Opinion:

Opposition politicians seek short cuts to regain power

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

Each time before a general or a presidential election, the LTTE cohorts make desperate attempts to secure deals with the power hungry politicians in the South.

The heroic feats of the Security Forces  ushered in the peace we enjoy today. Here soldiers making sweetmeats during a break. (File photo)

Most such unholy alliances have not only undermined the feats of the Security Forces but also forced the true sons of our soils to make supreme sacrifices for the sins of Opposition politicians.

The most notable of them all was Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s controversial ceasefore agreement (CFA) with the LTTE which confined the Security Forces to barracks and his Governments acceptance of official territory governed by the LTTE. If that trend would had continued, the LTTE would have well secured its dream separate state several years ago.

There is no change this time around as the 2015 Presidential election is closing by. While the Tiger rump and some Western missions lavishly pump money for a regime change, the former Tiger proxy party – the TNA, is exploring all avenues to secure power deals with Opposition politicians who are looking for short cuts to regain power at any cost.

Demands

The joint Opposition knows that the near 700,000 voters in the Northern peninsula could play a decisive role at the forthcoming Presidential election. Hence, the main Opposition UNP is making every effort even to hold hands with devil to secure the Executive powers which the SLFP had enjoyed for two decades.

Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maithripala Sirisena and the mastermind of the plot Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga met TNA leader R. Sampanthan and M.A. Sumanthiran in Colombo last week.

The TNA has already put forward three demands, including a self-governing deferral system. This is where the people in the South have to be extra cautious. This should not be a time to settle political differences but to beat the common enemy – LTTE terrorism. Although the opportunistic Opposition politicians, in their lust for power, try to undermine the feats of the Security Forces, peace-loving voters in the South could neutralise these moves by rallying round the leader who had ushered in peace – President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The TNA is at present all agog, drawing up plans to take over the powers of the Northern Provincial Council, once the scrapping of the Executive Presidency takes place if Maithripala wins the election.

The powers over the Provincial Councils are presently in the hands of the Executive and the real beneficiaries in the event of a scrapping of the Executive Presidency will be the Northern Provincial Council (NPC), which is demanding land and police powers.

Support

A large number of youth were killed in the South during 1988-1989 period. These crimes were perpetrated by anti-democratic administrators. (File photo)

The Tamil National Alliance is already in dialogue with a foreign country and the Tamil Diaspora which has shown a keen interest in the affairs of the Northern Provincial Council on, and how best they could secure all the powers in the Northern Provincial Council.

With this in view, the Tamil National Alliance has decided to come up with a massive campaign to support the so called common candidate and ensure that the Tamil people living in the North and other parts of the country vote for the so-called common candidate.

The TNA Leader Sampanthan, who had a closed door meeting with Ranil and Chandrika last week, would make a public announcement in the coming week on the TNA’s support to Maithripala Sirisena, who is the candidate of the Opposition.

In the event Maithripala wins the Presidential election, there would be an amendment brought to the Constitution to scrap the Executive Presidency within 100 days. That would pave way for the LTTE rump to creep into the country to resurrect the LTTE. All patriotic and peace-loving people should understand this threat.

President Rajapaksa, by giving an unmatched political leadership to the Security Forces to crush LTTE terror, has ushered peace for one and all to live in perfect harmony. Soon after the defeat of the LTTE, he created an environment for all communities to live as equals in this free country.

All communities assisted and supported the President to make this effort a success. The President embarked on an ambitious program to ensure democracy throughout the country, bringing a new political vision that seeks development and reconciliation to build a new Sri Lankan nation.

Peace

There is no doubt that the masses continue to repose implicit faith in the President, who defeated the LTTE, eradicated terrorism and restored peace.

The end of the battle against terrorism is a significant moment in the history of Sri Lanka. Terrorism had been the major cause that prevented Sri Lanka from achieving its development goals.

With the end of the military effort, the attention of the government was focused almost exclusively on reaping the economic benefits of peace. The Government created a safe and secure country for all to live freely without intimidation. Accordingly, the people in the North and East are resettled within a peaceful and a developing environment.

The people have confidence in President Rajapaksa as he was able to bring the country under a single flag. It is the duty of all communities to protect this hard-earned peace. Various sinister elements are waiting to rob the country’s hard-earned peace which we should protect at any cost.

We should not betray the nation by falling prey to Western conspiracies and undermine the Herculean efforts of the Security Forces.

The objective the LTTE hoped to achieve through the Opposition common candidate has been amply proved by a statement made by Northern Provincial Council member Shashidaran, wife of slain LTTEer Eilainan to a Tamil radio channel.

Puppet

She has said that talks will be held with the candidate winning the Presidential election to achieve the objectives which the LTTE could not realise, within the next few years.

Northern Provincial Councillor Shashidaran had said in her interview with the Tamil radio channel that they would achieve their objectives which the LTTE failed to realise, within the next 10 to 15 years.

They would hold talks with Maithripala and his supporters to go forward from where the LTTE stopped, to achieve their final objectives. This showed that sinister forces were awaiting an opportunity to destablise the country and create anarchy. President Rajapaksa never danced to the tune of foreign forces and the West is now working overtime to install a puppet leader who would dance the fandango.

He did not acquiesce when they demanded 13 plus. When some Northerners tried to dance the devil, he even tried to make it 13 minus. These sinister forces are trying to amalgamate the North and East and obtain Police powers.

The masses are well aware of the colossal amount of work the government has done during the past five years. There may be certain shortcomings which have to be rectified but that does not mean the power should go to wrong hands.

But the Government had resolved the most burning problem faced by the country and made it tourist friendly. Internationally, Sri Lanka had been named among the 10 nations suitable for foreign tourists.

The government had made the NIC a must for people to cast their votes and removed emergency laws.

Ulterior motives

The people should think whether it was done to ensure democracy or not. The charge made by the Opposition about a lack of democratic freedom was a total farce and a damp squib.

People should ask as to who conducted fraudulent referendums, locked out thousands of July strikers, assaulted the deaf on the International Day of the Deaf, attacked the Maha Sangha during May day and opened fire.

They should ask as to who killed 60,000 youths and buried them in villages countywide. These crimes were perpetrated by anti-democratic administrators.

The UNP-LTTE-NGO coalition is using certain former Government politicians as sacrificial lambs to realise their hidden ulterior motives. It is unfortunate that Maithripala too has become such a sacrificial lamb.

Maithipala, Rajitha and four others have become victims of the UNP-LTTE-NGO nexus. Although they claim that they are supporting the coalition of the above forces for national reasons the political history of the country proves that such people only have one motive which is the realisation of their petty personally political objectives.

The UNP-LTTE-NGO coalition was once again trying to destabilise the country and some government politicians have fallen prey to their canards. We urge the people to shed petty differences and rally against the UNP-LTTE-NGO Coalition to safeguard the country.

Whatever conspiracies the NGO ruffians, separatists and anti-national elements hatch, the people have always reposed implicit faith in President Rajapaksa.

The forthcoming Presidential election is a battle between those who love the country and those don’t. Presidemt Rajapaksa won the 2010 Presidential election with a majority of 18 lakhs and this time he will win with a bigger majority.

If Maithripala had told that he was going to contest the Presidential election, the President would have given his blessings as he did to Sarath Fonseka in 2010.

Unfortunately, Maithripala did not have a backbone to tell this to the President before playing the role of a traitor and betraying the party.

The masses would teach these traitors an unforgettable lesson and throw them into the political dustbin.