Last time we had a US Secretary of State was John Kerry, who came to rejoice the change of regime in Sri Lanka to which the USA had generously distributed 485 million dollars among Sri Lanka, Burma and Nigeria to re establish democracy.
It is no secret that there was also a presence of Secret Service Personnel from the USA, UK and India during the 2015 Presidential election in Sri Lanka working behind the scenes to make a success of USA efforts of putting developing countries into political peril by its strategic regime change policy.
Though USA rejoiced that change of regime for which it had contributed generously, the Sri Lankan people suffered the loss of a freedom and democracy which it had recovered in 2009 after defeating a ruthless terrorism that had lasted for 30 years.
USA in reality rejoiced in the change of regime in Sri Lanka which allowed them to have a foothold on the strategically precious country for them to check the growing importance of China in the South Asian region. That had not been possible throughout the period President Mahinda Rajapaksa was running the country.
The American re establishment of democracy as John Kerry announced made Sri Lanka poorer than it was before the Presidential election in 2015. It took four and a half years for Sri Lanka to have fresh presidential elections to have hopes of rising above the situation the Yahapalanaya Government which John Kerry had established had dumped the country into an economic growth of 2.6 which is less than even that of Afghanistan.
Despite a pandemic that hit the country, the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the President of Sri Lanka gave the people new hope for development which will bring the country back to what it had been before the American sponsered change of regime and re establishment of John Kerry’s democracy in 2015.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa with his wise political maneuvers and correct administrative and personnel management was able to keep the pandemic at bay with only 13 deaths, until recently after the mysterious Brandix Cluster. The mystery deepens when one notes that the visit of Mike Pompeo the US Secretary of State almost coincides with the Brandix Cluster reaching dangerously causing concern of it stretching into a community spread.
The Brandix Cluster causes serious concern as how it began and where it began remains wrapped in mystery. Has it been introduced purposely by an unknown agent to bring disrepute to the Government, seeking to re establish John Kerry’s democracy that changed its form in 2016 ?
During the last 4 and half years Sri Lanka was fast losing its sovereignty, and only saw negative forces trying to make Sri Lanka a failed state. There were Singapore Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreements, SOFA, ACSA, etc. which were not in the interest of Sri Lanka. There is another Agreement the MCC which the people of Sri Lanka has said is not in the interest of Sri Lanka and the signing of which should be refused by the peoples’ government that came into effect in November 2019 or even by any government in future.
While the previous US Secretary of State John Kerry came to rejoice the re establishment of democracy by setting up the Yahapalanaya Government, the people refused to accept it, but they were trapped by the Amendment19 of the Constitution to suffer it, until the end of four and a half years.
The present US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has on the other hand come with a message that “We urge Sri Lanka to make difficult but necessary decisions to secure its economic independence for long-term prosperity, and we stand ready to partner with Sri Lanka for its economic development and growth,....” stated by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson replying to a question posed to him about Sri Lanka’s growing relationship with China.
Unfortunately Sri Lanka cannot give up its old friend for new friends. As Sri Lanka is following a non aligned foreign policy it would accept any assistant from any country provided there are no conditions attached to such offers. If America stands ready to partner with Sri Lanka for its economic development and growth, Sri Lanka may consider such partnership and accept such offers only if it does not demand exclusive partnership in Sri Lanka’s economic development and growth.
Sri Lanka had gone through a difficult period of thirty years when it was battered by a ruthless terrorism. Early during the terrorism the President J.R.Jayawardhana who was well known as great friend of America and for that very same reason called “Yanky Dickey”, believed his friendship with America will stand as a safety net in case of any serious prolitical problems. But the necessity of the safety net he believed in arose when the terrorists were besieged by the government forces, and India forced Sri Lanka’s airspace to drop dry ration to the besieged terrorists.
India did not stop at that but promised to disarm the terrorists if Sri Lanka would Constitutionally guarantee establishing provincial Councils in all Provinces. Unfortunately President J.R.Jayawardhana’s American Friends- his expected safety net, turned their backs on him and the President had to give into the demands of India.
Thereafter, America did not come to the help of Sri Lanka in its military operations against the terrorists. But America was more helpful to the terrorists. The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaking about the Sri Lanka terrorists said that “ all terrorists cannot be lumped together”. She also accused the Sri Lanka army for using rape as an arm against terrrorism, without any evidence to support her statement.
There was also the American Ambassador in Sri Lanka who was later the Assistant Secretary for Asian Affairs Robert O’Blake , who opposed military operations against Terrorists, and insisted on a political solution. During the height of military operations against terrorists Robert O’ Blake was doing a lecture tour in South India condemning the government of Sri Lanka for the choice of a military solution against terrorism. That helped the terrorists gaining stronger support from India and Sri Lanka had few friends to turn to during that time. Fortunately. China, and Pakistan was then always there to help Sri Lanka.
Again, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during those difficult period of terrorism never sympathised with the government of Sri Lanka , but was ready to help the terrorists who for her were freedom fighters. Hillary Clinton even paid a state visit to Jayalalitha the Chief Minister of South India who was supporting the terrorists in Sri Lanka.
America was even ready to send a warship to receive the terrorist leaders of Sri Lanka which did not materialise due to the great political leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and the support of his Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa who thwarted such efforts to rescue the terrorist leaders initiated by the foreign Secretaries of UK and France.
The USA was not a ready partner at those difficult times to help us either with our military operations against terrorists ( except providing vital military information), or offer did not come to help Sri Lanka at that time to “ partner with Sri Lanka for its economic development and growth”.
Well Secretary of State Mr. Mike Pompeop that's how America had “helped”Sri Lanka during those difficult times. But then we had friends to help us without conditions attached.
And those friends are friends of Sri Lanka who cannot be dropped because someone comes around now to show sympathy to us. It is up to America to help us but without any conditions about who our friends should be and who our friends should not be. We also cannot sign any agreements if such agreements will put in stake our sovereignty, to become a country obeying another State because it is rich and powerful.
