UNP should change its Political Strategies adopted as a personal vendetta against President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Rukman Senanayake stands out from the rest- a probable leader to save UNP from collapse.

In 1986 there was a coalition Government in France. The late Mr.Francois Mitterrand was the President, and his Prime Minister was Jacques Chirac. The President was from the Socialist Party and Chirac from the Conservative Republican Party. Their politics were poles apart.

Despite their being in a cohabitation government they criticised each other politically within France with out coming down to personal levels . But out side France they never criticised each other. They were very honourable politicians, speaking in one voice for France and defending its foreign policies.

Even within France, the Prime Minister Jacque Chirac’s political speeches were measured and critical of Socialist Policies, but never promoting any political measure to embarrass the Socialists, because Jacques Chirac had to be conscious of the fact that he should be acceptable to the people as an alternative to Mr. Francois Mitterrand .

Jacque Chirac was perfectly aware that the President Mitterrand had been elected for seven years and he was abiding time to seek nominations for the next Presidential election, but he never tried to create political tension to precipitate an early election by making antagonistic criticism against the President, or resorting to Trade Union action. Those were real political strategies of intelligent politician. When there was a National issue the Socialists and the Conservatives acted together, such as in the case of American decision to wage war against Iraq.

But UNP, JVP and other opposition political parties in Sri Lanka have no such mature political strategies.

At every press conference one or the other of the spokesman for the UNP criticises every aspect of the government, minimising the importance of the government’s progressive development projects subjecting them to ridicule, or as mere wastage of public funds, without a word of appreciation for any of those massive undertakings which will have a long term benefit to our country.

The UNP’s political strategies takes the form of calumny, slander, denigration and defamation directed at the President. UNP does not realise that their political strategies should be planned not only to maintain the support of the UNP block votes, that would swallow any misinformation fed to them, but also to win over at least a part of those who voted to elect the President Mahinda Rajapakse and his Government.

Through out the military operations against the terrorists the UNP ridiculed the army underplaying the successes of the Valliant troops of the Government Armed Forces.

The UNP did that to make the President and the Government unpopular with the people. But the UNP forgot that the soldiers who died in these military operations, others who lost their limbs, while yet others who risked their lives were from the people, they are the ones who had kept the country united and peaceful for UNP and other political parties to form governments and govern a unitary country with a united communities of people.

The UNP criticises the major development projects of the government in the same way it criticised the military operations of the Government Armed Forces, when every intelligent man and woman in Sri Lanka is aware of the fantastic development projects, never seen before taking place before their very eyes.

To-day the UNP ( not to speak of JVP already a failed political movement, which has no future in Sri Lanka), is praising and defending as a great hero Sarath Fonseka as he alone was responsible for the elimination of terrorism. But it was the very same man who was ridiculed by the UNP as not fit enough to be the Commander of the Salvation Army. That is their short sighted political strategy.

These Political strategies of UNP are not well planned. Any intelligent person could see that the UNP is not sincere in its criticism of the government, but using such criticism as a mere political gimmicks to “fool” the people. UNP does not appreciate Sarath Fonseka for what he was, but makes use him now for its own political advantage over the President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Through out the Presidential election of 2005, the Political Strategies of the UNP were ill chosen and ineffective. The UNP was turning its political campaign to criticise the person of the rival candidate, not to show that the UNP has political plans and projects which are better than those of the SLFP candidate.

UNP invited enemies of Mahinda Rajapakse- Chandrika Bandaranaike, to promote the UNP Presidential candidate. Chandrika was already an unpopular political figure, she could not contribute any thing beneficial to Ranil Wickramasinghe’s election campaign, other than driving away possible voters from him.

Ranil Wickramasinghe was defending the Tamils with an eye to win over Prabhakaran to get the Tamil votes from North and East. That was not a wise strategy when terrorists were blasting bombs every where massacring innocent men, women and children.

The only wise politician the UNP had was Rukman Senanayake. He did not criticise the Government’s military operations against the terrorists. The people were ready to listen to him. But the UNP shelved him. Today no one even speaks of Rukman Senanayake.

Rukman Senanayake was the only politician of the UNP who did not break away from the Party to join the government, but yet stood by the UNP supporting the Government, giving credit to the President Mahinda Rajapakse for the conduct of the successful military operations against the terrorists.

Even Sajith Preùmadasa whose ambition is to take over the leadership of the UNP from Ranil Wickramasinghe, did not show himself to be as astute a politician like Rukman Senanayake .

But can the people really depend on Sajith Premadasa to be a good alternative to Mahinda Rajapakse. His father R.Premadasa, changed when he became the President. His helping Prabhakaran by providing him with arms to fight against the IPKF does not give him much credit other than that it helped Sri Lanka to get rid of an unwanted Indian Army imposed on us by Rajiv Ghandhi.

Premadasa carried out some progressive development, but at the same time he was too much of an authoritarian President, that is without calling him a Dictator. The Media Federation accuses the President Mahinda Rajapakse for the repression of media freedom. But under Premadasa it was worse, it was said that a journalist who photographed his wife playing tennis, disappeared overnight. There were dead bodies floating in the rivers and burnt on mounds of tyres…..

An ordinary MP is different from an MP who becomes a President, the power is some times too much to keep people normal.

The President Mahinda Rajapakse is in that respect an exception. He is determined to develop Sri Lanka without any ulterior motive for self aggrandisement. It is evident from his simple, spiritual and pragmatic approach to problems.

He is patient as much as he is determined. He shows an ability to control his emotions under all circumstances which has given him the strength to traverse the path he has chosen to reach the goal he had set. He is different from any previous Presidents. R.Premadasa, JRJayawardhana, Chandrika Kumatratunga are miles apart in comparison to the President Mahinda Rajapakse. He is even different from SWRD Bandaranaike.

Therefore, if Ranil Wickramasinghe, Karu Jayasuriya or Sajith Premadasa are proposing to replace him, they have to adopt different political strategies, to convince the people they are better than the President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Some times the strategies the UNP thinks out are so simplistic one wonder how it has managed to come so far in its political path. To propose an increase of salaries of the public servants by Rs.10,000.00 would be suicidal to any government, let alone that of the President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Ranil Wickramasinghe must be out of his mind even to think that it would be a strategy that will allow him to get more votes at a future election. He should make proposals that UNP could respect if it comes in to power.

Another , curious and a morbid political strategy of UNP is to take over the coffins of any assassinated or a dead MP or a journalist who had some anti-government connection and make the funeral procession an occasion for a political manifestation against the President and his government, with slogans and placards.

UNP made lot of mileage in vain with the assassination of Lasantha Wickramaratne. It was afterwards taken over by the International Media Federations, the Human Rights Watch, and the UNESCO- which even awarded posthumous medals to his second wife, who made capital of the situation to live in cosy comfort abroad, collaborating with the anti-Sri Lanka elements in the West to discredit the Government of Sri Lanka and its President.

