The West has defined the crisis facing them as a necessary war waged by democracies against terrorism. Brown went further and said that “the war on terror was a struggle for the soul of the 21st century.” And he summed up the nature of the global crisis when he said tersely: “Terrorism is not a cause but a crime against humanity.” For his part, Bush said: “The march to democracy is never smooth”.
_____________________
(June 22, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) The global war on terrorism has taken an unexpected turn. In Iraq, for instance, the light of optimism is breaking through the clouds of pessimism that darkened the skies of President George Bush. The London Economist, which is no friend of Bush or his war in Iraq, wrote under the heading, Iraq starts to fix itself: “The people are still suffering monstrously, but Iraq is doing far better that it was a few months ago.” (June 16, 2008). Its analysis paints a positive scenario despite the fragile nature of Iraqi political equation.
France and Britain too have thrown their full weight behind President George Bush. The US House of Representatives, dominated by anti-war Democrats, yesterday passed a bill to free up $US162 billion without imposing a timetable to pull the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. After the initial skepticism there is a growing consensus that the war against terrorism is winnable.
This was confirmed by Prime Minister George Brown at a joint media conference in London (June 16, 2008). He assured Bush that he would increase the current number of troops (4280) in Iraq. Reason: “We are making progress with training and elections. We are moving from combat to overseeing.”
It is not known whether Brown picked this line after meeting President Mahinda Rajapakse at No: 10 Downing Street last month. But it is certainly what President Rajapakse has been demonstrating amply in his battle against terrorism: 1. His forces are making progress. 2. He is holding elections. 3. And in the east he has moved from major combats to overseeing.
Even as Brown was speaking five paratroopers killed in Afghanistan were given a ceremonial burial in UK. But that was not going to dampen his commitment to fight terrorism. In fact, he added quite categorically: “In Iraq there is a job to be done and we will continue to do the job and there is going to be no artificial timetable and the reason is that we are making progress.”
Without mincing his words he said bluntly: “Taliban must be tackled or Afghanistan would come to us.” Brown also praised Bush for his “steadfastness and resolution in rooting out terrorism in all parts of the world…..”
The West has defined the crisis facing them as a necessary war waged by democracies against terrorism. Brown went further and said that “the war on terror was a struggle for the soul of the 21st century.” And he summed up the nature of the global crisis when he said tersely: “Terrorism is not a cause but a crime against humanity.” For his part, Bush said: “The march to democracy is never smooth”.
While the world leaders are collectively marching to crush terrorism, emboldened by their successes, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mangala Samaraweera (WIKUSAs) have declared war not on the Tiger terrorists but on the Security Forces advancing slowly but surely into Vanni. While Brown and Bush are declaring that they will not insist on “artificial timetables” the WIKUSAs are demanding a timetable to end the march to Vanni. WIKUSAs are stepping in at this critical time when the Security Forces, fighting against all odds, are winning the battles that the WIKUSAs said could not be won.
Not surprisingly, the WIKUSAs have launched their counter-attack on the Security Forces just at the time that Prabhakaran needs a life line to be saved from the advancing onslaught. This is not the first time that WIKUSAs have bent over backwards to shore up Prabhakaran. Wickremesinghe lifted him to the peak of his power when he signed the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) which handed over the north and the east to him without the Tigers having to fire a single bullet.
Is there a method in the political madness of Wickremesinghe who either alienates his own rank and file or runs after the anti-national enemies of the nation like Prabhakaran? Though his own UNPers have many reservations about his leadership qualities they are ever ready to concede that Wickremesinghe possess the unrivalled qualifications of being the most skilled digger of his own grave. His cheap (“juck-muck-toot-toot”) politics has not enhanced his image either. His latest attack on the Security Forces is the classic example of his total incapacity to give leadership at any level – not even to run a hole-in-the-wall suruttu kaday.
In aiming at the Security Forces he is trying to beat the criminal record of Kudu Naufer who was instrumental in the assassination of a judge of the highest court – a civil protector of the nation. The criminal elements of any society invariably target the guardians of the nation. Besides, what has he, as the leader of the Grand Old Party, contributed to the present or the future of the nation?
There’s no point in asking as to what “KU” in the WIKUSAs has contributed to the nation. But Wickremesinghe parades as if he has the magic wand to solve the crises of the nation. In these critical times when the nation is facing the gravest threat to it sovereignty and territorial integrity the only valid criterion to gauge the quality of leadership is by assessing the solid contributions made to protect the nation from its external and internal enemies.
