By Charles.S.Perera

According to aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  recent reportƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  in the news media, Tissa Attanayake General Secretary of the UNP had ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ made a very unwise and anƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  undignified ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ comment, on the invitationƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the General Secretary of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  SLFP made ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to the UNP and the other Opposition Parties , to join with the government to carry out together, a programme of development for the country.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Attanayake had ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ said that they would not join the corrupt regime.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The regime of the President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse as people knows has just delivered ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  country from a thirty year old terrorism .ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is only now the government is able to look aroundƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to see what progressive moves it has to make to take the country out of the present ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ economic , social and cultural difficulties.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The government had not been able to attend ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ some of these important issues due to the priority it had given to remove theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  heaviest burden ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  continuedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  terror by the LTTE terrorists..ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ To speak of this regime, which faced the most barbaric problems than any other regime before, as ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ corrupt, shows AttanakeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ political immaturity.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This regimeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  is attending toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  each problem at a time, and having solved itƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to its ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ entire satisfaction ,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  sets its eyes on yet unsolved problemsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to take them up in their turn. In that effort it has rightly requested the Opposition Parties led byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the UNP to give it ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a hand.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But if UNP is led by wise men,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  or at leastƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  by men with a modicum of intelligence, they would have agreed to join with the government to help it carry out its development plans. Even the devil has to be given its due.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Therefore,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the UNP even if it really believes that the regime is corrupt, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ has to accept that itƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  has so far done well, first in getting rid of terrorism, and secondly in launching many ambitious development projects, which it has either completed , or are being carried out.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri Lanka does not belong to the President Mahinda Rajapakse alone, therefore the development of Sri Lanka is the work ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  SLFP, UNP and all other Political Parties and their followers- the people as a whole.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It has to be accepted that since Independence one area that had been neglected for development, by government after government had been the South.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is only now thanks to the President Mahinda Rajapakse and his governmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  that important projects had been initiated to develop the South.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Political corruption is not an unknown element even in the so called developed democracies. Therefore, corruption within a government cannot be the criteria to avoidƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  helping it when it extends its hand ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for a concerted effort to work together, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to develop theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  country as a whole.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If UNP considers that itƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  had not been corruptƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  when it was in power, this is time to join the Regime they think is corrupt to remove its corruptions, and bring it to the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-pureƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ path of good governance to make them develop the country.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In not joining the GovernmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  when it invites the UNP and the Opposition Parties to join it, the UNP andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the Opposition ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ are letting down their own people , because every one no matter to what political party , each one of them belongs to , would like ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to develop Sri Lanka to make it a progressive,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  prosperousƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  country, where every one couldƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  live happily together.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tissa Attanayake knows very well that the Government is making a genuine and a sincere request for the Opposition Parties to join it to work togetherƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  for the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ development of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the country. But Tissa Attanayake, in refusing to work together ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ with the government on the ground that it is corrupt, only shows that he is more interested in the political future of UNP and not of the welfare of the country as a whole.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Because, immediately afterƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  his refusal to join as he says a corrupt regime, heƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  had said that the Government had started bribing theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  provincial level politicians to join the government.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This is what irks Mr. Attanayake, and sees the political corruption of the Government in trying to lure away the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ members from his Party.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The solution to stop luring awayƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the members of UNP, to the Government ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is not calling the Government corrupt, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and refusing to work with it to develop the country. But the solution is in winningƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the confidence of its membership, so that they willƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  refused to be lured away from the UNP.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If the members of the UNP are leaving the party to joinƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  a corrupt regime, the fault is with the UNP and not with the Regime.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now let us see whether, the President Mahinda RajapakseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s GovernmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  is really corrupt.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  There had been verbal accusation of corruption, even of kidnapping and assassination of media personnel, improper use of government funds and material.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But none of these accusations have still been proved to the satisfaction of the people.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Some Army personnel andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Police officers had turned out to be criminals but that could not beƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  used toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  muddy the good name , the bravery, and heroism ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the Army, or the Security Forces.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Government while it was engagedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  in theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  greater task of elimination of terrorism, had also done lot of development projects which the UNP or any one of the Opposition cannot deny.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  To mention a few that I can think of are:

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

1. Weheragala Resevoir and the Dam
2. Fresh Water Aqua-culture in the North
3. Agricultural Development Programme in Kurunegala
4. Improvement to Meteorological Observation Net work
5. ProductionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  activities of the Elephant Pass Salterns,
6. Paranthan Chemical Factory
7. High-tech Language and IT Centre in Rajagiriya,
8. Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Project.
9. Homagama Sports Stadium,
10. Hambantota Port Development Project Assisted by China
11. Moragahakanda Development Project Assisted by Saudi Arabia
12. Kukule Ganga Hydropower Project
13. Sothern Transport Development Project
14. Development of the Galle Harbour
15. Olivil and Kankasenturai Harbour Projects
16. Weerawila Air Port Project
17. Solar Power Street Lighting Projects,
18. High Way Project
19. Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery assisted by Iran
20. Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project
21. Kaju Plantation in the North
22. Coconut Oil Milling Plants ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in the North.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ These are a few of the many more development projects that have either been completed, under construction, or ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ proposed .ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If the government is corrupt as Mr. Attanake says, would it have been possible for it to carry out so manyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  development projects despite ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a difficult ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-warƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ against terrorists ?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now it is time for Mr. Attanayake to mature into politics, and see Sri Lanka in its global setting. It is not with self centred political ambition that he should look at our motherland. Sri Lanka needs every one to get together to keep away the foreign marauders from attacking our country with the sole aim of breaking it up and keepƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri Lanka poor and under developed going to the white WestƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  begging for aid.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is time that every patriot who loves the countryƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  stop attacking the Government all the time. It is not up to the UNP or the SLFP to change the minds of the people to chose their governments. When the people will understandƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  when a government should be changed they will do it at the correct time when they are called upon to elect their representatives to form a new Government. In the mean time the UNP and SLFP and the rest of the Opposition Parties should get togetherƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  first to keep away theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  WesternƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Countries who wants to bring disrepute to Sri LankaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and keep it poor, and secondly to makeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  progressive ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ development plans becomeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  successful, and be of benefit to the people of the country.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ People cannot be fooled any more they have the intelligence to understand who could be trusted to develop Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Tissa Attanayake, Lakshman Perera Kiriella , and Jayalath Jayawardhana are working into the hands of anti Sri Lanka elements the UK, Norway, France ,American States Department, and the Catholic Church.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The people are quite aware of this and each time any one of these people speak against the Government, there are moreƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  followers of UNP willing to change camp to join the Government.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The only possibility for UNP to win back its lost prestige and popularity is by first getting rid of Ranil Wickramasinghe and then ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ by work with the Government.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is only in that willingness to work in partnership with the government for the development of Sri Lanka, that UNP can win over the trust of the people for them to accept UNPƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  as a possibleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  alternative to form another government.