From 2005 to the 2009 UNP did not stop for an instance to deviate from its reactionary , non-profitable political strategies to at least make the people believe that the UNP of today has some thing positive to give to the people and the country, other than its unpatriotic moves to put the people against a progressive and a popular President and his Government.

The political strategies of the UNP were adopted not with any patriotic love for the motherland, but with the only desire to grab political power for the UNP by discrediting the progressive development projects that are being carried out by the present government of the President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Those political strategies of the UNP had been and continue to be motivated by a personal vendetta against the President and his brothers who largely contributed along with the Armed Forces to eliminate terrorism from Sri Lanka.

Did UNP change its political strategies in the 2009 Presidential election campaign ? Yes it did, but to the worse.

The UNP was by 2009 a spent force without new ideas misguided and misdirected. Still UNP wanted to defeat the rival candidate Mahinda Rajapakse of the UPFA. Though it could marshal some will it still lacked ideas to plan an effective political strategy to defeat Mahinda Rajapakse. The UNP still had no patriotic motives to change things for the benefit of the people and the country, but UNP had vengeance in heart to chase Rajapakses out of power.

While the SLFP put forward the Mahinda Chintanaya as its political manifesto, the UNP had nothing positive to put to the people to win their votes. They had no political manifesto. The UNP had already accepted defeat.

The only idea UNP could concoct as a political strategy, was to prostitute itself by aligning with the JVP, and acclaim a new political leader as their Presidential Candidate- Sarath Fonseka. UNP was foolish to the extent to even sacrifice its party colour and the age old Elephant Symbol to float a new Political Party to defeat the rival Presidential Candidate Mahinda Rajapakse.

The UNP and the JVP and of course Mano Ganeshan , and Rauf Hakim, believed that best political strategy to defeat Mahinda Rajapakse was to present Sarath Fonseka as their Common Candidate. Ranil Wickramasinghe was pushed out as he had failed 16 times over to win any election.

That was the worst political strategy of the UNP (and JVP). Tissa Attanayake, Lakshman Kiriella and Gayantha Karunatilleke etc of the UNP were no better than Tilvin Silva, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Vijitha Herath of the JVP as political campaigners and made the worst political speeches through out that political campaign.

The Presidential Candidate UNP and JVP had selected had no political speech writer. He was not a politician. He was astonished by the large crowds that attended his meetings. He thought large crowds meant equal number of votes and became confident of his victory.

His political speeches were a disaster. He as well as other UNP, JVP speakers, thought that criticising the Government, accusing the President and his family for corruption and portraying Mahinda Rajapakse as a man with dictatorial tendencies and if elected he would be a Dictator, would make the people vote against him.

It was however written on the wall that there candidate will end up as the looser. Both the UNP and the JVP knew it but nevertheless bellowed anti Rajapakse rhetoric until the end, and continue to do so unable to stop their ridiculous momentum of the disastrous election campaign.

The UNP still thinks that Sarath Fonseka has some value in him for UNP to rise from the depth of the “stinking” pit into which it has fallen. Ravi Karunanayake and Ranil Wickramasuinghe continue to visit Sarath Fonseka in the prison, and tells the press the terrible condition of his imprisonment still hoping the people may sympathise with the Prisoner bringing along with it some respect and prestige to the UNP as well.

In fact UNP as a political party does not exist to-day. It is only a name. It is a monument of hatred. It is boiling with hatred within and hatred outwards. It exists because of its hatred towards the President Mahinda Rajapakse and his Government. It has to change, if it has to exist as a political party. It has to change its political strategies.

Conclusion:

If all those political strategies of the UNP were bad, what should have been the good political strategies. Of cause a good political strategy would be when criticising the government for a wrong action to propose an alternative action.

The SLFP had the Mahinda Chintanaya as its political Manifesto. A good Political Strategy would have been for the UNP to present an election manifesto to counter Mahinda Chintanaya.

The President Mahinda Rajapakse has been able to raise Sri Lanka from a developing country, to a Middle Income Level. Hence the UNP cannot suggest political strategies to take the country back words, but it has to think out new policies to take the country forward.

The UNP should have stood by the Government in its Military solution to eliminate terrorism, without criticising and hindering the process. It is true that the Opposition to a government should be critical of actions of the government if they are not favourable to the country, but that does not mean that the opposition should criticise the government for the sake of criticising, assuming it to be the role of the opposition.

The Government of the President Mahinda Rajapakse has broken away from the strictly “traditional” diplomatic ties with its former colonial governments and the West, to enlarge the circle of diplomatic relations with many countries. This has to be respected by the UNP. The UNP leadership should stop its members making damaging statements against countries that have formed greater diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka.

The UNP should adopt political strategies that would make UNP acceptable to the people to form an alternative government, if they are dissatisfied with the present government.

When the Government gave notice of bringing a no-confidence motion against Karu Jayasuriya for his statement detrimental to the Government and the Armed forces, Sajith Premadasa and Ravi Karunanayake made statements in defence of the Government.

Ravi Karunayake had said, “ My friend and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Senaratne has brought fish prices down at a difficult time which the price of bread is at Rs 50 and a kilo of rice is at Rs 75, ……… adding that although he is a member of the Opposition, he would like to congratulate the President on that. There is no point in being critical of everything that a government does just because one is in the Opposition camp," he said. We shall appreciate and admire those activities that are good for their worth in spite of our political differences,"

These type of appreciation of the activities of the government should have come before when the Government was really in need of the support of the Opposition parties to defeat the terrorists.

The West is out to discredit the Present government. The West is evidently supporting the Tamil Diaspora with the intention to divide Sri Lanka. The UNP and the Opposition Parties should unconditionally support the government now without allowing the West to discredit the President. After all the President who was elected by a majority of the people is the President of every one the UPFA,UNP, JVP,SLMC, and the TNA.

This would also be a political strategy that will bring UNP closer to the people of all political shades.

The UNP should not forget that it is the oldest Political Party and that it is the only alternative to the Governing Party, therefore it should adopt political strategies that would not put the people against it.

The President Mahinda Rajapakse has been elected for a specified period of time of five years. Therefore, the Opposition parties should have to work in cooperation with him until the end of his term of office, unless of course he turns out to be a danger to the people and the country. As it is the President is well loved by the people and he is doing exceptionally well as the President of Sri Lanka.

If there are criticisms, it is best that the UNP adopts a more conciliatory attitude and a process of dialogue with the government This will be appreciated by the people and UNP will take credit for its cordial relationship with the government.

It will also mean more peace and happiness among the people, and a satisfaction for the politicians of all political parties.

Sarath Fonseka jumped into a hell hole, it is for him to scramble out of it now.

Sri Lanka after the elimination of terrorists is at last a safe place for every one.

But what is really happening in Sri Lanka after this historic victory over terrorism ?

