SARATH FONSEKA’S PERSONAL VENDETTA AGAINST PRESIDENT

By Malin Abeyatunge
Ex. Lt.General and CDS Sarath Fonseka has accepted the candidature from the recently formed UNF alliance led by UNP and JVP. He has a right to do politics from any party that he wishes according to his future plans and inspirations. Only two weeks back, I wrote a letter to Sinhala patriotic websites praising him as heroic partner for the defeat of LTTE and not to fall prey for the traitors trap. Now that he has announced his candidature for Presidency on UNF Traitors’ Alliance ticket, it clearly exposes his naivety as he is unable to differentiate between oranges and apples.

First and foremost, I seek pardon from him for calling him just Sarath Fonseka without his ex titles and Status as Army Commander and CDS etc etc. It is cumbersome and waste of time and space to address him with all the titles so let me call him hereafter Sarath Fonseka (SF). All his titles would have been stripped off by the Sri Lankans in their minds by now including myself who once hailed him as a patriotic war hero.
Sarath Fonseka’s decision to contest against President Mahinda Rajapaksa is nothing but a personal vendetta for not keeping him as Army Commander at least until the SL Army celebrates its 60th Anniversary. For sentimental reasons, it may be hurting him but his counter action for that is incomprehensible. In his letter of resignation in the annexure item 1, he mentions that “ quote Various agencies misleading Your Excellency by stating a possible coup immediately after the victory over the LTTE which obviously led to a change of command in spite of my request to be in command until the Army celebrated its 60th Anniversary. This fear psychosis of a coup is well known among the defence circle. Unquote”. As one can see how the things have turned up to be now in the political arena, President Rajapaksa’s fear of a possible coup’d’etat by Sarath couldn’t have been ruled out as nonsense. MR and PR would have smelt the rat. that something was brewing up and that fear was reasonable and the action taken was timely and most appropriate. Sarath’s acceptance to join the bunch of traitors who supported LTTE with CFA,ISGA and PTOMS etc, clearly manifests that he would have had some idea in the back of his mind to become the President hook or by crook. The desperate UNF new alliance who was looking for a prey paved the way for it and he greedily grabbed the opportunity. I believe the President Rajapaksa’s timely and right decision on Sarath Fonseka by not extending the period avoided Sri Lanka becoming another Myanmar.

Although Sarath Fonseka claims quote “it is with my vision, command and leadership that this yeoman task was achieved. Unquote”. He is not willing to give credit to the chiefs of the Navy, Air Force, STF and Police who were equal partners to the defeat of LTTE which shows his arrogance, Can such a person with such arrogance mentally fit to run a country is a big question?. But I doubt that feelings for him as a war hero is there any more among the majority Sri Lankans when he embraced the most traitorous political buffoons of the century who humiliated him at every turn when he was conducting the war operations.

He may be a courageous commander with vision and wisdom but it has been proved that at times he had been naïve like a child when he was unaware that his own favorite cook was planning to kill him.. He has become second time naïve because of his egoistic nature and the greed for power by joining traitors led by Ranil and the clan. He should be grateful to President Rajapaksa and Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa for having him hand picked overlooking seniority, not sending on retirement etc and making him the Commander of Army. He should be grateful for extending his period ad also promoting to another highest level in the army where no one has held that post so far.
He says that he is contesting for Presidency to save the democracy. What’s wrong with the prevailing democracy in Sri Lanka? Elections are held in time; even president election is to be held before maturity of the current presidency; media freedom is there, people can criticize the government for right reasons etc. Isn’t this merely settling scores with President Rajapaksa and Gotabya Rajapaksa for not extending his full period till December? How do we know that President Rajapaksa smelt a rat of an army coup’d’etat and he was reluctantly compelled to take a right decision without putting the country into a calamity. Cannot be his trip to New York to get his Green Card a plot planned by International conspirators against Sri Lanka and also put Gotabaya Rajapaksa on war crime charges?

Sarath Fonseka in his annexure says that IDPS are in appalling condition and the plight of the IDPs is also point of grave concern to him.. Well from 18 May 2009 to until his date of resignation 12 November 2009 , wasn’t he a part and parcel of the war administration? He could have directed the Government in right direction if the Government was not doing right. There is talk in the inner circle of the army that Sarath Fonseka ferociously objected even to open A9 route. But suddenly he has started shedding crocodile tears for IDP’s.

Sarath Fonseka at a press conference supposed to have promised to weed out corruption. Very Good . We want someone to do that. But that alone will not help to run a country. Every leader before he/she comes into power says this and moment he/she is in power, it’s forgotten or sidelined. So best thing that Sarath Fonseka could do now is by setting an example by declaring his assets both in Sri Lanka and overseas and come clean on the nomination date.

There will be money flowing from the western vested parties, local traitors, may be even funds from Tamil Diaspora (he has already requested existing LTTE cadres for their support) and from the international conspirators, INGOS for the election campaign. He is already desperate, He is begging support of the LTTE cadres and parents of Velupillai Prabhakaran. What is his agenda now? Isn’t this request a signal as an oxygen to the Tamil Diaspora who are hell bent in reviving LTTE? Sarath Fonseka is even ready to accept blood money for his election campaign.

Sarath Fonseka should realize that he is contesting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa who has political experience over thirty years. Does Sarath really believes that Sri Lankans will vote for a person like him who does not know ABCD of politics? Sri Lankans forget the past very easily. Even dead Prabahkaran mentioned this when he was planning attacks on civilians. Sri Lankans are learning to forget him as a war hero. They have already forgotten his war operations and his credentials. Sarath Fonseka is no patch to President’s Mahinda Rajpaksa’s political experience and political acumen. This is not only my view, but view of thousands and thousands of Sri Lankans who wanted sustainable stability and peace in the country and only President Mahinda Rajapkasa and his team could deliver it albeit there are certain shortcomings that need to be addressed.


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