Sunday Times 2
Foreign conspiracy: Not a bluff of the Government
This refers to the article headlined “The Fight is on: Good Governance versus stability, foreign conspiracies, and development” (The Sunday Times, December 7). The article by S.W.R de A Samarasinghe and Tissa Jayatilaka, while making a good analysis of the present political situation in Sri Lanka has unfortunately misinterpreted one of the three themes “foreign conspiracies” the Government is supposed to be raising to gather votes. The other two themes are “political stability” and “development”.
The theory of a foreign conspiracy which is being emphasised by the Government in its election campaign has to be evaluated in a prudent manner rather than rubbishing it in the media as done by the authors of the article. The President in his recent speeches has emphasised this fact more than before and some are inclined to consider that this is nothing but a strategy to win more votes. “A much touted bogey” as claimed by the article.
The LTTE may apparently no longer be active in Sri Lanka, but it is much more powerful in Europe, Canada and the United States, pursuing its cause of Tamil Elam.
The rebellion by former minister Maithripala Sirisena (MS) is looked upon by the leading pro-government campaigners as a tip of the iceberg under which there are extremely powerful and active foreign elements. One cannot totally discard this assumption if one realistically looks at how foreign powers, specially the west, have conducted their strategy towards states with incongruent policies to theirs’ in recent years. The theory of “Regime Change” and “Arab Spring” are examples.
Under no circumstances can one presume that MS is a part of a foreign conspiracy. His desire to revolt against the existing decadent method of governance and his own personal ambitions could have been made use by local lackeys of foreign powers in prominent political positions, to make him to revolt.
The LTTE may apparently no longer be active in Sri Lanka, but it is much more powerful in Europe, Canada and the United States, pursuing its cause of Tamil Elam. Though it may not operate under its own name as a terrorist organisation; it is a well-known fact that numerous pseudo organisations in those countries represent the Tiger cause and they have better strategies than strategies of the Sri Lanka government to counter them.
It is a pity that authors of the article whom I believe are academics mockingly state in the media that “it is hard to imagine why the rest of the world, let alone big powers, should worry about a small country like Sri Lanka when they have better things and more pressing things to focus on. It is perhaps Sri Lanka’s insularity that makes preposterous claims of politicians seem plausible to some”. I would say leave alone the rest of the world , the big powers are very much in to manipulating Sri Lanka’s political future in their favour without which they foresee a threat to their dominance in the Indian Ocean and South Asia.
Let’s look in to the recent history of Sri Lanka where foreign powers were manipulating the local political scenario. President J.R Jayewardene had to introduce the now infamous 13th amendment under threat from India. Wasn’t pro-USSR India under Indira Gandhi responsible for this? JR’s pro-US policies were the main cause for this. LTTE cadres were trained and armed by India. Wasn’t the Indian Ambassador J.N. Dixit conspiring to subjugate Sri Lanka to India? India’s policy now is the other way about. It is a close partner of the US. Why is it that US is in the forefront of passing resolutions against Sri Lanka for war crimes if it has other better things to attend? Why did India vote against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC?
Left of Centre Mahinda Rajapakse is no admirer of the West. His inclination heavily towards China is a concern for the West especially to the US and India. Therefore, it can safely be concluded that the West led by the US would like to see in Sri Lanka a regime they can have control over. Conspiracies are not hatched in the public. That is why they are called conspiracies. Neither the puppeteer nor the control strings can be seen. One can only make good presumptions based on authentic facts.
Sri Lanka’s war was comparatively miniscule in every respect in comparison with conflicts that have happened in the world in recent times where the big powers were directly involved. However, the manner in which the big powers are pushing the human rights and war crimes issue at the UNHCR, it looks like they need Sri Lanka to be painted no second to Hitler’s Germany. Sri Lanka’s wrong handling of the issue is one of the causes for this but one can suspect that regime change is at the bottom of this effort.
The common candidate seems to be stagemanaged by two individuals whom Sri Lankans have chosen and discarded for their incapability to solve the terrorist problem. Their solutions to the problems were evidently foreign manipulations to appease the tigers. Ranil Wickremesinghe’s disastrous CFA was managed by the Norwegians. It is alleged that he wanted to send the Navy Commander Karannagoda abroad for fourteen days so that two LTTE ships carrying arms to the terrorist could come to the east coast and unload the cargo. The allegation came from none other than the then President Chandrika Kumaratunga. The international safety net RW was banking on was mainly the EU, the UK, the US, Canada and Japan (reluctantly compelled party). The millennium city incident and the complete demoralisation of armed forces happened during his time. Trincomalee harbour was surrounded by LTTE camps. One cannot be without the justifiable presumption that RW was dancing to the tune of the so-called International community. Another name for this is “conspiracy”.
The LTTE was thought to be and made to be a force which cannot be defeated by any means other than gratification. This delusion was planted with gusto in the minds of the people through the so-called international community and its local followers, the INGOs, NGOs, self-styled free media, gullible and subservient politicians here during RW’s tenure as PM.
The same path was followed during President Kumaratunga’s regime with campaigns such as Sudu Nelum and PTOMS. Such devices enabled the mindset of Sri Lankan people that, with no seemingly viable alternative, the LTTE has to be a part of the Sri Lankan Scenario. CBK’s appearance in a channel four video to spite the Sinhalese is a reflection that she is even prepared to hook up with the devil to achieve her vindictive personal goals. I leave it to the reader to visualise the scenario if these two worn out politicians control power in this country again. Is there another term than a “foreign conspiracy” against Sri Lanka?
The TNA has still not indicated what its strategy would be. It can more or less be predicted that the demand for removal of forces from the north and the full implementation of the 13th amendment will be put forward. They are virtual proxies of the pro-LTTE Diaspora in the West.
Fortunately the JHU and the JVP have taken precautions not to fall in to this trap. The JHU wisely and correctly doesn’t want the Presidency to be abolished. It only needs the powers trimmed. Its signing a different agreement with MS was a good move. National security of this country and stability should be secured at any cost. MS will not have the powers to do that unless he is appointed as the president for six years with revised pruned down powers? He will only be remembered if he somehow manages to govern the country independent of the big two — RW and CBK. The JHU which have been identified with chauvinist policies rightly or wrongly seem to be having an intelligent, sensible and realistic strategist in Ven. Rathana Thera supported by Champika Ranawaka. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake too has grasped the situation in the proper manner.
People are now mostly frustrated with bad governance and populism of the MR government. A better alternative is imperative. However, conspiratory manoeuvring in the background by anti-national forces should be neutralised to give MS a free hand in state affairs in case he becomes President of this country? Will he get this free hand? Your guess is as good as mine.