Sri Lanka at Cross Roads: What a Victory for the UNF will Mean
Repost This ArticleIt appears to be the most powerful electoral alliance that has ever been formed in the country.A political phenomenon, a coalition containing diametrically opposed political views led by someone without any formal political membership of any political party of the alliance he presides over. But how far will they march together either in their victory or defeat in the Presidential election on 26 January? Is it their last desperate attempt against a powerful political leader who has to be defeated at all cost, irrespective of their own closely guarded ideological and political beliefs? If not is the UNF an insolvable political contradiction that has been united by their political opportunism?
This article attempts to examine the political character of the parties involved in the UNF with particular reference to their histories and their implications for political stability and democracy in Sri Lanka
Violent Political History
The JVP identifies itself as a Marxist- Leninist party and believes in socialist revolution. They have not renounced violence they espoused in the pursuit of their political aims. The JVP has never accepted the responsibility for their political murders and have been evasive of any responsibility. The UNP is characterized by their reactionary and repressive policies when in power and were mainly responsible for defeating the JVP with a counter insurgency policy of unparallel barbarism against the insurgents. The UNP decimated the JVP leadership and their carders during 1987-89 without any mercy and they in turn assassinated high profile leaders in the UNP as well as left wing leaders and political activists. The JVP in its political history has led two insurrections and they were both defeated. They are now looking for  short cuts to capture state power. Throughout   the JVP’s history of unsuccessful insurrections Sarath Fonseka (SF) served for the Sri Lankan armed forces and was on the other side of the struggle. The TNA which was the proxy of the LTTE   are also supporting to SF who was the military commander who decimated the Tiger leadership and defeated the LTTE. All these parties and individuals bring to this alliance a responsibility for many of Sri Lanka’s political tragedies the human costs of which should haunt them forever.  Yet these parties and individuals have never expressed any remorse for the assassinations they carried out from time to time nor have they repudiated political violence. Their past shows them to be anti-democratic and anti-people to the core and have lost the moral argument to be in politics or to be trusted by the people. Political opportunism and ambition appears to have triumphed along with their history which was riddled with undemocratic behavior and unimaginable violence. The cynicism of their actions may be overlooked by those who do not believe that we can expect more from politicians than this. However, what applies to personal integrity should still apply to politics and political parties as well. By this measure, the UNF parties   have buried their integrity and have lost their moral compass.So far they all have evaded taking responsibility for their crimes and they will continue to do so. They present themselves to us now, asking for our trust and our votes, claiming that they are for democracy and that they are united. They are in effect asking the electorate to forget their anti-democratic histories and that they once wanted to destroy each other. It is unfortunate that they have not tackled these contradictions which contain very serious political implications for democracy and political stability in the country. They should have explained to  the people where they stand in relation to each other and their violent pasts.
Political and Economic Differences
The UNP is the biggest party in the UNF and they are able to shape and present policy decisions with greater confidence and conviction over the other parties. Following the political legacy of JR Jayewardene who was the architect of the open economic policies, they have long believed in free market economics. The JVP is openly critical of the free market and favors protectionist and egalitarian options. This set to be a major policy issue that will divide them and destabilize their alliance. The UNP being the Sri Lankan agent of the international finance capital will follow the path of privatizing the loss making utilities a move which will be vehemently opposed by the JVP.This clash of economic policies will inevitably lead to political divisions and the smaller parties such as SLMC, SLFP (M) and perhaps the TNA will be drawn into the divisive conflicts within the UNF. All these parties will support the open market policies on the basis of economic and political pragmatism but it is likely that the JVP will oppose economic liberalism and fight for price controls and more nationalizations. The JVP claims that they represent the working class and the poor but they make alliances with their class enemies. They joined the UPFA before and left and now they have joined the capitalist UNP. The UNP and other parties will woo the West and redirect foreign policies accordingly while the JVP’s xenophobic political line and anti-Indian political sentiments will play a crucial role in blocking this attempt.
This same xenophobia will also play a major role in preventing the resolution of the national question and the TNA will learn their bitter lesson in supporting SF without any condition, as they claim. No political party should have made the deal that the TNA agreed to, particularly in the current political moment. If cleverly negotiated with SF, the TNA could have used their political capital and electoral base to gain a major package of devolution. Despite their ability to potentially decide the outcome of the Presidential election, they simply declared the unconditional support to an alliance where the reactionary bulwark of Sinhalese nationalism, the JVP  has  entrenched to fight against any devolution of power. It is difficult to rationalize how these contradictions and ideological divisions can be resolved in terms of normal political behaviors.
