The final battle in retrospect

By Dinesh WEERAWANSA

The most crucial decision in my two-and-a-half-decade career as a media personality was taken when the First Citizen in the country invited me to take on the reins of Sri Lanka's flagship English newspaper - the Sunday Observer in October 2006.

It was indeed a singular honour to accept the post of Editor-in-Chief of Sri Lanka's leading English newspaper with the largest circulation with a proud history of over 80 years, but, however, my spontaneous reaction was negative as I preferred to keep a low profile.

I vividly recall how President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the charismatic leader who put the country before self and gave the right political leadership to eliminate terrorism, persuaded me to take up the challenge. "You know exactly how I feel and my vision, especially for our nation and the country," he said.

He entrusted me the unique challenge of voicing my views against terrorism through the widely-read English newspaper, both here and abroad.

Our target was to project the correct picture to the international community, Tamil Diaspora and to the masses - the lethal acts of terrorism and the importance of safeguarding the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

When I reminisce the past after almost four years, I feel that the President had spotted my talents and had entrusted me the right job.

When the Sunday Observer began a series of articles to support the Security Forces and the battle against terrorism, certain extremists and local 'peace merchants' levelled criticisms and labelled us as war mongers, attempting to 'militarise' the newspaper.

Along with the then Chief Editor of the Daily News, Bandula Jayasekera, now the Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka at the United Nations, we embarked on a relentless media campaign against terrorism to make all Sri Lankans feel proud of the Security Forces who battled to protect our country.

Magnificent job

The Sunday Observer defence correspondents did a magnificent job by making regular visits to the battlefront.

The fact that two female staffers accomplished that task, makes it even more significant.

Staff writers Shanika Sriyananda and Dhaneshi Yatawara, along with the former Daily News Deputy News Editor Ranil Wijayapala, now with the Sunday Observer, did a commendable job as defence writers under trying conditions, At the final stages of the battle against terrorism in April/May, 2009, all newspapers and TV/radio stations followed what we had initiated. Even some newspapers and TV channels which were highly critical of the Government and were extremely sympathetic towards the LTTE terrorists until the beginning of last year, eventually abandoned their personal agendas and fell in line with our media campaign as the masses shed their political affiliations and gave overwhelming support to the Security Forces. We, at the Sunday Observer, are proud that we made our humble contribution and in doing so became part and parcel in the battle against terrorism.

We, along with all other media personnel who toed the same line with us, changed the attitude and thinking of the masses to a larger extent. This induced people to support the soldiers who sacrificed their life and limb to make our future safer.

Hence, a soldier became an important and respected person in the society. Regrettably, opportunistic Opposition politicians in the South made every endeavour to distort the truth in their favour until the very end. After the liberation of the East, some UNP politicians challenged the Government to take on the Wanni too, underestimating the real capabilities of our Security Forces. When the LTTE leaders were eventually trapped in Mullaitivu, some UNP leaders even sought the help of the international community to rescue Velupillai Prabhakaran and his cohorts.

Relentless battle

Instead of supporting the Government and the Security Forces in its relentless battle against LTTE terror and liberating innocent civilians being held as a human shield by the Tigers, some Opposition politicians opted to tour Norway and several other European countries to project a gloomy picture and tarnish the Government's image in the eyes of the international community.

These unpardonable acts against our Motherland greatly influenced the international community to exert more pressure on the Government in the final battle. Nevertheless, the Government stood firm as the President strongly believed that his prime responsibility was to liberate innocent civilians from LTTE's terror.At the end, Prabhakaran and his goons who inflicted untold misery not only amongst their own people but also to all other communities living here, perished in the manner all longed for.

The self-proclaimed `Sun God' who ordered thousands of Tamil youth to wear cyanide capsules around their necks and commit suicide, if captured, was vanquished by the Army.

Prabhakaran, the worst of cowards, practised one thing and preached another.

While enjoying a life of luxury with his family through Tamil Diaspora funding, the LTTE leader ordered his men to mobilise Tamil boys and girls in their early teens as child soldiers.

Ironically, Prabhakaran's body was found sans any cyanide capsule, but only with his identity card and the dog tag, to prove his identity in the event he could seek refuge with some unknown saviour.While Prabhakaran's three children led luxurious lifestyles with the best education in the West, the sons and daughters of his own community, to whom he ostensibly claimed that the LTTE was carrying out a liberation struggle, were forced to carry guns and undergo immense suffering.

Now that the entire country has been liberated after three decades of terrorism, it is incumbent on one and all to sink petty ethnic, religious, political and other social differences and work as one family to develop the country.

Greatest victory

As President Rajapaksa emphasised during his ceremonial speech in Parliament soon after terrorism was eradicated last year, there should not be a minority or majority, but just two groups of people - those who love their Motherland and those who don't! At a time we seek to embrace all Sri Lankans as members of one family and a single nation, the celebration of the first anniversary of that greatest victory of victories should be expressed with magnanimity and friendship towards all. The people's outpouring of joy in defeating terrorism indeed speaks eloquently of the nation's gratitude.

While the greatest achievements of our Security Forces are etched in gold, we commend the immense contribution by the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Commanders of the three Armed Forces and the IGP. The brigade commanders of the Sri Lanka Army spent many sleepless nights in planning military strategies which proved a roaring success.

It was their dedicated and exemplary leadership which inspired the Security Forces to achieve those resounding victories.

Above all, the incomparable sacrifices and dedication of our brave soldiers, sailors and airmen, who always put the country before self, will go down in the annals of history. Having spent many months away from their loved ones, the Security Forces marched under the most difficult conditions to make Mother Lanka proud. It is the bounden duty of all Sri Lankans to give a better definition to those unsurpassed military victories and eradication of terrorism. The victory gained by defeating the LTTE is the victory of the entire nation, be they Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Malays or Burghers. Protecting the Tamil-speaking people in this country is our sole responsibility because they are the brothers and sisters of one Sri Lankan family.
 

....................................
<< BACK TO Main Page