Fonseka hoodwinks with ‘friendly’ forces:

Merger, de-merger and merger again ! - Wimal Weerawansa

This is not just another Presidential Election. It is not a matter of having or not having the presidency. According to National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa, today, it is a matter of patriotism and saving the country’s territorial integrity. In an interview Wimal Weerawansa relates the how difficult it is to save the country from puppets dancing to the tunes of foreign forces from the Western World.

Q: Today the war and its victory has become history for the public. The Opposition says that people want an uncorrupted disciplined leadership without concentrating power around a family. The Opposition drags Sarath Fonseka into the scene with this backdrop. How do you see this as one of the key players supporting Mahinda Rajapaksa?

A: The Opposition does not and cannot prove a single case factual and logically. All are throwing false allegations. We brought a corruption case into limelight and we proved it. We revealed every fact related to it to the entire country. Do the Opposition accuse in this manner? In fact, they could not bring a single defamatory case to the Parliament against Mahinda Rajapaksa regime during the past four years. During Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga’s regime defamatory cases were brought to the Parliament on the Thawakkal deal, Channel 9 deal, Air Lanka deal etc. The Opposition produced documentary proof for all those. With the present Government, they accuse of a corruption in MiG aircraft deal.

A Parliamentary Select Committee was set up to inquire in to this where I was also appointed as a member. The committee met continuously and eventually, even those UNP Parliamentarians who initially requested a Select Committee, did not participate. This is how all the accusations end up. The Opposition brands the Hedging deal as a theft. The money has not been paid and now the case has gone to courts. It would be a theft if the money was paid. The Opposition is spreading such rumours. They have nothing else to say. Can they say let’s defeat Mahinda Rajapaksa regime that sells the country to foreign forces? can they say let’s defeat the separatist Mahinda Rajapaksa regime?

The only thing they can point out is the family. His brother, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has he done anything wrong to the country? Wasn’t he a crucial factor to the war victory? So did that brotherhood added any misery to the country by ending a 30-year of war? These are originating in the minds of people who hate a family. Ranil and Mangala would never like a family. They hate it.

Q: How do you expect Sarath Fonseka to be a clean politician with a unblemished character? He may be a fresher to politics, may be, just about 40 days, but what about his past record while he was in service?

A: We have already revealed the true nature. Fonseka is not coming forward to discipline the country. They are working in connivance with foreign forces who desperately want to hinder the growth of our country as they hate President Mahinda Rajapaksa for wiping off terrorism, which they had nurtured all these years.

Q: The candidate of the UNP-JVP alliance, Sarath Fonseka first faced an illegal arms deal accusation raised by the ruling party and lately was accused of a secret pact signed with the Tamil National Alliance. Yet the UNP and JVP say there is no such pact. What is your point of view in this?

A: What matters most are the comments from Sampanthan and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and not that of the United National Party (UNP) or of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). TNA Member of Parliament Thurai Retnamsingham clearly stated to the Vasantham FM radio channel that they have reached an agreement with Sarath Fonseka with a list of conditions and Sarath Fonseka had accepted the letter in toto signed and returned the document. TNA member also said that Ranil Wickremesinghe had also signed the agreement. So he clearly stated that they strongly trust this agreement above all. In another statement to the last week’s issue of ‘Sunday Lankadeepa’ Sampanthan said that the TNA extended their patronage to Fonseka since he has a positive approach to their conditions such as remerging the North and the East and to find a definite solution to the ethnic issue.

If such a pact is not existing why can’t Sampanthan deny? It is he and the TNA should deny the existence of such an agreement loud and clear. The next fact is, will Sampanthan and the TNA actually support Fonseka if there wasn’t an agreement? Would the TNA ever support the former Army Chief if the conditions were never in favour of their ideologies? If they do, then definitely the TNA must be insane?

While agreeing to betray the country Sarath Fonseka says ‘Mata Pera Rata (country before myself)’ to the people of the southern region of the country. Agreeing to all the conditions laid by Sampanthan and the TNA, Sarath Fonseka clearly indicates that to gain power he would even advocate separatism - this is not ‘Mata Pera Rata’. Their main target was to seek the possibilities of extracting the entire vote bank of the Tamil community at the cost of betraying the country. We very well know people who are aware of these true facts and the entire country is lined up against this unpleasant move.

Q: You were saying that Sampanthan and Sarath Fonseka signed the agreement at a house of a Colombo district UNP Parliamentarian. Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake vehemently condemned this fact and said he would send you a Letter of Demand before taking legal action?

A: Honestly speaking he has sent me many Letters of Demand. Let him go to courts. I repeat to say that Sampanthan, Sarath Fonseka and Ranil Wickremesinghe singed this agreement betraying the country standing in between two ambassadors from the West. That is the truth. We receive reliable information from these concerned parties. We reveal the truth to the world. I was not slandering Ravi Karunanayake. It will be a slander if we reveal all the details we know of him. We did our job. And I reiterate we revealed the truth.