How they can reconcile and come to terms with these political histories and work together in an alliance of parties are very difficult to rationalize in terms of normal political behaviors. . This alliance is unreliable and opportunistic for the alliance itself and it is inconceivable how they will be honest about   the political classes they represent.
The JVP claims that they represent the working class and the poor but they make alliances with their class enemies. They joined the UPFA before and left and now they have joined the capitalist UNP.
SF as Unitary as well as Divisive Factor
Sarath Fonseka is the pivotal figure within this unstable alliance, holding together divergent and contradictory forces. His lack of political experience will make this a daunting endeavour. Â Even if he was an experienced and proven politician, there will be a limit to his ability to unify his party. The deep ideological divisions within his alliance will have profound implications for the nature of the government he will form if elected. It will have serious consequences for Sri Lankan politics.
SF’s famous statement that Sri Lanka belongs to the Sinhalese and the minorities should not  make unnecessary demands is a clear signal of where his own political instincts lie. It is a political line which pleases JVP but not the UNP and the SLMC at least, when it comes to a political solution to the Tamil community. SF will go on satisfying the JVP because of his political and ideological affinity with the Sinhalese supremacist line of the JVP. SF will find his resulting political isolation difficult to overcome and there is a danger that he will probably attempt to resolve this by bringing in a coterie of military men. When faced with challenging times, political leaders rely on those whose loyalty he trusts, rather than   the fellow political travelers who by that time will have served their  utilitarian value. This is where democracy could suffer its first causality in its journey to an authoritarian rule.
Conclusion
Throughout  the country there is a desire for change because of the current regime’s poor records of right abuse, corruption and the culture of impunity. But the forgoing analysis shows that Sri Lanka’s fragile democracy will face a more dangerous situation with a regime driven with opportunism and differing political aims. The resolution of past enmities and disagreements will simply be postponed until after the General Election. If they are elected and their fragile alliance falls apart, the consequences will be felt by the people.  Politics is not about individuals alone but also about the social and political forces and classes the individuals appear to be representing in a given political moment. The violent political history of these parties should be condemned by every human being as they have committed heinous crimes against humanity. They have not   repudiated their use of political violence against people with different political views. They have never expressed remorse for those who were assassinated   by them. They simply do not understand democratic politics and the right to life. It will be historically unforgivable to let them come to power without highlighting the danger that they pose. Even though they want to come to power through democratic means they cannot be democratically trusted and will be politically dangerous. With great trepidation therefore, I conclude that the UNF will misuse the political space following a regime change and will not hesitate to further endanger our democratic politics and institutions in their pursuit of power.
Both UNP and JVP is trying to save face in this election as both will claim the united effort of all the 14 parties. Its a good temporary move to go forward for the Genearl Elections in April as they can face the people with some sort of dignity. General Election will tell us who was fooling whom ? I think JVP was smart to go with UNP and are claiming SF as thier candidate and no doubt will take him to thier General Election Campaigns. The outcome of the Presidential Election is a forgone conclusion with MR winning with a good majority. MR made the mistake of not dissolving Parliament as soon as the War was over. He would got a 2/3rd Majority. However, now it wont be so. UNP wiil be the greatest loser and Sajith Premadas will be the Winner for the future.
The Most wicked political aliance in Sri Lanka’s history.
NO ISSUES JUST JELOUSY!!
THIS IS A SEMI FASCIST MOVEMENT .you are very correct, jvp, is a semi fascist party. as soon as JR release them from the prison, in1977,they started organisng jvp agin, saying democratic way for the election, but soon as they started their activities they started fhysicaly hitting their oponants,
they used bycycle chains, knives,clubs and champion blades to hurt the oponents.
specialy to the left party activists. in the universitys and rural level.
after 1987 they took their T56 and gal katas. they are anty democratic force .
Not like traditional UNP Ranil also a semi fasist leader. (see Batalanda)
and Fonseka also a kind of dictatorial charactor. TNA nown LTTE simpathatic
Bias to the armed gangs. this political combinetion is very danger to our country.
this is nothing but bull **** sorry to say or you are ignorent if not biased! stop it!!!
Dear Dayapala,
“<i.It appears to be the most powerful electoral alliance that has ever been formed in the country.A political phenomenon, a coalition containing diametrically opposed political views led by someone without any formal political membership of any political party of the alliance he presides over.”
