Opinion:

President Rajapaksa's wisdom helped crush LTTE terrorists

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

The late LTTE terrorist leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had once said that the people in the South would not remember anything after two days and hence it is easy for his terror outfit to explode bombs at regular intervals.

Prabhakaran laughed at the short-sighted memory of the Sinhalese, saying that they would easily forget any incident or bomb explosion after two weeks. Hence, he had said, the vigilance the people maintain after a bomb explosion would end after two weeks, allowing the LTTE to plant another bomb after a fortnight's time.

Though the Sinhalese reacted angrily to this comment by Prabhakaran, it has now been proved right by the manner in which some people express their views on politics.

During the 2005 Presidential election campaign, people across the country begged just one thing from the UPFA candidate - the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The masses in one voice said they only want the new President to end nothing but terrorism. Be it the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims or any other community living here, all of them begged one thing from President Mahinda Rajapaksa who was first elected to office on November 19, 2005.

Peace

But hardly anybody, even in their wildest dreams, thought that terrorism could be eradicated even if he gets two full terms in office. But the unmatched political sagacity of President Rajapaksa helped the Security Forces to militarily defeat the LTTE terrorism in a little over three years.

On May 18, 2009, the Security Forces completely liberated the country from the clutches of the LTTE terror and signalled the dawn of peace.

It was an occasion to celebrate and even the hardest political critics of President Rajapaksa gave lavish praise for his milestone achievement in Sri Lanka history. It was an even more creditable landmark when considering the fact that even the most sophisticated and strong armies in the world have failed to crush terrorism.

When the US-led NATO forces were struggling in Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflict-hit areas, Sri Lanka's Security Forces set a shining example by vanquishing the LTTE leadership. That was purely due to the strong political leadership of President Rajapaksa who did not tolerate any international pressure and gave everything the Security Forces needed in their forward march.

Wonder of Asia

Having eradicated terrorism and created a peaceful environment for one and all to live in harmony, President Rajapaksa then embarked on an another ambitious mission to win the 'economic war' as well. His target was to make Sri Lanka the Wonder of Asia.

Five years since the dawn of peace, Sri Lanka has made a marked progress towards that goal, indicating that becoming the Wonder of Asia is not a distant goal for Sri Lanka. All these achievements have been made possible due the visionary policies in the Mahinda Chinthana, implemented under the dynamic leadership of President Rajapaksa.

No other leader in Sri Lanka has made such an immense contribution to the country as much as President Rajapaksa. But from the day President Rajapaksa signed the proclamation to conduct a Presidential election two years ahead of the schedule, sinister forces have been working round the clock to brainwash voters.

A few Western countries and the LTTE rump have tried every possible means for a regime change in Sri Lanka. They even exerted undue pressure on Sri Lanka through the UNHRC but President Rajapaksa and his Government could not be threatened by any of those moves.

Wrong impression

Having failed in all their previous moves, the LTTE rump knows the January 2015 election is the best chance for them to press for a regime change in Sri Lanka. In association with some Western politicians, the Tiger cohorts are lavishly pumping money to defeat President Rajapaksa and install a puppet leader so that they could try their dirty games.

It is unfortunate that some people have forgotten what they initially asked from President Rajapaksa. They have been misled by the false Opposition campaigns on corruption and Executive Presidency. Mangala Samaraweera and his bogus media team have been successful in spreading rumours to mislead urban voters.

They come out with various theories to give a wrong impression to the public on corruption. They have repeatedly spread these by word of mouth through their agents deployed in the capital and suburban towns and on social media. One such instance is the comparison between a highway in Kenya and Sri Lanka's Airport Expressway.

The Kenyan highway had been constructed through a jungle through a solid land whereas the Katunayake Expressway was constructed through a marshy land and lagoon, avoiding inconvenience to urban habitats.

Moreover, the compensation paid when acquiring land too has been added to the total cost of the Airport Expressway.

Hence the two expressways in Kenya and Sri Lanka could not be compared under any circumstance.

