What’s next for General Fonseka?
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Image courtesy CNN
It has been a couple of days since the former military commander of Sri Lankan Army and common opposition’s presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka was released from the prisons and I can’t think of a better timing than this for me to express some of my thoughts related to these developments, which I am sure many here would share with me, at yet another crucial time for our nation.
First of all, many have correctly pointed out to me about the technicality of the use of the rank General when referring to Mr. Fonseka and it is my personal belief that it is one way for me to demonstrate my suspicion as to whether the so-called court martial was really working in a fair, transparent manner contrary how it would have been through a civilian court, while at the same time joining thousands of fellow Sri Lankans who aren’t ready to forget the existence of the first-ever four star General the Sri Lankan armed forces had, however much his photos are altered from frames or name is being erased from plaques. Thus, I shall continue to refer to him as General Sarath Fonseka out of respect, admiration and also in solidarity with many others who have been meted with injustices simply because of political, religious, racial or ethnic prejudices against them.
As I have mentioned openly in a few occasions before, I have always used my vote, be it local government, provincial, parliamentary or presidential elections, based on the policies of candidates rather than party affiliations. I still remember the reasons behind my decision to vote for Mr. Rajapakse in 2005 to be the President as much the reasons for my vote for General Fonseka during the 2010 Presidential elections, which I have already published an article on in Groundviews. But as we know, some of his close political confidantes back then are no longer to be seen along with him and the same way some of the blocs who voted for him also consider that moment as one-off. However, as much as some commentators try to bring arguments saying the presidential election votes for General Fonseka were merely protest votes against Mr. Rajapakse and he doesn’t have a political standing, it would be so naïve to de-value his influence given that he had been one of those people to have had a consistent policy from the moment he stepped on to politics and on top of it the visible public affection and/or the respect he has earned during the last 30 months both, in and out of prisons, as a politician. Therefore even though he himself can’t stand for elections (for at least the next 5 years, according to some legal experts) still the influence he will have on Sri Lankan politics is unquestionable. This is specially at a time when the main opposition party is having its own set of internal problems and almost all the other political parties having had their own share of splits within. In that context, some of the very first words of General Fonseka being trying to unite the opposition rather than craving for positions, while mobilizing people for their socio-economical rights, is a mature approach.
As a citizen and someone who has seen a bloody conflict almost all throughout my lifetime of closer to 3 decades, given that we have already wasted the last 3 years as a nation after the end of the military conflict without any serious initiatives to address the root causes of the conflict; in my opinion, the direction General Fonseka will take in the next weeks and months on key issues, will for sure decide for itself if we can be hopeful of a turning-tide towards challenging the system to make civil liberties, transparency, equality and rule of law as priorities or whether we all will passively see our motherland moving away from being a real Democracy towards a state which may be identified as more of a Autocracy due to power-hungry politicians trying to cling to power at any cost. This shouldn’t be misinterpreted as if this is a call for change of regime per-se, but if the authorities are willing to change and do what’s best for the country, that’s much better.
A welcome statement he did make within 24 hours of being released was on the conduct of the current administration in handling international calls for accountability on allegations leveled by various parties about the military conflict and General Fonseka quite correctly reminded his policy from day one being that Sri Lanka should not dodge the questions and imply guilt, rather cooperate to establish the truth, whatever it may be. I am sure he is not foolish to understand even such a call would not go well within some of the vote blocs out of the cities, still he had the courage to make that statement needs to be applauded, even though some opportunistic politicians have been trying to brand him as a ‘traitor’ again for this statement. As someone who has had friends and family members affected and lost lives due to the almost 3 decades of military conflict in our country, I see this as a positive, mature and responsible statement towards reconciliation. This is not just because of the fact that General Fonseka has taken a bold step of talking about something which is considered not even up for mention by Sinhala nationalists and thus defying some of the nationalistic elements who were believed to be also supporting him, but still giving a perfect example of how Mr. Rajapakse’s administration also could have, if his administration had the will, to have spoken about harsh realities related to reconciliation in an assertive manner given the popularity he had soon after end of the military conflict 3 years ago.
