Physician heal thyself

Tendentious international elements and some opportunist Opposition politicians are plotting to destabilise the country to set their agendas in motion. Though both groups have diverse objectives, they have one goal in common - a regime change.

The two groups are working in unison for a regime change - for two quaint reasons. Certain Western countries with vested interests are exerting undue pressure on Sri Lanka, perhaps out of envy as the country had set an example by becoming the first country to eradicate terrorism. Hence, they believe that they could undermine the patriotic efforts of the Security Forces by churning out concocted stories against Sri Lanka on alleged war crimes.

On the other hand, some other countries are targeting Sri Lanka due to the positive results in oil exploration here and Sri Lanka’s strong diplomatic ties with China and Russia, which had supported the country in its battle against terror.

The main Opposition, the UNP, true to form, is looking for shortcuts and undemocratic means to capture power. It has even gone to the extent of inviting the Tiger-proxy TNA and the extremist JVP for a collective effort to topple the Government.

The UNP has lost over 25 consecutive elections, including three presidential elections and two general elections under the debilitated leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is also making a desperate bid to hold on to the party leadership. Wickremesinghe knows only too well that the UNP would never win an election or regain power under his leadership.

In this scenario, the Opposition Leader Wickremesinghe has descended to an abysmal level, having begged the support of the TNA and JVP to oust the democratically elected UPFA Government. The trio has a track record of reposing more faith in the bullet than the ballot.

The 1977-1994 Jayewardene and Premadasa regimes were notorious for large-scale election malpractices and even postponing a general election under the pretext of a referendum in 1983. It is still fresh in people’s minds how UNP goons, backed by shady underworld characters, took centre stage at every election during that period.

The JVP’s track record was no better, having attempted to capture power twice through the 1971 and 1988/89 insurgencies. The founder of the JVP, Rohana Wijeweera knew for certain that the masses would never give his party a mandate. Hence, more often than not it resorted to ‘jungle politics’, initially with shotguns and thereafter with T56 assault rifles, to topple democratically elected Governments.

TNA politics has always been mystifying. There was a time when LTTE terrorists invariably forced almost all Tamil leaders at gunpoint to come under one umbrella and that gave birth to the TNA, which apparently turned out to be the unofficial political wing of the terror outfit. Having abandoned their traditional political parties, Tamil leaders such as R. Sampanthan, joined the TNA bandwagon and continued to be the mouthpiece of LTTE terrorists, mainly through fear for their lives.

It would not come as a surprise if the UNP, JVP and TNA, with a proven record of gun culture associated with politics, join hands in an undemocratic manner to topple a legitimate Government which secured unprecedented mandates from the masses at all elections. Having been rejected by the voters in toto, they would sell their souls for a mess of pottage.

More importantly, this time around, certain countries are scouting for ‘indigenous’ elements to put their agendas in motion. It would not be a difficult task for any international anti-Sri Lanka element to enlist the support of these bankrupt political parties.

Simultaneously, certain INGOs are working round the clock pumping in millions of dollars to activate their hidden agendas. A classic example was the controversial special statement by UNP leader Wickremesinghe in Parliament recently on the devolution of power and recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

Wickremesinghe, the wily politician, opted to make the statement in English to appease the international community. It is widely believed that the statement in question had been drafted by two local NGO leaders better known for their greed for foreign funds.

Wickremesinghe had perhaps another reason for making that statement in English. Had he made those controversial remarks in Sinhala, he would have even lost the few thousands of UNP votes in the villages. In delivering that statement in English, he not only pleased his masters - the international community and evaded repercussions from the masses but also bypassed the attention of the Opposition in Parliament.

Nevertheless, it was well timed by the UNP leader to suit the international agenda in the lead up to next month’s UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva, apart from the recent visit to Colombo by the US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake and US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Maria Otero.

Otero told a media briefing here that the United States will support a resolution at the forthcoming UNHRC sessions “To pressure the Sri Lankan Government to address alleged war crimes”.

The international conspiracy against Sri Lanka became abundantly clear after UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said that she has raised concerns in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the appointment of Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Major General Shavendra Silva to Ban’s senior advisory panel on peacekeeping. Pillay’s controversial letter comes days after a US court dismissed a lawsuit against Major General Silva, filed by those who claim to be the relatives of victims of violence, citing his diplomatic immunity as Colombo’s deputy UN envoy. In the backdrop of all those developments, both locally and internationally, prior to the UNHRC sessions, it is crystal clear that a well-orchestrated action plan has been set in motion to sully Sri Lanka’s image in the eyes of the world. Similar plans in the past were shot down with the support of Sri Lanka’s friendly countries. Surprisingly, certain countries which turned a Nelsonian eye to LTTE terror, are now shedding crocodile tears and attempting to pontificate to us on human rights and accountability. These countries which shout from the high heavens on accountability must first and foremost make their own assessment on the accountability of the US-led forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is only then that they could discuss Sri Lanka’s legitimate battle against terrorism.