What is this ‘creative balance & equilibrium in Sri Lanka’s favor’ that the Moragoda Doctrine espouses to achieve? Exactly how many votes would the Moragoda Doctrine have delivered to Gotabaya Rajapakse or the SLPP had that been the basis of their election manifestos & election campaigns?While Moragoda is the head of Pathfinder, the very organization that is promoting the implementation of the MCC, advocated via its Post-Covid Economic Proposal, MCC actually demands changes to the constitution and land policy and land laws prior to signing of the agreement. If so, how can Moragoda claim to ‘protect Sri Lanka’s interests and safeguard her sovereignty’? This is in direct contrast to the election manifesto that won the Presidency for H.E. Gotabaya Rajapakse & helped SLPP win a 2/3 in Parliament.

Understanding the Moragoda Doctrine – http://www.ft.lk/opinion/Understanding-the-Moragoda-Doctrine-A-historical-context/14-707270

‘nationalist isolationist strategy’ Moragoda claims is counter-productive, however it was the nationalist strategy that placed this Government in power. It is nationalist strategy that has been the winning streak in all of the powerful mandates leaders have secured across the world. Ask Narendra Modi how he came to power!

A nationalist policy and strategy is what inspired the ancient leaders to use diplomacy to win friends that came to Sri Lanka’s aid during adverse periods. Fast forward to present context, it is these friends that came forward to help Sri Lanka eliminate a terrorist organization banned by 32 nations while those promoting chit chats with tigers were attempting to whisk off the tigers to safety via sea. It is these alliances and friends that stand up for Sri Lanka on international forums. Does Sri Lanka need friends who shake hands and plot to stab Sri Lanka?

Moragoda high-commissioner designate is claiming that the model strategy was during the ‘international cooperation formulated & implemented during 2002-2004’ under his former hero Ranil Wickremasinghe.

This period saw some of the worst treacheries take place. A Norwegian brokered ceasefire agreement was signed keeping the document secret from the country’s President. A foreign monitoring mission was brought in simply to do clerical work & record violations. Over 3000 violations committed by LTTE remained just confined to paper. The highest number of child soldier recruitment took place during this period. The National Army was confined to barracks while the terrorists were allowed to roam the country with arms. Terrorists for the first time in history were officially given territory in a sovereign country. In addition to the treacherous Cease Fire Agreement two more detrimental agreements were in queue for signature – the PTOMs and ISGA. Terrorists were sent sophisticated communication and satellite systems, passed by Sri Lanka Customs with officials even waiving duties & taxes and helping transport items to the terrorists! So this was the ‘model strategy’ that Moragoda emulates!

In this age of social media and alternate news – it is natural that targeted parties escape is to shout ‘fake news’ ‘false news’ and attempt to hide their guilt. Who decides what is fake news anyway? Who decides the truth? Who can verify if anything is fact or fiction? To some the 2002 Cease Fire Agreement was Sri Lanka’s golden era but is this true? Is this fake news? Isn’t it up to the people to decide what they deem is correct or wrong? No one can and should force people to believe anything they do not wish to believe by branding it false news.

It is interesting that Moragoda brings up the ICC statute which was also a component of the Ranil-Moragoda ‘golden era of international cooperation’. The Rome Statute/International Criminal Court was established in 1998 to prosecute and adjudicate individuals, not states accused of genocide, war crimes & crimes against humanity.