This kind of a statement, at least, gives an opportunity to make justice for people who had to make the ultimate sacrifice during the war be it a Tamil like Nilukshan Sahadevan, my colleague from Sri Lankan Youth Parliament and a young budding journalist gunned down in the middle of the night in Jaffna at his home or a Sinhala youth like Captain Sandun Chanaka of Sinha Regiment, my class-mate for years at Richmond College in Galle, who was killed in Pudukudiyiruppu South in the last stages of the war or a Muslim like one of my relatives, who was also a provincial media person from North Central province killed along with his sibling and her husband in a suicide bomb blast a few years ago. And I wonder what a difference we could have made to our tiny island if sanity prevailed to the rulers 3 years ago as soon as the military conflict was over rather than the arrogance shown since then, on a victor’s mentality. So, I respect General Fonseka for making that statement which I am sure is not an easy task for himself being the commander of the army and chief strategist during the final few years of the war.
As a person having a huge popularity among the Sinhala community as well as the minorities and then the blocs who are already fed-up with economic hardships in the face of a near impunity for huge levels of corruption in the country and daily challenges to civil, political rights as citizens; I believe it is equally important for General Fonseka to make a bold statement about Sri Lankan society being multi-religious, multi-ethnic nature given the cautious distance some of the Tamils and Muslims have been maintaining from General Fonseka partly due to the apparently mis-quoted statement attributed to him, supposedly saying that the minority communities are ‘tourists’ in this country. A strong statement on that nature will not only make him more admired as a straight-talking leader but also will be of immense value to condemn the minority of violent extremists within the country who are trying to create challenges for religious harmony in our nation with situations like what happened in Dambulla recently and afterwards carried out by chauvinistic elements. After all I am sure General Fonseka himself will know how some of these politically or financially motivated monks make real Buddhists embarrassed by bigoted actions including the example of how his own framed pictures in the Nagadeepa Viharaya which were hanging for a long time suddenly went ‘missing’ soon after he was imprisoned, for reasons known only to the people or monks who did that, while it’s not really a mystery for anybody to guess in terms of the motivation behind them.
Having done this, on the challenge of uniting the opposition to make Sri Lankan politics towards a vibrant democracy rather than going towards like some of the single-party autocracies in other parts of the world; no one believes it is going to be an easy task. Yet, he will have to manage the charisma, admiration and respect he commands across the country and importantly from every part of the society to maneuver through the rough political terrains in bringing together , the young and old, ambitious and reserved, Northern and Southern, rich and poor, friends and old-friends, young people and the intellects, Marxists and the capitalists, and the list goes on; the same way he was able to strategise and restructure a whole military outfit with its own share of divisions and internal politics amidst challenging conditions to successfully complete a military conflict. In this sense, I personally like his idea of giving importance to civic education among the masses as a key factor and clearly stating how he would like to work on a broad level with all parties rather than trying to further divide an already fractured opposition.
And if we have a strong opposition it will help the country to be steered in the right direction by keeping the government in power (whoever it may be) in check and holding them responsible for every single action for the betterment of our own country. Crucially, he will also have to have an inclusive and responsible approach to be implemented in the aftermath of the mobilization of the opposition political parties and people towards their civic rights. If not, it would be like winning a war which many thought will never end but not being able to move towards establishing a long lasting peaceful, inclusive society just the same way it is now because of the policy of not having a real policy as shown over the last 3 years by the present administration. We have already had enough of our lifetimes wasted due to petty political ideological mistakes which have cost the nation immensely and we surely can’t afford to be passive observers when it is yet to be corrected.
I also have a feeling that we Sri Lankans have been quite selfish here by expecting a 61 year old gentleman who has done a lot for his country over four decades with dedication to do more rather than enjoying his life in retirement with his family. But General Fonseka himself says that he is ready to dedicate his life to correct the political system of this country for the sake of making sure we don’t lose any more for the years and generations to come.
