If only things were different after 19 May 2009!
Posted on May 19th, 2016
Ratanapala
19 May 2016
Soon after the LTTE was decimated on 19 May 2009, the then Indian High Commissioner created the rift between the overly ambitious Army Commander and MR ( by then a newly born Maha Rajano). India achieved their objective with the killing of Prabhakaran. They wanted him out because of their shame after the IPKF debacle and Rajiv Gandhi assassination. Immediately afterwards their next objective was to weaken the Sri Lankan military. Fonseka rightly wanted the Armed forces manpower to be increased to 300,000 to consolidate the gains over terrorism, but MR relented.
Behind these scenes, it is said that it is the Indian High Commissioner who cautioned” MR that his army was getting too big for their shoes, instilling in his mind doubts and suspicion of his own Army Commander. Fonseka didn’t help the situation either by going amok in Colombo in preparation for a big army-do and this helped to sustain MR’s fears even more so.
No country in the world dismantled her armed forces and war gains so quickly the way Sri Lanka did. And this happened soon after the longest war in Asia as if nothing happened during the previous 30 year! ! All this happened while there was much to be learned from the way how other victorious powers handled post war situations.
Only if things were different, combined team of MR, Gotabhaya and Fonseka would have crystalized the nation to take a different and more pragmatic path towards eliminating the terrorist threat for ever and to establish a practical reconciliation with the Tamils. If this happened, they would be revered heroes and still in power. Fonseka could have made a career for himself in politics under MR and made Sri Lanka secure and great. By now there would have been statues erected in his honour all over Sri Lanka for being one of the architects of the victory over terrorism. Both MR, Gotabhaya and Fonseka would have entered the long history of Sri Lanka as unblemished war heroes who united the divided motherland and brought peace to our Motherland.
Sri Lanka should have allowed limited political freedom in the North and East knowing very well the Eelamist forces still simmering under the veneer of asking for more rights and that there still exist a large number of LTTE activists masquerading as innocent civilians. Even during the war there was no clear demarcation between the LTTE and the civilian population. Even today after nearly 7 years after the demise of Prabhakaran the people in the North and East are not ready for democracy. Ordinary man has no choice and their votes are decided by their Vellala Racist Tamil masters. The last two elections for Presidency and for the Parliament were clear indications of these. The end result – LTTE is raising its head in the North and East as a re-emergent force, while our Armed forces are busy dismantling their bases and hard won ground with no knowledge of what the potential security threats are.
See for yourself who the LTTE are ? – https://youtu.be/7mrJ6k5vxy4?t=10
Today as Chief Minister Vigneshwaran is leading the movement to revive the LTTE in collusion with the so called diaspora Tamils. Just yesterday he commemorated the demise of the Terrorist Prabhakaran at Mullivaikkal beach where he died. This whole area should have been under Armed Forces control, let alone left as memorial for a terrorist.
We could have gone onto provide security for the seas around Sri Lanka as a responsible maritime nation giving protection to the shipping lanes South of Sri Lanka and against piracy and other threats. We could have profited from this exercise as it was done under the previous regime. All our problems are today because we did not manage the post war situation properly.
Greats of the world who changed world history – the likes of Marshall Stalin, and Chairman Mao Ze Dong went onto consolidate their gains after revolutions and wars in their countries and those countries are making great strides in progress and development in the world much to the envy of the rest of the world!
MR’s administration did a lot in terms of infrastructure development but did not market the results to the people. They even failed to tell the people the what they intend to do with Hambantota Port and Mattala Airport nor of the motorways and expressways. Obviously they were not stand alone projects and had second phase plans, but these were not marketed to the people as precursors to further development and job creation.
Today traitorous Catholic Administration of Don Juan Ranil is trying take credit for the continuation of the Port City, Hambantota second phase now forced on him by the Chinese and for the Mattala Airport. It is a fact that infrastructure projects do not yield immediate financial benefits. They form the background to a country’s economic development.
The architect of modern South Korea, Gen Park Jung He’s first works to get South Korea out of poverty were similar infrastructure projects to what MR initiated in Sri Lanka. Only difference was he knew what he was doing and had the courage to put those projects to reality and within his life time and made South Korea a force to reckon with in the world. By 1988 as almost a first world nation, they held Olympics Games in Seoul. This was no mean achievement. South Koreans suffered immensely to bring about those changes, but they have a country to be proud of today!