Instead of enjoying this freedom gained after so much of suffering and human and material, sacrifice, the traitors to Sri Lanka have begun a campaign to stop progress and development. JVP following a traitorous political path misleading University Students, and Government employees, is creating political mayhem carrying the weight of Sarath Fonseka on their back.

Unfortunately in Sri Lanka there is no enjoyment of the freedom from fear, death and uncertainty of living that was there five years ago, but every one seems to be acting as nothing had happened. They complain of what they haven’t got, proposing the government what it should do to make things better.

There is a complete absence of gratitude, utter disorder, criticising those who brought about the long lost freedom, accusations, writing insulting articles, comparing the leaders of the nation that triumphed over evil to diabolic Hitler, and the media gone mad writing scandalous articles of low taste to a gullible section of the public, to confuse them..

End of terrorism seem to have changed nothing in their lives, but they are making the end of terrorism an occasion to demand of higher salaries, promotions in work places, cheaper food, bring down gas prices, and give political rights. They want to fill their hungry stomachs, while the development projects, an aching necessity are progressing fast.

In this messy situation, the Government is trying to put some order to make Sri Lanka a happier place for all, but no body seems to want it.

Who brought about all this mess, annoyance and apparent calamity into our midst ?. Can any one say that it was not created by the UNP and the JVP ? Was not all this brought about by Sarath Fonseka allowing himself to be manipulated by the Americans and then the UNP and JVP. ?

Can any one say that in the midst of all this calamitous situation , Sri Lanka has not developed since 2005 ?

If some one were to say that, it would be some one who does not want to accept reality for personal reasons. The politicians of the opposition to the government will not accept reality as they would like the public to believe that it is they who are capable of developing Sri Lanka, and the development they see today is just sham for them.

UNPers as every one knows are the lackey of the West, they prefer to have the crumbs from the tables of their masters in the West, rather than drink from golden cops offered to them by any one else. But the surprise comes from the JVPers.

JVPers who said that they did not want any help from the West, even aid from the IMF to develop the country, now run to the West to make manifestation appealing to West to help them get their new “political patron saint” Sarath Fonseka released from the Prison. They think he deserves it for putting such a mess in to a terrorist free Sri Lanka.

TNA MPs are like bodies without heads. They do not know what they do and where they go. They run to India when things are getting too hot here, unable to take any decisions, being “headless” as they are.

This is the sad situation in Sri Lanka, a country which after the President Mahinda Rajapakse had eliminated terrorism has every thing to make every one happy. But Sri Lanka is struck by the “curse” brought about by – Sarath Fonseka’s mad ambition for political power, which brought sadness, instead of happiness into this country.

It is time that he begins to understand that he has nothing to do with politics, and that he would be better off as a retired Commander of the Army, and ask pardon from the President Mahinda Rajapakse. After all Mahinda Rajapakse was his friend, his Commander in Chief and now the President of Sri Lanka. Sarath Fonseka has nothing to loose , he has every thing to gain if he only asks for pardon.

He cannot say that he has done no wrong, because he himself knows that he was forced to accept to be a pawn in the hands of the International Community, the Tamil Diaspora, the UNP and the JVP, to spite President Mahinda Rajapakse and his Government.

UNP may still get off with their hands burnt, provided they dump Ranil Wickramasinghe, Mangala Samaraweera , Karu Jayasuriya, Jayalath Jayawardhana, question of getting poisonous rot out of the way and closing the mouths of Tissa Attanayake, Dayasiri Jayasekara, and few others who spew hatred.

But JVP has no way out. Without Sarath Fonseka they are dead, they should prepare the tombstones with the legend- “They once belonged to a “promising” Political Party Called JVP”

The Buddhists Priests in Universities are getting to be Sri Lanka’s worst problem. Buddhist priests do not apply to human rights commission to have their problems solved, but to the Buddhist hierarchy, which unfortunately does not exist in Sri Lanka. Asgiriya and Malwatta have become centres of appeal for the Politicians and they seem to have given up playing any vital Buddhist role in Sri Lanka.

Catholic Church is more active in Sri Lanka creating dissention between the Sinhala Buddhists and the Tamils, while the Buddhist Bikkhus want the man who created all problems in our country after the elimination of terrorists released from the prison, which they do not know is not their business.

Former Chief Justice Sarath de Silva repents over loss of Democracy. We should adjust Democracy to serve our country in its development process. The democracy in the West has been reduced to just a meaningless word. They use it to find ways and means to stop developing countries from progress, and has developed a strange idea of human rights, to keep the developing countries dependent on them asserting their leadership, depending on the number of poor developing countries depending on them. That is no democracy but it is the dictatorship of the rich towards the poor.

And the strange thing about their idea of human rights, is that when they themselves violate human rights, it is not human rights violations but it is the “war against “ Talibans and Al Qaeda terrorists”. But if Sri Lanka carries out military operations against terrorists in Sri Lanka, it is not only a violation of human rights but also a war crime to be investigated and brought before and International Tribunal. What “justice” is this ?

This should be an eye opener to all developing countries in the world. It is better we move away from the Western orbit if we are to develop as independent countries. This is possible only if all political forces within a Country understand that, and unite for the sake of the development of our countries without ethnic, political, religious or cultural differences.

It is no use fighting for the freedom of Sarath Fonseka, holding development to ransom. Sarath Fonseka has been condemned in a military court of law for military offences. The system of court marshal exists every where in the world. It is not something invented by the Government of Sri Lanka to punish Sarath Fonseka.

Sarath Fonseka has jumped into a hell hole of his own making, he has to scramble out of it by himself. He brought his suffering on himself through his foolishness in allowing anti Sri Lanka forces to manipulate him. Therefore, it is best the political parties-the UNP, JVP etc., who are making Sarath Fonseka a straw to keep themselves afloat in the political flood waters, turn away to give a helping hand for the development of the country.

Our country is going through a hitherto unprecedented development , and we should not lose this opportunity to get together burying all political difference so that we will not regret later. If we are united as a Nation despite our political difference, the foreign Nations who want to stop our development and break the country to suit their political Agenda will be helpless. That is why it is imperative for the UNP, JVP and other opposition parties to unite to help the government in its development plans.

Some sections of the people want to profit from the situation asking for increase of salaries, and the fulfilment of personal ambitions caring less for the development of the country. Increase of salaries will not bring down cost of living it only creates a vicious spiral of price hikes which may result in a demand for yet more salary increases. It is therefore important to urge the government to control prices more than increase salaries.

The people have not understood the priorities facing the country, that was for thirty years under a ruthless terrorism. It is more important now to develop the areas that had been neglected, bring back the country to normalcy, and take all measures to discourage another terrorist uprising. Until then the people should know to tighten their belts and think less of “filling their stomachs” and more of cooperating with the government in place, to develop the country.

The President Mahinda Rajapakse turned a difficult situation to come out of it as a great Statesman with poise and dignity.