In 2000 President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Statute. On May 6, 2002, the Bush Administration announced that the United States does not intend to become a party to the Rome Statute which went into force in 2002 July.  SrI Lanka has not signed or ratified the Treaty. If so what is the boasting of Moragoda to stop any Sri Lankans from being extradited? But Sri Lanka signed with US in November 2002 agreeing not to transfer a person of the other Party to a third country without the consent of each other. There is also reference to the US gift of a ship claiming it helped defeat LTTE, but then it completely contradicts the fact that US wanted to save Prabakaran & whisk him off to safety. It is also to be noted that RanilW & UNP wished IMF not to provide aid & even suggested sanctions when it became clear LTTE was on their way to defeat. The 2002-2004 period also saw the defection of Karuna from the LTTE and Moragoda claims to be the mastermind of the ‘international safety net’ trapping LTTE. Invariably, it is more than possible that for Plan B of the international geopolitical game in Sri Lanka, Prabakaran needed to be out of the way and removing Karuna would deliver a major dent to LTTE & Karuna. While, West pretended to be LTTE’s friend, it was clear, they were merely using them for their own advantage. The leaders of the 2002-2004 were playing their role in this bigger game.

Who are the like-minded group Moragoda has been assigned to establish and what is their modus operandi or objectives? Moreover, if the Ranil W administration had been so gaga, why did it face electoral defeat and why did Moragoda himself jump to the Opposition? Two years of giving and giving to the LTTE eventually resulted in the assassination of Sri Lanka’s most loved foreign minister Mr. Lakshman Kadiragamar.

Why is Moragoda plucking out the 2002 Extradition Treaty between Sri Lanka & US?

https://www.congress.gov/106/cdoc/tdoc34/CDOC-106tdoc34.pdf

Is this to convey a message to members of the Government & key heads of the armed forces on behalf of the US?

It is curious that there is reference to Sri Lanka depending on the ‘intelligence provided by the West particularly the CIA’ because even the US envoy claims to have had no intelligence of the Easter Sunday attack when India had sent Sri Lanka 97 security intel alerts! Also to date the FBI who took away the telephone records of the suicide attackers have still to provide the results to Sri Lanka and it’s been over 1 ½ years since the mass murder!

Yet, its good ot know that there had been very ‘close cooperation’ with US intel during the presidency of Mahinda Rajapakse – if so, it explains why US envoy Blake claimed to the US Congressional Committee of 40,000 deaths though he cannot produce any names or details of the deceased as yet!

Contrary to the claim that Sri Lankans have forgotten the wretched-three decade conflict – is the fact that, Sri Lankans very well remember every person who colluded with the enemy, propped them up and made use of the LTTE for their personal gain and who today are pointing fingers at the people. The people made sacrifices – those in power didn’t. The armed forces made sacrifices and sadly it was even at the cost of bad judgements.

The CFA did not turn any tide against the LTTE. The CFA only strengthened the LTTE. It was the will of the President to take the decision to military defeat the LTTE and the LTTE’s error in refusing to return to guerilla tactics that caused their eventual defeat.

No support of India or US can overpower the support that came from China & Pakistan. We cannot forget the number of trips and cost of those trips that the leaders had to make to India simply to keep the Indians happy. Sri Lanka had to play the bogus part of India’s role in claiming ‘India’s concern for Tamils’. If the West and in particular the US are so supportive of ending LTTE Terror, why do they not take action against the LTTE fronts operating from their shores and continuing the illegal international nexus which US admitted in 2015. LTTE fronts operated and continue to operate a campaign of fundraising & lies on western shores. Why are Western governments continuing to allow this if they are on the wave length that LTTE terrorism should be defeated and will help Sri Lanka do so? Why did US knowing the illegality of the Ban Ki Moon personal report, use it as a basis for 3 UNHRC resolutions based on LTTE heresay against Sri Lanka? Why are the West not going after the runaway LTTE combatants who are living on western shores as refugees/asylum seekers? Why is the same emphasis on the accountability of armed forces personnel being targeted at LTTE, when everyone knows LTTE was harming peace for all citizens of Sri Lanka. In a just war why should the armed forces be subject to retributive justice while the LTTE are to get restorative justice? Why are the armed forces vilified and ridiculed why LTTE are presented as innocent lambs? Is this the doctrine of the like-minded coalition that Sri Lanka has to accept?

As ambassador designate to India with ministerial powers – we hope the policy adopted will be nation-centric Gotabaya doctrine only!

Shenali D Waduge