The credit for bringing all Sri Lankans (Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, UNP, JVP, TNA etc) together goes entirely to Mahinda. Nobody else could have antagonized such a wide spectrum of Sri Lankan political society to this degree.
Dear Dayapala,
This is only a theory. My theory is that the JVP+UNP alliance forms a well balanced democratic force. If they come to power, under the leadership of SF, the thuggery, corruption & waste will be addressed. More importantly the law of the country will be implemented to get rid of current right abuses and the culture of impunity.
Saliya (ISU-Colombo Uni)
Dear wijayapala
I am not defending MR but I want to point out the danger at this point because it too risky to trust SF and his fellow travellers for us to hand over our fargile democracy to them.
Dear MKDK
In politics is is not wise to say that others are ignorant and ask them to stop.When you say that you never listen and learn and then you end up in making horrible political mistakes.
Dear Saliya CA
Please read Nayana’s comments.They are very relevant in relation to the violent history of the JVP. You think they will make a balanced democratic force together with UNP.Their history and political activities go against such an assertion.Hopefully you understand the history of the ISU and how the JVP killed Daya Pathirana the charismatic leader of the ISU in 1987 after abducting him along with another comrade. It was horrific and gruesome.They cut his throat.The other comrade survived to tell the tragic tale after suffering horrific injuries.They killed Daya Pathirana simply he had different political views.The JVP never accepeted the responsiblity for the murder nor they denied it. Can you trust them as a democratic force? It was Daya Pathirana who fought for the indepedent democratic space in the Colombo university which you enjoy today possibily not knowing the great human sacrifice Daya Pathirana had to do for others freedom.We
Dear Saliya CA
Please read Nayana’s comments.They are very relevant in relation to the violent history of the JVP. You think they will make a balanced democratic force together with UNP.Their history and political activities go against such an assertion.Hopefully you understand the history of the ISU and how the JVP killed Daya Pathirana the charismatic leader of the ISU in 1987 after abducting him along with another comrade. It was horrific and gruesome.They cut his throat.The other comrade survived to tell the tragic tale after suffering horrific injuries.They killed Daya Pathirana simply he had different political views.The JVP never accepeted the responsiblity for the murder nor they denied it. Can you trust them as a democratic force? It was Daya Pathirana who fought for the indepedent democratic space in the Colombo university which you enjoy today possibily not knowing the great human sacrifice Daya Pathirana had to do for others freedom.We will never forget him.
Dear dayapala,
thanks for a very interesting article. We know what a victory for UPFA has meant for democracy and all related issues. It doesn’t look any better for the victory of the other alliance as well according to your analysis. But isn’t democracy also about people having the right to choose which person or pary is going to be given “the right to plunder and abuse them?”
I also think we have the right to dream and hope. After all as you say there are forces that sustain political alliances and the current forces that have alligned dosen’t argur well. But we must have faith in humanity that can change all frces!
sf or mr…. does it really make a difference?
dear dayapala.
who says that there is a fragile democracy. if we look around us the only thing we see is a quasi military despotic junta. there is no rule of governance, respect or implementation of the constitution, blatant misuse of power and many more leaving aside the corruption and nepotism.
in your opinion if these things are to be considered as a fragile democracy and you condone these actions by the present despotic regime the only conclusion that i can come to is that either you are a crook yourself or you have a very serious problem of perception in understanding right from wrong.
I do not think any person whi has a brain to vote for MR for the following corruption.
- 132 ministers in Sri Lanka is costing the country a whopping four billion rupees annually
- Samurdhi programme which provides welfare to some nine million of this nation’s poorest families is only Rs. 10 billion
- Budget for health of 20 million citizens Rs 5 billion only! No wonder we hear stories such as no surgery at National hospital forshortage of equipment!!
-Education ministry given only Rs 3 billion – for the future of the country having slashed Rs 72 million!
-The nation building minister ( one of 5 !) sprends Rs 250,000 amonth for his car and Rs 100,000 for his telephone bill. Should be renamed (Nation Burning Ministers !!!)
-20 ministers having overspent the budget have asked for supplementary budget of Rs 2.52 billion. Part of the overspent is to buy luxury cars !!!
-150 million spent on presidential advisors
- Foreign minister spents Rs 100 million for foreign tours
- Rs 100 million fraud at Foreign employment ministry. In ‘08 had 160 million profit and now workers retrenched as no money to pay them!
