by Herold Leelawardena

Here in the political platforms of Sri Lanka, General Fonseka is claiming that he is the man who wiped out LTTE and all its leaders. He is asking us to vote him on that account. Our people are not uninformed any more. Moreover, we have a literacy rate of 93% for entire country, and 97% for Sinhalese. So, most of us could understand how and what led to LTTE and all its leaders had been wiped out.

At the last phase of the war, the so-called world leaders rushed their emissaries here to put pressure on President Rajapakse. They had wanted to stop the war and save its leaders to fight it on another day. Shrewd as he is; Rajapakse somehow managed to withstand the international pressure until our army finished the terrorists en masse. We have not heard any of the said emissaries meeting General Fonseka and asking him to stop the war. Least, we have not heard any of them talking to him at the time. But we remember many an Indian delegates coming here like yoyos to meet the President.

Exerting pressure on Sri Lanka President to stop the war with LTTE is nothing new. When LTTE leader Piripaharan was about to meet his fate in 1987, Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi had come to his rescue. In order to subjugate President Jayawardena, Gandhi had ordered the famous air drop of lentils to Jaffna. JRJ squeezed his tail between his legs and ordered our commanders to get back to barracks. When Piripaharan grasp the real motive of Gandhi, he had him blasted with a suicide bomber. The rest is history.

Anyway, four of our earlier Presidents tried to beat LTTE. They failed because their attitude was wrong, approach was wrong and policies were wrong. The man with a brain in his veins, JRJ was daft enough to make an enemy out of India. He had been known to be so pro-American, he was called Yankee Dicky. JRJ was the solo supporter of the British at the UN when they invaded Malvinas. Yet, neither the US nor the British had supplied even the basic arms in his fight against LTTE. Instead they had provided enough arms and all other paraphernalia to LTTE through their agent, Norway.

After electing a long list of wrong leaders, we have finally elected a leader who had the correct vision to eradicate the LTTE menace. In spite of all kinds of national and international impediments he had wiped out not just LTTE but all its leaders as well. There are no blasting by suicide bombers or no claymore bombs explode anywhere in our country. We feel safe to move about without fear. No wonder people are so grateful and happy. Out of sheer joy, they called President Rajapakse the king. WhatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s wrong with that? DidnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t the rockers call Elvis the king? Only hoaxers, fraudsters, hypocrites and the bugger that continually fail takes it literally.

Long before General Fonseka became the so-called common opposition candidate for the Presidency, he has been trying to portray himself as the sole war hero. He started undermining all war effort by all others. Fonseka stressed; 95% of the fighting was done by the army. At a meeting in June 2009, General Fonseka said that he left no terrorist alive in Nandikadal; not even their bowels were left out.

Fonseka had wanted to convince us beyond doubt that he alone had done the job for us. Out of euphoria for concluding the war, we could not see the true colours of the General. But anyone with a balanced mind should have read the signs; but none did. His degrading of the Navy and the Air force contribution for the war effort to a mere 5% is pretentious. It took us awhile to realise, how wrong we were.

In an interview with Miss. Federica Janz of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”the LeaderƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Mr. Fonseka put his whole foot in his foul mouth. The manner in which General Fonseka tried to complicate Rajapakse brothers to war crimes shows his lack of ungratefulness to his mentors. Mr. Fonseka has forgotten that it was President Rajapakse that extended his service just two weeks before his retirement and appointed him as the commander of the army. If that didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t happen, Mr. Fonseka would have been just another retired major General today. Instead, he praised the woman who declined to extend his service and boasted that his service would have been automatically extended to be the commander of the army because ChandrikaK had given a three year extension to the then army commander. Mr. Fonseka has been insulting our intelligence many a times, since.

Complicating his subordinate Major General Shavendra Silva to war crimes is worst. It clearly shows how the man can yield up a subordinate for a petty gain. General Fonseka should have known that his effort to complicate Major General Shavendra Silva and Rajapakse brothers to war crimes do not absolve him of his complicity to crimes that he talked about. What a stupid move! When he realised the folly, Presidential candidate Fonseka backtracked. Backtracking of what is said to have said a day before is by no means just a vacillation. It shows the untrustworthiness of any man. How could we vote such a man to be the President of this country?

Having penned my opinion I offer the General my greatest admiration for beating LTTE and killing all its leaders, en-masse. We do not worry who killed Nadesan or Pulidevans or Ramesh or any other terrorist for that matter. We do not worry whether they carried white flags or claymore bombs at the time. Indeed we do not worry who ordered them to be killed. What mattered to us is they are no more to harm us.

So, we should not utter one word against those that killed the killers because they are nut murderous but patriots. Whoever wins the Presidency on 27th January 2010; the process of eliminating the remnant of the terrorists has to proceed unhindered. Hence, we have to think whether President Fonseka (hypothetical) could do that job with his now found friends.

With friends like Mangala who said Fonseka is not even suitable to command the Salvation Army, would a President Fonseka will be able to eliminate any remaining LTTE rumps? With friend like Ranil who said army conquered Toppigala is a mere jungle, would a President Fonseka will be able to eliminate any remaining LTTE rumps? With friend like Kiriella who said any fool (Fonseka) could wage a war, would a President Fonseka will be able to eliminate any remaining LTTE rumps. With friend like Mano Ganeshan who had opposed emergency that was necessary beat LTTE, would a President Fonseka will be able to eliminate any remaining LTTE rumps. With friend like TNA Members of Parliament that still proceed with their road map to Eelam, would a president Fonseka will be able to eliminate any remaining LTTE rumps. Certainly not!

International community (IC) may have cajoled Fonseka to contest against Rajapakse to thwart that effort. But they should know that they will lose this time as well. IC may have manipulated international papers to portray that Sinhala nationalist vote is divided, 50-50. They may also have inculcated their NGOs and INGOs to write fairy tales about Fonseka winning the Presidency. But, thatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s not the true picture here in Sinhala villagers like the one that I live.

To tell the truth, I am yet to find anyone who had voted for RajapakseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s party at the last PC election that has abandoned them since. True, True, staunchest UNPers that had been on hibernation have come out to disseminate all kinds of gossip and tittle-tattle against Rajapakses. But the none-card carrying silent UNPers are dead silent. Whether they will go to the voting booth on 26th is doubtful. Even with their vote, Mr. Fonseka would get less than 40%.

I have been looking among the UNPers all over to place a bet against Fonseka winning the Presidency. But there were no takers. It appears that people are reluctant to bet against Rajapakse. In my opinion, it is a clear sign for the outcome of the election.

Herold Leelawardena