Opinion:

Opposition campaign under unholy alliance

By K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

Even before President Mahinda Rajapaksa signed the proclamation to hold early presidential election, there have been many dialogues on the upcoming election. Although the previous UNP regimes postponed the elections or held referendums in lieu of general elections, President Rajapaksa has often demonstrated his implicit faith in democracy by holding all elections before their due dates.

The security forces, the true sons of the soil, sacrificed their future to usher in a peaceful environment for us. (File photo)

The destruction caused by the Tigers (File photo)

The Presidential election has been declared when President Rajapaksa could remain in office for two more years. Yet, he decided to get a fresh mandate from people after completing only the first four years of his second six-year term. It was an exemplary act which no other leader in Sri Lanka had done before.

'Change'

The Opposition in promoting its so-called common candidate mainly state that the people need a ‘change’. But what is the change they yearn of? If they do not want President Rajapaksa to remain in office for another term, that is their wish! But what do they really mean by the so-called ‘change’?

There is no doubt whatsoever that President Rajapaksa would register a resounding victory at the next Presidential election. Yet, let us talk about the ‘change’ the Opposition supporters are aspiring?

If the UNP, JVP and TNA supporters need a change, they are free to do so! People are free to express their own views and vote for the party or the candidate they wish. But such decisions should be taken carefully without digging their own grave. There is no debate that all peace-loving people would reject terrorism. But has anybody ever thought that the ‘change’ the Opposition is daydreaming of could be digging their own graves?

Tiger-proxy

If TNA does not support President Rajapaksa’s candidature, that is understandable. The President has shown no mercy to LTTE terrorism and gave unmatchable political leadership to the Security Forces.

Hence, we could not expect a Tiger-proxy party such as TNA to support a candidate who had been instrumental in vanquishing their dream leader.

But what puzzles us is the conduct of the JVP and the UNP. If they sincerely support the Security Forces and the true sons of our soil, they would never support a candidate such as Maithripala Sirisena who is conducting his campaign under the blessings of unholy people who had betrayed the country.

The presence of people such as Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mano Ganeshan tells it all. Is this the change the Opposition is taking about? If they really need a change due to the political party President Rajapaksa represents, they are free to find an alternative person who would adopt same policies against terrorism and show no mercy to peace mongers who attempt to rob Sri Lanka of its hard-earned peace.

However, not a single politician in the Opposition would maintain such a strict stance against terrorism. If power goes to wrong hands and NGO agents who are behind Maithripala, Tiger cohorts would get free hand terrorism would raise its ugly head in a few years’ time.

If we do that due to petty political differences, we would be undermining the supreme sacrifices made by the country’s brave soldiers in the battlefront.

Funding

We should not let that happen and give zero value to the Herculean efforts of the true sons of our soil who had sacrificed their future to offer us a peaceful environment. This is precisely what we should keep in mind before deciding among the candidates contesting the January 8 Presidential election.

Who backs Maithripala and his funding sources could be well imagined.

In less than 24 hours after Maithipala was brought forward by the Opposition as the common candidate, the Global Tamil Forum, a front organisation of the LTTE, threatened to take President Rajapaksa before an international war crimes tribunal if Maithripala wins the next Presidential election.

UNP Parliamentarian Harsha de Silva, who has been cornered and exposed soon after an interview with Al Jazzeera along with Parliamentarian Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha and Global Tamil Forum spokesman Suren Surendiran, has denied in Parliament his statement that President Rajapaksa should be taken before a War Crimes Tribunal in Hague.

But there is no point in denying what he said at the interview to avoid the wrath of the public. He must apologise to all Sri Lankans and those who led the fight against terrorism that plagued the country for over three decades.

Reconciliation

Global Tamil Forum spokesman Surendiran said in the interview that they can take President Rajapaksa before the War Crimes Tribunal if he loses at the election as the President would lose his immunity. De Silva when it came to his turn, hastily endorsed this statement saying that Sri Lanka should have a credible inquiry.