- 40 ministers who own residencies in Colombo claim Rs 100,000 monthly allowences and another Rs 35,000 for electricity and water bills
politics in Sri Lanka (SL) is just only a chaos and a live example for opportunitism. If any government can respect the democracy and law of the country it will be the success of a country and of its civilians. But from the history, up to date whats happenning in SL is all politicians violating the law of country and becoming heros of their voters. So in SL political history we will never find good but bad! Not a single president has respected the law of country. When it comes to an election the whole world can see the identity of sri lankan people including wild politicians. It is very sad to say that the image of not only politicians` but also sri lankan citizens is fading day by day, due to their disability of being a rightful citizens. It’s said `learn rules and break few` but in Sri Lanka `there are rules just to break` So, whoever becomes the president of the country, I never believe a change!!!!!!! There will be a change only if we have a rightful and lawful president!! challange,….!!!
Faizal,
“in your opinion if these things are to be considered as a fragile democracy and you condone these actions by the present despotic regime the only conclusion that i can come to is that either you are a crook…”
You are highly misinformed. Do you even know who Dayapala is? He has sacrificed much more than most of us here due to these very undemocratic forces (http://transcurrents.com/tc/2009/09/keeping_memories_alive_20th_an.html#more), so I would be less judgmental and consider what he says carefully.
As for understanding right from wrong. Do you think the rest of the people are too stupid to understand? There’s far more to consider here than just a simplistic desire to punish the incumbent’s flaws. We must also consider what it is we are replacing him with, which is the point Dayapala is trying to make. Had we been blessed with a stellar opposition, it would not be such a difficult decision now would it?
Dear SamuelJ,faizal and Lalith
I do acknowledge the strenght of feelings you have expressed against the current regime.I am not defending this regime .I am not a fan of this regime.I am simply making a political judgement on the basis of the UNF’s political character.I am entitled to make that judgement.You need to respect it. In my article I am not asking anyone to vote for MR.However,I think there is a greater danger for democracy in the country if the UNF comes to power. I have given my reasons in the article. You can prove me wrong.
Dear Lalith,
Did you offset the Rs. 1135 billion spent on the war, and that was just up to 1996 (http://www.ices.lk/sl_database/ethnic_conflict/cost_of_war.shtml). What about the Rs. 177 billion spent in 2008 alone? (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44653)
So in your calculation, should you not subtract the total future savings due to the incumbent having done his job properly, which is a compliment we can hardly given the rest of the jokers who’ve preceded him? Does it not far exceed these corruption figures?
No one is denying that there are problems with the incumbent. But your kind of one-sided analysis is pointless.
As always Dayapala’s candidness and honesty is very apparent.Despite limitations, a change is necessary, given the current state of affairs.The good news is General seem to learn fast, has a very human side to his military mind set .
These issues would matter most during Parliamentry elections than during presidential elections.People will get their chance to choose their representatives whom they think will serve their interests best.
By the way TNA Constituents were victims as much as LTTE’s proxy.Which goes with the time space when they came to existence and the practices at that time.RP,CBK,RW and MR all fall with in the same time space paradigm hence their politics and policies.
Dear Dayapala,
thanks for your comments. I agree with you on your criticism of the present regime and on your analysis on political realities / outcomes / possibilities / scope of the alliance that supports SF.
My problem is I don’t see any difference in both.For example
On political differences MR has EPDP, TMVP and the likes with him along with JHU who are opposed to any meaningful power sharing.
On Economic differences MR has the likes of Tissa, DEW and the likes along with Wimal who should be oposed to selling SL to India /China /or west.
Doesn’t SLFP also have blood in the hands along with UNP, TNA and JVP. Have any of these parties shown remorse to their anti-democratic means in the past?
Political realities suggest one of the two will become president. as many have said before there is in real sence no choice.
The only advandate SF has as I feel is his lack of a track record in being a politician.
But is that a real advantage. So those promoting him are making a big gamble and they are willing to take that chance.
Those promoting MR look at his political experience. It is a choice of going with the known devil.
Is there really a choice?
MR wishes to continue his autocratic/totalitarian rule OR even State Terrorism as far as the tamils are concerned.
SF promises to implement the 17th Amendment and restore the rule of law as a first step to full democracy.
The choice,for the unbiassed, is clear.
There is a determined effort to maintain a blackout on the discussion of the role and the agenda of the US imperialists, EU powers and the Indian ruling elite in this election, except for the political chameleon Wickramabahu of NSSP who is making noises in the last few weeks of the campaign that SF is the preferred candidate of the west, which presumably he had not “realised” when he joined the “Platform for Democracy” with the murderous UNP in January 2009.