And I don’t believe that he is going to be the miracle-man to push the government to do the right thing or get the opposition be strong to make it a vibrant democracy; rather we Sri Lankans lacked a voice to rally behind to challenge when we thought things weren’t right and we have finally got a straight-talking individual who is ready to take the leadership, despite the risks and challenges inherent to the role, to give a voice to the unheard, in a louder manner than before.
In that sense, I believe we as citizens are in desperate need of getting back our lost identity of being part of a Democratic, Inclusive, Transparent, Just Sri Lanka as much as a four star General stripped of his ranks and perks after 40 years of selfless service to the nation is desperately trying to justify to himself that he wants to make sure he will still do his part to hold politicians accountable for their actions for the sake of future generations.
And as long as that desire is fulfilled regardless of whether it is by forcing the current political leaders taking bold, decisive actions for the future of the country or by people democratically asking a different set of leaders to do the same; I am sure we all can be prouder to be Sri Lankans and do justice to all who made sacrifices in the last decades for causes which they believed were correct and selfless, in their own ways.
Welcome back to freedom, General Fonseka!
The vendetta against General Fonseka was clearly personal and of a vindictive nature. Whereas sycophants and supporters of the Govt are getting away with Blue Murder, he was convicted on trumped up and trivial charges.
Yet the the nation stood idly by as this war hero was incarcerated and stripped of the honour and entitlements he earned by shedding his own blood and which he rightly deserved. Proof of the fickle mindedness and dis-loyalty of the people of this country.
I feel that General Fonseka needs time to recoup and plan his strategy taking into account the ground realities. At the moment he is surrounded by people with different interests and ambitions. No doubt he will asess the true situation and work out a plan to serve the country he dearly loves.
Thass, whether there was a vendetta against SF or not, what is proved beyond reasonable doubt is that he was engaged in politics while he was in uniform. how on earth would he be able to announce that he will be contesting the elections within weeks of retiring?
Fonseka proved by his conduct that he was guilty of the charge he was convicted of.
Now if you want to challenge the morality of the law that prohibits military and police from being engaged in politics I have two things to tell you.
1. It is the law of the country and it had been the law for decades well before SF played politics. so the law was not brought in just to punish him.
2. there is a very good reason why in democratic nations the military is required to follow the orders of civilian officials and leaders (look at Pakistan, Myanmar)
As far as I am concerned SF deserved a much sever punishment for this wrongful act, through which he did irreparable damage to Sri Lanka’s Army.
This is a point of contention. Please read
http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/08/_so_called_court_martial_of_sa.html
So called court martial of Sarath Fonseka is contrary to natural justice principles and Article 25 of ICCPR
By Ranil Wickremesinghe
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) guarantees to every citizen the right and the opportunity to be elected at periodic elections to ensure the free expression of the will of the electors (Article 25). Sri Lanka, as a party to this Convention has an obligation under Article 2 of the ICCPR to ensure that all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction are granted the rights recognized in the Convention
The Sri Lanka Constitution also affirms these rights under Article 3 (the right to franchise) and Article 14 (freedom of speech, assembly, association, movement etc). It is the Constitution of any country that grants authority to the legislature to enact a statute. According to Black’s Law Dictionary, much quoted during the recent Court Martial of Sarath Fonseka, a Constitution is a “Charter of government deriving its whole authority from the governed. The organic and fundamental law of a nation or state … prescribing the extent and manner of the exercise of sovereign powers… A Statute (eg. an Act of Parliament) is the written will of the legislature, solemnly expressed according to the form necessary to constitute it the law of the State.”
Then it is the Constitution which has granted authority to Parliament to enact a statute. Therefore, any Act of Parliament cannot legally deny any person the fundamental freedoms granted by the Constitution including the freedoms referred to in Article 25 of the ICCPR.
PS
Pakistan and Myanmar in the past were not considered democracies and are not good examples to be followed.