What has Wickremesinghe contributed whether as Leader of the Opposition or during his brief stint as Prime Minister? The answer is appalling: as Leader of the Opposition he burnt the Chandrika-Neelan formula presented to Parliament and then, as Prime Minister he goes in the opposite direction to sign a Ceasefire Agreement with the fascist enemy of democracy, going way beyond the boundaries of the formula he burnt. As Prime Minister he berated the Navy Commander for confronting Tiger boats in defence of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation. Now he is back again on the job of weakening and destroying the protectors of the nation. Apart from any political skills his record questions whether he has the testostoronic fortitude to be a man. Not a political leader but a plain simple man
There is no earthly reason for him and his WIKUSAs to undermine the heroic efforts of the Security Forces who have no security unlike him and his WIKUSAs to protect themselves. On the contrary, he and his WIKUSAs are entirely dependent on the Security Force for their survival. But he and his WIKUSAs are turning their guns on the very forces that protect them. The Security Forces are the guardians and protectors of the nation. So when the WIKUSAs are firing at the Security Forces the nation has a right to ask whether their taxes should be diverted to protect these traitors. Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapakse might as well send those commandos to protect Prabhakaran. Most likely, he would be more grateful to “the Sinhala government” than the treacherous WIKUSAs.
The irony is that if Gotabaya decides to remove even one Security guard or a vehicle given to the WIKUSAs they and their claque in the media would raise a howl crying that their security is in danger. But they have no qualms in putting the security of the nation in danger by sniping at the Security Forces from behind. It is perfectly legitimate to ask why the nation should waste its resources in protecting these enemies of the nation.
Some neurosurgeon or psychiatrist must dig into his head (not that there is much depth in it) to figure out whether it is identical to that of a prawn – you know the one filled with all the bodily muck. His failure can be attributed partly to hangers-on like Lasantha Wickrematunga, the failed Municipal Council candidate of the SLFP, (and an anti-Buddhist Christian fundamentalist to boot) telling him what to do. His other partner in crime is “KU” in the WIKUSAs. This “Queen of Thieves” (as stated by Victor Ivan who was close to her at one time) has been an equal disaster to the nation. Her friend Lasantha Wickrematunga has exposed her as a fraud who claimed qualification which she failed to obtain from Sorbonne. If you add the basket case of the baila-dancing Samaraweera to this lot you have the perfect concoction for anther political tsunami.
The WIKUSAs are a bunch of no-hopers who cannot distinguish between their friends and enemies. Sir. John Kotelawela used to say: “I can look after my enemies but save me from my friends.” It is time that the nation is reminded of this adage if it is to find its way into a sustainable peace, stability and progress.
_____________________
(June 22, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) The global war on terrorism has taken an unexpected turn. In Iraq, for instance, the light of optimism is breaking through the clouds of pessimism that darkened the skies of President George Bush. The London Economist, which is no friend of Bush or his war in Iraq, wrote under the heading, Iraq starts to fix itself: “The people are still suffering monstrously, but Iraq is doing far better that it was a few months ago.” (June 16, 2008). Its analysis paints a positive scenario despite the fragile nature of Iraqi political equation.
France and Britain too have thrown their full weight behind President George Bush. The US House of Representatives, dominated by anti-war Democrats, yesterday passed a bill to free up $US162 billion without imposing a timetable to pull the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. After the initial skepticism there is a growing consensus that the war against terrorism is winnable.
This was confirmed by Prime Minister George Brown at a joint media conference in London (June 16, 2008). He assured Bush that he would increase the current number of troops (4280) in Iraq. Reason: “We are making progress with training and elections. We are moving from combat to overseeing.”
It is not known whether Brown picked this line after meeting President Mahinda Rajapakse at No: 10 Downing Street last month. But it is certainly what President Rajapakse has been demonstrating amply in his battle against terrorism: 1. His forces are making progress. 2. He is holding elections. 3. And in the east he has moved from major combats to overseeing.
Even as Brown was speaking five paratroopers killed in Afghanistan were given a ceremonial burial in UK. But that was not going to dampen his commitment to fight terrorism. In fact, he added quite categorically: “In Iraq there is a job to be done and we will continue to do the job and there is going to be no artificial timetable and the reason is that we are making progress.”
Without mincing his words he said bluntly: “Taliban must be tackled or Afghanistan would come to us.” Brown also praised Bush for his “steadfastness and resolution in rooting out terrorism in all parts of the world…..”
The West has defined the crisis facing them as a necessary war waged by democracies against terrorism. Brown went further and said that “the war on terror was a struggle for the soul of the 21st century.” And he summed up the nature of the global crisis when he said tersely: “Terrorism is not a cause but a crime against humanity.” For his part, Bush said: “The march to democracy is never smooth”.
While the world leaders are collectively marching to crush terrorism, emboldened by their successes, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mangala Samaraweera (WIKUSAs) have declared war not on the Tiger terrorists but on the Security Forces advancing slowly but surely into Vanni. While Brown and Bush are declaring that they will not insist on “artificial timetables” the WIKUSAs are demanding a timetable to end the march to Vanni. WIKUSAs are stepping in at this critical time when the Security Forces, fighting against all odds, are winning the battles that the WIKUSAs said could not be won.
