Speculation about the release of Sarath Fonseka !
Posted on May 20th, 2012
P.A.Samaraweera, Australia
During the last few weeks there was speculation aboutƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the impending release of the former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka. In the past as well there had been such stories but this time it appears that the Green light is on for him. MP Alles andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Anoma has as well had confirmed this after visiting the President.
Now everyone is waiting to see what next from Sarath Fonseka. Will he go back to join the groups who ridiculed him during the war and then after the war tried to cash on his popularity by encouragingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ him to run for Presidency? Or realising that politics is a dirty game, use his Green Card and enjoy a retired life in greener pastures ! Whichever path he takesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ nobody has any qualms about his release and the cabinet is supposed to have confirmed a pardon. And the President had said that the Defence Secretary as wellƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ had been pushing him for this recently.
But then looking back at the speeches made by Sarath Fonseka during the Presidential elections,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ by any chance if he had won, it would have been the President and the Defence Secretary who would have been imprisoned by Fonseka. The boot would have been on the other foot.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And he also condemned the very Army in which he was the Commander by cooking up a ‘White Flag’ story. Ambitious Fonseka would have done anything to be the President. Trying toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ take the credit for himself, he ignored that if not for the President the war would have never been won. The main issue is that the President stood like a brick wall against the pressure brought by the western countries who demanded secession of the war. Any other leader would have acceded to their demand.
On Friday an Opposition Parliamentarian had declared that the International Community should be given credit for pressuring the govt forƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the release of Sarath Fonseka. But the International Community is also accusingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ human right violations by the army, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in which Fonseka wasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the Commander. Fonseka had been in and out of hospital and courts during the last two years. So in his delicate health without trying to swim in murky waters it is best that he retire from politics leaving it to seasoned politicians. Further during the last Presidential elections some Asian leaders hadƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ expressed their skepticism about ArmyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Commanders taking overƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ reigns in their neighbourhood.
May 20th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
LET US SEE WHETHER SARATH FONSEKA HAS LEARNED HIS LESSON OR NOT!!
May 20th, 2012 at 2:07 pm
Some people are very worried about Sarath Fonseka coming back to politics. The excuse is he does not have sufficient experience for that.
How ever Mrs.B is considered one of the best Prime ministers that Sri Lanka had. Yet, she did not have 40 years of political experience. What did we get from the 40 years of political experience.
Recently, the most important that Sri Lanka had to go through was the winning the war. At that time, we did not have the 18th amendment. What did we get from the 18th amendment. Only thing I hear is people are stealing in billions as there won’t be a tomorrow.
Even a former Trico (Dubai Branch) Manager who became a CEO of an unsuccessful Air Line (when Sri Lanka had to make profitable the recently acquired Sri Lanka airline) which me managed for one year, now is the owner of a helicopter/Air plane company is building a Tourst hotel in Hambanthota.
So, why we need experienced people at the top.
On the other hand, do you people have any one else in mind, if & when the incumbent steps down ?
May 20th, 2012 at 4:13 pm
Take a look at the map of India and SL. Imagine India is a rectum and SL is a small stone under it in the shape it is. Now imagine the rectum releasing just 5% of it’s excreta load (95% is retained inside still). Now imagine how it will fall on the stone the shape of SL.
Now imagine the map of Tamil Elam. Aren’t they one and the same?
Just imagine what would happen if India releases the remaining 95% of excreta. It is threatening. Devolution fart and many other shaft pieces are blowing/falling on SL. We have to be prepared.
This is the predicament of SL.
May 20th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Wickrama,
Fools will never “learn”. Fools sould be “taught” to learn first.
Fonseka is a FOOL whose gree overcame whatever little inteligence he had.
AnuD,
Sri lanka never had a FOOL of this calibre. Even Ranil Wicki was samrt to pass “future “the presentship to him.
Mrs. B ran the counry- not dissarter happen. Chandrika was a next lowest in inteligence to Fl. Ponskea.
How dare this man imagine in his or his wive’s wildest dreams that he did have a good chance to win, thus ruining the whole relationship and ruining the whole country or rapid progress.
This Fl. Ponseka’s mouth has done Sri lanak so much harm.
Why don’t you people realise that ?
Why is Stanley writing to him for the 7th time ?
May 20th, 2012 at 9:21 pm
Dham,
SF has his problems especially with his mouth but SF is still better than Run-NIL and Soma-wansa.
Anyway the man will be out today. We have to face it.
May 21st, 2012 at 5:56 am
DHAM:
What is your comments for the following ?
“Similarly, Rajapaske revealed how Gen. SF cleaned up Colombo with white vans. Gen. SF revealed how Rakapske ordered to kill surrendeees. Both revealed what looked like state secrets.