Q: The Northeast demerger took place while you were in the JVP. The judgement was given by the then Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva. He said, addressing a political rally at Vavuniya recently, that people should treat this Presidential elections as a referendum on the demerger of the North and East. Thus, the North - East demerger become a crucial factor in this election?

A: First, I must stress that the Northeast merger was done in an entirely non democratic manner. At that time a people’s referendum was promised to be held in a year but that never happened. The two provinces were forcefully merged to bring in recognition to the mono-ethnic, separate state ideology.

After several years the JVP went to courts, on the advice of senior lawyers Gomin Dayasiri, S.L. Gunasekara and Presidential Lawyer H.L. de Silva, which was extended at first to the National Patriotic Movement. Later. Gunadasa Amarasekara and I suggested that the petition should be filed by the JVP. The Thinakural newspaper carried the recent comments made by Sarath N. Silva, the then Chief Justice who gave the verdict. Later another comment was also made to the ‘Lakbimanews’ newspaper.

Now what’s Sarath N. Silva’s stand? He is totally supporting Sarath Fonseka. They are the forces holding back this victory of the country. Merging Northern and Eastern Provinces is definitely promoting the concept of a mono-ethnic separate homeland.

This is what attracts the TNA. TNA gets strongly involved in this, simply because they are searching for ways and means to breathe in life to the dead and gone LTTE terrorism through Sarath Fonseka. The suggestion to release the ex-LTTE cadres and suspects kept under the Government’s custody emerges in this backdrop. These people have already agreed to release ex-LTTE cadres and suspects without holding any inquiry or rehabilitation.

These people should be freed to the society as loyal citizens without hamper the national security. When releasing them becomes a political condition in a presidential election it builds a breeding ground for terrorism. Isn’t this carrying on the unfinished work of Prabhakaran?

Q: People may think that JVP presence in the Opposition will prevent any disloyal actions. Do you think any of these aspirations of become a reality?

A: The JVP is well aware of all the factors affiliating to the great betrayal. M.T. Silva has said there is no such agreement, it was reported in last week Sunday Lankadeepa. These agreements were signed while the JVP was actively on the scene. But if you ask them they will not deny signing the agreement.

Sarath Fonseka never has mentioned that he will protect the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. There was no other political party like JVP who cried so loud to protect the territorial integrity of the country. At this juncture, where the country ended a bloody war and when the country is moving forward in a peaceful environment , there is no other factor more important than territorial integrity. Why was not this included in Fonseka’s manifesto? If they embraced in Sambandan and TNA will not come forward to support. The JVP sacrificed this concept for the sake of the TNA. The JVP is not the patriotic JVP it used to be. People were shocked to see Ranil Wickremesinghe and Somawansa Amarasinghe hugging each other at a political rally. It was published on the front page of the ‘Daily Mirror’. This indicates that they have become just puppets of the vicious Western world forces, who can even work together with countries like Norway. The JVP is well aware of all these betrayals.

Q: Do you believe Sarath Fonseka’s arrival into politics shocked the Government? Isn’t is a challenge?

A: If ever there was a challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa would have agreed to the TNA conditions when Sambandan forwarded them. If ever the President felt Sarath Fonseka as a challenge he would have given his consent. There is no challenge for him. It is Fonseka who is fearful. That is why he had to say yes to what ever the TNA suggested. Until January 26 they will be peaceful.

Next day morning only they will start killing each other and it is the day Fonseka will start taking revenge from all those who pushed him to do something he was clueless about.

Q: Do you think the fresh candidate Fonseka can deliver the change people expect?

A: With whom is the fresh candidate standing in line? Ranil Wickremesinghe is number one agent for colonialism. If Sarath Fonseka can stand in line with this stale lot, how can we treat him as a fresher? We have proven beyond doubt how Sarath Fonseka, while being the Army Commander sat in the Arms procurement Tender Board and favoured his son-in-law. Parliamentarian Bimal Ratnayake challenged to prove Fonseka’s involvement in these purchasing procedures if ever he bought even an eraser. We prove how he bought the entire lot. Every document is tabled in the Parliament. They stopped raising their voice. This shows they accepted that these corruptions took place. What change can such a person bring, who always tried to fatten his pockets and make his family rich with money earned unlawfully?

Fonseka may be a new face for politics but what they do is not new. They are on the path of flaming separatism and racism. These people are here to take revenge from the Government for ending a bloody war and flushing way Prabhakaran and elements of terrorism. Bringing Fonseka to victory these people want to send Mahinda Rajapaksa to prison.

What crime did he commit during the past four years? Is it ending the war? Is it bringing the SriLankan Airlines back to the country from Emirates? Is it keeping the Sri Lanka Insurance Cooperation as a Government institution without selling it to a business? Is it protecting the resources of the country without selling them to foreigners? Is it taking the country to victory while letting the people to enjoy health, education and welfare facilities? If anyone votes for Fonseka then he or she is voting to send Mahinda Rajapaksa behind bars. So I never believe Sri Lankans will ever be ungrateful.

Q: Are you doubtful of the public opinion coming up on January 26?

A: No. Never. With great respect we await the people’s decision that will dump Fonseka and rest of the crowd for betraying the country.