My Expectations and Presidential Election 2015

I have only one expectation.. that is my country should achieve 7500$ per capita income by 2020. Per capita income is often used to measure a country's standard of living. This helps a country to know their development status.

Achieving that income level wouldn’t be a big task for Sri Lanka and I think that Sri Lanka is well deserved that status.

I knew most of my friends are unable to understand that target. But, to achieve that target we need to achieve lot more. We need to strengthen National Security, Food Security, Energy Security, Environment Security and Macroeconomic Security.

In 2010, Mahinda promised 4000$ per capita income by 2016. He called that target as Miracle of Asia. Sri Lanka will achieve it one year ahead of the target. That is this year… 2015. It is true that benefits of higher per capita income will slowly go down to the general public. Definitely, those benefits should go down otherwise you can not maintain growth rate. Infrastructure development is one of the benefits that general public can expect.

So, now shall we consider manifestos of two candidates, Mahinda’s manifesto has all my concerns and guidance how to achieve it. Unfortunately, Mithripala’s manifesto little bit complex to read and understand. Various people interpret it in different way. No guidance how to achieve it. So, I think that it is just a propaganda material.

I also concerned about opposition’s allegations about Mahinda’s rule.   

• Presidential System: I don’t want to scrap Presidential system or the constitution. We may need few modification specially in representative selection process. Strong leadership is a must for a country.
• Corruption : Everybody talks about it but nobody proves Corruption of Mahinda’s rule. That is drastic failure of our opposition. Opposition claimed that without corruption we would have achieved 10 times higher figures compare to current one. Will it be possible? Now we have US$ 75 billion GDP (in 2005 it was around US$ 15 billion), if opposition is correct we would have to achieve upto US$ 750 billion. So, our per capita income should be more than 100,000 $. The richest nation in the world!! This is absurd. Further, in the annual Global Corruption Perception Index 2014 (CPI) released by Transparency International (TI), Sri Lanka has scored 38 points and is placed in the 85th position among 175 countries. We are the least corrupted country in South Asia. So, this corruption devil is not so black as he is painted.
• Ethanol, drugs and Casino : I believe that these topics are not major problems in our society. It is very hardly see drug addicted, casino addicted individuals in our social life.
• Bankrupt economic policies : This is absurd argument. For the past 10 years the opposition was saying ‘Economy is going to collapse very soon’. But, year by year our growth rate was well over 6% line. Their ‘very soon’ theory never happened. Budget deficit is the lowest since 1977. In 2010 it was 8 and it is estimated (for 2014)as 5.2. Public debt as a percentage of GDP has steadily reduced. In 2001 it was 103.3 and now it is estimated (for 2014) as 75.
• Bad governance, Dictatorship  and  Family Governance : I believe that achieving results is good governance. Not achieving results is corruption. So, Mahinda has achieved the results. Without good governance he can't do that. We need to have good dictatorship to lead the country. A puppet can not rule a country. Two brothers of Mahinda, namely Basil and Gota are doing great job for my country. And no one in his family is doing bad things to my country. In politics, it is absurd to check family roots, what we need to check whether he is delivering or not.

Also, we can think about the opposition front. Though they emphasized that their coalition is for good governance, I can’t believe it. Instead, everyone in that front wants to get rid of Rajapakshas. They all maintain hatred against Mahinda. Most of them have personal problems with Mahinda, others have political goals. Their problems are not our problems or my country problems. Though, they have 100 day program to launch, I do believe that their coalition will last before 100 days. So, I feel nothing in them.

In 2005, I had two choices that was Ranil and Mahinda. I was aware of Ranil’s capability, but not Mahinda’s. Though I wanted to vote for Ranil, couldn't make up my mind for that. So I ‘closed’ my eyes and selected Mahinda just because he was very religious man. I thought there may be something in him. After 5 years, I was very proud of my decision.

In 2010, I had no choices. I opened my eyes and voted for Mahinda. I believed that he would achieve some economical targets as well. After 4 years, he exceeded my expectations in all fronts.

In 2015, again, I have no choices again. With my opened eyes and with a smile I can vote for Mahinda. He well deserve that.

Mr. President… I know that you will be re-elected  for the third time as well. It is your duty keep up my expectations high..     

උමතුසං වරුසාවට තෙමෙන්න එපා.

උමතුසං වරුසාව එනවා. තෙමෙන අයගේ මහ වැස්සට සිහි විකල් වී පරල වෙනවා.

