Sarath Bulathsinghala

The 2020 General Election is upon us. It is time the success at the Presidential Election in Nov 2019 is carried to its logical conclusion. We thank the patriotic forces of Sri Lanka for electing Gotabhaya Rajapakse the 7^th President of Sri Lanka with a handsome majority. This victory has cast into disarray the dark forces that conspired to make Sri Lanka our Motherland a Failed State at the behest of Western Christian Powers. Today the very fires of hatred that were directed to destroy our Motherland are destroying the unpatriotic political entity the UNP from within! It stands divided, quartered and consumed by the very fires it lit to destroy Sri Lanka and make it a failed state vulnerable to Big Power intervention. The UNP, together with the SLFP rump that aided and abetted the traitorous UNP are slowly marching towards political oblivion

However, it is now left for the patriotic forces to give a resounding blow at the 2020 parliamentary election and destroy the UNP and possibly the SLFP for good.  These two geriatric political parties though brought into existence on lofty but impractical ideals, have over the years, failed live up to their promises – to bring peace and prosperity to the citizens of Sri Lanka. THE ONLY THING THAT THEY DID FAMOUSLY IS TO DIVIDE THE SINHALA POLITY IN THE MIDDLE into two ‘dog eat dog’ political parties that failed the majority Sinhala Buddhists miserably.  Together they have impoverished Sri Lanka, made politics in Sri Lanka the most corrupt in the region and the corrupt politicians rich and powerful. They also brought in the minority racists and religionists to the fray and made them kingmakers of Sri Lanka. The end result is for all to see – our past political history- the machinations and the deleterious effects of the doings of Chevanayakam, Amirthalingam, Sambandan, Thondaman, Ashrofs and now Hakeem, Mano Geneshan and Baithuddeen and add to this the Senanayake, Bandaranaikes, Jayawardeen, Premadasa  and Wickramasinghe.  

Rajapakses became the architects of winning the Tamil Tiger Terrorist War but failed to consolidate the war gains.  Winning a war is not winning just the battles – it includes maintaining the peace. This is the reason the victorious Allies are still stationed around the world in strategic locations. Mahinda Rajapakse failed in this score because he misread history. Withdrawal of Armed Forces from strategic locations in the North and East was a sign of weakness and the slippery road back to ‘giving little now and more later’ failed policy of yesteryear. No one within Sri Lanka or outside should dictate where Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces should be present or not. Then Army Commander – Sarath Fonseka’s assertion to increase the army was in fact correct strategically as it takes more to maintain peace than fight wars. It took 30 years to finish off the war because we did not have enough soldiers to keep and defend the peace in the liberated areas! Finally, the war was won, because the President Mahinda Rajapakse took a firm stand, the then Defence Secretary and now the President Gotabhaya provided the necessary manpower and war logistics to hold onto and defend liberated areas while prosecuting the war elsewhere.

While basking in the glory of winning the war he neglected the immediate aspirations of the people and ran roughshod over the economy making large scale investments – some absolute necessities for a middle income nation and others that could have been done at a more leisurely pace without entrenching the country in a debt burden. Moreover, he failed to market these projects among people giving clear cost benefit projections and getting those projects to bear fruit or to give a realistic plan and time scale to make them work. In the process and quite inadvertently Sri Lanka has now become the playground for the Big Powers trying to divide Sri Lanka between themselves. Then he lost his Presidency in 2015 with disastrous results for Sri Lanka and five years of unending political darkness!

AFTER 70 YEARS WHAT THE NATION NEEDS IS TIME AND SPACE TO MOVE FORWARD AS ONE NATION LEAVING BEHIND THE ENMITY AND DIVISIVENESS. FOR THIS TO HAPPEN THE UNITY OF THE SINHALESE IS PARAMOUNT. MINORITY POLITICS AND THEIR ASPIRATIONS WILL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY WITH ONLY HALF OF THE SINHALESE AGREEING. THIS IS WHY THE UNITY OF THE SINHALESE BE THEY UNP OR SLFP IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE FOR THE GOOD OF ALL CONCERNED, MINORITIES INCLUDED.

What ailed Sri Lanka during the last 70 years is the constant demands of minority Shylocks asking for their pound of flesh and more. In their own words, it was and is – Little now and More later! Even as we speak, these forces are at play 24/7 finding ways to keep Sri Lanka destabilized and poor. Their ultimate goal is to make Sri Lanka a Failed State a country to be preyed on. Sri Lanka lost hundreds or even thousands of valuable opportunities to forge ahead because of the minority destabilization of the country. Many a potential investor went elsewhere because of the ground situation in Sri Lanka. 

