Insight By Sunil Kumar March 23rd 2010

There was speculation sometime back that the UNP per se was in impasse and was heading, if not for a complete nose dive and disintegration,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ at leastƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for a leadership review where its obstreperous leader Ranil Wickremasinghe would be ignominiously dumped as he was hurting the party more than sustaining it.

Most unfortunately for the party as well as the Nation perhaps this did not happen and the man is still holding sway as leader of his onceƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ popular party which was embellished by giants of statesmen and born leaders upholding the integrity and valuse of this great nationƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ but here we are today with aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ simpletonƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ making a typical fool of himself eachtime he tries his hand at statesmanship which is simply not there !! Either that or he is a conniver who goes to great extremes to hoodwink the Nation but gets caught as his duplicity sticks out like a sore thumb!
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The more prudent within the party have wisely crossed over to the ruling party leaving the UNP toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ sort out its woesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and the dregs of a once popular party in sustaining its current leaderƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  appears to be further disentitling theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ UNP to any political bounce back for a very long time and something which must be painfully obvious to many but in the long term perhaps very beneficial to the Nation.
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Wickremasinghe’sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ latest statement aboutƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a debt of apology to the Tamil people in his recent Jaffna address at an election really endorses this as he continuesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ floundering through Sri Lanka’s electoral process where he would be better off being sent to the pasture and a new leadership taking over the reins as this individual is surely making a mockery of all the expectations ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  discerning Sri Lankans whether Sinhalese, Tamil,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Muslim or other in his desperate bid to regain political power but in doing so driving the UNP further away from the objective as he continuesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ his blinkered way using meaningless rhetoric for which he has built a reputation over the years.
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Asserting that he truly is an embarassment to his party as well as the Nation would be an understatement given his latestƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ attempt at political parlanceƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ where even the Tamils of Sri Lanka to a greater proportion must surely be wondering what exactly he is trying to accomplish when there are glaring facts about his duplicityƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ which is also linkedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to his late uncle who once heldƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the highest office in the land.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is no fiction thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ during their combined tenures the Tamil and Muslim Communities were collectively brutalised although feeble attempts at reconciliation involving bartering with terrorists was a meaningless gesture further compromising the sovereignity andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  territorial integrity of the Nation which never made any sense!
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RanilƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s latest statementƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to the public about Sinhalese owing an apology to the Tamil people appears to be another of hisƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ connivingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ attempts to mislead an audience and in this case,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a gathering ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil votersƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  in the Jaffna peninsula using a shameful ploy, the transparencies of which are as visible as his own double standards dating back to how he has dealt with the Tamil Sinhala issue during his tenure as Prime Minister so whom is he trying to kid this time but himself?
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Quoting a recent response toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Wickremasingha’s Jaffna addressƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  it has been said veritably that”ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is not the Sinhala people who have to apologize. The Sinhala people have been very accommodating as far as the Tamils are concerned, theyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ve lived among us in great harmony and cordiality whichƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ has been unique, until the politicians on both sides began to manipulate for their own gains.”ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  end quote and here we are witnessing a recurrence of this exact same ploy by Wickremasinghe who needs to be shamefaced at what a betrayal of the Sinhala community he has initiated through his worthless rhetoric.
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It has been further observedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  very accurately refering to the sameƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ statement quotedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  that “if the Sinhala people have to apologize to the Tamils, so too,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ should the Tamil people apologize to the Sinhala people for all the terror, murder and mayhem perpetrated by the terrorists led by their ‘sun-god’ or whatever. But we donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t need an apology. We need toi live in peace and harmony in a united, sovereign Sri Lanka” and Ranil Wickremasinghe is attempting to drive a wedge into the unity of a Nation which is making an unprecedented bid towards this unity initiated by its present administration led by its charismatic leader Mahinda Rajapaksha who needs no Wickremasinghe apology towards his efforts where his empathies towards all Sri Lankans including the Tamis is plainly visible through his policies and tangible efforts.
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To the voting public of Sri Lanka it needs to be said as a preambleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to the General Election ” get this unworthy leader of the UNP out of Sri Lanka’s political spectrum by sending himƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and his consorts who are more detrimental to Sri Lanka than beneficial to a resounding defeat at the General Election in order to let all Sri lankans live in true harmony under an Administration which serves no double standards where its leader the President of Sri lanka has proved his worthiness towards the task and the next Prime Minister also needs to beƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ one of his affiliates.