Politics in Sri Lanka is a microscopic sample for anyone who wants to find solutions to the big questions in the world politics and for the advancement of the human kind as a whole. There are no solutions within the liberalism, human rights activism, environmentalist activism, gender activism, any other kind of identity politics, nationalisms of any brand or by grovelling behind one or the other major powers.
Why is it so difficult to comprehend TNA’s “extraordinary about-face” ? You say that
“How they can reconcile and come to terms with these political histories and work together in an alliance of parties are very difficult to rationalize in terms of normal political behaviors. . This alliance is unreliable and opportunistic for the alliance itself and it is inconceivable how they will be honest about the political classes they represent.”
You are not alone. Even supposedly anti imperialist Wije Dias (the SEP presidential candidate) is lacking honesty and ducks. He says that “In an extraordinary about-face, the TNA now claims that the general will listen sympathetically to the problems of Tamils. All this obscene grovelling is to ensure a place for the TNA within the Colombo political establishment.”
Majority of human rights activists, liberal commentators, anti corruption activists, all kinds of identity political activists in Sri Lanka are supporting SF in one way or the other in this election. For them there is no other way forward. Regardless of the admirable heroism and self sacrifice of the thousands of Tamil youth in fighting the Sri Lankan army, the LTTE leadership had always pinned their hopes on the one or other big powers in the final analysis. TNA is just continuing the same politics of the LTTE without the gun.In another form, the leadres of the tamil diaspora continues the same politics in association with the represntatives of the ruliling elites and their “left” apologists in their respective countries.
Dear readers,
Please be happy to change our countries future.Help SF to jail all the culprits who robbed our money.Stop genocide activities at least now.We all are born here in this country and we have equal ownership to this country.Read Buddhism and realize it.Teach the monks who are genocide.This genocide activities are proved by the international which is a black mark to our nation.We will be cornered by them.Our children will not have a chance to go abroad in the future if we tolerate this practice.Our politicians,Buddhist monks and some special parties named as hela urumaya ?What are they highlighting?Genocide only.Learn human rights law.When you learn it you will realize the truth.All these politicians comments all these fake stories to be popular among the priority ethnic only.
This excellent article and the many excellent comments illustrate the voting pattern for this election: everyone is voting against someone, not for someone. I’ve read somewhere that Sri Lankans vote governments out of power, not into power. Looks like this is true again.
Mrs Kumaratuga’s appeal to the nation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIYbYtv6aTA&feature=player_embedded
Dayapala
Are you wiser than Chandrika?
We have to move from known dander to (? ) unknown danger.
You can break the UNF rule, but not the extended family rule of Mahinda.
Did you criticise when the JVP worked with SLFP- Mrs Kumratunge.
Did you apologised publicly for you wife -who was a so-called intellectual and human rights activist supported and campaigned for the LTTE and ruthless
Pirabaharan while she was doing her PhD in UK on a government sponsored scholarship.
Your anger against JVP contributed for biased analyses
Dr Ranjith
You want to know whether I am wiser than Chandrika.
I have no partisan loyalities .I am not not under any political pressure to support the UNF or the UPFA. I am not in the SLFP (M). Chandrika is the National Organiser of the SLFP(M) . Secondly I do not belong to any political dynasty in Sri Lanka.I am an ordinary guy.I .Because of this I have had a very different political history. I take political desicions on the basis of my experience.Therefore ,I am wise enough to understand that our political leadrs since independence have given us a failed democracy where the exclusion of national minorites from the political process has become the norm. The basic democratic freedoms of the people are suppressed.This will continue under the UNF. That is why I consider that the UNF will be a greater danger to our democracy on the basis of the historical repressive nature of the party histories in the UNF . Some of our people want to trust political leaders and consider that they are wiser than poor us but they never deliver. They deliver more and more repression and the culture of impunity. If you think you can break the UNF rule I wish you good luck.Unless we make our people aware that they are wiser than our political leadrs we will never win democracy.
Dear Johnalex
I did not make public criticism when Chandrika worked with the JVP in her government.
I do not have to aplogise for my wife’s politics.It does not work in that way. We are adults we take our own political decisions.
You say my analysis on the JVP is biased.The only thing the JVP has to do is to accept the political responsibility for their violent past that they killed so many left activists , other innocent people and political leaders including Vijaya Kumartunga and and promise that they will not do these kind of assassinatons again.This is not much to expect from a democratic party .
Dear Johnalex,
You know that Rajini Thiranagama later turned against the LTTE and became its greatest critic, only to be brutally gunned down in 1988?