As a “Moderate Sinhalese”, who three years ago was NOT so very enthusiastic about General Sarath Fonseka, may I thank Mohamed for this very comprehensive assessment of the cross-roads we stand at. The General’s stature has grown owing to the consistent dignity he has shown during three years of unremitting harassment by a regime that has shamed the country through its inability to seize “the window of opportunity” granted by History.
Yes, the now 61-year-old General has done enough, and his place in History is assured. He accomplished what we thought was impossible: the defeat of Prabhakaran. And now he has emerged from this latest ordeal with his reputation enhanced. I used to feel that the leader of a Nation had to be a non-military person; and I still feel so. However, it may be that such greatness could also be thrust upon General Fonseka. Yet his effectiveness will depend on his NOT becoming yet another politician. Yes, he ought to found/stabilise his own party, but it should be one which provides umbrella leadership to the opposition. If he could show that he stands for a United Sri Lanka, free of corruption, nepotism and the like, and for Human Rights (an area in which he has earned the right to speak), he will be able to galvanise our society. He must stay clear of the nitty-gritty of Health, Trade, Education, Transportation, Communication and such like subjects where the details must be worked out by professionals in those fields, and, of course, “Generalists”, which usually comes to mean the despised politicians.
Yes, General Sarath Fonseka, you can, and now must, inspire and lead; and you can, as a result of all this undeserved suffering, do that best by remaining dignified and not saying anything that sounds strident. You are now a World Figure.
sarath fonseka is NOT suitable to lead SL. He will land us in more trouble. He is a capable military man, thats it. He may be honest as most say here, but he doesnt have the patience and diplomacy one needs to run this country. And last i am not an MR supporter, i voted for SF in 2010.
A number of more intelligent comments than mine have appeared since I wrote at 11.48 a.m. None more so than that of “Kadphises”. I Googled that funny name, learnt much about the Kushan dynasty in India, and realised that here was a real student of History. I find myself in agreement with all that he says, but I would like to add that the General should be wary of the “other U.N.P” as well. Tiran Alles at least got the General out of jail and in a position to speak out. Ranil W.’s cavils resemble those of the King of Lilliput who objected to the manner in which Gulliver put out the fire in his palace.
Most of us are agreed that the rough-hewn soldier may lack the qualities required in a President, but Gamarala’s hint that Fonseka must now be a changed man is valid. Few of us know how to vote; as I write news is coming in of the disaster in Egypt where the vote of the secular liberal majority has been split so that the run-off will be between the two most divisive candidates. In our last Presidential elections we were given three preferences, so we could register dis-satisfaction with the leading candidates. Was I right to first vote for no-hopers whom I considered honest? So rarely do we know the answers, but my point is that few bothered to even study the system of voting.
Let us pray the Fonseka has the wisdom to realise that he has achieved all that a soldier can; he may be able to propel somebody more suitable in to the Presidency, and who knows but Posterity will acknowledge his role as fore-runner was the more crucial. The Rajapaksas may unwittingly have helped us citizens groaning under the yoke of their tyranny by NOT allowing the General to be a candidate. His value lies in being a symbol of the defiance of Dictatorship.
This is excellent.As a matter of fact Sarath Fonseka named the minorities as tourists. May be that time he was not matured in politics only in the armr mentality. However, as everybody realizes the errors done in the past, it is high time that Sarath Fonseka corrects his views and mental thinking now. Inspite of all these, everyone was expecting his release in someway or other. He should understand that SL is a multirelegious and multiculturl country and the country can mpve forward if the GOSL and every citizen respects the other firstly as a Srilankan and secondly as a human.
Right at the moment average lankens are not respected by incumbent GOSL.
Politicians who canot be regarded as lawmakers are allowed to express filthy language openly: The best example is Mervin Silva on television programs. His repeated acts inlcuding open physical punishments openly carried out by himself are ignored by President of the country not thinking about the damage to the civil society. Sociolgists, Psychologists or other experts those who have the potential to rebuild the society – remain apathy. All these are because of the great fears – as popular radio sender- Balummahara repeatedly insists. latter has also been confirmed by sundaly leaders or other newspapers. Nothing seem to be worked out sofar to change anything.
