficult circumstances speaks more about the industry, resilience and creativity of people actually doing the work of manufacturing things (be they textiles or commodities) or seeking opportunities abroad to support their families in SL, rather than the success of the executive presidency.
Imagine how much stronger the country would be if the same industry, resilience and creativity were harnessed under a system of government such as that described by Mr. Wijekoon.
Regarding your point about the appropriateness of this model for the 21st century – it is worth noting that most democracies have local govenance structures to empower local people – the notion of Gramasabha’s is not outmoded at all.
– Arosha Bandara (UK)
Hi Shanker,I think if you chose the latter you would be in a better position today!!
Strengthening and empowering the Grama Sevaka units will be a very good idea. But our politicos will not do it because they really dont want the ordinary people to have power
Interesting article DBS
I hope future govts will re-structure the country on lines proposed by UBW
Good article Jeyaraj. Good that you wrote about a decent politician and not about two corrupt,war criminals fighting each other
Nice one DBS
Refreshing to read about UB Wijekoon
We are overwhelmed by Mahinda and Sarath articles
,
Most of the population would be a damn site better off if it were peanuts; at least they could eat them. All that’s happened is that there has been 100% or more inflation but the rupees has not shifted much against the dollar. Most people I know maintain they were better off in 2004 even though they earned much less. And this is in Western Province where the money is supposed to be.
MIght have something to do with the number of votes he got. After all plenty of people considered Mahinda a harmless clown until very recently.
Anyway, DBS only brought him in as an aside and in all fairness to him he did cheer up my Tamil Nadu office mate no end when he found that there were other politicians prepared to put his lot to shame when it came to making promises.
I note that Fonseka has done a min-DMK, and promised 12-15 perch for every new born. This shows the superiority of the Lankans over the Indians as whilst Tamil Nadu doesn’t have 2 acres (320 perch) an inhabitant the population density of Lanka is 127 perch an inhabitant. Fonseka’s suggestion will also provide numerous employment opportunities; my 22 year old friend who after finishing his A levels has qualified and worked as a computer technician and a roofing carpenter, now does not need to go to Afghanistan as planned but can train as a surveyor and, as long as Lankans keep on with the jiggy-jiggy, have lifelong employment dividing up parcels on Adam’s Peak and the Horton Plains. His fellow carpenters can make survey markers, and they can send a commission to the uncle in Malaysia to put pins in all the condoms.
Getting back to the point Wijekoon at least seems to be conducting himself with dignity. Unlike Hettagoda he has not made the leap from irrelevancy to absurdity, and he seems a competent gentleman, which is more than can be said of any leader since Dudley. And I disagree with the Commissioner of Elections who describes his candidature as a colossal waste of public time and money. It is nice to see some politicians reminding us of what politics should be about, even if they don’t have a dog’s chance in hell of being elected.
There is one thing though that I hold against him. This statement about Mahinda and Fomsela “I earnestly urge them to conduct their election campaigns in an exemplary manner, without character assassination.” No way, Jose. About the only thing that has made this election worth following is watching the two go for each other hammer and tongs. And when they insult the other candidate it’s about the only time you can feel that they’re right.
I am living in Berne in Helvetia for 17 years
The local govt units have lots of powers . It works well for all.
It will be good for Sri lanka to follow Swiss model in this
Nice try DBS to inform people about a decent person like Wijekoon and his positive ideas
But today military mania is gripping everyone and in the clash between president and general there is no time or room for Swarajya
Still God bless you for trying
Thank you DBS for letting us know about UB wijekoon and his policies
The Colombo media has ignored this gentleman in politics
The Buddhi Sabha second chamber proposal is a very good one
It was a mistake to abolish the Senate
Thank you for writing about Wijekoon instead of the frontrunners mr. DBSJ
Romanticising the rural areas is a favourite pastime of transplanted citizens. Believe me there is no idyllic life in the villages. What we require is a highly centralised governmental authority
Wijekoon is a good man but this is the time of politicans like Mervyn Silva
DBS you wasting time by writing good stuff like this
Write about Mervyn singing the baila
A very good article by a very good journalist about a very good leader and his very good policies
@ Winston (#35)
Establishing a system of governance that returns power to the people and makes their representatives more accountable is not ‘romanticizing the rural areas’.
Sri Lanka has had 60 yrs of top down government which has disempowered people so much that we have had a 30 year war waged because one section of society felt this was the only course available to them to allow them to self-govern. Not to mention 2 major armed insurrections.
Read, reflect and discuss what is proposed by Mr Wijekoon before dismissing it. I don’t claim what he says should be accepted with blind faith, only that we should give it a chance by seriously discussing it’s pros and figuring ways to address it’s cons.
Sri Lanka is at a crucial juncture in it’s history and I think that if we truly love our motherland we must put serious thought into what we want for the future. Replacing one lot unaccountable politicians with another lot whose proposals promise a minor variation of the same policies doesn’t involve much thinking!
Interesting ideas. Wonder whether they are workable ? too idealistic I think. Anyways thanks dbs for keeping us informed
In the Satana TV programme the chief spokesman for the JHU unveiled the current thinking of the Govt with regard to Presidential powers and the Constitution. A long winded scheme to appoint a powerless senate and another layer of equally powerless Janasabhas reporting to the Pardeshiya Sabhas.
I think Govt trying to steal Swarajya movement ideas for Grama sabhas and Buddhi sabhas but unable to present them properly because ideas are stolen from Swarajya
Pathetic
Refreshing article DBS
Uplifting and inspiring to read about Ukku Banda Wijekoon’s Utopian vision
A very informative and interesting read as always.
However, I do not see any of the power hungry politicians wanting to adopt this.
Now it is survival of the fittest.