How have you risked your life to oppose the LTTE?
The JVP is the CLOSEST party in Sri Lanka to the LTTE.
WHY ?
> They have committed acts of terror for political power.
>They have tried to or killed political leaders
>They support violence as an option to democratic politics
>They do not tolerate opposing views
>They harbour evil, jealous thoughts to those who are economically better whlist the LTTE- Tamils harbour evil thoughts towards whole Sinhala Nation of people.
>Rohana Wijeweera supported the Tamils Rights for a special territory in the North and the East and then changed his mind when he could not convince them.
>Both hate those who have what they really want…..But mislead the masses saying they do want something different…BOTH WANT ABSOLUTE POWER.
>UNP committed acts of violence against Tamils, Sinhalese from the the period 1983-1990. For what >>>To be in power…..
>>>What about J.R.Jayawardena’s referendum to extend the parliament and the presidency>>>>IS THIS BLOODY DEMOCRACY….WHERE WAS RANIL WICKRAMASINGHE during this time……..
THIS ALLIANCE OF UNP, JVP,TNA,SLMC: Is the representation of the POLITICAL CANCER IS SRI LANKA that has stopped our nation from going forward.
THE BIRDS’ OF FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER…YOU ARE 100% correct, well done congratulations to you the author, bravo
Thank you Daya – good analysis and helpful – especially the need for honesty.
There is another aspect of honesty that must come into this.
The nation cannot forget both the positive and negative contributions of the UNP and SLFP over the years – if you look at political violence and how it started we must go back to SWRD who unleashed Sinhala Buddhist Nationalism only to fall a victim to it 3 years later … Then the 1971 insurgency made our State accustomed to the idea of killing our own citizens and to becoming more and more authoritarian. JR gave this structural stability. Prabhakaran pushed us to the very bottom. Today the state has learnt a few things off Prabha’s book in punishing dissent and making police violence a norm.
My point is that we cannot allow any one party or individual to dominate us – the more we are forced to choose A or B the more we continue to maintain this trend. So my point – and this is very important – is not to oppose your point but to affirm it and also add the point that every bullet you strike the UNF with can also be shot at the UPFA also. There are 2 ways of conversing. One is to oppose. The other is to affirm and add something more. The more we can do this in this forum the better – because the truth is a paradox and it includes both the UNP and the SLFP and of course all the other view points as well.
Where does this leave us? I think we must continue to criticize ourselves and others and continue to struggle in a spirit of cooperation and total respect to all parties and view points. There will always be oppositional and confrontational viewpoints. But the time has come to move beyond these. Your pointing to past violence and a failure to atone for this is a general issue. Both sides are culpable for both violence and deceit and neither side has really come clean with either. This is all part of our make believe republic and party politics which makes us choose between the father and mother.
Ultimately we need them both and we must keep trying to knock sense and honesty into both. We can only do this if we stop playing their dualistc game and speak out with balance, restraint and love. If the strongest thing in the country is either MR or SF we are all very weak. But if there is a moral jurisdiction that can become equally strong then we can challenge this monopoly.
wish you all a peaceful holiday
Having listened to his last interviews today, I felt that SF has good principles. Asked what he would do in case his allies would not agree with him, was answered by saying that he has agreed to all of them for their principles. So long, he will work without violating them, they should support him whatever the good decision that is going to be make together. In case any group would go against, SF would be ready to fulfil his duty even without any opponents´assistance.He reiterated that MR´s reality is that he could have been happier if the war was defeated by LTTE. In some sessions, he was not even patient enough to care how many of soldiers were killed while showing the data for him in those presentations. These should be the realities. There are guys who today go after seeking credit for the war winning was even sleeping while those were demostrated to them, he said.
justitia, the choice is only clear if you BELIEVE Fonseka’s promises. It appears that the North of the country was not convinced.
I agree though that there is a lot to be said for getting rid of a grasping family that drain the country’s financial resources without contributing much in the way of good governance.
But if you replaced them with someone who was as used to absolute obedience as a military General, there is no guarantee that the rule of law would be enshrined, the executive presidence would be abolished, extra-judicial killings would end, or human rights would be respected. And you could just have a new family or bunch of friends grabbing the best cabinet posts.
Pakistan and China are two countries where the military seem to have fingers in many pies, and close links to government. I’m not sure they are the sort of state many democrats would like to see here in Sri Lanka.
The tragedy of this election is that one of the two leading candidates had to win… It’s hard to say whether the devil we know very well will be any worse or better than the one we don’t know quite so well.