”
There is SLBC recordings available to prove that SF saying that he was quoting what the newspaper reporters who worked at the forward lines had heard something like that. In other words, he was mentioning the rumour that was circulating. Govt news media, in other words, propaganda machinery passed a different message.
May 21st, 2012 at 6:26 am
AnuD,
OK. Who started the spoiling of party ?
In my view everything was in Ponseka’s agenda, even before he came back to Sl from his motherland USA.
There is evidence.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:28 am
First we mustn’t forget that if Mahinda Rajapakse hadn’t win the Presidency in Dec 2005, and extended Fonseka’s due retirement date by one year on repeated urging by Gotabhaya, and asked then commander Kottegoda to retire, Sarath Fonseka would have been another retired Major General in December 2005. It is that chain of acts that paved the way for SF to be a ‘war hero’ and a four star general. Should he forget that? I don’t think so. True, the way SF was sidelined after winning the war is not fare at all.
Who and what made him forget that important chain of events we can only guess. Why and what made Fonseka to sleep with the proxies of LTTE and those who opposed the war, and those who criticized the way he waged the war, and above all that international clique who wanted to stop the war short of LTTE defeat we can only guess.
Let bygones be bygones and particularly bad feelings between Rajapakses and Fonsekas be a bygone for no point seeking who is wrong or who is right now. We cannot let F, UK the US, the backers of LTTE rump and the pseudo Sri Lankan national parties set enmity between these two ‘war heroes’ to go on and on.
So, as for me, I am extremely happy that Fonsekas and Rajapakses have come to some understanding, and SF is released at long last.
Leela
May 21st, 2012 at 7:46 am
DHAM:
[In my view everything was in Ponseka’s agenda, even before he came back to Sl from his motherland USA. ]
Gotabhaya was a American citizen and stayed there for 15 years. Apparently, he never visited Sri Lanka during that time. SF had ONLY a Green card. So, you got it wrong.
Leela:
You opinion matches very well with the Indian High caste – Shruda- Dasa or with the American Slave-master relationship which prohibitsor consider it is immoral when slaves go against the master.
I think Sri Lanka is far advanced than that.
It is true, that former friendships led to SF being appointed to the commander position. MR double crossed Ranil, Mangala and JVP and, in return, they did the same to MR. So, what was the difference ?
Again, it is former CJ Sarah Silva who paved the way for MR to become the president by making him innocent from the Tsunami – Fund scandal case. But, when former CJ wanted to come to politics MR did the same what SF did to MR.
SO, what is the difference ?
May 21st, 2012 at 7:51 am
At least, SF sidelined corrupt officers and pushed hard with the capable officers and won the war.
What did MR do ?
More and more scandles – thefts, frauds and no end to those. In a worst case, they may resign. Others leave the country.
How qabout the case of fomer TRICO-Dubai Branch Manager becoming a CEO of an air line which most humongous amounts money during the first year and now he has his own airline/helicopters and he is building a hotel in Hambanthota.
What is important for you the country or the corrupt individuals who say they are doing everything for the country ?
May 21st, 2012 at 9:32 am
AnuD, WW II was concluded in 1944. Allied commander in Europe, Dwight Eisenhower was very popular in the US at the time because he was considered the war hero after Roosevelt. When Roosevelt died towards the end of the war, vice president Truman became the President. But Truman wasn’t popular. Instead of accepting democrat nomination for 1948 against his commander, Eisenhower waited Truman to retire and contested in 1952 from Republican ticket and won. True, these days many do not care two hoots about that kind of gratefulness or gratitude.
I fully agree with you that this government is tainted with corruptions and it has to be stamped out. But who could do it is the question. And that is not the only criteria to decide when vote one to power. But I must insist that curruption has nothing to do with gratitude and gratefulness. Besides, were not Man-gala, Ra-nil, Ravi and et al that surrounded SF corrupt when they were holding high position? JRJ had made robber barons respectable, so corruption is here to stay my friend. But NSB saga proved that robber barons can be thrown out if people are active.
Leela
May 21st, 2012 at 1:50 pm
I’m possibly missing a point that every body else have seen.
On what LEGAL grounds did MR pardon Fonseka? (How much of tax payers money wasted on this charade?)
Was the Supreme Court consulted?
Did MR wake up one morning and say hey! which rapist, traitor, drug peddler, murderer shall i pardon today in my vested powers?
What has the Judiciary have to say about that, wasting their time on a case that got no relevance at all.
In fact why on earth are we having a judiciary when the President has powers vested in him to pardon, release who ever he fancies.
Absolutely marvelous!
May 21st, 2012 at 2:09 pm
AnuD,
Your comparison is WRONG. You cannot compare SF with MR.
That is not going anywhere. MR is WAY BETTER than SF.
The right comparison is SF against Run-NIL and Soma-wansa. SF is better than them.
SF is a good opposition leader certainly not a good president. That is what people want him to be.