Gotabhaya Rajapakse, Janaka
Perera, and Pillaiyan Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan.
(Three persons with
three different backgrounds. Three persons with three different visions)
By Charles.S.Perera
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, was a soldier-Commander of the Gajaba Regiment.
He retired from his military service as the Commandant of the Kotalawala
Defence Academy. He was the Administrator of the Loyola law School in
Los Angeles , when he was called to enter into politics as the Secretary
of Defence of the Government of Sri Lanka. He is a dedicated patriot
for the cause of his mother land. His vision, now, is to redeem parts
of his motherland held by the terrorists- who he fought against and
helped to drive them from Jaffna to the jungles of Killinocchi, and
give back to the people of Sri Lanka the whole of their motherland without
abandoning any part of it, for an Eelam State of the loathsome terrorists
led by murderous psychopath Prabhakaran.
In this new role as the Secretary of Defence, Gotabhaya does not mix
politics with military activity. He, as an experienced Serviceman, coordinates
the three defence forces, the Army, the Air, and the Navy, and participates
in the planning of military strategies with the Commanders of the Security
Forces, leaving them the responsibility for the execution of the plans.
He has allowed the Security Forces to conduct its military offensive,
modernising the army by providing them with necessary equipments. He
also serves as the spokesman of the Army, to the President and the Government.
The Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse keeps the politicians away
from interfering with the activities of the armed forces. That was an
important contribution which has resulted in the unprecedented success
of the Security Forces.
Whatever is said by the media and his political enemies, as a politician
he is not corrupt, and as an experienced former soldier, he is dedicated
for the cause of the Armed Forces. His larger vision is to make a success
of his service as the Secretary of Defence, to allow the government
and the people of Sri Lanka regain the lost pride and prestige of the
beloved motherland. He has given up a lucrative post, to take over a
risky task as the Defence Secretary, in which capacity he narrowly escaped
death from a terrorist attack in which an auto-rikshaw laden with explosives
was driven on to his vehicle.
As a Buddhist his aim is to preserve this Land of ours, sanctified
by several visits of the Buddha, where his original teachings are preserved,
and therefore revered by the Buddhists of the entire world, in its entirety
without any part of it severed by an unholy demon of a terrorist.
Janaka Perera, was a soldier-a Major General, Chief of Staff of the
Sri Lanka Army. It was when he was the Commander of the Army in the
North Western Province, that he captured the leader of JVP Rohana Wijeweera,
and suppressed the JVP insurgence. He was responsible for Liberating
the Jaffna Peninsular from the terrorists, chasing them away to the
wilds of Killinocchi with the able Regimental Commanders Gotabhaya Rajapakse
and Sarath Fernando, under his Command.
It was when he was the Commander of Jaffna, that 40,000 soldiers were
stranded in Jaffna at the mercy of a possible terrorist attack due to
lack of transport. The Indian Government, with whom the then President
of Sri Lanka negotiated for ships to transport the stranded army, refused
to provide the requested means of transport. The army however, with
the support provided by the Government of Pakistan halted the terrorist
march towards Jaffna. Janaka Perera who retired after 34 years service
in the army, was sent to Australia as the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka.
After his retirement from Diplomatic service, he has taken up politics
to espouse the cause of a right wing political party, who sympathies
with the terrorists Janaka Perera himself was fighting against and drove
away from Jaffna to the jungles of Killinocchi.
Janaka Perera has accepted the leadership of a failed political leader-
Ranil Wickramsinghe, who was responsible for signing a CFA, prepared
by the terrorists Leader Prabhakaran and a Pro- terrorist Norwegian
negotiator, giving parts of North and East to be kept under the control
of the terrorist, without consulting the then President or the Parliament
of Sri Lanka.
By joining with the right wing, pro-terrorist political party the UNP,
Janaka Perera has tarnished his respected image as the Army Commander
who launched the Operation Riviresa, which lead to the liberation of
the Jaffna Peninsular from the terrorists.
