By Gomin Dayasri-ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Courtesy The IslandƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
[The writer voluntarily defended the Army, Navy and the Air Force as their lawyer in all the actions against the Tri Forces on War Crimes]

Will he as the President be an informant against his own army of committing war crimes? With his disclosure, he can be summoned to an international war tribunal to testify against his own forces. Indeed he is a material witness against his Men. A star witness for those who accuse Sri Lanka of war crimes on the one hand and a candidate for Executive Presidency on behalf of responsible political parties on the other. A Commander-in-Chief in the making-such is Fonseka.

This is more than political immaturity; it is closer to juvenile delinquency. When babes in politics decide to run for high office beyond their intellectual maturity they expose their limitations and endanger national security.

It is an interview the General will rue for life, as he stands exposed waiting to be questioned by local and foreign authorities, as he is in possession of material sufficient to warrant investigating under the Geneva Convention for War Crimes.

It is not a matter on which Sri Lanka can lightly rest with accusations being already leveled against the nation for war crimes. Is the retired Commander becoming an informant against his own army and its officers? Imagine a nation where the main witness for an international prosecutor against its Armed Forces would be its possible Head of State? Whom is the Nation to turn to defend itself.

Can such a man be the Commander ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”in- chief of his own forces and win the respect and loyalty of his troops when he exposes them to war crimes. Is it to settle a score of a personal nature- so far a main plank in his campaign? Can a presidential candidate jeopardize national interest arising from personal disputes? Should the People vote for such a person to high office?

One thing for sure, both his sponsors UNP or JVP will deprecate his political immaturity and will regret the decision to make him their common candidate. UNP and the JVP do not approve the conduct of the war by the Government but they stand firm with the Armed Forces in their war efforts. They have no option as the People endorse the Forces for eradicating terrorism On a challenge, UNP and JVP will find it difficult in national the interest to defend their candidate.

It will open the floodgates for more to defect from the UNP- a convenient excuse for potential crossover candidates searching for excuses. Fonseka far from being a political plus as a war hero can soon become a political embarrassment in his effort to gain silly mileage by accusing his contemporaries of wrongdoings without being mindful of the extent of the damage done to the image of the country.

Fonseka would remember a single interview with a journalist has cost him more votes than all the sniping done by his political adversaries. Of course in search of a hot story a journalist owes no obligation to safeguard his source or content though it can place the country and the subject to peril. Such is Press Freedom, which Fonseka has vowed to safeguard. A momentary lapse should not cost a career of past fame for Fonseka; but sufficient to debar his right to hold high office. Is Fonseka revising his stand due to the company he keeps?

The public is entitled to call upon the head of state to strip Fonseka of the national honors bestowed by a grateful nation. He is indeed a national embarrassment for placing Sri Lanka in the dock for possible war crime investigations. Fonseka, if he is a responsible officer and gentleman, must remember he has obligations to the troops that served under him. The comments Fonseka made are a setback to his own political progress and brings discredit to an office he held with esteem.

The credibility of Fonseka is at issue as he has been heaping blame on the Defense Secretary from the time of his retirement. It would have carried validity if such accusations were made devoid of personal animosity and expressed contemporaneously. The correctness of the statement requires greater scrutiny to determine its authenticity. Is Fonnie trying to be phony is a question in the air due to the belatedness and in FonsekaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s search for possible political mileage. His treatment of the former Navy Commander shows a consistent pattern in his treatment of contemporaries in a war that was waged in common by the Tri Forces.

Fonseka has damaged his candidature through a lone article in a newspaper favorable to him. The scribe cannot be blamed for the harm caused to a favored candidate because the content is news worthy and an enlightened damage assessment would not have been made. Fonseka would lose more votes but gain a few from those human rights angels and LTTE loyalists in search of a witness to hang Sri Lanka for war crimes.

Fonseka should withdraw from the Presidential contest before he damages himself more during a campaign and harms the chances of the political parties that support his candidature at the forthcoming general elections. He is a potential danger to the candidates who will have to carry his campaign and are hoping to contest at a future general election if he continues to damage the reputation of Sri Lanka.

Fonseka indeed is the best spokesman for his opponent, so far. For a competitive contest at the Presidential Election, which this country deserves, Fonseka should either SHUT UP or GET OUT, in the interest of those loyal blind supporters of the political parties that support his candidature.

The stupid Government and unpatriotic Opposition will trade false accusations on this issue which will provide a dossier to hang our servicemen in international war tribunals. It is our genuine War Heroes who will unfairly stand accused of War Crimes they never committed.

We are at the mercy of political opportunists who cross the political divide as frequently as they would cross a road .How many Ministers will end in the bosom of the common Opposition candidate if he wins the election? How many in the Opposition will cross over to acquire favors? Where would they have been if the LTTE won this War!

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