Not surprisingly, the WIKUSAs have launched their counter-attack on the Security Forces just at the time that Prabhakaran needs a life line to be saved from the advancing onslaught. This is not the first time that WIKUSAs have bent over backwards to shore up Prabhakaran. Wickremesinghe lifted him to the peak of his power when he signed the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) which handed over the north and the east to him without the Tigers having to fire a single bullet.
Is there a method in the political madness of Wickremesinghe who either alienates his own rank and file or runs after the anti-national enemies of the nation like Prabhakaran? Though his own UNPers have many reservations about his leadership qualities they are ever ready to concede that Wickremesinghe possess the unrivalled qualifications of being the most skilled digger of his own grave. His cheap (“juck-muck-toot-toot”) politics has not enhanced his image either. His latest attack on the Security Forces is the classic example of his total incapacity to give leadership at any level – not even to run a hole-in-the-wall suruttu kaday.
In aiming at the Security Forces he is trying to beat the criminal record of Kudu Naufer who was instrumental in the assassination of a judge of the highest court – a civil protector of the nation. The criminal elements of any society invariably target the guardians of the nation. Besides, what has he, as the leader of the Grand Old Party, contributed to the present or the future of the nation?
There’s no point in asking as to what “KU” in the WIKUSAs has contributed to the nation. But Wickremesinghe parades as if he has the magic wand to solve the crises of the nation. In these critical times when the nation is facing the gravest threat to it sovereignty and territorial integrity the only valid criterion to gauge the quality of leadership is by assessing the solid contributions made to protect the nation from its external and internal enemies.
What has Wickremesinghe contributed whether as Leader of the Opposition or during his brief stint as Prime Minister? The answer is appalling: as Leader of the Opposition he burnt the Chandrika-Neelan formula presented to Parliament and then, as Prime Minister he goes in the opposite direction to sign a Ceasefire Agreement with the fascist enemy of democracy, going way beyond the boundaries of the formula he burnt. As Prime Minister he berated the Navy Commander for confronting Tiger boats in defence of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation. Now he is back again on the job of weakening and destroying the protectors of the nation. Apart from any political skills his record questions whether he has the testostoronic fortitude to be a man. Not a political leader but a plain simple man
There is no earthly reason for him and his WIKUSAs to undermine the heroic efforts of the Security Forces who have no security unlike him and his WIKUSAs to protect themselves. On the contrary, he and his WIKUSAs are entirely dependent on the Security Force for their survival. But he and his WIKUSAs are turning their guns on the very forces that protect them. The Security Forces are the guardians and protectors of the nation. So when the WIKUSAs are firing at the Security Forces the nation has a right to ask whether their taxes should be diverted to protect these traitors. Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapakse might as well send those commandos to protect Prabhakaran. Most likely, he would be more grateful to “the Sinhala government” than the treacherous WIKUSAs.
The irony is that if Gotabaya decides to remove even one Security guard or a vehicle given to the WIKUSAs they and their claque in the media would raise a howl crying that their security is in danger. But they have no qualms in putting the security of the nation in danger by sniping at the Security Forces from behind. It is perfectly legitimate to ask why the nation should waste its resources in protecting these enemies of the nation.
Some neurosurgeon or psychiatrist must dig into his head (not that there is much depth in it) to figure out whether it is identical to that of a prawn – you know the one filled with all the bodily muck. His failure can be attributed partly to hangers-on like Lasantha Wickrematunga, the failed Municipal Council candidate of the SLFP, (and an anti-Buddhist Christian fundamentalist to boot) telling him what to do. His other partner in crime is “KU” in the WIKUSAs. This “Queen of Thieves” (as stated by Victor Ivan who was close to her at one time) has been an equal disaster to the nation. Her friend Lasantha Wickrematunga has exposed her as a fraud who claimed qualification which she failed to obtain from Sorbonne. If you add the basket case of the baila-dancing Samaraweera to this lot you have the perfect concoction for anther political tsunami.
The WIKUSAs are a bunch of no-hopers who cannot distinguish between their friends and enemies. Sir. John Kotelawela used to say: “I can look after my enemies but save me from my friends.” It is time that the nation is reminded of this adage if it is to find its way into a sustainable peace, stability and progress.
(H.L.D.Mahindapala: Editor, Sunday and Daily Observer (1990 – 1994). President, Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (1991 -1993). Secretary-General, South Asia Media Association (1993 -1994). He has been featured as a political commentator in Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Special Broadcasting Services and other mainstream TV and radio stations in Australia. He is Sri Lanka’s most senior journalist working in the English medium. He read for his degree at Melbourne University and resides in Melbourne, Australia.)
- Sri Lanka Guardian
- Sri Lanka Guardian
Post a Comment