CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Why the UNP is morally bound to help achieve Peace in Sri Lanka

Shenali Waduge

Since gaining Independence Sri Lanka’s two main political parties have happily emptied the country of its wealth and showed little or no care for helping to really affect a concerted effort to develop our island nation. Both parties are equally guilty in not taking the necessary steps to see that the monster in the form of Prabakaran was completely annihilated when they had the power to do so. Both parties for reasons better known for them preferred to ride the bandwagon of procrastination that has left Sri Lankans lost in debt, economically crippled in a society that has many a mother weeping the loss of her kith and kin. While both parties are to blame for the recurring problems that plagues our nation, one single party must shoulder and take moral accountability for their repeated fallacies that has cost Sri Lanka dearly.

Answering a few simple questions will reveal which party should shoulder that responsibility.

Which party opposed the signing of the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact? This being the 1st attempt to address the grievances of the Tamil people through District Councils?
Which party opposed the Dudley-Chelvanayagam Pact?
Which party leadership went to the extent of handing over arms & ammunition to the terrorists?
Which party requested its soldiers to lay down their arms and surrender to the LTTE resulting in all these soldiers being murdered in cold blood?
Which party has blood on its hands for annihilating national heroes like Denzil Kobbekaduwa and Wijaya Wimalaratne.
Which party was instrumental in the 1983 ethnic riots that has left us saddled with a legacy we cannot shed?
Which party burnt up the draft Constitution introduced in 2000 to Parliament aimed at devolving more powers to the Tamil people without raising a single objection?
Which party secretly drafted a Cease Fire Agreement with the LTTE giving into all of the LTTE demands just to ensure its party Leader comes into power?
Which party dares not release any official press release condemning the LTTE for any of its heinous crimes?
Which party turned the war into a means of securing economic gain resulting in everyone party to it putting national integrity aside for petty personal gain.

A customary practice by most parties in opposition is to glory in wailing about things that the Government didn’t do instead of putting aside party politics in the interest of the nation & form a united coalition of forces with one single goal – to destroy the enemy.

However, with so much bickering within parties in the South it comes as no surprise how easily the LTTE is able to penetrate into our systems and strike terror as and when they wish. The LTTE is assisted in its heinous efforts by the meek & hypocritical TNA Parliamentarians who are sort of remote-controlled mouth pieces for the LTTE. So, until we can break away from this ugly practice the country will eternally face this situation as we will become volatile to any attacks. Enough and more times we have heard Opposition Leaders claim that if he/she was in power things would be different and the public is gullible enough to buy these type of retorts.

Today, the country is facing a very precarious situation. Bombs go off, the innocent become a means for the guerillas to show their might and threaten the government and yet diplomatically worded press releases by these very guerrillas encourage world leaders to urge the Government to sit and engage in chit chat with these murders. Where are we really heading? It’s really time for the Government to decide. These All Party conferences should not be just cosmetic meetings just to satisfy public & international opinion & portray the ruling party as the messiah of peace. There should be a definite plan & that plan must be briefed to all the parties. Once everyone is in agreement petty political mileage should cease to be. Let us hope this is not asking too much from supposedly intellectual and wise parliamentarians. If there is no unity amongst us in the South how can we ever think of living in a peaceful environment?

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