The President of Sri Lanka came to UK, whether it was a good idea to have had come, and who is to be blamed for not having advised him against his visit are pointless arguments now.

However, the reaction of the President Mahinda Rajaksa to the cancellation of his speech to an association of the Oxford University students was:

“I am very sorry this has had to be cancelled but I will continue to seek venues in the UK and elsewhere where I can talk about my future vision for Sri Lanka.”

“I will also continue in my efforts to unite all the people of our country whether they live in Sri Lanka or overseas. As a united country we have a great future. If we allow divisions to dominate we will not realise our true potential. We have had thirty years of division and conflict. We must now secure peace and harmony for all Sri Lankans.”

This showed of what metal he is made. He was not angry or flustered, and least disconcerted. One would have expected an angry outburst from some one else but the President Mahinda Rajapakse showed himself to be an experienced Statesman, poised and generous.

After all the President had greater enemies to face and he had come out the winner. In this episode in UK too the President is the winner. The loss was that of the Government of UK .

The United Kingdom is supposed to be a civilised democracy. It is supposed to have given the poor countries in the third world democracy and shaped them according to their Christian Civilization, yet it failed to keep at bay a minority group of expatriate Tamils supporting a terrorist group banned in UK, behaving like uncivilized savages manifesting against a visiting Head of State, even if the visit is unofficial.

It is a loss of face to the Government of Great Britain, which speaks of democracy, of freedom of expression, and of human rights, but still could not receive a Head of State in its own soil with respect, in security and in civility. Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse of Sri Lanka is after all a democratically elected President of his country.

One would of course have liked if the President did not go to UK, but he did not ask to come ,he merely responded to an invitation. Therefore it was the duty of those who invited him, to have made necessary arrangements and failing that to inform the President of Sri Lanka before his arrival their inability to receive him.

If the respective association of the Oxford University did not expect the “savagery” of the expatriate Tamil Community, it was the bounden duty of the Government of Great Briton to provide adequate security to a Head of State even if he had not been officially invited by the Government. UK Government could say that it was not responsible as it did not officially invite him, but then the UK Government has duty to coordination with its Department of Security to look after the safety of a visiting Head of State.

It is a shame that Great Britain that won the second world war against terrible odds was made powerless against an ethnic minority, who are the supporters of terrorism banned in Great Britain, to turn a simple visit of a Head of State of a Commonwealth Country in to a situation of utter pandemonium.


The British People should ask their Government how it could be expected to ward of an attack by the Al Queida terrorists when it could not stop a miserable group of terrorist sympathisers manifesting against a visiting Head of State even if it was not an official visit ?

The British soldiers are fighting the Talibans in Afghanistan but how can we expect them to
win against the Talibans when the British Security forces are unable even to provide security to a visiting Head of State.

Any Head of State can visit Sri Lanka now and our Government will provide efficient Security to keep their visit safe and peaceful. The British Security forces could learn lessons from our Security forces. A peaceful environment in Sri Lanka was created by the President Mahinda Rajapakse, whose visit to UK should have been a privilege to UK.

The President Mahinda Rajapakse did not ask to be invited he merely honoured an invitation extended to him to deliver a speech at the Oxford University. His not making the speech is no loss of face either to the President or to Sri Lanka, but it is shameful nevertheless to Great Britain a once proud nation where it had been told long time ago that the sun never set in its Empire.

But where are those Media Freedom activists, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Are they only defending the interest of the terrorists, defending free speech, and human rights only in relation to support of terrorists and terrorism ?

These expatriate Tamils protesting against the elected President of Sri Lanka, are fattening the coffers of the pro-terrorist Groups in UK without sending a cent for the welfare of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

They protest, pay large sums of money to different media such as the Channel 4 , and pay opposition MPs in Sri Lanka such as Jayalath Jayawardhane and Wickramabahu Karunaratne to discredit Sri Lanka and its President.

But these Expatriate Tamils in UK, Canada, USA etc. have not come forward to finance any development projects in the North or East of Sri Lanka for the benefit of the Tamils in these areas who suffered under their Thalaivar the Sun God Prabhakaran and his chaotic terrorists for thirty years, and have been resettled by the government.

Those who come off worst in the episode are the pathetic figures of Jayalath Jayawardhana and Wickramabahu Karunaratne. They are certainly very sordid individuals without principles who have gone to address the Tamil terrorist supporters and speak to them of Sinhala Chauvinism and a Tamil Homeland.

The people of Sri Lanka if they have any feeling of patriotism to their motherland should keep away from these two individuals as the “pest” and should not cast a single vote for them in any future elections..

Welcome to President H.E. Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan – a true friend of Sri Lanka.InfoLanka News Room: Sri Lanka news updates

While we say good by to Mr. S.M.Krishna the External Affairs Minister of India, it is a pleasure to Welcome His Excellency Mr.Asif Ali Zardari the President of Pakistan. Pakistan will always have a special place in the hearts of Sri Lankans, and will remain a true friend of Sri Lanka. Pakistan Stood by us through out that recent dark period of Sri Lanka under the threat of terrorism.

India’s relation with Sri Lanka was never cordial or sincere. India always had an ulterior motive in its “friendship”. Even before terrorism India, “…..keeping with the doctrine of Panikkar promulgated before Independence and which wanted Sri Lanka to be part of India together with chauvinist South Indian Tamils who had once wanted a separate Dravidistan had begun arming all our separatist groups.” **

India commenced the terrorism in Sri Lanka, and during the course of the terrorist insurgency continued “ aiding and abetting” terrorists in Sri Lanka.

When Prabhakaran and his terrorists were cornered by the Sri Lanka Government Forces,
When , “…….We were about to defeat them in Vadamarachchi. Prabahakaran was about to be captured when the Indians whisked Prabahakaran out of danger in a helicopter. Falsely claiming a humanitarian disaster, the Indians crossed our borders, now in a direct act of invasion. Initially they sent a convoy of ships which was intercepted by our Navy and turned back. Immediately, India called our ambassador in New Delhi and warned that if food parcels that it planned to be air dropped on Jaffna were hindered, there would be a full-scale military invasion of Sri Lanka. Soon gunboats were parked outside Colombo Harbour in a classic display of what in the 19th century was called gunboat diplomacy. “ **

This resulted in Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi forcing the hands of JR Jayawardhana to sign the 13th Amendment.

“This foreign imposed 13th Amendment was also a replay of what has been called the Monroe Doctrine whereby the US was to be the sole arbiter in the Americas. Indians were to call their incursion into Sri Lanka as its new Indira Doctrine (after Indira Gandhi) paralleling the colonial attitudes of the Monroe Doctrine. It was also reminiscent of the 1815 defeat of Sri Lankan sovereignty and the 1818 Treaty that followed, done under British guns. A subsequent OPA study a few years ago showed that the 13th Amendment resulted in a total waste of money. Like we rejected the 1818 British treaty brought under British guns, we should now reject outright the 13th Amendment brought under Indian guns -on the same grounds.” **

Now that the terrorism is over and with foresight and determination our present governing political leaders , have been able to break through financial red tapes to raise Sri Lanka from the status of a developing country to a Middle Income level, with the help of China, Iran, and other friendly Nations , India comes to our country not so much as a friend but as a new politically developing Nation to overseer and out manoeuvre Chin’s influence in Sri Lanka and spy on the activities of China .