Their incessant efforts in cahoots with Western Christian Powers bore fruit in Jan 2015. Yahapalanaya – which was a misnomer from its inception, just like Dhramishta Samajayak of traitor chief J R Jayawardene. Yahapalanaya  came into power on a platform of eliminating corruption. From what transpired later it is now obvious what they had in mind all along. Within seven weeks of their coming into power the first bond scam took was unleashed on the people of Sri Lanka.

FROM HIND SIGHT, IT IS CLEAR THAT RANIL AND HIS COHORTS PLANNED THIS BANK HEIST LONG BEFORE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS OF JAN 2015. ALL THIS WAS CLEAR FROM THE WAY HE SET IN MOTION THE INTERMEDIATE STEPS NECESSARY FOR THE CENTRAL BANK BOND SCAM. GETTING HIMSELF APPOINTED PRIME MINISTER, TAKING OVER PART OF THE FINANCE MINISTRY THAT INCLUDED THE CENTRAL BANK, GETTING ARJUN MAHENDRAN APPOINTED AS THE GOVERNOR OF THE CENTRAL BANK WHILST HIS SON IN LAW WAS A PRIMARY DEALER HIMSELF. MANY THINK THE ‘HEIST’ TOOK PLACE BY CHANCE ON 26 FEB 2105 AND THAT IS THE IMBECILIC FOLLY OF THE ORDINARY SRI LANKAN! THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY THE SECOND CENTRAL BANK HEIST AT AN EVEN LARGER SCALE AN YEAR LATER IN MARCH 2016! WITH YAHAPALANAYA TAKING OVER REINS OF POWER, ITS MAIN TASK WAS TO COMPLETE THE TASK OF MAKING SRI LANKA A FAILED STATE. COMPROMISING FOOD SECURITY, NATIONAL SECURITY, ECONOMIC SECURITY INVOLVING BOND SCAMS, HIGH TAXATION, HIGH INTEREST RATES, DESTRUCTION OF THE PLANTATION SECTOR ECONOMIES AND FINALLY THE IMPORT DEPENDENT FAILED STATE THAT WOULD BE VULNERABLE FOR ECONOMIC SANCTIONS. THE ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THE CONSTITUTION WAS THE FINAL MASTERSTROKE TO MAKE SRI LANKA A VASSAL STATE OF THE USA. THESE ARE TO BE FOLLOWED BY ACSA, SOFA AND MCC AGREEMENTS TO MAKE SRI LANKA THE PRESENT DAY OKINAWA OR PANAMA –  A VASSAL STATE OF THE SUPPOSED TO BE ‘THE ONLY EXCEPTIONAL NATION’ IN THE WORLD TODAY – THE USA.

Patriotic UNPers and SLFPers should see this reality and leaving aside their petty differences unite to save Sri Lanka. The horrors of Easter Sunday attacks would not have come about if not for the criminal negligence and neglect of the Security Apparatus in Sri Lanka by the government led by Sirisena and Ranil. If they had any self-respect they should have resigned their posts in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.

This why they all must join forces under Pohottuwa, not because it is the best, but because it is the ‘nearest to best we can conceive of’, the ground reality and the only existing common place where all from different political hues can gather and unite to end once and for all the tyranny of Minority Politics. We must be in a position to muster a 2/3^rd majority to bring about the necessary constitutional changes as well as provide for reasonable minority demands that do not infringe on the security, wellbeing and continued existence of Sri Lanka as a separate, unitary and independent political and geographical entity south of the Palk Straits!

It is time, all those well-meaning Tamils and Muslims leave the divisive politics and join the mainstream to achieve their realistic aspirations. Division of the country into Islamic fiefdoms or giving land and police powers to Eelamists is no way to achieve lasting peace in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka simply does not have space nor the security measures necessary to entertain such wishful thinking that only bring luxuries to a selected few and keep the majority mired in perpetual misery! Any resulting borders drawn will result in unending enmity and conflict. I am sure this is not any peace-loving citizen of this country aspire to – be they Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim!

