"President has now the option to emulate Mandela or Mugabe "

(May 26, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Now that the war against terrorism is over , the President has been presented with the best opportunity to prove his true colors , and become a Nelsen Mandela who built the country as an united nation , or imitate Robert Mugabe and allow the country drift Zimbabwe way, said UNP M.P. Lakshman Kiriella addressing a Press briefing at the UNP media unit today (26 May) . It is well to warn him that the descent is always easier than the ascent . The euphoria in war victory is not the criterion , it is what posterity will say that matters .

This war victory is the outcome of everyone’s contribution . From the time of Late President Jayawardena , all Party leaders have given of their best to defeat terrorism. All the armed Forces from that time have made sacrifices . A number of political leaders of all parties , and those of the top rungs and soldiers of the Forces have been victims of LTTE brutality .

It is during the period when the ceasefire was signed during the UNP Govt. in 2002 that the LTTE suffered a crushing blow , as 4000 of its cadres along with Karuna Amman left the Organization disagreeing with Prabhakaran and in favor of the CFA. But, in two months time , the UNP lost its power . Thereafter, the Rajapakse Govt. drove home the advantage using Karuna to defeat the LTTE . When the CFA was in force the LTTE was crippled as all its funding Agencies were systematically blocked with the assistance of Int. co operation by Ranil’s Govt., Kiriella exhorted. Therefore , UNP has always been against terrorism in any form including State terrorism , he noted.

The Govt. which rejected the UNP ‘s proposal – the 13th amendment to the constitution and held protests against it as this will divide the country , now , after 20 long years is stating that it will formulate a political solution which will be in line with the 13th amendment introduced by the UNP, Kiriella concluded.

-Sri Lanka Guardian