Any Mysterious Ambitions Of Sri Lanka’s Victorious Army Commander Cannot Override The Will Of The People Of Sri Lanka! It Would Be To His Sad Detriment!
Posted on November 12th, 2009
In Retrospect By Sarath Kumara Nov.11th 2009
A war against terrorism has been fought and won by the powers that be in Sri LankaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and lest the world forgets it was the overall Commander of the Armed Forces H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksha the President of Sri Lanka under the advisory of his elite defenceƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ forces where his brother and distinguished officer GotabhayaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Rajapaksha alongside the rest of the military top brass including Lieut Gen. Sarath Fonseka were part thereof which accomplished the ultimate victory! This was not a singlehanded victory by Sarath Fonseka but one which was acheived by a multi faceted and multi pronged military tactical manouvre so whoever imagines that the spoils of victory belong to Sarath Fonseka~ (being said aloud to the apathetic power seekers of the UNP of worthless moonshot reputeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ stragglers of the JVP with ambitious backing from other enemies of the State including turncoats of the SLFP ) are dead wrong!
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Sarath Fonseka was a participant at the highest level yes! and a very effective one but he carries no glory in the aftermath to pursue any ambitions which might consolidate his own ambitions and in so doing also consolidateƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ those of the enemies of the State that he or anyone else could topple the Rajapaksha Administration towards a military dictatorship or a new UNP surge as neither of these would happen in any foreseeable future if the people of Sri Lanka had the final say! If the interpretations are right then any move for power on the part of a Fonseka led surge would be a suppression of the masses! Be Warned you perpetrators of such an ambition as it would be to your chagrin hugely!
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Any ambitions in this direction if even secretly envisioned by Lt Gen Fonseka and his seemingly misguided champions judging by the recent media hype on the topic of a Fonseka Presidential run is bound to end in cataclysmic failure and a simple waste of time on the part of the Fonseka entourage if there was such an entity and apparently there is one!
So somewhat incredulously, to quote a recentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ news item in the Economist “Not even six months has elapsed since the protracted war with Tamil Tiger rebels ended in a bloody climax, leading to the Sri Lankan governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s triumph already the leaders of the military campaign are sparring ahead of an election due next year.
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For weeks the press has been speculating about friction between the administration of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonseka, the hawkish army general who commanded troops in the final assault against the Tigers.
Jittery over rumours, spread mostly by opposition parties, that General Fonseka will challenge Mr Rajapaksa in the election, the government in October banned reports about his political ambitions. A communiquƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚© from the armyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s spokesman warned the press that several laws would be used against those who published ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-false reportsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ using the names of serving senior army officers. There really is no need for this type of paranoia if the administration knew the heart of the voter and felt the pulse of the Nation which seems unequivocally pro Rajapaksha rather than Fonseka!
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General Fonseka is no longer army commander. But as chief of the defence staff, a post obtained after the defeat of the Tigers in May, he is the highest-ranking military officer in service. He cannot contest elections while in uniform. But his term ends in December and he has hinted that he might reject any offer of an extension.” speculations rife indeed but if the rejection of an extension offer has anything to do with a Fonseka ambitionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ he mustƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ surely be dreaming of his chances to topple H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksha in a nation where Rajapaksha fervour has reached such a peak that a Fonseka effort might easily be an overpowering one! towards cataclysmic defeat
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It seems uncanny that in Sri Lanka some miltary leaders, in this case hypothetically at least, interpret success at the highest level as Carte Blanche to take over power on the instigation of the disgruntled opposition and woe be unto Lieut. Gen. Fonseka if this is the path he is surreptitiously treadingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ albbeit hopefully not! as he will simply be crushed as a political opponent at the polls and all the credibilities he has acquired as a proud and patriotic son of Lanka cast assunder based on personal greed and the hunger for an undeserving power suggesting a military dictatorship on the cards all the way.
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No one can contradict this based on the simple argument that the Rajapaksha Administration has accomplished for Sri Lanka what generations of politicians and incumbent administrations never could and that the status he enjoys as one of the most charismatic, asute and far seeing leaders ever where a military or other dictatorship by the enemies of the state seems unforseeable, unthinkable and needs to be confronted and quashed before it ever takes root even conceptually!
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The rhetoric emanating from the Sarath Fonseka mindset, asƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ recently recorded by the international news media suggests that the ex Army Chief Fonseka has indicated thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ he would step out of uniform to bring the country back on track ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-if it continues to go on the wrong path even after defeating terrorism.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a mere self opinionated contradiction towards his own ambits perhaps with the hint of desire for fools gold!
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Such statements, combined with power hungry, greed laced goading from the opposition, have increased agitation in Government circles understandably and particularly in Presidential quarters where the only remedy perhaps is to let any ambitions on the part of the Fonseka entourage~ reiterating ~ in case there is such, to run its course where it will be the will of the people which will eventually prevail and not the misguided ambitions of those who failed to deliver when it was their turn!
