PITY! LANKAN LEADERS

ASOKA SENEVIRATNE

On Saturday morning as I was eagerly preparing to sit in front of the TV screen with my family and Lankan friends, I casually mentioned how much life in Sri Lanka must be coming to a halt as the big Finals begin. In passing I remarked that today would be an ideal day for the Tamil Tigers to attack Colombo by air. True to my remark I read over the Indian TV news channels that Colombo has been bombed for the 3rd time in a month by the LTTE.

While a bloody and brutal war is being wages against Lanka by the hell bent LTTE, how dare that the Executive President and a good section of the Lanka cabinet is away from Lanka to enjoy the world cup. True our great heroes are doing proud to our nation by taking on the mighty Ausies at the Kingston Oval but our President and the Cabinet have taken a solemn oath to defend Sri Lanka against all enemies. Then how come they have the complacency, negligence of duties and total callus disregard to the security of Lanka and be at a party while the Tigers are busy attacking Colombo by air within a month after the 1st attack.

Sri Lanka is faced with a monumental national security challenge at the hands of the LTTE air power. What is there not to attach a small nuclear dirty bomb to one of these planes now that the former Soviet Mafia have put nuclear dirt bombs on the black market for the highest bidder? The former Soviet Union cannot account for all their nuclear arsenal. Megalomaniac Prabhakaran has been on a one way journey of do or die for years now and he would rather have tens of thousands die with him in an eventuality.

Ranil and Chandrika fell to Prabhakaran's lies and deceptions to trust him for a peaceful settlement. The Lankans paid dearly for these blunders by our so called leaders. But both of them are not at the helm now. It is the watch of Rajapaksha brothers as the Chief Executive and Defense Minister. They have to take the total responsibility for the air raids, nobody else. So what now? Wait and see if there will be a forth air attack?

Fortunately Lanka has powerful friends in the West who might come to their rescue and technology to secure our airspace. This is the Paramount responsibility of the President; not cricket. He need to work on this day in and day out. As for the Defense Minister he should be held accountable for his failure to prevent LTTE air power in the first place. Three attacks within a month should more than qualify him for dismissal or resignation. What will you do if you hand over the security of your home to a security company and still your house was robbed three times within a month? Will you still keep them; hell no!

As for Ranil, he should be expelled from the UNP for being the most incompetent political and UNP leader in the recent memory. He made lethal judgmental mistakes with the signing of the MOU and is in the process of disintegrating the once mighty UNP of JR., Premadas, Athulathmudali and the likes. Chandrika is in a self imposed exile enjoying the riches.

Looking back at the last two decades, Lankans have witnessed the systematic extermination of Premadasa, Rajiv Gandhi, Athulathmudali, Dissanaike, Lakshman Kadiragamar and scores of men, women, children and the clergy by the LTTE as well as determining the fate of 20 million Lankans. Still for all Ranil and Chandrika lacked the backbone to stand up but went ahead and signed MOU with shrewd and hell bent Prabhakaran.

The Lankan people should hold both the UNP, SLFP and the JVP for playing politics while Sri Lanka is on fire. They need to unite unconditionally under Rajapaksha before the LTTE annihilate the rest of Sri Lanka. One reason for Prabhakaran's success is his authoritarian rule. Of course in a civilized democracy decisions are hard to take. This is the very reason that all parties should form a national government under one leader until the LTTE is defeated or else none of these so called leaders might not have Sri Lanka to play politics with.