It is time, Sinhalese of all hues, be they UNP, SLFP, Buddhist or Christian unite behind Pohottuwa to take the country away from the ‘dog eat dog’ politics of yesterday and today, for together we can prosper as a nation. It is time the Sinhalese demanded from Pohottuwa that it cannot be ‘Politics as Usual’ as it used to be. It is time they got rid of the useless riff-raff, the traitorous, self-serving and the bribe-taker lot among them and move forward with only those who can be trusted to make way for progress. Pohottuwas must leave space only for the best in the SLFP, the UNP and those among minorities who aspire to prosper together with a common consensus. Pohottuwa also must take heed of the agendas put forward by the Vikalpa groups for they too have a message that is relevant to the immediate needs of the nation. PRESIDENT GOTABHAYA MUST BE ALLOWED UNHAMPERED FREEDOM TO FORM THE BEST TEAM OF MINISTERS AND CABINET MEMBERS FROM AMONG THOSE ELECTED DISREGARDING PETTY POLITICS.

Other nations such as Malaysia and Singapore sorted similar problems right at the beginning of their independence from Colonial Powers. This is why these countries prosper and Sri Lanka not! Big and powerful nations respect their strengths and politics!

UNLESS THE SINHALESE UNITE AS ONE, BECOME SELF SUFFICIENT IN THEIR BASIC NEEDS AND SECURITY. THERE IS NO SOLUTION TO THE MINORITIES. THIS IS THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH BEHIND POLITICS IN SRI LANKA. This is what ailed Sri Lanka for the last 70 years. This is what led to 1971, 1989 and the 30-year Racist Eelam War and just recently the Easter Sunday Attacks by Islamists! It is only the United Sinhalese who can accommodate those peaceful intentions of the minorities and take the nation towards progress! No solution or agreement, call it what may, provided by 50% Sinhalese will stand the test of time!

The so-called International Community!

The so-called International Community are at the door calling for ‘democracy and human rights’.  This bogus cry is now seen to be fake. This has been the Big Power strategy to castigate less powerful nations in to submission. Over the years these empty ideals not practiced by themselves have led to – Black Lives Matter, We Can’t Breathe – slogans in their own countries. It is this system of governance that made the 1% own the 99% of world’s wealth. It is these very strategies that are now failing before the Corvid-19 onslaught. The so called Big Powers who sent their ‘knights in shining armour’ to the ends of the world to fight for democracy and human rights are now looking askance, having failed to provide the minimum standards of health, safety and hope to their own citizens! Shame on them for the Trillions they spent on developing arms to destroy the world and their Military Industrial Complexes.

They would rather make Sri Lanka unstable, divided, a failed state and divide the spoils rather than try to negotiate with a weak state. On the other hand, they would support a country that is strong politically and militarily. They say Nature abhors a vacuum and so does politics. They are onto Sri Lanka because they find Sri Lanka divided, unstable and vacuous. Western Christian Nations led by the USA need Sri Lanka as a staging post for their INDO-PACIFIC military strategy. Ranil has been tasked to make Sri Lanka a Failed State and he nearly accomplished that during the last 5 years. MCC COMPACT WAS TO BE THE FINAL COUP DE GRACE TO END ONCE AND FOR ALL THE INDEPENDENCE OF SRI LANKA!

We must provide India the security she needs south of the Palk Straits! It is only a strong Sri Lankan military which can provide this assurance and not a weak Sri Lanka! Senior Indian politician Subramaniam Swamy put it succinctly – We can trust the words of Rajapakses. They are a strong team and we can depend on what they promise”.

Time is of the essence, let us learn from Jan 2015 and not bungle it this time! All patriots, be they UNP or SLFP, or from minority communities, all who wish well for Mother Lanka, unite behind Pohottuwa! President Gotabhaya Rajapakse led Pohottuwa is the only practical alternative to all others who are in the fray contesting Parliamentary General Elections on 5 August 2020. They are the better team who has a chance to make Sri Lanka great again!  Ranil Wickramasinghe and Sajith Premadasa are spent forces. They are not worth spending time on!

THIS IS WHY POHOTTUWA SHOULD BE GIVEN AN OVER 2/3 MAJORITY IN PARLIAMENT TO ENACT A NEW CONSTITUTION THAT WILL ENSURE THE FUTURE OF SRI LANKA AS A UNITARY, UNDIVIDABLE AND SOVEREIGN, POLITICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL ENTITY IN THE EYES OF HER CITIZENS AS WELL AS IN THE EYES OF THE WORLD!