Indian External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna in opening the Consulate in Hambantota had said; “ ….. that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has plans for developing Hambanthota and its environs as a major regional hub and naturally, India when it had decided to open a Consulate in the South, chose Hambanthota”.

The Minister said India is optimistic of the future of the region and the inauguration of the Consulate General in Hambanthota is intended to build on India's linkages with the region in the field of trade and commerce, investments, culture and tourism. “

India’s interest in Sri Lanka now is its own self interest. It is more keen in helping in the development of North and East of Sri Lanka rather than the rest of the country, and therefore the bulk of its aid goes to the North and East. There is a motive for that.
India is giving aid to satisfy the interest of Tamil Nadu, and force the Government of Sri Lanka to stop the Sinhala community settling down in the area to seal its Unitary State and prevent any future attempt for India to have a permanent stake in North and East of Sri Lanka as a separate Eelam State .

Unlike China which has given us more assistance and constructed Harbours and Air ports for a real development of Sri Lanka, India gives nothing for independent development of Sri Lanka but only those necessary assistance to retain its hold in Sri Lanka.

The Indian Minister S.M.Krishna had recalled to take credit that when tsunami struck Sri Lanka India was the first to come to Sri Lanka's assistance.

His reminder that the relations between India and Sri Lanka are multifaceted and historical and that Sri Lanka derive the full benefit of the proximity and exploited the full potential of their friendship and cooperation, does not make Sri Lanka forget India’s questionable role during the military operations against terrorists.

India was more interested in keeping the Tamil Nadu happy by interfering with its high-handedness. India once refused to provide transport to our soldiers when they were under siege by the terrorists, refused to sell us offensive weapons, and objected to our purchase of arms and ammunitions from China.

Even if Pakistan will not give us any aid Pakistan unlike India will always remain a faithful friend of Sri Lanka. Pakistan was always ready to help us when ever we were in need of help in the past, whereas India let us down on several occasions, and sold us outmoded radar detectors which enabled the terrorists to fly over Colombo to bomb the air port.

**(Susantha Goonatilake on Lessons:| Past, present and possible futures to Lankaweb on 26.11.10)

SLFP or UPFA should start a Grama Charika to counter UNP misinformation campaign in their Grama Charika.

UNP is carrying on a world wide misinformation campaign against the Government of Sri Lanka abroad and locally in a much publicised Grama Charika . The UNP leader uses his official position as the Leader of the Opposition to meet the political leaders of the Western countries, to discredit and paint the picture of Sri Lanka as an undemocratic country with a President who withholds the freedom of the people.
In Sri Lanka other UNP politicians lead by the Karu Jayasooriya, Sajith Premadasa, and Mangala Samaraweera are carrying on a similar misinformation campaign diminishing the important dynamic development projects of the government, high lighting the rising prices of commodities. And unsubstantiated accusations of corruption, and diverting public money for the comfort and wealth of a family neglecting the welfare of the people and the country.

While people in the villages are confounded by the UNP misinformation, the SLFP and the UPFA MPs and Ministers are blissfully happy in their comfort of being members of a popular Government expecting people to withstand the compelling misinformation they are being battered with, to keep supporting the government. If SLFP and the UPFA do nothing about it leaving the field free for the UNP and the JVP to carry on their mischievous antigovernment campaign the people are bound sooner or later to react against the government.

All activities of the government both positive and negative aspects of them are brought to the people living in Colombo and suburban areas through the written , audio and other media. But the people in the villages are not aware of them and they could easily be duped by anti government campaigns unless the government keeps them informed of why and what of the different actions taken by the government.

If not there is enough material for the UNP to feed the news hungry villagers to be disillusion with the government. For instance the Government has to explain to the ordinary people why it had been necessary to have a cabinet of 60 Ministers, and why Rauf Hakeem who had signed a MoU with Prabhakaran had been Appointed as the Minister of Justice, and why people who had openly supported the cause of the terrorists appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Cultural Affairs Ministry.

The Government wanted a two third majority to make amendments to the Constitution and not to make a Cabinet of 62 Ministers and an equal number or more Deputy Ministers.

It was the Sinhala Buddhist Soldiers who liberated North and East from the ruthless terrorism. If there were to be another resurgence of terrorism it is again these Sinhala Buddhist Youth from the villages of Sri Lanka who will be fighting to liberate the areas and keep Sri Lanka a Unitary Sovereign State. Therefore it is these villages from where the soldiers had come that should be the first to be informed of the activities of the government.

The Government has a greater duty to improve villages in the South of Sri Lanka where the Sinhala Buddhist Heroes were born and will be born in the future. There should be Sinhala Buddhist Soldiers in the North and East and they should be provided with land and houses to live with their families among the Tamils and the Muslims as it is happening in the South. The Government should inform these people what the government proposes to do for them, to improve their conditions of living.

People also ask why the Catholic Church is allowed to have an important place in the North and East ?

There should be more temples and Buddhist priests in the North and East.

Madhu is well known for its Catholic Church. There should also be a Sinhala Buddhist settlement in the area, with their Temple. It was the Sinhala Buddhist soldiers who repaired the Church that was damaged by the terrorists. If in the future a necessity of protection of the Church arises, it is again the Sinhala Buddhist Soldiers who will be called.

The Prime Minister has the important Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs, therefore he should immediately start reforming the system of Education of the Buddhist Monks and re-establish Pirivena system of Education as the Buddhist Monks are getting away from piety , and from the expected norm of behaviour of Buddhist monks.

The people in the villages are concerned about their religion, and want its development and not its decadence. There is a project afoot to print the Tripitaka in Sinhala and English for free distribution. It is a wastage of money , what is necessary is to have an Order of learned Buddhist Monks who knows the Tri Pitaka and able to explain it to the people.

Sacred Areas like Anuradhapura, Mihintale, Kandy, Badulla, Mayangane etc. should be declared sacred areas of Buddhist worship, and building of Catholic Churches, Mosques and Hindu Kovils should be disallowed.

If the Reformation of the Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka is not taken up soon the Principle religions in Sri Lanka will turn out to be the Catholism with a Cardinal now appointed to just 7 percent of the population.

The Popes offer of a Cardinal to Sri Lanka would have been a way of thanking the Sri Lanka Catholic Church for its stand by the terrorists, and an inducement for it to continue in its effort to provide a Tamil homeland, in the North and East.

The Catholic Church depends on the third world countries for its “existence”. Its popularity had fallen from 40 percent in 2006 to 27 percent in 2010. In Germany only one person in six says he believes in God. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has to increase the number of believers in Sri Lanka, that is the cardinal task given to him.

