There is no need for an All Party Representative Committee

The President set up the APRC probably to stop the International Community from interfering in to Sri Lanka during the course of its effort to eliminate terrorism. International Community is more concerned in preserving its own interest, and the ability to dictate terms to developing countries, holding their wealth and high technology as the proverbial carrot before a donkey..

The developing countries are, for the International Community, a market for their arms and ammunition, and export industry. Through out the last thirty years when Sri Lanka was suffering under terrorism, the Sri Lanka Tamil diaspora provided the terrorists with financial aid, and the International Community gave them the moral support, enhancing their military capacity, while incessantly demanding the Sovereign Governments of Sri Lanka to negotiate with the terrorists for a peace settlement.

Furthermore, the International Community preferred to keep the developing countries poor and dependent on them so that they could use their territories for setting up their military surveillance equipments, and make them their military buffer states to protect their own territories from any enemy attack. In a way like the terroriss keeping the civilians in Mulativu as human shields !

The International Community kept up a resounding chorus, with Blakes, Chilcotts, and Evans taking up the refrain, to force the government to find a political solution to terrorism and calling both parties-the Government and the terrorists to negotiate for a peace settlement. But behind our backs, they raised their strident voices to say that the terrorists have no place to sit around their negotiating tables.

Without even a glimpse of support from the International Community for the government of Sri Lanka in its fight against terrorism, Sri Lanka Armed Forces have proved themselves far more resourceful, dedicated and stronger, than even the well equipped foreign forces, to fight to the end , a group of ruthless terrorists, furnished with modern military equipment with the financial aid provided by the Tamil diaspora, moral support by the International Community, and equipped with war like material and communication equipment from Norway.

The APRC was a means the government adopted to keep in check the interfering “wolves in sheep clothing”- the International Community. Now the Government of Sri Lanka has almost eliminated the menace, the canker of terrorism that had eaten into our country, it is time to find ways and means to stop terrorism from ever raising its ugly head amidst us once again.

For this purpose the APRC is ill equipped. This could only be done by a broad policy to unite the communities, which is an exercise in the change of mental attitude to the problem. The word “ethnic problem” should be eliminated from our vocabulary, that was introduced to us by the interfering western “do gooders” . There is no need for power sharing. If there are elements insisting for power sharing they are doing that to create a state of division among us, so that we the three main communities in Sri Lanka will be kept apart from one another for ever. The political power is provided in the constitution to be shared by all citizens of Sri Lanka without dividing them as Sinhala, Tamils and Muslims.

The APRC is a symbol of division, therefore, it should be scrapped forth with and if necessary a Committee set up to draw up plans to mix the Communities, without destroying their cultural identities. There should not be any areas specifically reserved for one community. There should be a healthy distribution of the population, all over Sri Lanka.

The International Community can help, not by telling us what we should or should not do, but by giving us the material necessary to build our Nation, modernising its communication systems, providing assistance to develop technology, access to clean water , and help to improve health and sanitary conditions of the country.

Priority should be given to implement the teaching of Sinhala, Tamil and English, in all schools. More Universities should be opened to enable opportunities of higher education, to all. Politically the country would be more united if there is a two party political system, so that all citizens could be members of these two political parties without reference to their communal identity. The present constitutions of the political parties should be amended to meet this new situation.

The UNP having a leadership without a progressive political vision for the future would unfortunately be a stumbling block for such a dialogue. It is time that this Old Party changes its leadership in the interest of the country and the Party itself, to become more democratic. The only vision it projects now is trying all means possible to oust the government in place with the motive of coming into political power. They are least concerned with the country, or the unity of the people. UNPers are working for short term political interests. UNP is conservative to the core living within its old shell.

It is may be a person like Mr. Rukman Senanayake, who is more sensible to the interest of the country as a whole, could perhaps give the old UNP a more meaningful political status, to compete with the UPFA, as a uniting force . We cannot expect any thing better than what he is from Rauff Hakim, a person making the Muslim Congress a platform for his own personal political aggrandisement.

Mano Ganeshan, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake are using the antigovernment role, hoping to win popularity among the people, which seem to have escaped from their clutches. Thondaman, though he remains with the UPFA has no political charisma to influence the people.

