Security and Protection to President Mahinda Rajapakse

All civilised countries with Presidents provide the highest security and protection to their ex-Presidents. Sri Lanka which was until 8^th January,2015 a civilised country, which we hope continues to be despite a Yahapalanaya Government should give its ex-President the highest security and protection.

Ranil Wickramasinghe the  Prime Minister of Sri Lanka who has  behind him a scandalous history of brutality  of  Batalanda torture camp, had said in Parliament, that Mahinda Rajapakse will be give special police protection and that military contingent now protecting him will be withdrawn.

Ranil Wickramasinghe thinks that he knows every thing and with the UNP followers of his saying that he is clean, have never been accused for corruption and bribery, does not for an instant think that he is not that clean. There is enough reason to think otherwise. The Governor of the Central Bank Arjun Mahendran involved in the bond scam, still retains his post and  Ravi Kaunanayake who had a case against him for money laundering in High Court was given the Ministry of Finance.  Has any one of those who praise Ranil Wickramasinghe for his cleanliness questioned why Arjun Mahendran and Ravi Karunanayake were protected ?

As a reason for withdrawal of the army personnel detailed to protect the ex President Mahinda Rajapakse , Ranil Wixkramasqinghe says “…Everywhere in the world it is the police that undertake VIP security”.  Ranil  W,  in making that statement either shows his complete ignorance of matters pertaining to protection of honoured ex Presidents in civilised countries or tries to fool the people.

In America it is the special Secret Service that protects the ex Presidents.  These personnel are highly trained and are not at all police officers. the Secret Service integrates a variety of innovative technologies and maintains a highly skilled and motivated workforce. Using advanced counter measures, the Secret Service executes security operations that deter, minimize and decisively respond to identified threats and vulnerabilities.

“The protective environment is enhanced by specialized resources within the Secret Service, including: the Airspace Security Branch; the Counter Sniper Team; the Emergency Response Team; the Counter Surveillance Unit; the Counter Assault Team; the Hazardous Agent Mitigation and Medical Emergency Response Team; and the Magnetometer Operations Unit. Other specialized resources also serve to provide protection from threats, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials and explosive devices.”

All former Presidents, and  First ladies are provided lifetime Secret Service protection. The Children of the ex Presidents are also entitled to same protection until they are 16 years of age. Even former President Bush’s daughters  kept Secret Service Protection.

It is said that, the American  Secret Service does not divulge the costs of its protective details, but it's believed to be in the range of tens of millions of dollars a year for each former president

IN France there are three living ex-Presidents. One of them President Valery Giscard D’Estaing, was a Member of Parliament for a period of time after he retired as the President of France.  His Security was continued even when he was an MP.   The close physical protection of the President of France is entrusted to the GSPR (Groupe de sécurité de la présidence de la République). The Guards however provides counter-sniper teams (Observateurs-contre-tireurs) and SWAT teams (called pelotons d'intervention or intervention platoons ) The three ex Presidents cost the taxpayer in France a sum of Euros 10 million a year.

Even the second homes of the ex Presidents of France are protected by the French Government…  “Second homes belonging to Mr Chirac, in Limousin, and Mr Giscard d'Estaing, in Loir et Cher, are also given ‘special protection’. Mr Sarkozy has no second home but, according to Mr Dosière, his personal protection detail costs nearly €1.8million annually. ”

Prime Minister Wickramasinghe is a liar, he lies to convince the people that he is correct and he knows all world affairs. He said, “Even former US President George Bush was given only Police security. He has ISIS threats….”  He lies to put our dear  ex- President’s life in peril.

Ranil Wickramasinghe says that even the President Sirisena and himself are given police and STF Security. They in fact need no security measures as they are friends of the ex terrorists and the Tamil diaspora financing and aiding the former terrorists and may finance a future terrorist resurgence.

Since Ranil Wickramasinghe was sworn in as Prime Minister, he has shown himself highly inept and an  indifferent public figure in the Parliament the august Assembly of the country.  He sits and acts in it as a comedian in an opera rather than as the Prime Minister of a Sovereign State.

He shouts at MPs calls them ugly names and laughs at them, without seriously answering questions he is asked.  It was Ranil’s idea to give a Ministry to Sarath Fonseka for nothing else but sling as much  mud as possible at Rajapakse family.  Sarath Fonseka is no politician and he is good at nothing other than to emit poisonous gas …..He is a Minister with a rotten mouth specially detailed to scandalise and make scathing speeches in parliament against the ex President Mahinda Rajapakse and his family..

It is becoming quite evident now that both Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe are not fit to hold the offices-  the first that of the President and the second that of the Prime Minister. Just being elected as a President does not give one the mind of a leader destined to be a Head of State.

One should have the mental capacity to  make use of the available riches –such as the people with imagination , experience and  wise men like  the ex President Mahinda Rajapakse, and other leading entrepreneurs, and administrators connected with the former government of the ex President,  to continue to give the people and the country their services.

These two- Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe did not stop doing the wrong things ever since they took over  business of governing  Sri Lanka on 8^th January, 2015.  When they stepped into replace the former President Mahinda Rajapakse, Sri Lanka was on firm ground. The economy was sound, numerous development projects were under way financed by China, Japan, India, and many other countries. 