Why did Janaka Perera, take this step to make his maiden entry into
Politics, through a party which is pro terrorist. UNP is a party of
the rich, and well to do elitist class, which believes that the rich
should give the leadership to the poor and under privileged. Janaka
Perera probably prefers to be with them for his future prestige, rather
than join a Part which is of the people, and dedicated to serve the
Country, and save it from destructive Terrorists.
Janaka Perera's vision is rather selfish, and shrouded in clouds of
uncertainty. He seeks his own personal prestige by stepping into politics
by seeking to be the Provincial Chief Minister of North Central Province,
and thereafter enter the Parliament. The reason for him to accept a
Political leader, who has nothing for his credit, other than several
failures in his search for political recognition, may be his Christian
religious affinity with the leader Ranil Wickramasinghe.
Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, was a child from Batticaloa recruited
by the terrorists. His name was changed by the terrorists to Pillaiyan.
Pillaiyan was serving under Karuna Amman- a terrorist, also a native
of Batticaloa. When Karuna Amman was the terrorist leader of the Batticaloa
District, he broke away from the main terrorists group of Prabhakaran,
on the grounds that the terrorists recruited from Batticaloa, were made
to take risks, but were not duly recognised by the terrorists of the
Jaffna Tamil stock, and formed the Karuna Faction. Pillaiyan followed
Karuna, and became the deputy leader of the Karuna Faction.
The Sri Lanka army began a campaign against the terrorists in the Eastern
Province in 2002 when the CFA was ineffective. The Karuna faction which
also wanted the terrorists away from the east, indirectly helped the
army by making intermittent attacks on terrorist groups. This acceptance
of the Karuna faction by the Army, interested Karuna Amman to give up
terrorism to follow a democratic process. He formed the TMVP as a political
party, with Pillaiyan as his deputy. Due to an internal rift in the
TMVP, Pillaiyan took over its leadership and Karuna left Sri Lanka to
London.
In the meantime the East and the North, the two Provinces that were
recognised as one under an Agreement with India, was separated. The
army launched an offensive against the terrorists in the East and with
the help of the Karuna Faction (TMVP)drove the terrorists out of the
East.
In the subsequent election for the Eastern Provincial Council, TMVP
contested the election as an ally of the UPFA and won a large number
of seats. Pillaiyan having shed his former terrorist affiliations ,
became a convinced full fledged Democrat, and as the leader of the TMVP
became the Provincial Chief Minister, a significant appointment, that
was contested by the Muslim leadership, due to their inability to understand
the implication of Pillaiyan's appointment in view of the continuing
military action against the terrorists in the North.
However, Pillaiyan being more intelligent, accepted the socialist camp,
in his political venture, rather than the reactionary terrorist sympathetic
UNP, selected by Janaka Perera for his maiden entry into politics.
Pillayan has shown a brilliant political acumen since his acceding
to the position of the Chief Minister of the East. He seems to have
so far shown an excellent capacity to understand the democratic political
system, and demonstrated an honest desire to work together with people
from different communities.
His vision is the progressive development of the East, which had been
neglected due to terrorism for a long period of time. He also wants
the unity of the different communities in the East, and works with the
government to make a reality of his Eastern development programme. He
cooperates with the government to make the motherland a happy place
for all the people of the East without any communal distinction, to
live together in and atmosphere of détente and harmony.
* * *
In conclusion we observe that of the three persons, it is only Janaka
Perera a war hero coming from the past, that decided to take a different
path, abandoning a President and his Government, who have recognised
the role of the Army allowing it to carry out its responsibilities without
political interference, to join hands with a failed politician whose
object is to discredit the President in power and his government and
to become the President of Sri Lanka. Janaka Perera though he was a
Commendable Military Commander, has shown his naiveté in the
choice of his political camp.
Janaka Perera is selfish, seeking his own personal benefits, while
Gotabhaya and Pillaiyan are dedicated to protect and serve the mother
land for the common good of all Communities.
Janaka Perera should have rested on his laurels, receiving the respect
of people, and their gratitude for the role he played in the Operation
Riviresa, driving the terrorists out of Jaffna Peninsular.
|