Unfortunately, in Sri Lanka the intellectuals have failed to influence the ordinary people for a meaningful union of interests to enable them to become a Nation of Sri Lankans, beyond their Communal identity. Izeth Hussain speaks highly of Lasantha Wickramatunga as an Icon of Democracy, one feels that it would not be long before he identifies Prabhakaran too as another Icon.

Patriotism- a writer in a pro terrorists website says, is the refuge of scoundrels. This same writer quotes at length from President Obama’s speech without touching on his call for unity, – we are a people of common hope , no matter what faith we believe in, no matter where we come from, no matter what we are, we are people of a common hope , a common dream. President Obama also said “…….loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true……”.

Others quote Pastor Niemoller, Menken, mention Hitler, and Nazism, falling one over the other to discredit the President, the Government and the Sri Lanka Army.

One would say that it is a good sign that they are holding all their guns levelled at the President Mahinda Rajapakse because it at least shows, that it was he who brought significant changes to Sri Lanka after 30 years , nay after 60 years. None of these anti-President ghouls seem to like change, they like to live in the dark pit of horror under terrorists. But how discouraging it must be to the President Mahinda Rajapakse, after having given to the people a country free of terrorism, he is still accused of abductions, murders and enrichment.

They, the opposition to the Government , the media, numerous pro terrorist websites run by the members of the Tamil diaspora, former USA Ambassadors, German Ambassador and now the German Foreign Minister are all trying to make a new hero of Lasantha Wikramatunga, already made an Icon of Democracy by a former diplomat Izeth Hussain. They may even contribute to put up a statue of him taller than that of SWRD, DS Senanayake, and all the rest.

There are six US Ambassadors writing to the President to safeguard the interest of the people, and the media. What do they think ? There is nothing else the President Mahinda Rajapakse wants to do.. He had always defended the people, and what greater defence of the people is their when he fought a war to eliminate the terrorists not allowing the ordinary civilians in the terrorists held areas to suffer from bombardments or artillery fire by the Sri Lanka Army. That did not happen in Iraq or Afghanistan. The Six former US Ambassadors to Sri Lanka should take note.

The President Mahinda Rajapakse has no lessons to learn from any one, let alone the former USA Ambassadors, Gordon Brown, or German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. These people were not heard of when the terrorists were in the rampage, killing the best of our Sri Lankan Leaders, like Lakshman Kadirgamar. They come out to defend the Sri Lanka Media, and mourn the death of an Editor unknown to the ordinary mass of people, indirectly trying to help a “handful “ of terrorists cornered in a 400 sq meter of land in Mulativu.

May be the Sri Lanka Police Force is slow in acting against street murders, and find the murderers , but it will soon be found that the Government or the Government Forces have no hand in these assassinations. The people of Sri Lanka is in a state of psychological turmoil after being freed from a thirty years of ,suffering under a ruthless group of terrorists, and a sudden spate of assassination of journalists, and civilians in suicide bombs explosions.

The world - Germany, UK and the rest of the International Community should let Sri Lanka sort out things on its own, and find solutions to pressing problems, as the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his Government, and the Sri Lanka Armed Forces, with the able Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse , have found the solution to terrorism in their own way. We are a Nation of intelligent people and what ever differences we have, we are able to find solutions to our own problems. But we should be left alone without being interfered by the Western “do gooders” , whatever is there intention.

In our President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse we have one of the most wise leaders any country would be proud to have. When he was accused for all types of crimes from bribery to assassinations, he did not attack those who accused him. When Norwegians openly helped the terrorists, the President did not show any animosity, and received the Norwegians without any sign of anger. When the Opposition leader carried on street manifestations accusing he and his family, for political corruption, he did not retort and received the opposition leader very amiably. He is human , calm and undisturbed. He is quite capable of taking correct decisions. He stands like a rock in the midst of winds, rains, fires and storms.

I hope that he will find the irrelevance of the APRC, and see the absence of an ethnic problem, and initiate a dialogue with all concerned to make Sri Lanka a land of an undivided people.