Even if UBW won by some rare chance every one around him is corrupt and will never allow him to put these ideas into practice.
How did you know about the Maheswaran’s invlovement
How did you know about the Maheswaran’s invlovement in the so called “Shady” deals transporting petrol, diesel and Kerosene to Jaffna. You even wrote Maheswaran forged UB Wijekoon’s signature to get things done. I think this very unfair that you write malicious and adverse comments about a person who no longer lives. In the past history of Sri Lankan politics, you may know that all sorts of accusations are thrown against political opponents, some of which may be just rumors. I think that this is not professional journalism.
DBSJ RESPONDS:
Sivakumaran
The late Thiyagarajah Maheswaran alias “Manenney” Maheswaran was a profiteer from war and a colossal fraud. He created two records by winning in Jaffna for UNP after 48 years and being the first Sri Lankan Tamil MP from Colombo
But he was a typical example of the undesirable elements who rose to prominence in Tamil politics due to impact of the long war
I wrote two articles about Maheswaran and his fraudulent activities in “The Sunday Leader” in 2002 when Maheswaran was alive and a non-cabinet minister in the UNP. I exposed a lot of his corrupt activity when he was hale and hearty and a powerful politician. Just as I criticised the LTTE when it was powerful and I criticise the govt when it is powerful
I asked the Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunga to invite Maheswaran to defend himself by responding to my article. I did not want to ask him for his side of the story before writing because I knew he would be alerted and use his UNP contacts to pressure Lasantha into stopping me from writing. To his credit Lasantha published the articles without any cuts and told me jokingly the fellow will now start pestering me and cry.
When Lasantha asked him to respond Maheswaran declined.He candidly confessed to Lasantha that the contents of my article were irrefutable and that he would only get into deeper trouble if he tried to challenge it
Maheswaran begged Lasantha not to carry anymore articles about him and wanted Lasantha to set up a telephone conversation with me. I refused and asked Lasantha to tell Maheswaran to write and send anything he wanted to me. This Maheswaran didn’t want to as he did not want to put anything down in writing
Later when Maheswaran was in Canada he tried his best to meet me through some relatives of his who were known to me. I firmly refused as people like Maheswaran were the scum of the earth and abhorrent to me
After the articles appeared a lot of people contacted me with information about more of Maheswaran’s sordid deals and corruption. Unfortunately I could not write more because Lasantha requested me not to write further on the subject
I wrote about the UBW forgery in that article too. It is an incontrovertible fact
I mentioned that in passing in this article about UBW. Its very funny to see people like you being indignant and defending the indefensible
If I want to vilify Maheswaran I can write much more than this. He was a disgraceful hypocrite who spoke out in Parliament like a Tamil hero and engaged in commercial deals with the Govt by sucking up to Rajapakse bros on the sly. He was even involved in the arms trade. The late Jeyaraj Fernandopulle exposed him in Parliament and “kerosene” cringed into silence
When he was killed I wrote about him again. I dont write about him now because he is dead. Had I wanted to I could write so much about this pathetic specimen of Tamil humanity.Please dont provoke me
Today his family is busily doing business with the elements who had him killed. What a nasty , money-crazy lot
By the way Journalism is more a vocation than profession to me
Thank you for this very nice article Jeyarajah
I was very confused about who to vote for as I dont like both Mahinda and Sarath
Your article on Mr. Ukku Banda Wijekoon helped me a lot in deciding
I am going to vote for the Palapalam or Jak fruit
I wint use my second preference vote
I know UBW wont win but I want to vote for him because of this article
#45-Maheswari
What is the difference between voting for UB or not voting at all or Ltte boycott. All are wasted votes, the only precious thing we have to hit back to our politicians.
If you are so confused talk to several other Tamils and decide. They say 10 heads are better than one.
As for me i always believe in swimming with the tide, not against it, so i will be looking to pick the winner. Otherwise again it is a wasted vote.
DBSJ RESPONDS:
People need not be pushed into making false choices. It takes great inner strength to vote for someone on principle rather than expediency. I can fully well understand the repugnance and revulsion many people have for Rajapakse and Fonseka.There is no need for people like you to force them to vote for one or the other.
If they want they can vote for Vickramabahu Karunaratne or Siritunga Jayasuriya or Wije Dias (all leftists) and UB Wijekoon. As a decent human being UBW is far ahead of the two war criminals Mahinda and Sarath
Why must people always be on the winning side? Why should they vote for only one of the potential winners? Why cant they vote for someone they like and respect even if that person wont become the President? Why must they be pressganged into voting for someone they dislike and disrespect simply because that person has the chance of winning?
I am very happy that Maheswari will be voting for an underdog rather than one of the two top dogs
I am also happy that my writing about UBW has influenced her decision
I have deleted your sentences calling the commentator a donkey. Thats unacceptable
By the way Jesus Christ rode on the lowly donkey to ride to Jerusalem with his disciples
Also if I were in Colombo and eligible to vote I would have voted for UB Wijekoon or Siritunga Jayasuriya
UBW because he is a good man and has ideas close to my heart. I would love some of those to become reality
Siritunga because he was courageous to stand by the families of Tamils who disappeared during the Mahinda-Gota – Sarath militaristic reign of terror. It is indeed sad that people like Mano Ganesan are supporting Sarath who himself had a hand in some of those abductions instead of being with Siritunga who expressed solidarity and faced the opprressive might of the state when it crushed Tamils
I also respect Comrade Bahu who has consistently stood for the right of Tamil self -determination.. But he has put me off by aligning with that despicable politician called MK Sivajilingam
One last thing
Even if Tamils vote for MR or SF it wont matter in the long run. Tamil plight will continue
Very nice article Jeyaraj!
Excellent piece.Keep it up