Ben Silva

The war against the Tamil Tiger terrorists, that had international backing was won due to team effort. The President, defence sec., Commanders of various forces, ordinary members of the forces including the police, the public, Politicians of various ethnic groups all worked as a team. Special recognition has to be given to Defence sec Gotabaya Rajapaksa for his heroism in the battle field and his organisation skills. Specifically, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Police, the Civil Defence Department, the Intelligence Service and the Foreign Ministry made a critical contribution to the battle against terrorism.

Patriots in WAPS, SPUR, SLUNA, LANKAWEB and a number of other orgs made a contribution in winning the war. Without the support and leadership of the Prez MR, it is unlikely that the war could have been won. The President coordinated those against the terrorists, provided support and the appropriate tools to the forces, provided leadership, and stood firm against Western and other imperialist forces.

The Prez MR acted the way a President should and non of the previous leaders, including RW provided leadership to the nation. It is selfish for an individual, such as retired General SF to claim the lions share of the credit for winning the war.

The Prez. MR , within a short span of 3 years, not only won the war, but have initiated other developments as well, such as the development of the airport, the harbour in the south, Solar power project, new roads, improvement in agriculture and so on. He also has shown how to resist foreign powers tactfully but firmly. He has built bridges with the Tamil and Muslim communities.

If the Retired General want to serve the country, he could join hands with the Prez MR and support the war against corruption, abuse of power and so on.

It is best that the Retired General does not devalue himself by becoming a politician. In the army, to get a job done you issue orders. In the civilian life, it does not work like that.

Although it is good to have a strong opposition, to keep the Government on track, it is unwise to join a group of fools, racists, opportunists and traitors. RW is known as a Gona and some say he is a donkey. He nearly gave away the country to the LTTE and did not have the guts to fight the terrorists or even stand up to imperialists.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ All previous leaders allowed the terrorists to grow in strength and it was only MR who had the courage and the skill to take on the terrorists and imperialists. This important fact has to be taken into account in any presidential contest.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It has to be mentioned that, it is Prez. MR who nurtured SF and gave him the opportunity to become the Commander of the army. Many believe that is ungrateful of him to bite the hand that fed him.

It is clear from the various media articles that appear that SF has lost the respect of those that respected him previously and now some even treat him as a joker. What a sad fall for a hero. Many feel that the political skills demonstrated by the retired General is not impressive and many have questioned if there is even one General who has run a country properly. The skills needed by a General is different to that required of a leader of a country, with complex problems.

Even at this late stage, many hope that dirty linen is not washed in public and SF and MR have a compromise solution, without destroying the nation.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Sri Lankan nation has to work as a team to improve the quality of life for all, irrespective of the ethnicity.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Many have expressed the view that there is a clash of egos between MR and SF and this clash should not be allowed to ruin or divide the country. The failures and the nature of SFs supporters need to be exposed to the country. JVP some say stand for Janatha Vinasha Peramuna It has lost its direction. When it is well known that it was the Tamils that destroyed our civilisation by destroying our irrigation system, JVP goes to India to get more Tamils into the country!. What a group of jokers!

Of course modern Sri Lanka belongs to all its citizens and all should have rights and duties and Tamils should not act as agents of Tamil racists. It is sad that even in the modern world, some Tamil racist empire builders are still thinking of carving a part of Sri Lanka for a Tamil empire. Racist Tamil threats must not be underestimated or ignored.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Overpopulation in Sri Lanka appear to lead to other problems and this has to be investigated and addressed. It is sad that I have not seen this issue being discussed by any politician or the society in general. It is sad that our energies are not directed towards solving problems, but used in throwing mud at each other. There is even some truth in the saying that the Sinhalese have a short memory.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The retired General also appear to be associated with those that supported LTTE and those that attempted to humiliate him. This is out of character and there is a need to monitor him.

It is also important that the retired General is given due respect for his key role in defeating terrorism and adequate security should be provided to him.