Only snag was with America and the West which had decided to accuse Sri Lanka for war crimes in the elimination of terrorism, which is only for USA and the West to take revenge from President Mahinda Rajapakse, who took his own decisions without giving into pressure from USA and the West.  USA and the West wanted to do the same to Sri Lanka under Mahinda Rajapakse, that they did to Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria.

If Maithripala was intelligent, a  wise man,  a good leader who had followed well his former leader , he should have left the work  commenced by President Mahinda Rajapakse  to continue  at least for a period of time.  He could have done that because the West wanted only a regime change but not to stop all work that was being carried out in Sri Lanka. 

But the problem Maithripala Sirisena  was faced with,  was Ranil Wickramasinghe.  It was Ranil who made it possible for him to become the President of Sri Lanka and there was therefore an obligation to listen to Ranil Wickramasinghe.

Ranil Wickramasinghe on the other hand was getting political power into his hand after having been rejected by the people for nearly 29 years.  He was not satisfied  being a subordinate to Maithripala Sirisena who had not even been to a recognised school like the Royal College, therefore Ranil Wickramasinghe was keen in leading a UNP Government as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

A UNP Government policy is radically different from  President Mahinda Rajapakse’s socialist policies and  the USA, West and India were insistent that Ranil Wickramasinghe  break away from China if he wanted the help of USA,  the West and India. Hence Ranil Wickramasinghe  would not agree with  Maithripala Sirisena to continue the government without radical changes  to what Sri Lanka was on the 9^th January,2015. Ranil wanted his UNP Capitalism crowned for once after nearly 29 years in the political wilderness.

It is evident Maithripala Sirisena is only a nominal President of Sri Lanka and all important decisions with regard to governance is taken by the Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe. Maithripala Sirisena is  continued to be flattered (being laughed at) by the West. It is evident because Maithripala Sirisena is not such a great political genius, to be invited by USA and the West  for the Anti Corruption Summit and the G7 summit. 

What can Maithripala Sirisena give to the world , when he has  given nothing even to Sri Lanka ?

If he is wise Sirisena will at least understand that to have an Anti Corruption Summit in London, there aught to be corruption in the world , not only in Sri Lanka. If he learns some thing from it,  he will surely cancel all anti corruption measures against the former Rajapaksa Government , as it is  a sheer wastage of money , time, and personnel.

But both Sirisena and Ranil are  lamentably unintelligent. Even the provision of  security and  protection to the most important person in Sri Lanka the ex President Mahinda Rajapakse has given these two unreasonable men,  the opportunity to take revenge from Mahinda Rajapakse and his family.  Even if Mahinda Rajapakse is not important to Sirisena, Ranil, Chandrika and their followers,  he remains the  most popular man  in the country, and a hero of the people whom they cherish and to whom they want the government to give the  highest protection. 

Ranil Wickramasinghe has neither sympathy nor respect to  any one least of all to ex President Mahinda Rajapakse. Sirisena and Ranil should know,  or  atleast be informed, that the Police cannot always be trusted.  It is known that an  ASP had been bought by the LTTE to do their dirty work,  This is what the wife of late Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle assassinated by the terrorists  had said recently:

 “Dr Mrs Fernandopulle said that until the shocking revelations, made by ASP Cooray, following his arrest, nearly one and half years after Fernandopulle’s assassination, it never crossed her mind the police officer’s involvement with the LTTE. Obviously, Cooray had been an LTTE agent, masquerading as a policeman, hell bent on causing death and destruction, the State Minister asserted.”

Raniil Wickramasinghe’s hatred of Mahinda Rajapakse has no limit. He first called Rajapakse and his family thieves. He  sets up his own FCID to intimidate Rajapakses and all those connected to him.  

Ranil then gives a Ministry to Sarath Fonseka for him to be at  his command when he wants  to castigate and  make revulsive accusations against Rajapakses in Parliament. Undoubtedly now it is his cruel criminal Batalanda mentality which  has prompted him to   withdraw  Army Security to ex President Mahinda Rajapakse.

In the Parliament on the 3^rd May, Ranil Wickramasinghe did not invited Sarath Fonseka spontaneously to speak, but it had all been planned.  Sarath Fonseka was there with a prepared speech to promptly get up when Ranil Wickramasinghe while speak on the subject of security to ex President  turned round  saying that he does not know much about providing army security  and said  that he would ask Minister Sarath Fonseka to explain , and asked Sarath Foseka  how many soldiers were detailed  to him for his security. 

Sarath Fonseka then rose holding the already prepared speech in his hand, and opened his poisonous mouth and and went on yakking  a long time  without minding the  half hearted demands of the speaker Karu Jayasuriya to sit down.

Sarath Fonseka who even asked that the terrorist Morris who planned to assassinate him be pardoned has now nothing to fear from the ex terrorists, or even resurging terrorists,  he fought against as the Army Commander of the Sri Lanka Army.  But our ex President Mahinda Rajapakse is different from Sarath Fonseka, Chandrika Kumaratunga, and Sirisena and Ranil, therefore he has to be protected from the terrorist sympathisers here and abroad.

The Government  should not hesitate to detail an Army Contingent trained for personal protection of VVIP for the protection of ex President Mahinda Rajapakse.  In doing that the government will be serving the  people who had voted for Mahinda Rajapakse at the Presidential election, and others who are grateful to him for the elimination of terrorism.