Stay clear of insidious elements

Shady elements, both here and abroad, have embarked on a vicious campaign to rob Sri Lanka of its hard-earned peace. They have set a secret agenda in motion to create unrest and project a gloomy picture on the country and its democratically elected Government ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled for November.

Certain isolated incidents have been blown out of proportion to give a different picture and mislead the international community on the eve of CHOGM 2013. The LTTE rump is doing its damnedest to prevent world leaders from attending the Commonwealth summit in Colombo as the international community would get the true picture of Sri Lanka, which is poles apart from what the Tiger sympathisers have been projecting to the West.

When world leaders attend CHOGM 2013, they will get an overall picture of the significant milestones Sri Lanka has achieved since the dawn of peace after terrorism was eradicated. This would definitely change the opinion of a few Western countries which have been misled by the extensive propaganda of the LTTE rump. Hence, the LTTE cohorts and a section of the Tamil Diaspora would resort to anything and everything to dissuade world leaders visiting Sri Lanka.

When a large number of world leaders attend CHOGM 2013, the LTTE rump would not be in a position to mislead the international community. The first-hand experience the Commonwealth leaders get would demolish the LTTE cohorts' false propaganda which gave a wrong picture to certain Western countries.

Hence, the masses need to be extra cautious and not fall prey to these sinister elements which would descend to any level to achieve their goal. LTTE cohorts and the Tiger sympathisers would exploit incidents to send wrong signals to the international community ahead of CHOGM 2013 to mislead Commonwealth leaders travelling to Sri Lanka.

Sinister elements would do whatever possible to take undue advantage by organising public protests, trade union action and demonstrations. They are working overtime to achieve their cherished targets to project a gloomy picture about Sri Lanka to the international community. Being tagged as a failed state by the international community is the ultimate goal of the LTTE rump.

Certain Western countries are hell-bent on having a leadership which dances the fandango round them - like what Ranil Wickremesinghe did when he was Prime Minister about a decade ago. Since the Government, led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has a clear-cut vision for the country and its people, irrespective of what the West pontificates to us, certain quarters in the international community, are keen on a regime change so that they could get a leader who would bow down to what the West dictates.

Hence, people should not fall into the trap laid by LTTE cohorts. Most importantly, such unrest could be created in the guise of public protests and moreover, people taking part in such protests would not have the foggiest notion that they are being used as scapegoats.

Simultaneously, certain TNA leaders are also playing a big role to mislead the international community. We must bear in mind that there is barely any difference between the TNA and the LTTE. Their aims and objectives are almost identical except the modus operandi being adopted. The TNA is trying desperately to democratically win the LTTE goals which the Tigers had failed militarily.

After the Security Forces crushed LTTE terrorism and created a peaceful atmosphere, the TNA had taken over the baton with the objective well on track. It is, indeed, deplorable that the world at large and a section of the Tamil community had apparently forgotten that the LTTE launched its campaign by killing their own people.

The Government has created a peaceful environment for people in the North who had been subjected to untold misery due to the three-decade long LTTE terror. They have now begun a new lease of life with enhanced living conditions and increased purchasing power. President Rajapaksa has fulfilled his promise by going ahead with the elections for the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) next month. Rather than making the optimum use of this opportunity to serve people through the NPC, the TNA leaders are playing the role of crybabies by globetrotting to disseminate propaganda for the LTTE rump.

TNA leaders maintained a deafening silence when Tamil civilians were held forcibly as a human shield. The controversial ceasefire agreement signed by UNP leader Wickremesinghe and LTTE terrorist leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, helped the LTTE to flex its muscle and impose its own judicial system, banking, education, local government functions, naval and air force, health services, civil police force, radio and television stations. The Tigers even went to the extent of issuing their own stamps and currency notes. Is the TNA now seeking to take over from where LTTE had left?

It is an open secret that TNA leaders were remote-controlled by Prabhakaran from his Wanni hideout when LTTE terrorism was at its peak. Sampanthan and his compatriots worshipped Prabhakaran while turning a blind eye to the sufferings of the Tamils in the North. The TNA merely acted as the unofficial political wing of the Tiger outfit under the direct command of the then LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvam.

Sampanthan too had been under the LTTE radar as the Tigers did not brook any TNA member defying its creed which the TNA was acutely aware of. Over 200 Tamil leaders, including the then Opposition leader T. Amirthalingam and several other parliamentarians, were assassinated by the LTTE which claimed to be the sole representatives of the Tamils.

Hence, no Tamil worth his salt in the North would wish to return to that dark era again. Sampanthan and his gang could never market their racist cards and make the Tamils suffer again. People in the North are no longer gullible and would prove it in no uncertain terms at the forthcoming NPC polls and elect leaders who would work sincerely for the betterment of people in the province.

The LTTE rump is keeping a close eye on the NPC elections and CHOGM 2013. In doing so, they would also exploit opportunist Opposition politicians in the South. When bankrupt Opposition politicians fail to win the people's mandate democratically, they tend to project a dismal picture of the Government to gain undue political mileage.

In this context, people need to be extra vigilant. Any untoward incidents would only help those with vested interest in the West to creep in and dictate terms to us. Nevertheless, if we are united, no outside force could get the better of us. In the event Opposition politicians have a score to settle with the Government, they should demonstrate it only at an election, democratically. Tarnishing the image of the nation and the Government would have an adverse effect internationally on the country.

This is precisely why we need to be extra vigilant and not leave any room for unsavoury elements to creep in.Everybody is acutely aware of how hard it was for us to achieve peace in our land and the immense sacrifices by the Security Forces. We should not let anyone rob Sri Lanka of its hard-earned peace under any circumstances. The success of CHOGM 2013 in attracting world leaders would undoubtedly help Sri Lanka to showcase its laudable achievements since the dawn of peace.It is the bounden duty of all Sri Lankans to act in a responsible manner, without permitting extraneous elements to project a dismal picture of the country by organising protest campaigns to bring the Government into disrepute.