|
|
 |
  |
| Sunday, 19 September 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
The green, green grass of home Light Refractions by Lucien Rajakarunanayake You can't really blame them for it. I mean the UNP's salivating desire to get back to the seats they sullied so badly when in power. Oh! The green, green grass of home, where political power made it the best place to graze for profit and enrichment.
The much publicized November Revolution, when the UNP was to topple the Government is also no more. The hopes of those, especially in the media, who reported that the UNP Leader Ranil W himself had said the UNP would defeat the Government in November this year were dashed, when the same Green Ranil explained that all he said was that the UNP's new reorganization would be complete by November. And, what a great revolution that will be! So the target now is peace, with the marginalizing of the JVP and hopefully (for the UNP) its exit from the governing alliance. So natural one would say; how else can the UNP come back to power, unless it lends active support to the SLFP, and that can happen only if there are empty benches on the Government side, with the JVP not being part of the equation of governance. What better method of getting back to office, or even share some of the choice spoils of it and have some control on the levers of power, than to extend its hand to the President for peace, under the undisclosed terms dictated to the UNP by the LTTE, Erik Solheim, the National Peace Council and those who are left of International Alert et al? Rajitha Senaratne, well known in the past for his political halitosis, especially in insulting the President, is now so full of sweet talk, almost to the level of being coy when he offers support to the President to achieve peace, under the terms of the ISGA, with the assurance that if the JVP is against it, then the UNP would be back her to the hilt. Surprisingly, this offer is made while at the same time the UNP leader, who was a signatory to the now largely condemned MoU with the LTTE, without even showing it to the President who was Head of State and Government, turns down a request by the President to co-chair a council of all political parties and other interested groups in achieving a consensus in the South, on the demands of the LTTE. These champions of peace, to whom satisfying the bloodlust and territorial greed of the Tiger was of the utmost importance in "confidence building" during two years of a so-called peace, say such a conference would be useless as there could be no consensus reached in the South. Did they ever ask themselves why not give it a try? When faced with such obstinate green blockheads, so unashamedly hell bent on selling the ISGA to the South, one is reminded of the words of Francis Bacon, the great essayist, philosopher and statesman who said: "If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties." The launching pad of the UNP is the certainty that there cannot, will not and shall not be any consensus in the South. All it is doing this with extending its dirty green hand to the President, is attempt to do a hard sell on the ISGA, and the prevailing territorial claims of the LTTE. This is not surprising from a political party that still does not utter a single word of condemnation of the LTTE's killing of a large number of its political opponents. These are political activists who oppose the LTTE, to whom the UNP government denied weapons of self-defence issued earlier, under the terms of its contemptible MoU, which even the IGP and the SLMM now say should be amended. Can one ask for anything more from a political party and leadership that carried out an act of the most despicable treachery in betraying the Millennium City safe house, and exposing the immensely successful Long Range Reconnaissance Unit of the Sri Lanka Army? I bet you my last devalued rupee, that even if the JVP were to agree to the ISGA in toto, the UNP and LTTE will together say there is no consensus in the South and therefore, no solution is possible. What is important to remember is that whatever the UNP says of being supportive of peace, both it and the LTTE are singing from the same hymn sheet, supported by a well-funded chorus who have been given their parts to sing in harmony with the lead singers. The reason is simple. The UNP and many others too, are aware that the JVP is emerging as the major political force to contend with. Therefore, it is to the advantage of the UNP and others who think alike to have them eliminated as the unrelenting, racist, extremist opponents of peace. The UNP's offer of support to the President is nothing but the kiss of a traitor, just like Ranil Wickremesinghe's well photographed handshake with the President in August 2000, having reached agreement on the Draft Constitution, was only a Judas handshake. The record of treachery of the UNP is only too well known, unlike the draft dodging of George W Bush being unknown to the American voters in November 2000. Coming to any compact with those yearning to get back to their familiar green, green grass of the past, can only lead to a grisly compact with the bloody Tiger that lurks behind them. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
Their political prophecies of the UPFA government collapsing within
three or six months have proved unreal with the CWC supporting the
Government, albeit with a typically Thondaman-like approach to the entire
issue, and the movement of Saturn to whichever house in the zodiac it will
be comfortable in for the next seven years.
