Malin Abeyatunge

Sarath Fonseka (SF) is not the only hero in the defeat of LTTE as he claimed. He was only one among the others like Chiefs of Navy, Air force, STF, Police and Hasalaka Gamini and all personnel from the tri forces who fought gallantly and valiantly. It is sad to see the war hero Sarath Fonseka gradually turning out to be the biggest betrayer of the nation .He pointed out at Gotabaya Rajapaksa and said in an interview with Leader paper that Gotabaya has given orders to kill the Tiger leaders who surrendered with a white flag during his absence from the war scene. At another press conference he was trying to white wash his comments on Gotabaya saying that he has been misquoted by the editor Frederica Janz which she totally rejected that claim. He follows western media like BBC and CNN, ABC who broadcast inaccurate and false information on hearsay about Sri Lanka and then try to make excuses. Even if they apologize, the damage is already done and cannot be reversed and this is a tactic used by the western media. Likewise, Sarath Fonseka also made some inaccurate and false statements to Leader paper and then tried to hide behind a statement saying that he has been misquoted. By that time the damage is done and cannot be mended as the International Community (western block) who is all out to bring Sri Lanka into War crimes has got ammunition from the horses mouth to play around.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ There are two important matters which concerns the Sri Lankan voters. SF has made such a bold and grave destructive statement against our Defense Secretary Gotabaya on HEARSAY. The second important matter is can the Sri Lankan voters trust a naƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¯ve person like SF to run the country who contradicts his own statements later on. Are we going to entrust the trustee of the country to a double tongued SF? YesterdayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s press conference (DM-15/12/2009) he says now that he takes the full responsibility of the war during his period as the Army Commander until the date LTTE was militarily defeated. How can we trust person like SF to be the leader of the country when he does not have a vision (vision borrowed from UNP & JVP) and every turn he makes contradictory statements.

There is another million dollar question? When the crucial moment of defeating the LTTE and hunting for Tiger leader Prabhakaran was in operation, he was in China and monitoring the war by remote control. What was he doing in China? I cannot find any reason why President Rajapaksa allowed him to leave the shores at the most crucial moment of the war.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ SF has crowned himself as the Greatest Betrayer of the century for his greed for power. If MR and GR didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t smell a rat, he would have definitely staged a coup and he would have been making grounds for that by asking President to increase the army by another 100,000 and ordering $300 million worth of arms. Are we going to handover the country to such a dangerous ex army man for a military junta?.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Hypothetically, if Sarath Fonseka by a miracle or a potta chance becomes the President of Sri Lanka, there will be no pleasing scenario but only a worst scenario that will look like as follows:

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ His promise to abolish the Executive Presidency (EP) is bunkum. He knows very well that Executive presidency cannot be abolished knowing very well UNF alliance cannot get a two third majority and win a referendum. So he says with confidence that he will do away the EP to hood wink the voters. Little that he knows that the majority people in Sri Lanka is least worried about the EP but about their daily bread. If he becomes EP, being an army tyrant like Prabahkaran, he will turn Sri Lanka into a another Myanmar and the citizens of Sri Lanka will have to live under the jackboots of SF.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ First thing he will do is arrest President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brothers and their children;

Then he will sack/arrest present Army Commander Jagath Jaysuriya;

He will make Ranil PM if that party gets a majority (very unlikely) in the HoP with no powers;

SF will not abolish EP and he will retain all executive powers of the President. He will even go to the extent of making a man a woman for his benefit.

He will appoint his son-in law (Is nepotism here? Who says?) may be the Defense Secretary or the Chief arms procurement officer for Army. SF has a point there as his SIL is an experienced arms dealer. He will open up more companies under his childrenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s names to see that all commission goes to SF Dynasty.

He will get his green card without an eyelid which he had been greedily clamoring for even at the expense of attempting to frame GR for war crimes.

He will go beyond 13 + as promised to please the Tamils and Sri Lanka will be back to square one after sacrificing over 70000 lives.

He talks Democracy now but it will autocracy later if he wins.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ So the question with the voters is who is the best out of SF & MR and as the saying goes ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-known devil is better than the unknown devilƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. The Sri Lankans are politically educated and well informed and would use his/her vote prudently and avoid Sri Lanka becoming another Myanmar ruled by military junta, or like former Bangladesh or Pakistan.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Malin Abeyatunge

18/12/2009