පිස්සන් රජ වුනත් එකයි, රජුන් පිස්සෝ  වුනත් එකයි.

කාගේ ගැනු කාට ගියත්, අපේ නමට ලැබෙයි ළමයි.

• by Somapala Gunadeera for the drama ‘උමතුසං වරුසාව’

People who vote for Maithripala do not know who is the king and who is the actual ruler. Everybody will say I am the king… I am the queen and I am the ruler. When they start their work you can see various opinion that not match with general norms. When results are out no one is going to held responsible specially if something goes wrong. No one knows who is responsible either. Eventually, the result is owned by you because you are part of it.

Presidential Election 2015

Finally, the main opposition UNP field a man from SLFP. This is the second time they field a hired candidate. Shame on them.

Two time failed, bankrupt Chandrika is trying to get the power again. Her productiveness was zero during her regime. She guided to achieve a bankrupt Sri Lanka in late 90s. This time her puppet is Maithripala Sirisena.

Ranil is planning to be a powerful prime minister from the shoulders of Maithripala Sirisena. He is always cunning man. If Maithripala win, he will be the powerful Prime Minister. If Maithripala fails, he can retain UNP leadership and the Opposition Leader position. So, at the end Ranil will be the winner.

Changing the constitution will be a long process. If someone says target time is 24hrs or 100 days, it won't be a realistic value. So, this common candidate does not have proper aim and only armed with set of political words. How can Maithripala change every thing when power vested with Ranil. If they win my country goes very unstable period.

Is this Mahinda Rajapaksha regime truly corrupted or inefficient? Or is it the most famous government we ever had? If the present government is most corrupted then any of opposition candidate can easily topple the government. But they are not doing that. Instead they hired a man from corrupted regime. So, my guess is correct.. This is most populous and attractive government we have ever had. 

There are more factions are waiting for Rajapaksha regime change. Western powers and Tamil diaspora are the leading figures behind this aim. So, they will give their maximum for this campaign as well.

This cornered former minister and former SLFP general secretary try to find a shortcut for his destiny. Four years ago Sarath Fonseka did the same thing. ' අනේ පව් මෛත්‍රී’ my true expression in my mother tongue.

Power of Hybrids

Lot of Hybrids vehicle are in Sri Lankan market now and numbers are increasing everyday. Shall we have a look on power of these hybrids widely used in Sri Lanka.

Vehicle	Electric Motor power	Engine Power	Total output power	Full Hybrid/Mild Hybrid
Third Generation Prius - ZVW30	80 hp	1.8L  98 hp	134 hp	Full Hybrid (can electric motor and engine independently). It is called Hybrid Synergy Drive
Second Generation Prius - XW20	67 hp	1.5L  76 hp	110 hp	Full Hybrid
Toyota Prius C (Aqua)	60 hp	1.5L  73 hp	99 hp	Full Hybrid
Corolla - Hybrid NKE165	60 hp	1.5L 73 hp	99 hp	Full Hybrid
Honda Vezel	130 hp	1.5L 30 hp	132 hp	Mild Hybrid
Honda Fit - GP5	130 hp	1.5L 30 hp	130 hp	Mild Hybrid
Honda Insight	13 hp	1.3L 73 hp	98 hp	Mild Hybrid

Horsepower is a unit that is used to measure the power of engines and motors. One unit of horsepower is equal to the power needed to lift 550 pounds one foot in one second. This unit has been widely replaced by the watt in scientific usage; one horsepower is equal to 745.7 watts.

Why a company needs Enterprise Software?

For a company, this is a million-dollar question: Is it market competition, the dream of globalization, or enforced legislation that compels you to adopt Enterprise Software? I believe the answer is no.

Market competition challenges only your product domain expertise. As you know, innovation at every stage of your product's lifecycle strengthens your position in the industry. While ERP software can support your efforts, it cannot be the driving force behind them.

Globalization should be every entrepreneur’s ambition. Your market is no longer confined by physical borders but defined by digital reach. With this expanded marketplace comes an endless flow of data to manage. Even in this scenario, ERP software can provide guidance, but it will not lead the way.

Enforced legislation can temporarily disrupt progress—whether through new international certifications, environmental regulations, or import/export restrictions. Overcoming these obstacles requires solutions rooted in your product knowledge. While ERP software can assist in navigating these complexities, it will not determine the path forward.