Internationl community is in the opinion, human right violations are on a rise in SL. Given the situation, incumbent GOSL should clearly make every effort to improve the situation.
As I recall, Mr. Fonseka did not use the word “tourist”. Nevertheless, he should have had an adviser to help him shape his words better when exposing himself to an international journalist (was it some thing like “minorities have been accommodated?” It may be appropriate to revisit it even as a means of getting him to clarify further. I also recall him giving a clarification soon afterwards). Even then he should have realised that his words would be politically interpreted.
As the author implies I do not think the words conveyed what he meant but he has to accept responsibility for it and correct that impression.
The author of this article makes a wonderful contribution which restores my faith in Sri Lankans and their ability to see above sectarianism. I fear though that he is in a minority.
Fonseka is here to stay it seems (unless dark forces which are gathering Karuna Amman’s men carrying T-56 weapons to Colombo have their way) and will make a significant impact on the political landscape of the country. The war to win the territory of Lanka was easy. The war to win the hearts and minds of a nation should have begun 3 years ago. I think Fonseka, like many of us was aware of this and has an opportunity to engage in this much more subtle war once again.
Let us hope that he would assist and lead in the fight against the sectarian and racists forces of Lanka. This may be the last pitch to keep Lanka independent and secure for all its citizens.
Otherwise it would not be land worth visiting.
Dear Mohamed,
Good article, and some good observations. Fonseka does indeed seem to have matured as a politician. Given that the Rajapakses are now most certainly the greater of the two evils, it stands to reason that the only available choice is to support Fonseka.
Ideally, I would choose neither, given that both a nepotistic, feudal lord, and a threatening, bellicose military man are not ideal candidates for leading a country. As a result, my mistaken position during the last election was in favour of the feudal lord, who had not shown his colours as vividly and unmistakably as he has today. However, the appalling post-war actions of the Rajapakses have dispelled all doubt as to who the lesser of the two evils is, and switching to the next choice hardly requires any thought. Who knows, maybe Fonseka might actually turn out to be pretty good!
Lion will be always a lion a man who experienced his deth in battle many times stood against all the threats mounted against him.And today he is the most admiarable & loved person the greatest general and to be the greatest leader of Mother Lanka i the near future. I wish you all the best and good healt
General Fonsekas release may not alter the Government stand, and its popularity when it comes to a presidential or parliament election.One should think to what an extent he could influence the masses in order to change situation, which would be a Goliath task especially with an opposition, whom he stood once as the common candidate.Although he has a high profile as an Army General, he lacks in every aspect when it comes to politics.Sri Lanka is a blessed country,Fonseka will realise this before long.
Ironically, the best leader with the qualities required post war was Ranil. Particularly economically.
Unfortunately since he is not a viable option given the complete lack of popularity he has with the electorate and the UNP has failed to adjust itself to the needs of the country. They have failed in the need to present an acceptable alternative to the current government.
Is the UNP happy to wait by until the country falls apart in order to be elected.
Because however bad MR is, he is not stupid, neither are either of his brothers and the country will not fall apart but will be continue to suffer the hallmarks of MRs governance
- Lack of rule of law (other than what he deems acceptable)
- Concentration of power
- Sloppiness in economic management
In all of this, unless I cannot see how SF will be able to gather a coalition of that present an alternative to the UFPA. What will their policy direction be other than to know to avoid the errors the UFPA has made.
The hope of the opposition parties was that SF would split the Sinhala vote in the last election. Given it is unclear if he will be able to even stand at the next election my expectations are MR will still win the next election although the SLFP may lose the parliamentary elections (and that is a BIG May).
SF is still seen by many Sinhalese who are not middle class as siding with the TNA whose intentions many mistrust. If you cannot get their vote, it is impossible to win.
It is a good step by president to aleast set him free from the small cage: however, this is clearly because of the international pressure, even more after the imposed UNO resolution.
But he could help people or supporters of the country to make aware the significant masses among widspread apathy in terms of prevailing alarming situation in the country. Those would love disipline will rally round him in restoration of civilized society in the country.
