ජයග්‍රාහකයා පරාජිතයා නොපෙළිය යුතු ය
The editorial condemns post-election reprisals in areas such as Anamaduwa, Pathadumbara, Nawalapitiya and Hiriyala, where PA figures had behaved like local warlords with police and presidential backing. It says the paper had long warned that such violence would provoke a backlash, and calls on the new government both to stop reprisals and to prosecute those responsible for earlier election violence.
ජනවාර්ගික අර්බුදයට විසඳුමක් දිම ප්‍රමාද නොකළ යුතුයි
The editorial urges the new government to make a negotiated settlement its priority. It notes that Prabhakaran’s Heroes’ Day speech stopped short of demanding a separate state, argues that both sides have reached the limits of military action, and proposes first agreeing on principles acceptable to Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims, with the support of the PA and JVP in opposition.
සාහසිකකම්වලට වගකිවයුතු සියලු දෙනා නීතිය ඉදිරියට ගෙනා යුතු .
Voters defeated the People’s Alliance despite a violent campaign in which, the editorial says, the President and cabinet broke election law and the Constitution with the Chief Justice’s backing. It singles out the former deputy defence minister, whose paramilitaries it blames for intimidation in Kandy and the shooting of ten Muslim youths guarding ballot boxes at Madawala, and urges the new government to prosecute those responsible.
මහජනතාවගේ පරමාධිපත්‍ය බලය සමග සෙල්ලම් කරන අයට දඬුවම් පමුණුවනු
The editorial calls the election decisive for democracy, accusing the People’s Alliance of rigging every poll since 1994, ignoring the 17th Amendment, threatening the Elections Commissioner and hinting it would block an opposition government. As voters punished the UNP in 1994, it says, they must now punish the PA and build stronger democratic institutions.
මහජන කැමැත්තට පයින් ගැසීම
Anura Bandaranaike said that even if the United National Front won, his sister would not let it form a government but would keep proroguing and dissolving Parliament. The editorial replies that Sri Lanka is not a Bandaranaike feudal estate, that sovereignty lies with the people, and that voters also decide which politicians belong on the rubbish heap of history.
වැටත් නියරත් ගොයම් කා නම් කාට කියන්න ද?
The editorial argues that before bringing Prabhakaran under the law, the President, cabinet and Supreme Court must themselves respect the Constitution. It lists the caretaker government’s pay rises, regularisations, a Rs 1,000 million handout through divisional secretariats and use of state media, faults the Elections Commissioner’s inaction, and contrasts the Supreme Court’s past orders on free elections with its current dismissal of petitions under the Chief Justice.
ව්‍යවස්ථාව විහිළුවක් බවට පත් කිරීම
The editorial says that the 17th Amendment, passed with cross-party support to secure free and fair elections, has been turned into a farce. It holds the President and the PA government responsible for violating it, the Elections Commissioner for standing by, and the courts for encouraging the violators, and warns that the result will be anarchy without the rule of law.
රෙජී රණතුංගට එරෙහිව නීතිය ක්‍රියාත්මක විය යුතු ය
A young man who had got a job through Reggie Ranatunga was beaten to death after joining another party. The editorial cites inquest evidence that the politician struck him, notes that the Gampaha magistrate granted bail while the victim was in intensive care and was then promoted Director General of the Bribery Commission, and condemns the police for still not arresting him.
ව්‍යවස්ථාව උල්ලංඝණය කරන සියලු දෙනා නීතිය ඉදිරියට ගෙනා යුතු ය
The editorial accuses the caretaker government of obstructing the 17th Amendment’s election provisions through mass recruitment, police transfers and promotions for teachers who would serve as polling officers. It notes that the Inspector General of Police has refused the Elections Commissioner’s order to cancel transfers and that state media ignore his directions, and demands that all who violate the Constitution be punished.
හවුල් ආණ්ඩු දේශපාලනය
The editorial argues that the People’s Alliance government will be remembered for arrogance, inefficiency and corruption. It contrasts the hopes placed in Chandrika Kumaratunga with elections won by thuggery since 1997, development stalled and the Electricity Board’s savings turned into debt, and a one-woman government in which she took the finance portfolio and alienated her own cabinet.