The Sri Lankan villagers also question why the Asgiri Malawatte Mahanayake theros are not looking after the affairs of the Sangha , instead of concerning themselves with the affairs of the Governments and the appointment of Ministers.

If the Government will not look into these affairs with which the ordinary people in the villages are preoccupied, the UNP and JVP will both have enough “ammunition” to set up villagers against the Government.

The Villagers may also ask what benefits they get from the government, which has increased the salaries of the government servants by 5 percent , with University Professors getting even higher increases of salaries. They question whether the Budget is meant for the rich, with prices of motor vehicles reduced, and Tax concession given to enterprises. The villagers would like to have an explanation.

Therefore the SLFP and UPFA should meet the people at village level, like the UNP is doing with its anti government campaign with their Grama Charika, and explain to them what benefits the villagers could expect from the Government..

The Government has only the Daily News as the press media to defend it and carry out pro-government propaganda. Even in the Internet there is only the Lankaweb as a non governmental website that supports the President and his government while there are hundreds of anti government websites, with Sri Lanka Guardian Website comparing the President to “Hitler”.

Another point that interests the villagers is that all good Schools are in Colombo , and Kandy. The schools in the villages have not been provided with all facilities, and there are no qualified teacher and the teachers are poorly paid.

Even the children from poor families trained under the “infamous” Tharuna Aruna are not provided with appropriate employment. Most of these Tharuna Aruna graduates are working as Clerks in School. They are disillusioned, and these are people who will be attracted to the UNP and JVP misinformation campaign.

The UNP MP Wijayadasa Rajapakse is critical of the appointment of Senior Ministers. Ravi Karunanayake had visited the prisoners Sarath Fonseka and Udul Premaratne, and spoke of his concern with their condition of living in prisons to discredit government, as if the government is responsible for the judicial action that had been taken against them.

Ravi Karunanayake who speaks against the government had not been an example of honesty during his Ministerial Office in the UNF Government. This man who criticises not only the Government but also the Armed Forces ridiculing the military operations against terrorism ,should be investigated for his corrupt transactions as a Minister of the UNF Government of Ranil Wickramasinghe. These facts should be explained to the villagers who are after all the deciding voters of any election.

Karu Jayasuriya a leader of the UNP Grama Charika Misinformation Campaign also speaks of the corruption of public enterprises. He was also in Ranil Wickramasinghe’s, UNF government which did nothing correctly, and suddenly these UNP MPs think they have the panacea for all ills which they did not have when they were in power.

It is time that the SLFP and the UPFA wake up to start their own Grama Charika, without allowing the UNP to go to villages to give misinformation to the people to put the peasants too against the government.

It is a duty of the Government to go to the people and inform them of the actions the government is taking, and why things are not as expected and how the government is proposing to give relief to the ordinary people, and reduce their financial and social burdens.

We Wish President Mahinda Rajapakse, happiness and the blessings of the Triple Gem.

On the 19 November 2005, Sri Lanka was blessed by a political leader of character, determination, sincere, and devoted to the service of his people and his country.
Thanks to that day, thanks to the people who voted for that man at that historic Presidential Elections we are today a free people, without fear, without shrinking from the shame of being helpless for thirty years.

We need not bow low in gratitude to the rich and the powerful nations, who we feared to antagonise even in the face of the worst enemy threatening our independence, preparing to break away our territories to set up an Eelam State for the Tamils, lest the rich and the powerful would deny us the means for our existence, withdraw aid for food , refuse sale of wheat flour, or even refuse GSP+ which helped us to provide employment to our poor youth from villages.
But the man the people elected on the 19 November,2005 who became our President took away from us our fears and shame, and being small and insignificant, and gave us pride, strength, and hope to rise above our defects to face a brighter future.

If on that day he was not elected as our President, and if another man- without character or determination, insincere and egoist, weak and unintelligent, not devoted to the people or the country, but devoted to himself and his ambition, at the call of the rich and powerful Nations, were elected, what would it have been ?

If that were to have happened, we would have still been today a poor nation dependent on the rich and the powerful west, happy with the aid they ladled , and the GSP+ they handed out, yet in fear of exploding bombs, massacre of young and old , men, women and children, with a powerful group of terrorists in the North and the East.

But today, having appointed that Great Leader Mahinda Rajapakse as our President, we are not only a free nation , but also it has given freedom for the UNP and JVP to criticise the President and his government, lead manifestations against the President and call him all bad names, curse him and ask for more money to eat more, as if that is all that we have to do.

The President also gave freedom for the websites, such as the TamilNet, Ground View, Sri Lanka Guardian, for the News papers like Sunday Leader, Daily Mirror, Lakbima, for the Foreign News Agencies like the BBC, Reuters, AFN , for the other activists the Human Rights watch, Amnesty International , UN Chief Banki Moon, and his HRC Navi Pillai and even Mangala Samaraweera, Ravi Jayasuriya, and a whole string of others to criticise the government, throw bricks and bats, never bouquets and flowers, accuse the president for all ills under the sun , without a word of appreciation for bringing Sri Lanka to a free, really Independent Nation, acclaimed as being the fast developing nation within a short period of five years.
To that President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse we send our flowers and bouquets, good wishes and prayers, thanking him for being our President, for giving us his brother Gotabhaya as the Defence Secretary.

We want him as our President for a long time to come, to enable him to make our country a Nation of a united communities.

While thanking him for raising Sri Lanka to a Nation of a Middle level income, we wish him the blessings of the triple Gem to be healthy, happy and to have the courage to develop our Nation further to make it an example for other developing Nations to rise above the status of development taking Sri Lanka as a model, and leave being just a small satellite orbiting round the rich arrogant west –the International Community.
We pray that everyone with an iota of patriotism within him or her for our dear motherland, rally round the President Mahinda Rajapakse physically or mentally to shield him against the evil forces far and near, to enable him to make a success of his projects for the development of Sri Lanka.

The Crusade of MalcolmR, should be a Crusade for Reconciliation.

In a previous article it was pointed out why it was important to make the Independence from colonialism meaningful by raising the National Status of Sri Lanka , with one language, one flag, one national anthem, and one official religion as any Nation any where in the World.

It will takes a long time for the people of Sri Lanka to shed their foreign cultural “skin”, to stand up proudly in their own. Nonetheless, they are doing it gradually and if they continue they will be able to shed themselves completely of the foreign “culture skin” with which they had been wrapped during more than four centuries of colonial rule. But Cardinal Malcolm R is up to his neck in the colonial culture which he upholds , and he will sink into it perhaps with some of those he is inviting to follow him and his “fairy tale” religion.

Reading the Cardinal’s submission to the LLRC, one cannot help feeling that it would be better for him to manage his Church affairs with his new Status as Cardinal instead of poking his nose in to secular matters, to put chaos into an already troubled situation as he himself says , “..Sri Lanka should be a secular democracy….”, .

