Ananda De Costa

Lesson 1

Never ever follow India in anything before thorough investigation.

In early sixties Sri Lankan governing style was distinctly different from Indian style. We had proper roads, proper bus service proper schools and proper hospitals. We did not have and still do not have people using roadside as toilets. Inward looking closed economic policies taught by Indian pundits killed that order. Indian products gradually flooded our country with no apparent benefit. Then India started training Tamil Tigers in Tamil Nadu to sabotage Sri Lanka. Before anything else shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t we demand a sincere apology from India?

Lesson 2

Never let law and order of the country to deteriorate gradually.

Politicians did not start corruption in Sri Lanka. The officials did. PWD overseer was a rich man those days. Then the Technicians followed by Engineers followed the trick of getting rich easily. Mahaweli Development Board had the initials ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚ ƒ”š‚¶ƒ”š‚¸ ƒÆ’‚ ƒ”š‚·ƒ” -â„¢ ƒÆ’‚ ƒ”š‚¶ƒ”š‚¸ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-which was called maha salli mankollaya- then it was too late. Corruption then invaded high ranks of Armed forces who preferred the war to go on. Even the Fonseka the last head of the Army is accused of corruption.

Lesson 3

Kill the terrorism on the spot, in the womb, before it is born. Do not allow the terrorist to carry the white flag!

Prabhaharan was just a kid when he started killing. He killed Tamils first. Police offered 100000 rupees for his capture in 1973. I am sure police could have caught him if they were diligent. Terrorism was allowed to prosper sacrificing Sinhala youth. I mention Sinhala only here simply because it was the Tamils who started terrorism.

Lesson 4

Always have an ally, a big brother other than India because there is no point pretending to be younger brother of a big bully.

JR did not try this correctly. But MR did. That should be enough to understand the lesson learned.

Reconciliation

This word is not applicable to Sri Lanka. It is applicable in Australia where millions of Aboriginal people were killed, thousands of children were forcibly snatched from parents and communities wiped out. It is also applicable in USA, South Africa and may other countries where westerners did immense damages to human lives and countries. It may also applicable to Japanese who mercilessly killed Chinese during war.

In Sri Lanka it was the Sinhalese who suffered because of Tamil terrorism, initiated by India and then supported using funding from western countries. Therefore, it is the duty of UN to get all the countries responsible to pay compensation (not aid) and apologise to Sri Lanka to start the reconciliation process.