He called the minorities “Tourists” and saide they cannot demand “undue things”.
I dont believe this is sufficient to hang him as a Sinhala chauvinist. The context here is that although articulate his English idiom is not perfect. Being generous to him we could interpret that what he meant by “tourists” was that the minoritiy cultures have been imported from overseas while Sinhala is the only truly indegenous culture. When he said they cannot demand “undue” things it really depends on what he classed as “undue”. A separate state encompassing a disproportionate portion of Lankan soil is definitely “undue” by most people’s standards. From his recent interview one can see that he considers every other right as “due” to the Tamils. And more than anything, he is gracious in victory unlike the other lot.
For me, SF exudes statesmanship and comes across as measured, thoughtfull and intelligent in his interviews, unlike Rajapakse who comes across as a boastfull and inarticulate bufoon. It takes courage to admit that war crimes did take place. The fact that the Sinhala right considers that a “betrayal” rather than a “lie” proves that it did in fact happen. There is also incontrovertible video evidence. So lets face it and deal with it rather than live the lie with grand victory parades and monuments to the great victory with “zero civilian casualties”.
He also seems to have been released with conditions that prevent him from running for election again. This somewhat betrays the real reason for his incarceration. He is currently the only thing that stands in the way of total ownership of the land by the Rajapakses for as long as the sun and moon rise in the sky.
What worries me are the rumours that are flying around about Tiran Alles (now again close to the president) being used as a broker to bring SF back into the Rajapakse fold and to make him endorse Rajapakse rule while promising never to run for office again. We dont know what kind of pressures and enticements are being brought to bear upon him but there is no denying that they are. Let us watch and see.
“For me, SF exudes statesmanship and comes across as measured, thoughtfull and intelligent in his interviews,”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeIn1ckaQB0
“It takes courage to admit that war crimes did take place.”
What did he acknowledge to be his role in those war crimes?
What we need the most is a healthy opposition, almost regardless of what political stripe they may be; we need public discourse and the freedom to disagree and chastise the Government. I’m not sure Gen Fonseka is the civil libertarian and reconciliationist that we hope he is. Nevertheless, if he can hold the Rajapakses to account and at least engage them in debate, then that is a good thing. It’s a bonus if he also happens to be the architect of a sustainable peace in a plural and tolerant Sri Lanka, but I’m not getting my hopes up.
what you have been pointing out here about the opposition is the average view of the masses today in the country. But just criticising the opposition not helping them to organised cant bring us further. Why not the masses who seem to be holding totally opposite views against the ruling coalition- react seriously for matters such as the issue for example when seeing the tremedous rise on the abductions or physical assaults against journalists or any kind of activists.
As it is obvious to many – the opposition party representatives are much more decent by their behaviour when considering those of ruling MPs or Ministers today in the parliaments.
I have not lived inthe country for the past two decades and I simply cant know why the masses in the country behave apathetic seeing and noticing all crime events which are on a temendous rise in the country today – not only urben but even on remote areas.
And when reading news articles or you tube videos about the country, you can know how worst it has become today- the SINHALA langauge that politicians are familiar with to express their ideas – in my days late 80ties even if uni students and the youth had fears of being captured by state or JVP sponsored thugs, there surely remained a decent way of life, langauge in the country. To whom to put the blame- government or communication technology – is what I have been thinking right at the moment.
1. How MPs behave in the Parliament under current rule
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWe70WC50N8&feature=related
2. Physical punishments – hangman behaviour by ruling ministers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CZpEz6Gneo&feature=related
The unapologetic way in which Mr Mohmed states he voted for MR in the previous election does not say much about his choices. MR had a cloud over his head prior to the election vis a vis the missing Tsunami funds, and yet he voted for him? , shame! Due to the votes cast by careless voters like him we the people have had to face unbearable corruption and have to watch the country being raped and pillaged.
Better take rest for life-time.Army and Civial politics are different phonomena country like Sri Lanka.Appriciated your esteem services to the nation.Your are in and out HERO.