“What we should have done is to have a credible domestic investigation. That is what was being pushed for a number of years and the government just kept backtracking. Now we are cornered and the government will face the music,” Harsha de Silva said at the interview.

The UNP parliamentarian who is well-aware of how the government has been striving to promote reconciliation and is inquiring into all allegations in terms of the Lessons Lerant and Reconciliation Commission recommendations by appointing such bodies such as the Missing Persons Commission had endorsed Surendiran’s position just before the common candidate was announced with ulterior motives in mind.

The beleaguered parliamentarian who was harping on the economy has suddenly changed track to dwell on matters of human rights.

Pressure

De Silva said in the interview : “It is not winning the war but it is winning the peace. We have to live together. What Surendiran is saying is correct that we are fighting amongst the communities sponsored by extremist groups who connected to the government. We have violence against Muslims, churches. We cannot go on as a country as a civilised society if we do not stop these things from happening”.

The separatist forces against the country are exerting maximum pressure on Sri Lanka citing Harsha De Silva’s claim that President Rajapaksa is encouraging violence against the Muslims. This means that De Silva wants to take President Rajapaksa before the War Crimes Tribunal, because these are precisely the charges in the War Crimes Inquiry in the UNHRC.

This is exactly how Harsha used the interview to discredit the country in the eyes of the international community; “Denial is not sufficient, the government must stop this mistrust right now; what is happening now is that people have realized that we need to change this regime and bring a government that can unite the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people of the country”.

Terrorism

There is no doubt that the masses would make serious note on unpatriotic men of this nature. Some elements that stated in the past that talking about ending terrorism is a rotten subject, now take pride in claiming over Al Jazeera television that the war heroes who ended terrorism in Sri Lanka may be taken before War Crimes Tribunals.

Global Tamil Forum spokesman Surendiren spoke about prosecuting war heroes before War Crimes Tribunals for eradicating terrorism in Sri Lanka, UPFA national list MP Dr. rajiva Wijesinghe and UNP MP Dr. Harsha de Silva were seated on either side of him.

It is unfortunate that these elements who have easily forgotten the killings of Buddhist monks, children, thousands of people and leaders of the country, are now talking only of taking him and war heroes who made many sacrifices for the country, before a War Crimes Tribunal.

The government has created an environment in the country where the people have become more closely engaged in Buddhist activities. Some elements alleged that going around temples will not help win the election at the time but the President had visited temples from the days he was a minister and the Prime Minister.

Lust for power

There is no point in dancing the fandango and going behind Western missions to abolish the Executive Presidency. President Rajapaksa is the only person capable of abolishing the Executive Presidency in the event it is to be abolished.

In his lust for power, Maithripala Sirisena and the Opposition cohorts try to mislead the masses by saying that they would abolish the Executive Presidency in 100 days.

This is similar to the 100-day program introduced by Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe when he became the Prime Minister in 2002.

It is hilarious to say that the Executive Presidency would be abolished in 100 days. A two-thirds majority is a pre-requisite for such a move. It is only the UPFA Government that enjoys a two thirds majority.

How could the Opposition make such miracle when the Government wins the Budget 2015 by a majority of 95 votes?

The people are well aware of these conspiracy hatched in the West. Chandrika and Mangala are hungry for power and are looking for short cuts to topple the Government. But the masses would never allow these opportunistic politicians to achieve their malicious goals.Chandrika was the Head of State for 11 long years. What has she done during those two terms as the President? Now that her successor has faced all challenged and transformed the country to new heights, she is feeling jealous.

What could the President do for her inability? Chandrika risked soldiers as the Security Forces camps in the North were overrun by the LTTE terrorists in quick succession. Thousands of soldiers had to die due to her poor strategies.

In contrast, President Rajapaksa, having crushed terrorism little over five years ago, has saved lives of thousands of soldiers. Is this the change the Opposition wants?