A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA.

Sri Lanka was able to defeat the terrorist menace since the country was gifted with a right leader at the right time who is politically matured, who is devoid of a communal mindset, who respects all communities alike, who has the flair to convince anyone and turn even the foe to become a friend, who respects the women folk as the fountain of motherhood, who dearly adore the children ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the posterity of our nation, who esteem family values, who is dedicated to safeguard the cultural heritage and religious ethics, who are conscious of the important roles being played by the farmers, fisherfolk, and the workers for developing the nation, who understands the heartbeat of the ordinary people, who knows the aura of the environment and the surroundings,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and more than everything who dearly and truly love the country before the self and more than anything in the world.

It was due to the enormous respect reposed by the people in him that the government was able to win all Provincial Council Elections from Eastern Province to Southern Province, and many with over 2/3 majority something considered as an impossible scenario under the present electoral system.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  During these elections it was a common feature that many who had been traditional supporters of opposition parties leaving their parties and expressing support to PresidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s programme of work.

The combined anti-patriotic cabal, a hodgepodge of communalists, racists, foreign lackeys, underground mafiosis, agents of defeated terrorists, elite urbanites, western puppets, political bandits and political desperados in order to execute hidden agendas and serve the vicious schema of western imperialists has brought forward the Retired General Sarath Fonseka, a person proven to lack human qualities and possessed with dictatorial tendencies, as their candidate to oppose the greatest humanist of the post independant Sri Lanka.

The pro-UNP weekly Sunday Leader in an unusual manner, drifting from its normal stance warned the UNP through its political column on 8th November 2009 about the mistake being done by that party to bring Sarath Fonseka as a common candidate.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Writing under the caption ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Democracy Expended by Opposition?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, it explained that the democracy we now enjoy, however lop-sided it may appear to be at times, is far better than being ruled by a military man. The possible election or the very consideration of giving an unqualified person from a totally different background the opportunity to take Sri Lanka into its next phase of development, is a notion that is preposterous in the extreme and sets a deadly precedent for the future, the political columnist emphasized.

Similar to the Sunday Leader Political Column writing, a few moons ago, those active in the anti-patriotic cabal hodgepodge were fervently critical of the very same person they present as their candidate, and condemned him with various names and mocked him as a racist, an ugly American, and even alleged as the very person responsible for attacks on journalists and media personnel.

For instance UNP MPs John Ameratunge, and Joseph Michael Perera accused that attaks on reporters were carried out by a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Special TeamƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ controlled by Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka. Mangala Samaraweera whom Sarath Foseka has chosen as one of his spokesman surpassed all decent norms in criticizing Sarath Fonseka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  He said that Sarath Fonseka was coming after him during the period of 2004 and 2005 appealing him to be appointed to the Army Commander post. But he was not given it since he had no vision to hold the post. He added that Sarath Fonseka had worked for 30 years under many Army Commanders who never awarded him with the ‘Vishishta Seva Vibhushana, and claimed that Fonsekawas penalized on disciplinary grounds in 1975 when General Cyril Ranathunga was the Army Commander. He also said that as soon as Fonseka assumed duty as the Army Commander he recommended himself for the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Vishishta Seva Vibhushana.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, and alleged that they are the persons who handleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  death squads on behalf of Rajpakses and therefore, he shoud be punished for breach of discipline.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  He pointed out that Sarath Fonseka had allocated for him a cost of Rs. 45 million for a Benz car instead of providing facilities for the Army soldiers (Lanka-e-News, November 28, 2008).

