" A TOMORROW FOR THE YOUTH"

These days one is able to see a considerable number of Sri Lankan artistes and sportsmen appearing in many advertisements over the TV and Radio.

The sole aim of these advertisements, organised and paid for by the voluntary organization called “Tharunyata Hetak” ( A tomorrow for the youth) is to urge the viewers and listeners to vote for Mahinda Rajapakse.

Any artist or sportsman in Sri Lanka has every right to make such an appeal and one should respect their decision.

But, the real story behind these advertisements is something else.

These advertising clips have been scripted, filmed, edited and produced by “Tharunyata Hetak” which is a voluntary organization.

This voluntary organisation has to foot the bills for the transport, accommodation, food and drinks etc. of the artistes who appear for these advertisements. Further this same organization is spending an amount of Rs. 8 million per day for the purpose of telecasting and broadcasting these advertisements. To date, the total sum spent by this organization for these advertising clips has exceeded Rs. 100 million.

Now, let us see what this organization is and from where it gets so much money.

The Chairman of this organization is Namal Rajapakse who is a son of the President Mahinda Rajapakse. His other son, Yositha, is a member of the Board of Directors of this organization.

The objective of this organization according to their official website is: “ To band together the youth of Sri Lanka in the name of peace, for their advancement“

They have openly said that with the above objective in mind, they solicit and receive funds from various public and private business organizations in the country and overseas.

A Director of this organization, when interviewed by a newspaper recently, has said that they prepare various project reports which are submitted to both public and private business organizations and those who accept those project reports donate various sums of money to the organization. Further, such donations are solicited through their website too.

But what is really happening, is something else.

Millions of rupees collected through donations purported to be used on “development of youth activities” is brazenly being spent on Mahinda Rajapakse’s election campaign.

Needless to say, production of advertisements for Mahinda Rajapakse’s election campaign does not fall withiin the objectives of this voluntary organization.

There is no way one can condone the use of such funds collected through donations from various business organizations here and abroad for the express purpose of the future development of local youth, being spent on the future welfare of their own family.

On the other hand, it is a shame that the so called artistes and sportsmen of this country take part in such activities without at least checking and finding out the real aim of this organization.

Some of these artistes now take part in press conferences to say that they did not charge anything for appearing in these advertisements. What one can deduce from these announcements is that the other majority of artists did in fact got paid for appearing in the advertisements.

It is a pity that those artistes who claim they did not charge for their appearances, fail to realise that that there are millions of rupees spent per day on producing and broadcasting these advertisements.

What a pity! Whither the youth of this country.


The ‘Tharunyata Hetak’ (“Tomorrow for youth”) of President’s son has become a ‘Thaththata Hetak – Horakamata potak’ (“A Tomorrow for my father and an avenue for me to loot”).


Reproduced below is a news item from Lanka E News of 22 December 2009, without comments !
Ayesha’s predicament with a Tharunyata Hetak leader
Lanka E News
2009-12-22 12.05 PM
A popular model faced quite a predicament during the party that was held at the Fingara Hotel following a dinner held for the artistes who participated in the Tharunyata Hetak advertisements organized by Namal Rajapaksa.The model, Ayesha, had been engaged in various amorous activities inside vehicle bearing number WP HE 9972 with a leader of the Tharunyata Hetak Organization when villagers in the area had started to attack the vehicle in protest.Ayesha had then been compelled to run out in her under garments. Finally, several Thuarnyata Hetak members had arrived in the scene in the vehicle bearing number 64-6764 and helped the two escape from the angry villagers.