Did the US persuade General Fonseka to contest for Presidency?

By Saybhan Samat

(November 17, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The resignation of Sarath Fonseka from the post of Commander Defense Services (CDS) shocked the nation. The subsequent announcement that he would likely be the common candidate for the opposition, United National Alliance(UNA), more than shocking the nation left them bewildered. News reports and websites are flooded with speculations, comments and analysis of this surprise move. One political analyst went so far as to say that General Fonseka, may suffer the same fate as Major General Janaka Perera and Lucky Algama.

Yet another political analyst claimed that Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe leader of the opposition with his poor record wanted to ride on the back of General Fonseka and then discard him like a cigarette butt which was made evident by the conditions put forward by Mr. Wickramasinghe and confirmed by Lakshman Kiriella M.P. Those conditions demand of General Fonseka that immediately upon victory, he will announce the abolition of the Executive Presidency(thereby rendering himself impotent) and establish a “caretaker” government with Mr. Wickremasinghe as the Prime Minister, giving important portfolios to both the JVP and the supporters of the L.T.T.E. (TNA) which General Fonseka fought so valiantly for so many years.

It appears that Mr. Wickramasinghe and Mr. Lakshman Kiriella clearly envision no role for General Fonseka other than facing the election, facing all the trouble and risks incumbent upon doing so handling over the fruits of victory to Mr. Wickramasinghe and his UNF party. This analyst concluded his hard hitting comment by saying, “Nothing in what I have said means that I believe that President Rajapakse is a perfect president. He is certainly not. There is much that is wrong with him and his governance, and in particular, much that is wrong and almost nothing good in the “hangers on” around him. What I do say is that whatever his faults may be, the alternative of the serial loser (Mr Wickramasinghe) and his cohorts in the unseemly quest for power have the impudence to invite General Fonseka to sacrifice the respect and affection the people have for him in order to help them to achieve their ambitions which they cannot achieve on their own. One can well visualize from this what type of governance this bunch of charlatans would give this country if given a chance.”

While one analyst put the fear of assassination, the other warned General Fonseka that opportunistic and mediocre politicians would ride on his back to power. There are an assortment of other comments and analysis in the media on a daily basis.

None of the media reports seem to have noticed that all this brouhaha started after General Fonseka visited the US. Fonseka was away in the US from October 23rd 2009 to November 05, 2009. It is no secret that the US and its European allies do not like President Rajapakse’s policies and his refusal to give in to their demands. Rajapakse’s close relations with China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Iran, Libya, Pakistan and India are not to the liking of the Western powers. It is likely that the US administration would have coerced General Fonseka to resign and contest the presidency in order to eliminate the recalcitrant Rajapakse. Even if General Fonseka loses the US would fund and support that the election was rigged and create political instability in the island, so that –right-wing reactionaries get power. A post-election scenario like what happened in Iran after the June12th presidential elections there is likely in the drawing board of the C.I.A.

The right-wing media, and anti-nationalists will from now on go full gear to support General Fonseka. President Rajapakse under whose leadership the war was won and put a halt to terrorism will be demonized, just like how President Ahamadinejad was demonized. However the national minded people and patriots of this land will ensure that Rajapakse wins just like the majority that Ahamadinejad obtained when he won.

The worse God forbid may also happen, Fonseka may suffer the fate of Benazir Bhutto. It was the US that persuaded Benazir Bhutto to contest the Pakistan election. Nothing could be ruled-out as politics the world over especially in the Asian continent is accompanied by cruel violence, mayhem anarchy, terror and vote-rigging.

-Sri Lanka Guardian