Fonseka and Rajapaksa’s are cut from the same cloth. Fonseka just made worse decisions – should have been more loyal to Gothabaya and he could have avoided 3 years in jail.
It is so refreshing to see that a very positive engagement among the people who agree, disagree as well as the neutrals taking place in some of the comments in response to my thoughts here. However, Groundviews has always been known a platform for such varying views and I wish we had the same level of tolerance and respect as well as freedom for expressing one’s views in the wider Sri Lankan society too. Thank you all for giving various perspectives which in a way helps me also to think on certain lines much more while being comfortable over some others.
While acknowledging and thanking the positive responses from the majority comments here, including Thass, Indrajith, Dr.Rumi, Andre, Gamarala, Ravana, etc; I wanted to share my thoughts on 3 distinct points raised by some others, which may contradict with the line of thoughts I have written.
Firstly, on the subject of General Fonseka being accused of ‘engaging in politics while being in the military’ and implying ‘he deserved’ to be ‘punished’; the simple omission of the fact that we saw selective application of the law with a highly-questionable military tribunal / court martial officials serving “justice” which was least transparent plus the way many other officers from both security apparatus and in administrative rankings openly doing politics on TV, radio, newspapers and also on-stage at times going scot-free can only be understood, I assume, with proper sanity rather than blind faith.
Secondly, I personally would prefer to agree with kadphises and Ravana’s point on the terminology General Fonseka is allegedly has used and attributed to him, however it is important I believe that he makes a clarification soon enough so even the slightest doubt on that particular subject can be erased off with a sizeable bloc within Tamils and Muslims who are cautious to look up to him as much as some others like myself. After all, it would also pressurize the current administration to more thoughtful before they wash their hands-off constitutional rights of citizens from minority communities, under the guise of assumed majoritarian backing.
Finally, with regard to the comment about myself being unapologetic about voting for Mr Rajapakse in 2005 and that alone not saying much about my choices and taking it in the context of ‘missing tsunami funds, etc’ (I assume this was about the infamous Helping Hambantota funds?); I don’t believe that I should feel ashamed or say I was careless as my decisions have always been on the policies of the candidates rather than party lines as I did state above. In this case, I found Mr Rajapakse’s track record in 2005, leading up to being Prime Minister and the charisma then; and I thought for myself “oh, this guy doesn’t seem to be the polished up statesman but would probably end up being someone like late President Premadasa in terms of his bottom-up approach”.
However, I respect the individual opinion of the comment by “concerned”. But, I still am unapologetic simply due to the fact that I did make a logical decision which as a voter I was satisfied to vote with rather than following someone blindly to cast my vote based on peer-pressure, party affiliations. But similarly, I did exercise my right to vote completely the other way round by voting for General Fonseka in 2010; again based primarily on the principles of the candidate and I do not or will not regret that either, regardless of the outcome.
All in all, I am feeling somewhat relieved that most of the feedback both written here and what some people have told me in person after reading this have been positive and optimistic about how General Fonseka may be a factor for most of us to be rallying around, in correcting and keeping the elected officials in-check for the sake of our country, which can’t afford to repeat the historic mistakes as we all are looking forward for that day when we can be prouder as Sri Lankans who respect pluralism, rule of law, democracy and personal liberties, rather than being afraid of repercussions for being a dissenting voice.
Just Read the news about Mervin ^s so called displinary inquiry and was shocked not being able to grasp why people of the country today are that helpless.
http://english.srilankamirror.com/2012/05/mervyn-silva-cleared-at-disciplinary-inquiry/
Why the majority of the nation including fellow parliamentarians let them make easily fool – remain unanswered.. ones who are out of the country would never get this.
can anybody of you please comment on this. … that is really worth to discuss. ALARMING ISSUE TOWARDS the majority folks of the country-. it seems, there are zero level of laws in action under the current rule. Why can a minister behaves as if he was born before the civilization begann – and why the executive president, senior ministers of the same party always protect the man.