Association of Scholars and Professionals in Kandy to safeguard unitary Sri Lanka
In the context of the intensifying crisis of governance in Sri Lanka witnessed over the past three or four months university scholars and professionals of the University of Peradeniya have inaugurated an organisation called Association of Scholars and Professionals in Kandy which consisting of certain members of the academic staff of the University of Peradeniya (past and present) and other leading professionals in the city of Kandy and its suburbs for the purpose of promoting the prospects of the political group led by the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa at the forthcoming parliamentary elections. Their membership is united and unanimous in its conviction that Sri Lanka’s interests and aspirations – in particular, safeguarding sovereignty, ensuring political stability, and pursuing rapid and sustained socio-economic progress – would be best served if the post-election regime would be one in which the former president could perform the key leadership role. The association expects to engage in a “pro-MR” campaign targeted mainly at the educated middle-class in central province of operation which they believe is critically significant to the overall outcome of the forthcoming parliamentary polls in which Rajapaksa’s performance is not impressive, and explain to those in that layer of society through a series of seminars and discussions the reasons upon which their convictions and objectives are based.
In view of foregoing, Association of Scholars and Professionals in Kandy has organised a seminar of the “Vidvath Vrutheeyavēdīngē Sansadaya” (Association of Scholars and Professionals) on the ‘Post-January 8th Political Milieu’ was held at the Pushpadhāna Hall in Kandy with the participation of about 200 invitees.
Of the three main speakers Mr. Mohan Samaranayake (a reputed journalist at the peak of his career who had served at various times as Director of the UN Information Centre, Chairman of the Rupavahini Corporation and the Media Spokesman of the President’s Office) was extraordinarily brilliant and he really held the audience spellbound, not so much with his obvious oratorical skills, but with the content of his presentation. Professor Shantha Hennayake, the present Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Peradeniya and an ardent Mahinda Rajapaksa supporter, was also very impressive, especially in the submissions he made in order to show that the Muslims and Tamils have no reason whatever to be prejudiced against the former president.
Dr. Wasantha Bandara, the Secretary of the ‘Patriotic National Movement’ headed by Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara (doyen of the community of the Sinhala creative writers) was, as usual, persuasive in his demonstration of how ominously our nation is being imperilled by those who hold the reins of political power at present.
The general impression on the seminar participants is that the majority were from the educated ‘middle-class’– a segment of the electorate from which Mahinda Rajapaksa did not have substantial support at the presidential polls, especially in urbanised electoral districts of mixed ethnicity. The seminar, targeted specifically as it was at that layer of society, was also intended to contribute to ‘post-war’ inter-group harmony.
Organisers did not invite elected political leaders – national or local. The success of the seminar was made evident further by the requests the Association that have had for conducting similar meetings in several other towns in Sri Lanka.
The Association of Scholars and Professionals in Kandy can be contacted to conduct for such seminars and awareness programmes to educate the Sinhala mass.
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