But Mangala's media mafia continues to play this record at every given opportunity to mislead the public. This is just one example on the Opposition's allegations on corruption. Hence, the public should think twice without falling prey to the Opposition's gimmicks.

Certain ungrateful Opposition supporters conduct themselves in an unbelievable manner as if something had been robbed from them. They have been brainwashed by the Opposition's political gimmicks to blindly believe what the Mangala's mud factory produces. But they do not know that they have been used by interested parties to help the LTTE rump to achieve their unholy and vicious ends.

Unholy alliance

The Opposition makes a big hue and cry over a so-called change in the country's political leadership. We do not expect the die-hard UNP or JVP supporters to vote for President Rajapaksa for that matter because they would blindly vote for the party. But what is the change they expect? The 'change' the Opposition talks about should be a leader who shows no mercy to terrorism, a person who takes an even tougher stance on terrorism!

But is there any leader of that calibre in the Opposition? As there is no such person in the Opposition, voting for a so-called 'change' is an open visa for LTTE terrorists abroad to return to the country and resume their terror acts. Take a careful look at the unholy alliance that backs Maithriala Sirisena. People such as Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maithripala Sirisena and R. Sampanthan have a notorious track record of supporting the LTTE either directly or indirectly.

Chandrika did everything to hang onto power while the LTTE overran Army camps in Mullativu and Elephant Pass in quick succession, killing thousands of soldiers. She even went to the extent of granting self-governing body to the LTTE called P-TOMs after the 2004 tsunami devastation. She now lavishly spends Western funds to install a puppet leader such as Maithripala so that she could remote-control him, similar to what Prabhakaran did with the TNA leadership.

Terrorism

Ranil's track record is even worse, having signed that controversial Norwegian-brokered Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) with Prabhakaran which confined the Security Force to their barracks. Ranil officially recognised the area controlled by the LTTE terrorists who came so near to setting their dream separate state.

Could anybody in his or her right sense expect this unholy alliance to protect the country? They would definitely allow the LTTE rump to rob the country of its hard-earned peace. Is that the 'change' these Opposition supporters expect?

We respect one's right to vote for a party or a politician of their choice. But at the same time, it should not be a decision that is detrimental to the country's national security or undermines the supreme sacrifices made by the true sons of our soil. If there is someone who is strict with regard to terrorism as much as President Rajapaksa, they are free to vote for such candidate.

Since there is nobody who comes anywhere near President Rajapaksa when it comes to a vision against terrorism, the Opposition supporters should not fall prey to the popular slogan of Maithripala Sirisena which calls for a change.

The change they project would ultimately pave way for a separate state, helping the LTTE rump to make a comeback in a few years' time. This is where the voters should be extra careful and think twice before casting their vote.

A vote for a so-called change should not be a vote which endorses LTTE terror or a visa for the Tigers to return to Sri Lanka to resume their activities. Maithripala and his cohorts, in their lust for power, have reportedly signed agreements with several parties including the TNA.

Former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake has asked the so-called joint Opposition to disclose such agreements without taking the voters for a ride.

This shows how greedy and desperate Chandrika and her men are to capture power. On the other hand, the UNP has not produced a President for over two decades. They too are all out to win at any cost, assuming that Maithripala would make Ranil the Prime Minister. Maithripala is not a fool to do that and would be remote-controlled by Chandrika.

In case Maithripala wins, the leaders in the so-called common Opposition would clash among themselves for positions, enabling the TNA and the LTTE rump to creep through and achieve their vicious ends. This is the danger we all have to realise, irrespective of our political, religious and ethnic affiliations.

It is high time we all realise this danger and work together to protect the country's hard-earned peace. At a time we ought to give a better meaning to the supreme sacrifices made by the soldiers to give us a peaceful environment, we should not let petty politics destroy the dreams of those fallen heroes.

Let us remember them with profound gratitude and try to give a better meaning for their efforts by casting our votes wisely, putting the country before self.