He should revert to his spiritual vocation, where he may render some service to the 7 percent Catholic population who will listen to his homilies spellbound as he is now the direct descendent of Simon Peter the Apostle- the rock on which the Church had been built.
For the rest of the population the Cardinal is only another Catholic priest in a more decorated cassock, and what he says outside his pulpit are irrelevancies that would only damage the Communal harmony of the country.

If we consider the Buddhist Priests his counterparts, though his opposites in every respect yet give spiritual guidance to a larger percentage of the population, the Cardinal MalcolmR has a lesson to learn from them, if he were to be accepted as a spiritual man by the Sinhala Buddhist population in Sri Lanka.

But if they were to go by what Cardinal Malcolm R submitted to the LLRC, he will be considered by them a terrorist like Prabhakrana, wearing a different dress and instead of bombs and guns using words and speech to the same effect in a different sense.

The Buddhist Priests who did not receive from the Colonial rulers or even the Western governments and the media the same respect and reverence the Catholic Priests received, nonetheless, never complained at any time the exodus of Tamils from the North to south for its more acceptable climate, successful business ventures, or to serve the government.

Most of the Tamils who came to south to do their business or in the service of the Government, rarely brought their families. Thus they avoided social contact with the Sinhala people. Nevertheless, the Sinhala people accepted them and often they were invited to their weddings or funerals. The Buddhists also visited the Hindu temples frequently and attended Saraswathi Pooja or sought the blessings of Gana Deyyo. The Buddhist temples also had Devalayas- the Sanctuaries for Hindu Gods.

The Sinhala in south enjoyed celebrating the Sinhala New Year which was also called the Hindu New year. They exchanged sweet meets in celebrating the New Year. The Sinhala shared - Kawun, Kokis, Asmi and Plantains with Tamil people they had accepted as friends, or acquaintances as shopkeepers, or neighbours, and the Tamils in return shared Wade, Murukku and Kadalai wishing each other a happy new year.

Even the Muslim families were not left out. The Muslims also shared their favourite sweetmeat Watalappan a delicious soft cake with the Sinhala and Tamil neighbours .The Sinhala people thus accepted Tamils and Muslims in harmony without show of any dislike or animosity to them. During Sinhala Tamil disturbances some Sinhala families; sheltered the Tamils in their homes.

It is therefore very “unholy” for a Cardinal recently decorated by the Pope in Vatican, to speak critically of the Sri Lanka Governments for the colonisation schemes, which in his words are:

“….The massive colonization schemes undertaken by successive governments after independence, even if they were well-meant, but which did not necessarily respect the pluralities of the ethnic and religious proportions of the Sri Lankan people served rather as irritants than as catalysts for unity, because they were served as an attempt to a gradual breakdown and erosion of the original cultural make-up of these regions…..”.

That colonization was a necessary beginning for the Sinhala in the South and the Tamils in the north to get to know each other, after nearly five hundred years of separation without having any neighbourly contact with each other. The Yoda Ela Scheme and along with it the settlement of the Sinhala families in the north were the pioneer settlers, who were to build a bridge of unity between the Northern Tamils and the Southern Sinhalese.

To say that the colonization did not respect the ethnic and religious proportion of Sri Lankan people and served as an irritant , is a very unintelligent pronouncement which should not have come from a man who claims to be “ the fountain of divine love”. It is for a person like the Cardinal Malcolm R, a holy man, to speak to the people and to bring harmony among the people without taking sides with one community or another.

Cardinal MalcolmR, should explain to them the value of the mixture of different ethnic groups- all children of God, and not to make it a cause for irritation, but an occasion to weld a viable union of understanding. Those would have been “divine words of love”, like the homilies he makes from the pulpit.

But the following extract from your submission to the LLRC is very damaging to the motherland we love. How can Cardinal MalcolmR speak such idiocy
Cardinal MalcolmR says in his submission to the LLRC that:

“……The massive colonization schemes undertaken by successive governments after independence, ………….did not necessarily respect the pluralities of the ethnic and religious proportions of the Sri Lankan people served rather as irritants than as catalysts for unity, because they were served as an attempt to a gradual breakdown and erosion of the original cultural make-up of these regions.”

In saying that did this man, the Cardinal MalcolmR, consider for one instance whether the more than 55 percent of the Tamil population living in the South resulted in a “…..gradual breakdown and erosion of the original cultural make-up of these regions…” . If he does not know, he should recognise even as late as now, that the Tamil people had been accepted by the Sinhala population in the South and they live cordially well, sharing and respecting each others cultural values.

Normally, these type of statements are such as those quite often alluded to the expatriate Tamils, who had never lived with the Sinhala people to understand them really, except to hark back to the July, 1983 as a manthra, to sow seeds of racial hatred towards the Sinhala.

“Sri Lanka has only recently emerged from a long night of darkness and no sane person would wish to return to a similar nightmare. There is much talk of forces outside the country that are determined to act against the country’s interests. If we allow religious discord to grow, we will only be playing into the hands of those same forces.”

The above comment was taken from elsewhere in the Lankaweb. It is an area in which the Cardinal MalcolmR should act as a catalyst to bring sanity in the minds of those forces outside our country by explaining to them, the necessity to help Sri Lanka to develop as a Nation, without making attempts to destabilise the country.

This as a message he can send to every Church in the world requesting them to inform its congregation. That would be a crusade for reconciliation, and save Sri Lanka from wilful damage.

The catalyst of unity between the people in the North and East and those in the south should be the Catholic Church. The Cardinal Malcolm R should know that better, because if he is a “chosen man” who has real “divine love” within him, he should know that all people irrespective of the ethnic differences are “ the children of God”- for him the Sinhala Buddhists may therefore be the “sheep” that had wandered away:

In the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18:12-14, it is said, “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth: he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”

The parable can of course be interpreted in different ways, but in the context of the situation involved, the nonbelievers-the Sinhala Buddhists, could be the “sheep” to which it refers.

The coming together of people of different ethnicity is a cultural mixture that should be encouraged in the context of the cultures of our different communities in Sri Lanka, specially between the Tamils and the Sinhala.
“It is the foreign culture that had been forced on us for nearly 500 years along with a religion which is in no way related either to the Tamil culture or that of the Sinhala culture that may have eroded the cultural make up of the north and east.

Therefore, “…the erosion of the cultural make up of the north and east by colonisation of the Sinhala in the areas”, is a fallacious statement of the Cardinal MalcolmR to create fear and hatred in the minds of the Tamil people of North and East, against the Sinhala people who may decide to go to those areas to live. And for which they have every right.

Cardinal Malcolm R, says “….We as Christians submit these specific recommendations to this Commission with the fervent hope that they will be considered seriously in order to heal the wounds of a painful conflict which traumatized our homeland for over thirty years, and to lay the foundation for a solid sense of peace and harmony in the future.”