Ultimately, ERP software should be a trusted partner in your business operations, not an unnecessary burden. Finding the right partner is never easy—it’s a time-consuming and complex process, just like selecting the right ERP system.

Why Enterprise Software? Because every business needs a reliable and trusted ally to manage vast amounts of information and provide guidance through challenging times.

The Buddhist Temple & the Devalaya (shrines dedicated to deities)

If one possesses the wisdom to truly understand the teachings of the Lord Buddha, it becomes clear what a remarkable person he was. However, when we visit a Sri Lankan Buddhist temple today, can we truly grasp his greatness? The simple answer is no.

Imagine how places like Jethawanaramaya, Weluwanaramaya, and Isipathnaramaya must have looked during the Buddha’s time—thousands of Bhikkhus moving about, devoted to their spiritual practice. But today, when we visit Sri Lankan temples, we often see numerous Devalayas (shrines dedicated to deities) instead.

It is said that this ‘Devala’ culture emerged during the Kandyan era, primarily to accommodate Indian queens (most likely Tamil queens) who worshipped alongside the king. Over time, individuals with special abilities or perceived spiritual power were also honored by society, elevated to divine status, and venerated as gods. This practice continues today, despite the fact that there is no longer a need to cater to Indian queens.

I once asked the chief incumbent of our village temple why so many Devalayas were being built on temple grounds. His immediate response was, “Otherwise, people won’t come to the temple, and we won’t have enough money for its development.”

Unfortunately, such methods rely on superficial popularity rather than true spiritual growth. Instead of resorting to these tactics, temples should adapt to the modern era by introducing meaningful initiatives—well-maintained and landscaped premises, secluded spaces for meditation, and programs for Dhamma discussions. These approaches would better serve the true purpose of a Buddhist temple.

Shradda and my visit to Sambudda Raja Maligawa.

‘Shradda’ is a Sanskrit word which has no equivalent in English, at best it can be understood as faith with love and reverence.

Why we need to develop Shradda?

    Because we are going  to understand the reality of this life and the world, I would say the universe.

At the beginning we do not have a clue. But we have or aware of some explanations from the dignified person called Lord Buddha. The Lord Buddha taught us the reality of the life and guided us attain a status where time and space do not exists. This status is commonly called Niravana.

So.. why still we need Shardda?

If we want to achieve Niravana  we need to go  the path guided by the Lord one. Since we cannot understand what will be the end, we need to develop a faith about our leader, the dignified one. It is a faith with love and reverence.

Other famous religious beliefs do follow the same ideology. That is they ask followers to have a full faith or total believe in GOD. It is not same as Shradda, it is a devotion (Bhakthiya), selfless affection to the religious theory. Affection is a bond (bandimak). We must not have any bond on our way to Nirvana.

So, we are not devotees of Lord Buddha. We are Shraddawathun of Lord Buddha. Since there is no word to match in English, most people leisurely used the word ‘devotee’.

I visited Sambuddha Raja maha vihara from various websites including Mahamegha and news, we (with my family) thought of visiting there to worship this great ‘ masterpiece ’.

It was 2.00 PM and very hot. When entering the shrine room there was a board saying to remove shoes. Still we have to move about 50m to reach the shrine room entrance.

No trees to shade. Environment concern is zero point. It was a concrete world.   Very hot indeed. We had to run on asphalt layered road.. So we ran.

On our way, a well-built monk announced that we need to raise our hands and place in forehead to get Shradda and also have to pass the hot path to feel how it likes in the hell. I was quick to pick that this is not a Shradda but a devotion.

When we enter a bald headed person asked us to chant ‘Sadu’ and place our hands in the forehead.  I didn’t do anything but smiled with him. Thanks.. he absorbed my dissatisfaction about his command.

The building architecture is really impressive. It do posses modern architectural capabilities. I looked at a drawing in lonely large wall. For me it was like wicked drawing. Anyone can categorise those creation for various artistic roots like Shanchi, Amarawathi...etc.. But, definitely these artists had not had any Sharddha about the dignified once. He might have a good artistic talent but do not have Shradda. So.. how he can express the Lord Buddha’s immense good qualities (Budu Guna) without Shradda.

We stopped at the first Lord Buddha’s statue. My little one came and asked.

‘Thaththi.. ayi budu sadu lipstick ganne. e kaleth ewa thibunada’ (Father why Lord buddha is using lipstick. Was that available at that time also)

That was end. I will never visit this place. Let my beloved country be safe from these ‘Mahayana’ trends.