Sarath Fonseka, on the other hand, had shown within a short period of time that he is not in consistent with his views and self contradictory on many matters. In an interview with Sunday Observer on 20th July, 2008ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  he said the President of the country being the Commander in Chief is entitled to get the credit for all military victories. Fonseka pointed out that President is the one who takes decisions and responsibilities of launching major offensives. Contrary to what he said he now claims that the war was won because of him and all the credit of the war victory is due only to him. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In this context we must find out what Sarath Foseka could have done in the following scenarios:

If President Rajapakse after assuming office on 19th November 2008, under the recommendation of Gotabhaya Rajapakse, and overlooking seniority, did not extend the services of Sarath Fonseka and did not appoint him as Army Commander, and did not give the same extension of service on subsequent years. (If his current strange bedfellow Ranil Wickremasinghe won the election the first act he would have definitely denied any extension to Sarath Fonseka and packed him off to the United States thus enabling him to serve as a mercenary in Iraq or Afghanistan.)

The former Army Conmander Shantha Kottegoda had two more years to serve and if the President, the Commader-in-Chief allowed Shantha Kottegoda to continue with relevant extensions of service and functioned as the Army Commander during the liberation period where would have been Sarath Fonseka? He will of course be a non-entity in such a scenario and would have been sent on retirement on 1st December 2005.

If the President obliged to the threats made by foreign powers and similar to whaat was done by previous Presidents called off the military operation and commanded the forces to return to their barracks what Sarath Fonseka could have done in such an instance?

On many instances, especially during the North Operation, the army was unable to move and suffered serious losses, due to heavy and sophisticated weapons used by the terrorists.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Madu and Muhamalai were two such places among many others, where the army suffered heavy losses. It was due to the skilful destruction of long range and heavy weapon sites of the terrorists by the air force that the army was able to move forward from such areas.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If the government did not acquired Migs and other fighter planes and strengthen the air force and made it the best precision target air force how Sarath Fonseka could have led the army to move forward?

What about the mammoth role played by the Navy under the command of Navy Chief Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Although the Navy Chief and Sarath Fonseka were not in talking terms, regardless of their personal animosity the Navy Chief in order to successfully complete the task assigned to him by the President made every measure to expand the naval strength to an unprecedented level and completely annihilate the LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s powerful naval force even venturing into Indonesian waters and destroying the massive ships used by LTTE as their floating arms storages.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Due to their round the clock rigid vigilance and timely actions not only arms smuggling through the sea but also attempts by terrorist leaders to escape were made impracticable.

The massive stock of sophisticated arms and military equipment captured and yet being unearthed in the North had been brought overland in unchecked container loads due to Sarath FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s latest chum Ranil WickremasingheƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s infamous CFA.

When Sarath Fonseka was critically injured due to the bomb blast, the compassionate President took all measures to provide him the best medical attention and even sent him to Singapore for treatment.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  He was not on duty when the Mawil Aru operation was launched and was not in Sri Lanka and was holidaying in China during the last leg of the war (the Nandikadal operation). This he himself has confirmed by the act of greatest betrayal he made through Sunday Leader (13.12.09) accusing the Defense Secretary and Brigadier Shavindra de Silva of being responsible for murdering the terrorist leaders who expressed willingness to surrender to the army. By this statement he has violated the Official Secrets Act of 1965, which is a punishable offense.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Was he ignorant of countryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Law or was it done with guaranteed impunity from the western imperialists?

What a despicable betrayal is this? By joining the anti-national cabal who castigate the country to satisfy the vested interests, Sarath Fonseka too has become a despicable traitor of Ranil WickremasingheƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ilk.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  There is a saying in Tamil that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Even the calf that associates the Pig would eat excretaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. By associating Ranil Wickremasinghe he has fallen to the category of the calf that associated the pig.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  How can a person aspiring to be the Head of State of a country could reveal sensitive information of this nature? What guarantee will Sri Lankas have that this person will not betray the nation to the United States where he is planning to settle down while having family members being already settled down there?

With all these facts how can anyone say that Sarath Fonseka was the hero of the war! How can a person with treacherous mindset, a person who bites the very hand that fed him, and who will not hesitate to betray the country on the behest of the western imperialists can be called a hero instead of calling such a person as a despicable traitor?

To be continuedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