We are afraid that from what we have seen so far in the Cardinal MalcolmR’s submission to LLRC, it is far from being an attempt to”….lay the foundation for a solid sense of peace and harmony in the future..”, but on the other hand it seems to be the same attempt that the terrorists made for 30 years with their guns and bombs to establish their Tamil homeland” , but without the guns and bombs by the Cardinal MalcolmR.

After his submission on Colonization he goes on to education stating that, …

“……..a system of value education, through the dissemination of religious precepts found in the four major religions practiced in this country , and through the inculcation of values such as tolerance, respect for other's rights, compassion, non-violent communication and non-violent conflict resolution, politics which does not harbour communal hate and a comprehensive programme of life-skills training for children and youth, any future resurgence of hate, division and terror should be effectively prevented….”

The educational system of Sri Lanka cannot be blamed for terrorism or any other type of armed rebellion. There are other factors that draw groups of people to “terrorism” such as being manipulated into religious or political extremism.

Of course a better system of education should be found in separating the education system for lay students from the education system for the monks or other religious orders. In this respect the Catholic Church has its Seminaries, which unfortunately is not the same case with regard to the Buddhist monks, whose monastic-Pirivena education system had been disastrously substituted to admitting Buddhist monks to the Universities. That is a question that should be urgently attended to by the Government and the Nayaka Theros of the Asgiriya and Malwatte.

I agree with the Cardinal Malcolm R, on the subject of legalising gambling- If the Gaming Special Provision Bill recently enacted in the Parliament is to close illegal gambling houses, and attract tourism, it is wrong to have legalised gambling. The tourists coming to Sri Lanka for a Vacation should be given a Sri Lankan experience different from what is already available in the West and provided in their holiday resorts. Illegal gambling houses should be raided by the police, and closed by other legal provisions.

But his submission promoting trilingual education is short sighted, and affects the aspiration of a Sri Lankan Nationhood. The Official language should remain Sinhala. But a student at a pre-university entrance education level, for instance at GCE Ordinary Level, should be allowed to study, or make it obligatory to pass in two languages first the Official Language and the other a language of choice. English should be made the optional language. This should be looked into in depth.

If the problem is communication between the Government and the people and vice-versa , all candidates for Government Service Examinations should be required to pass an examination in Tamil. That would then be a requirement for Sinhala Candidates only.
Official National language should give the sense of belonging to the Nation to which one is born. It should not be accepted as making the person whose mother tongue is different from the Official language a second class citizen. It is the mental attitude that had been created by the self ambitious politicians, media and racist Tamils.

It is here the Catholic Church should move in as a conciliatory factor, to explain and make the Tamil people understand that accepting the Official language is by no means a confiscation of their rights as full citizens of Sri Lanka their motherland..

Then again the Cardinal MalcolmR, comes back to the question of colonization stating:

“It is observed by many that there are attempts made in the Northern & Eastern areas with new settlements to change the demographic situation of the people. This could be a dangerous trend if it is not addressed, unless the people are allowed to move in and move out in the proper way, without any colonization as such with or without the government approval. Because what can happen is, that there can be a psychosis or fear of a cultural invasion of villages and areas of the country considered to be predominantly of one group or the other. This can cause frictions and unnecessary clashes.”

This is an absurdity, just showing to what an extent the Cardinal Malcolm R, had been influenced by the terrorist Prabhakaran’s call for a separate Eelam State, if it is other wise how could he have said:

“,….there can be a psychosis or fear of a cultural invasion of villages and areas of the country considered to be predominantly of one group or the other. This can cause frictions and unnecessary clashes.”.

Here I have to repeat what I had said before, that the 55 percent or more of Tamils living in the South has created an example of harmonious living together with the three main Communities Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim. In that situation why cannot we copy this model in the South in the North and the East ?

It should be mentioned that at no stage in the reconciliation process should the July,1983 taken as the point of departure. July 1983 incidents were a prearranged well prepared situation created by an interested India, with its RAW taking over a group of disgruntled youth ( you get them any where, in any country), brain washed them against the Sinhala Governments, and trained them as “terrorists” in a jungle clearing in South India:

“ Indian Prime Minister VP Singh said in front of Jain Commission in Nov. 1996 about the forming LTTE terrorist network 1983. Mr. Singh said,” First batch of training of Sri Lankan Tamil militants was done by India in 1983 under the orders of then Prime Minister (Late) Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The camp was located at Chakrata, Tamil Nadu”
(http://southasian.maktoobblog.com/1638/indian-army-hindu-terrorists-nexus-sinister-fascist-2/)

RAW released these terrorist group in the North, “ The events dubbed Black July began after members of the rebels Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the Tamil Tigers or the LTTE) organization ambushed a military convoy in the North of Sri Lanka on the evening of July 23, 1983 outside the town of Jaffna in the North of Sri Lanka.”(Wikipedia). Thirteen policemen had been assassinated and their fingers cut to remove the rings they were wearing.

This had been planned to instigate the anger of the Sinhala in the south, to make them start a back lash against the Tamils, which would leave a permanent scar in the minds of the Tamil people. The RAW succeeded very well in their sordid manipulation, resulting in the Sinhala people as a whole became to Tamils who left the Island directly from Jaffna, as the racist murderers and Sinhala supremacists, chauvinists and all the rest. That was also a situation for the Tamil politicians and other interested Tamils to ask for separation from the Sinhala racists.

That was all a well planned act which provided the desired results for all anti Sri Lankans, and for them to create what is now called the “ ethnic problem ”. The Communal hatred began in the North where the Cardinal Malcolm R’s Church was very active, and the terrorists at least most of the leaders were Catholic or Christian.

And when the Cardinal speaks of an education system he has to take the responsibility for what he says, as his Church and Christian schools in the North provided the education he pontificates below. Things may have been different if the Catholic Church thought about such an education system thirty years ago:

“Through a system of value education, through the dissemination of religious precepts found in the four major religions practiced in this country , and through the inculcation of values such as tolerance, respect for other's rights, compassion, non-violent communication and non-violent conflict resolution, politics which does not harbour communal hate and a comprehensive programme of life-skills training for children and youth, any future resurgence of hate, division and terror should be effectively prevented.”

However, “ The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as the Sacrament of Penance, or Penance and Reconciliation) has three elements: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness, and as a result we are called to forgive others.”

Would it therefore, not be timely that instead of talking of separation of the communities, they are brought together forgetting the past applying the “Catholic Sacrement of Reconciliation.” ?

One word in Conclusion. Reconciliation is not separation . It is to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent. Therefore in the process of reconciliation of the Tamils and the Sinhala there should not be conditions , there should not be a political devolution, there should be instead an attempt to reconcile the “hostile” parties, win them over to friendliness, make them become amicable.

Shouldn’t that be the Crusade of the Cardinal MalcolmR ?

Concluded.