CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

JVP DISCARDED ITS OSARI AND STOOD NAKED BY VOTING AGAINST THE BUDGET.

A.A.M.NIZAM MATARA

Thrashing all conspiratorial attempts made by the LTTE-UNP Junta to defeat the budget in a bid to force the President to call for elections, all Parliamentarians representing the government and those who hold the country over and above petty parochial interests voted in favour of the budget giving their wholehearted support to rout out the terrorist menace in all its forms. The stand taken by the JVP in this crucial vote is utterly shameful and grossly reprehensible. It totally nullifies all their bellowing in the recent past against terrorism, virtues of patriotism, and the need to hasten the war and defeat the terrorist clan. Although the budget mainly focussed on these objectives with an unprecedented huge increase in the defence expenditure, the JVP wilfully ignored all appeals from the patriotic circles and joined the LTTE-UNP Junta in bowing down to megalomaniac Prabhakaran’s call to vote against the budget.

There were clear indications in the media outfits run by the terrorists and of those supporting and obliging to terrorists that the terrorist leader was making every efforts to defeat the budget including making moves to buy over the government MPs to defeat the budget. There were also reports that he had personally instructed the political division of the outfit to dispatch urgent messages to call back the 5 TNA parliamentarians who were touring overseas to vote against the budget as he was convinced that the passage of budget would accelerate the military advance to Killinochchi and Mullaithivu, and his only option to prevent such a military debacle was to defeat the budget.

The focal point of the budget was a record increase in the defence allocations to Rs. 117 billion which was a huge leap from last year’s Rs. 63 billion. It was this factor that received acclamation from the masses as well as from all patriotic circles that are truly and honestly enthusiastic about putting an end to the decades of terrorist menace afflicting and bleeding our nation. Only the dollar hungry vultures who have made the war a lucrative means for their luxurious living, the pro-LTTE wing of the UNP led by Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, Mr. Mangala Samaraweera having relatives from Velvettiturai and his crony MP, together with the TNA proxies were critical of the budget and were determined to defeat it.

The JVP, whom the people believed would never support any attempt to help the terrorists knowingly or unknowingly, willingly or unwillingly, under persuasion or under duress were totally silent about the virtues of the huge increase in the defence allocations and were highly critical about insufficiency of allocations for various other subjects and made a frantic effort to convince the masses in the run-up to the budget voting that they were very much concerned about the welfare of the masses and they were attempting to alleviate their burdens, and earned much applause from the pro-terrorist reactionary circles who were determined to defeat the budget. However, majority of the people undoubtedly believed that they would at least remain absent as they had been critical of the budget on economical aspects, although such hardship are being caused by the continuation of the war and the excessive dependency on imports. Even some patriotic media held this opinion.

When the B-day was getting nearer there was a dramatic change in their approach and suddenly announced a four point demand which had no relevance at all to the budget proposals, as it was widely pointed out by all patriotic circles and the Maha Sangha. However, the President who continues to respect them despite their many follies and disappointments was magnanimous and was willing to meet them even on the morning of the budget day to discuss about the demands which they deliberately avoided with invalid excuses.

The speech made by the Kurunegala District MP Mr. Anura Kumara Dissanayake in the Parliament on the very day of the budget voting clearly indicates that they were determined to vote against the budget, this decision was not taken suddenly but had been taken weeks or months ago, and that was the reason they were not even prepared to listen to opinion floated across the media nor by their well wishers and advisors including Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thero of Patriotic National Movement.

Mr. Dissanayake speaking in the Parliament and giving a hint about their abhorrent decision on that evening accused the President of failing to uphold their agreement with him and for not giving sufficient time for them to nominate four Ministers. Even the grass-root members of the JVP would not believe in this statement as anyone who has a scant knowledge of Sri Lankan politics was well aware the tiring, honest and continuous efforts made by the President to get them included in the Cabinet or at least to have them as an active arm of the government. They had months and months to nominate even a dozen of Ministers for which the President would have willingly and gladly agreed as he was always treating them with much respect although some senior members of the SLFP were not prepared to stoop to that level.

The step taken by the JVP shows that they have failed to learn from the people’s verdict given at the local government elections, when they went to the polls alone in the height of their arrogance and overconfidence with the absurd slogan of “Rata Mahindata, Gama Javipeta”. If they accepted President’s magnanimous offer of 38 local government bodies given to them instead of insisting for 50 local government bodies to be given to them including Tangalla they would at least be commanding a substantial following countrywide without the imminent status of embracing the fate of the old left parties very soon. Also, if they believe that their Trade Union memberships would be a force behind them and strength to reckon with, Bala Thampoe would have become 1st MP of Colombo Central several times in the past.

By voting against the budget and falling in line with Prabhakaran’s call and joining hands with the UNP-TNA Junta, the JVP leadership has once again made a historical blunder totally ignoring the grass-root membership who would never support such an unpatriotic move. As rightly pointed out in an Island editorial their voting gave the lie to its much flaunted opposition to the LTTE and it would have really thrown a lifeline to Prabhakaran if the budget unfortunately got defeated.

Our gallant forces reciprocating to the unwavering trust placed in them by the true patriotic masses must accelerate their march to Kilinochchi by defeating the terrorists in all their fronts. By failing to align with the aspirations of the patriotic masses the JVP remains naked by discarding the Osari that covered its nakedness so far..

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