Stanley Weerasinghe, Pannipitiya. Courtesy The Island

June 19, 2012, 7:55 pm

Writing under the title: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”No compromise on bending rules to suit individual interestsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in THE ISLAND of 16 June Shanie says: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as Defence Secretary is a public servant. But he talks and acts like a politician. The fact that he is the brother of the President does not give him any additional rights that other public servants do not enjoyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

The writer had quoted at length to illustrate instances where the former Attorney General Mohan Peiris had erred, but failed to quote a single instance where the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa (GR) had done any wrongdoing, apart from saying that, he ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”talks and acts like a politicianƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

We have witnessed events where the PresidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Secretary, Lalith Weeratunga, also a public servant, addressing public gatherings to educate the masses on matters of public interest. What is wrong in such action, so long as the intention is to serve the public ?.

Today, GR enjoys immense popularity on account of his pivotal role performed in eradicating LTTE terrorism that had plagued our country during the last three decades. During the war against LTTE terror, GRƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s life was saved miraculously when Tiger terrorists detonated a suicide bomb as his motorcade was passing the Liberty junction.

He was instrumental in removing pavement hawkers that caused much hardship to pedestrians in Colombo, suburbs and outstation cities and re-located shanty dwellers. Dumping of garbage in public places is another problem that he effectively handled, to minimize this hazardous practice to a manageable degree. He also appears before local and international media to counter canards propagated by LTTE rump abroad and some NGOs sympathetic to the LTTE cause. According to ShanieƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s lopsided logic, being the PresidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s brother is a disqualification for GR to serve his motherland.

`Double standards are employed in treating journalists and civil society activistsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, is yet another of ShanieƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s accusations against GR. During the last UNHR Conference when the US moved a resolution against our country on allegations of war crimes alleged to have been committed during the last phase of the war, some NGOs went to Geneva to propagate falsehood against Sri Lanka. One such individual had shouted, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Sri Lanka is a hellhole V in a detestable attempt to provide impetus to the LTTE rump that had gathered in Geneva, waving Tiger flags and shouting slogans in a vile move to hurl slander on our country. Yet, these NGOs are given freedom to function, to defame Sri Lanka further. Even Shanie, lacking the backbone to write under the name given by his/her parents, enjoys freedom to hurl unfounded brickbats on that had come forward to save our motherland.