November 11th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Your article is interesting and timely to reflect the mood in the country. Quite contrary to claims of sort “I can do better” type, none of them can do better, as all these vying for power are the nuts from the same bunch. Country is in a quagmire thanks to innovative English abilities to remain in stone stage while pretending to be the modern day leaders. As we know, the government in its entirety including the legislature, executive, administration, justice, military and economic management comes direct from the English principles. It means, we got an institutionally corrupt and criminal system beyond repair that has the origin of keeping a selected family group rich and powerful forever (like English monarchy) while everyone else struggles to survive everyday. I want someone to challenge and tell me a single good deed done by using English principles that delivered any worthy outcome. So none of these people can deliver what they promise. I had some access to facts that show the true profile of SF to add a few more things to this article. He seems to behave like a person in a team (any kind for that matter) who has tried to do more than what he is capable of, by the way he treated others and by his own claims. He also seems to be a victim of government pro-military propaganda during the war inspired by American style, that over-glorified achievements while having total blackouts on failures. If it was balanced, the whole saga could have been treated as reaching the line gasping for breath, quite contrary to popular mythical victory. For unexplainable reasons, I do have some rights to talk about modern warfare. As a hint, my reasons may be a sort of my own contributions made to change the global defence strategies from offensive to defensive nature during the recent times. In other words, if you can defend yourself from others, why bother going on the offensive, which demands more resources, according to some theories, 5 men on the offensive against one on the defensive. In comparison to global strategies, the local strategies were close to WW1 era and missed even some of the lessons we could have learnt from Dutu Gamunu Vs Elara war. Military heroism is not for those who got everything they needed including men and equipment, and for those who go on the offensive with overwhelming firepower. Neither, it should be given to individuals who have a direct responsibility for debacles that had a devastating impact, nor to people like the Russian Generals in WW2 who fired from behind while enemy is firing from the front contributing to a great many loss of life and limb. To make my point clear, our casualty ratio was almost one to one. This is not even a satisfactory achievement to call for rewarding. Our army hierarchy used a very highhanded approach to desertion quite contrary to Navy and AF. The conduct of deserters who were initially volunteers, speaks volumes of what happens inside our military establishment and the type of training they are given. Sadly, these leaders are proud to call that they lead thousands of trained killers. Recently, one of the western countries fighting in Afghanistan sacked the commander for poor leadership simply after a single death of a junior officer. If we apply this rule, all military officers that come from the back door in a two-tier system could end up in jails for all the possible charges and manslaughter of their own men. Much happened behind the sight of the public during the last thirty years until VP committed his own suicide by his own failures. If a proper strategic warfare analysis of the war that unfolded during last 3 and half years is done, it is a miracle that came from outside the powers of the humans. Having shaken a wasp nest by throwing a pebble, I want to tell that SF has an inherent disability to choose between foes and friends for reasons that I cannot divulge. His cook almost brought him death. Apparently, he is not concerned about siding with the worst that I can imagine. His failure to express his disgust when he is associated with such scum is more than enough to say that he is not worthy of his accolades. There are indications that CBK and others are good at picking obedient people compared to MR, as the loyalty is a kind of servility that lasts beyond office days. There seems to be a total lack of understanding among the populace about the internal politics within the security establishment. I must add that it is the most corrupt organ of the government that helps even politicians to be this corrupt, and that there are mafia like groups killing military personnel on the orders of others within this establishment; backstabbing is a typical English behaviour. There is a total lack of facts and there is a reliance on fiction for many to believe that SF coming from the military can do any better. As I see, the solutions to our problems lie in our ability to find a replacement to this whole governing establishment without losing out sights on our cherished goals.
November 12th, 2009 at 6:51 am
We have since heard that Sarath Fonseka has formally resigned his position, and it seems clear he will nominate as a candidate at the next Presidential Election. That is, of course, his right and prerogative. But whether it is a course of action that is laudable or even prudent is another matter.
It would seem that the UNP and others who are themselves so politically inept and bankrupt that they cannot field a credible candidate from within their ranks, have been able to flatter the good General to enter the murky world of politics. Like the conspirators in Julius Caesar who persuaded Brutus to turn against Caesar, it seems the General’s new found friends have managed to convince him of his ‘greatness’ and make him willing to stand against his former C-in-C. Well, we all know what eventually became of Brutus. The people who now seem to look to Sarath Fonseka as a saviour of the nation are sadly the very same people who openly poured scorn on the military victories that the General’s army achieved during its battle with the LTTE. Politics, like adversity, does make strange bedfellows!
And we can be sure that besides his new found friends, there will have been an obliging astrologer (or a few of that tribe) who will have assured the good General that his star is at its most propitious and he is earmarked for the Big Job.
Sarath Fonseka has proved a good military strategist, and one must imagine he will have come to the decision to resign in order to pursue a career in politics, after due thought and consideration.
Good luck to the man. But I cannot help feeling he will be making a sad mistake if he does in fact run for President. I believe I am not mistaken in thinking that Sri Lankans are basically decent, honourable people and more astute than many politicians give them credit for. They are quick to spot a politician given to expediency and selfishness. They are unlikely to endorse a candidate whose behaviour smacks of disloyalty and ingratitude. You have only to look at how the likes of AE Goonesinghe, NM Perera and GG Ponnambalam, once looked upon as the champions of the people were rejected by the electorate the moment their credibility was in question. Sarath Fonseka is a decorated war hero. He commands great respect for his role in the defeat of the LTTE. But the country also realises that this victory was not the result of his sole effort. Sarath Fonseka can continue to enjoy the admiration of the people or squander the goodwill he has earned. The choice is his.