Today under Yahapalanaya which came to power by constitutional fraud has brought Sri Lanka to its weakest in recent history. Sri Lanka has become a vassal state of India for all practical purposes and open to further meddling by the Christian West and Jihadist countries in the Middle East. Catholic Tigers in the South, Tamil Tigers in the North and East and Jihadist everywhere are taking control of Sri Lanka. Majority Sinhala Buddhists remain divided like lambs to slaughter!
Had we managed a strong Army, pragmatic diplomacy with world powers and got our affairs under control, Sri Lanka would have been a respected nation by all – just like Singapore in the world today. World respect strong nations and not those out of control. The very sense of instability brings outside forces, like vultures and hyenas to a wounded animal. We had all the necessary ingredients for a great beginning for Sri Lanka but all were squandered for empty vanity, greed, nepotism and sheer foolishness.
The nation and the Ranviruwoes who sacrificed all they could for over 30 years with life and limb and untold privations can only sigh in disbelief, anger and abandonment, thinking – If only things were different after 19 May 2009!
May 19th, 2016 at 5:40 am
Ratnapala, You are very right. We have had the curse of India interfering in our politics from 1948. They have always treated Sri Lanka as if it was already a part of India. In this connection please see: http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/12/24/it-is-the-sinhalese-who-need-protection-under-the-r2p-of-the-un-from-77-million-tamils-across-the-palk-straits/
May 19th, 2016 at 8:42 am
RAW deals from INDIA, eh ?
Every time the UNP came into power during the Cold War (1946-1991) times especially, INDIA went berserk and imposed the 13-A on the JRJ govt and also trained the LTTE in Tamil Nadu.
We see the net results of those actions in Lanka today.
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Ratanapala,
MR had little choice left to him after the war with the LTTE ended. INDIA & the west want Puppets and not Leaders in Lanka. Strategic location of Lanka and Ports, plus Colonisation of nearly 500 yrs and proximity of Tamil Nadu and the rest of INDIA, dictates terms, always.
It will take nothing short of a miracle to rescue Lanka from various grips, local & foreign, plus RAW deals !
May 19th, 2016 at 12:13 pm
Fran, miracle would be all Sinhalese voting as one block. That is the only way to save our beautiful country that has a glorious past.
May 20th, 2016 at 3:50 pm
Meka thamai balu nidahase anisansa.
Utter saha negenhrira demalunta nidahasak naha. Watukaraye inna demaluth ehemai! Un, unge nayakayo kiyana widiyata karanawa. Musolmanuwo unge lebbe kiyana de karanawa, unta nidhasak aththeth nehe, onith nehe – allagen kanyawo labunoth athi.
Dakune Sinhalun ta balu nidahasa labila ballo wage hasirenawa. Unta ratak, jathiyak aagamak oni nene. Oni kannai bonnai joli karanna pamanai. Rata ballata yana eka arumayak nowei!
May 20th, 2016 at 4:19 pm
Kumari,
Getting the Sinhala people to vote as one bock is the key …. as you say.
Unfortunately, Sinhala Christians will never do that … they take their marching orders from the Vatican ; we must focus on getting the Sinhala Buddhists to do that, but our “Vatican”… aka Mahanayaka’s … are themselves divided!
.
May 20th, 2016 at 7:55 pm
For Sinhala people to vote in one voice, you have to promise them what they need to hear from a bold leader.
For instance, promise them to abrogate 13A fully, root out nepotism, abolish ETCA if signed, throw LLRC and POE reports in the rubbish bin and disregard IMF dictates. Then more than 61% Sinhalese will vote for that party and it can win the election. Not otherwise. It is foolish to vote for a party that promises to implement LLRC recommendations.
Until a bold leader emerges who can at least promise these, not more than 58% of Sinhalese will vote for a party. I’m at a loss to understand why we don’t have a leader to at least promise to abrogate 13A fully, root out nepotism, throw LLRC and POE reports in the rubbish bin, abolish ETCA if signed and disregard IMF dictates. These are election winning deals for the more nationalist camp that go begging.
Fearing India’s RAW is not an excuse as cowards cannot claim to be heroes.
May 20th, 2016 at 9:12 pm
An excellent article followed up by superlative comments that go to the roots of the present day Sri Lankan debacle.
Everything that needs be said is stated on this page.
Mario Perera
Kadawata