Vote of confidence; local news

Monday June 6

BBC announced in its Monday morning news that a confidence vote on British PM was planned, by many of his co-Conservatives and announced on 06 June morning. The reason for the vote and exposing Boris Johnson to this terminal judgement was his attending parties in the premises of 10 Downing Street London during the lockdown due to Covid in 2020. Alcohol was served and Scotland Yard investigated and even levied a fine on him and some others. But now the confidence motion; if Boris gets more votes expressing confidence in him, I suppose he will remain the PM. If the vote turns out to be majority no confidence, then a new PM will have to be chosen as Prime Minister for the rest of the duration of this Parliament. Result would be this late evening. Another reason given was that his actions deceived the British Public. Cass will write the result under the dateline 07 June.

Bringing the vote to Westminster was delayed by a couple of days to tide over Platinum Jubilee weekend and not dampen that great event.

Cassandra’s thoughts went back a couple of weeks/months after this confidence vote was mooted. Cass felt it was a minor offence, not deserving of losing the top government job for. What if others planned it and Boris and wife had gone down to it, just to be polite? She was proved completely naïve, blasé, wrong. It was honesty and the reliability that the PM had to show of himself. He had to be to be straight and truthful. So much for the very high standards upheld by the Mother of All Parliaments, and the British people,

And then Cass’ thoughts rushed back home. Comparison called for. How about our ex-PM, Mahinda Rajapaksa? (The present PM will be judged later). When you consider just one of the offences that MR has committed, it’s not a vote of confidence that should be considered but his head placed on the block. He goes to Anuradhapura exhibiting his brand of Buddhism; places his forehead against the most sacred of Buddha ‘relics’, the one remaining branch of the more than 2600-year-old Bo tree; and then the next day releases the Dogs of War on peaceful protesters. When is he and his son who were at that lunch at Temple Trees and surely addressed the now alcohol and hate primed attackers, some temporarily released from prisons, to be arrested as Johnston and Company were? His younger brother is no better: he sends the entire island to near starvation and farmers off their fields by his sudden banning of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, to be the first country in the world to go fully organic. Our steady exchange earner – tea is also harmed. Where are the two advisors? One – treating mentally sick children at great cost to parents and the other sanctimoniously preaching his version of Buddha’s Dhamma, we suppose. No punishments whatsoever. Boris Johnson was guilty of conviviality and these two still riding high though responsible for serious offences.

Tuesday 7 June

BBC announced the voting results as 211 having confidence against 148 voting aye to the no confidence motion. So there are at least 148 Conservatives who have no trust or faith in their leader. No further leadership votes against him can be entertained for a year, but Johnson definitely is downgraded.

Justice meted out

Minister Prasanna Ranasinghe has been given two years RI suspended, plus a fine of Rs 25 mn. You know, this now talk of millions and billions sends Cass’ ole head spinning; she was used to thousands and lakhs. Now talk is all on mns and bns and there is a thing called bitcoin also. She does not even want to know what that is, though she remembers Namal Putha (or N Baba) talking about this new mode of borrowing.

Cass wishes that word ‘suspended’ was not in the sentence given. She is not malicious nor vengeful but of course she cannot stomach thieves and totally corrupt individuals being the country’s rulers, lawmakers and Cabinet Ministers. “They were accused of threatening businessman … demanding Rs 64 m to evict unauthorised occupants from a land in Meethodamulla area ….” ‘They’ in that sentence means Ranatunga, his wife and another. This is just one item of corruption that has surfaced and been dealt with justly. How many others are rolling in wealth got by the foulest of means? Only drawback is they can’t do much on flaunting their wealth or living it up too high. We have wonderful watchdogs at Gotagogama.

One thing, all Sri Lankans in this Paradise stolen or resident overseas must be grateful to the young protesters who determined to clean sweep Sri Lanka in the metaphorical sense. They have done it in the literal sense too – hauling bags to collected trash from beaches. Bless them!

June 8

Cassandra was puzzled when she read the smaller headline on page 1 of The Island “Ex-Central Bankers ask Prez to reappoint Dr Weerasinghe as Central Bank Governor.” Which strongly implies there were moves to ask Dr Nandalal Weerasinghe to step down. He has been a saviour of the country – no less – and seems to be able and well on the road to bringing sanity into our country’s economy as supervised by the Central Bank. Cass writes as a complete outsider to economics: macro, micro and other. But even she knows that excess printing of money boosts rising inflation. It was said by wise and knowledgeable persons that Dr Weerasinghe was turning things around by degrees, positively. He is recommended by Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy and Dr W A Wijewardena. What more? But for this letter to be written by past bankers there has to have been a reason. Was it the fear and suspicion that CB crimes would come to light and those criminals (we know who) would be exposed, and thus an honest man of ability would be sacrificed along with the nation to save two or three despicable skins? The ‘aragalaya’ voice from Gotagogama will become determinedly strident in their demand for Gota to go home if any more hanky-panky is hoisted on this suffering nation. They may even act on the cry. One thing has to be admitted: the persons protesting genuinely with no political parties behind them have a huge effect on how things are run now – corruption will be exposed.

On that note of hope with a thank goodness there still are good, clear thinking, committed to-the-betterment-of-the-country persons, Cass says bye for now.