By Lt Col (Retd) Anil Amarasekera.

There is very little that the International Non Governmental Organizations and other local Non Governmental Organizations funded by vested interests can do to destabilize our country, if and when the people of this country stand united. With the defeat of the LTTE by the Security Forces of this country, under a correct political leadership, the pendulum swung heavily towards a united nation, with the majority of the people calling for the protection of the unity and territorial integrity of our nation, as opposed to the much talked about federation that would have only been a stepping stone to the division of our nation, which was surreptitiously mooted by vested interests. The idea that these vested interests tried to instill in this country that the LTTE can never be defeated and therefore a federal form of government was the next best alternative, suffered the same fate as the LTTE.

It must be understood that it is no longer possible for powerful western nations to subjugate smaller and weaker nations through direct invasion as in the past. Therefore, the strategy used by them in this day and age is to destabilize the countries they intend to subjugate by economic strangulation, or by creating political de-stability, or even by fueling coups, insurgencies and terrorist activities. Some or all of these activities may be encouraged by them concurrently. This is evident when one looks at what has taken place in our country and in the rest of the world of late. In a book titled ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Confessions of an Economic Hit ManƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ John Perkins explains in detail the strategy used by the United States of America to subjugate other countries that they wish to bring under their orbit.

It is today a well known fact to most of the people living in this country that International Non Governmental Organizations and some local Non Governmental organizations paid by vested interests actively supported the LTTE in its war against the government of Sri Lanka. The effort to tarnish the image of the Security Forces and the government of Sri Lanka that defeated the LTTE still continues with false information and sometimes blatant lies and even doctored video chips being supplied to foreign countries through media contacts that are supporting such activities. The recent BBC channel 4 broadcast of a supposed to be Sri Lanka Army Soldier executing a Civilian is a good example of how far such disinformation campaigns can be carried out to mislead the people who are unaware of the true factual situation.

The war against LTTE terrorism we must remember was won by Sri Lanka and not by just the present government, the incumbent President or the Security Forces. When one school beats another in a cricket or rugby game, we do not say that the Principal of the winning school, or that the coach of the winning team, or that the captain of the winning team, or that any other member of the winning team was responsible for the win, because it was all team work to which the victory could be attributed. Therefore we very correctly say that the school concerned won the cricket or rugby match. So it should be with regard to the defeat of the LTTE. It was not the President Hon. Mahinda Rajapakse, the Secretary of Defence Lt Col (Retd) Gotabaya Rajapakse, General Sarath Fonseka or any of the other Service Commanders that won the war against the LTTE but the combined team work of them all that ensured victory. Therefore, let us say that Sri Lanka won the war against LTTE terrorism, without attributing the victory to one single person, not forgetting the fact that there were many patriots and war heroes on the winning side that worked behind the scene to ensure this victory.

However vested interests that want to destabilize our country having lost the first round are now working surreptitiously once again on a different agenda to create dissension. As much as a drowning man would even cling to a piece of straw, so will these vested interests try to make use of a speech made by either the President, a Minister or even General Sarath Fonseka to spread dissension and thereby destroy the unity not only between the government and the Security Forces but also between the President and the masses of our country. This is a time when the President, his Ministers and even the Commanders of Security Forces must be extremely cautious in what they say and do, for those who want to create dissension will keep no stone unturned to achieve their aims and objectives of destabilizing our country once more by twisting what has been said and done to suit their requirement.

We won independence from the British for our country because all ethnic groups worked together and divisions on ethnic basis were swept under the carpet. Had it remained that way, we would today have been one of the most developed countries in the world. However that was not to be because Sinhala and Tamil and subsequently even Muslim political leaders used ethnicity to gain political power. We therefore lost a beautiful paradise that our country was destined to become after independence. The vested interests that were interested in destabilizing our country for their own advantage of bring this country under their influence had a field day in implementing their strategy, thanks to the politicians who fought each other on ethnic grounds.

Our history is full of times when the country suffered as a result of disunity. Another good example is the fall of the Kandyan kingdom. The last King of this country was a Dravidian though not a Tamil. He was from the Nayakkar dynasty of Andhra Pradesh. He initially won the confidence of the Kandyan Chieftains and his subjects to such an extent that he was able with their support to annihilate a British expeditionary force that was sent to capture the Kandyan kingdom in 1803. However by intrigue perpetuated cleverly by Englishmen such as John DƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢Oyly many of the Sinhala Chieftains including the first Adikar Eheylepole were actively working against their king by 1815 and that resulted in the fall of the Kandyan kingdom.

Without allowing history to repeat itself, we must draw lessons from history and bear in mind that like in the past vested interests will never give up their efforts to destabilize our nation through intrigue. For them creating dissent is by far the most successful way to achieve their goal. Therefore the political leaders of the government and the opposition together with the military leaders of this country must realize that united we will be able to defeat such disruptive forces powered by vested interests and that divided we will fall prey to their designs.

It was in October last year that the country lost one of its most respected war heroes Major General Janaka Perera. He wasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  persuaded by the UNP to contest for the Chief Ministerial post at theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  North Central Provincial Council election. Not only was he unsuccessful in his effort, he was killed soon after by an LTTE suicide bomber while opening an office as the Leader of the Opposition in the North Central Provincial Council. Therefore it is important for successful military leaders to take to politics only at the right time in the right place and not because they are made to believe that the masses will support them due to their victories by stooges paid or motivated by vested interests to destabilize our country, which was able to defeat the LTTE that these very vested interests supported.