The coup plotters who mobilized in 2014 to remove Mahinda Rajapaksa from power through the spread of baseless allegations, stirring up of communalism and racism throughout the country, and a well-orchestrated campaign of #FakeNews, are in a complete state of denial about the earthquake that happened on February 10th 2018.

They are coming up with all kinds of contrived mathematics, theories and other nonsensical blabber about why the Ranil-Sirisena regime must continue.

The most ludicrous is Mangala “18 billion dollar” Samaraweera’s claim that Rajapaksa’s vote share has decreased. If we add the 45% Mahinda received with the 15% the SLFP received, which is what will happen if a general or presidential election were to take place, then the SLPP will obtain at least 60%! But what do you expect from Mangala, a failed “tailor” who doesn’t have a higher education.

The next stupidest idea doing the rounds in the NGO and anti-Buddhist circles is that the citizens voted so heavily for Mahinda because the Ranil-Sirisena regime didn’t do enough to prosecute and jail Mahinda and his family. So, according to this hare-brained explanation, because the population were angry that Mahinda was not in jail, they voted massively for Mahinda. Again, the low IQs of these #FakeNews peddlers is clear for all to see.

Next, we have what really does take some nerve.

The coup plotters of 2015 had no qualms whatsoever when Sirisena appointed Ranil as prime minister despite the UNP having only a paltry 40 seats, and despite there already being a prime minister.

They had nothing to say when a whole new cabinet was appointed, consisting of every single UNP MP, despite a government with over 2/3 of the seats of parliament already existing, and despite no general election having occurred.

They didn’t care when the sitting Chief Justice was removed by literally deleting his existence, to be replaced by another one who had previously been impeached from that very post by a committee led by Sirisena himself.

Sirisena violating the Constitution, in these three examples and the countless other incidents besides, was fine then.

And it wasn’t as though these coup plotters and NGO Twitter thugs were merely onlookers either. They positively rejoiced, encouraged, championed, and egged on, these illegal, undemocratic and unconstitutional actions, because it was their man who was doing all this, on their behalf, and for their anti-Buddhist crusade.

So it really does stretch the realms of credulity to see these very same people now blabbering on about how the roundly defeated Ranil and his shambolic prime ministership — tainted as it is by corruption, nepotism, and the worst Central Bank robbery in the history of any nation — should remain in office due to the provisions of the Constitution.

They demanded the resignation of the overwhelming majority SLFP government in 2015 because they claimed that the victory of Sirisena was a repudiation of the entire Rajapaksa movement. But now they use a double standard to say that the total decimation of the UNP and SLFP vote base in the 2018 election somehow does not affect the legitimacy or mandate of the present ruling regime.

While the draconian 19th Amendment (which must be denounced and repealed as soon as possible) does indeed mean that the prime minister cannot be removed from office on the whim of a president, it does however allow his removal if he loses a vote of no confidence.

This must be the next step of the SLPP.