Join hands to march towards progress

A.A.M. Nizam

PROGRESS: President Rajapaksa successfully completed six months of his Presidency this week shattering the mountainous false and misleading propaganda unleashed by the reactionary forces to prevent him getting elected.

Within this short span of time, despite an unprecedented and steep increase in the fuel prices that had severely affected the economies of many developing nations, the President had admiringly steered the course of this country towards building a strong self reliant nation and drift it away from foreign dependence, as per the aspirations of the majority masses.

The terrorist outfit failing to read the strong and daring character of the President miscalculated him as another dimwitted spineless ruler of the recent yore and unsuccessfully attempted to force him to cave into their demands.

The rising popularity of the President and the wholehearted acceptance by the masses of his policies and measures being taken by him augur well for the nation and strengthen the confidence that President Rajapaksa would succeed in eliminating the terrorist menace that dampened this nation for over two decades.

Before November 17, the historical day that the patriotic Sri Lankan masses succeeded in saving this nation from becoming a no-man's land to be segregated into many mini-States under an alien servile spineless occidentophile Presidential aspirant, reactionary forces supporting the UNP's Presidential aspirant, presented the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa as a Sinhala Buddhist chauvinist boding doom for the very existence of the non-Sinhala Buddhist communities in Sri Lanka, an idealist holding outdated concepts that would drive this nation into economic disaster, racial disunity, and a warmonger destined to plunge the Sri Lankan nation in a disastrous ethnic war.

In addition to the opposition politicians, the former President and her cronies too, notwithstanding the fact that Rajapaksa was their own party nominee made every efforts to impede his victory.

Upon election, the dedication shown by the President to serve the nation honestly and sincerely, his determination to solve the ethnic question respectfully, his firmness and bravado to face and address the enemy boldly and without resorting to hitherto experienced shameful supine appeasement in the face of threats or demands from the terrorist enemy, his stern resolve to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation as a unitary state, his admirable actions to strike the enemy firmly and boldly when and where it demanded, measures taken to convince the international community to rise against the terrorist forces, and compel them to attend a round of negotiations in Geneva, tactical steps taken to deny them the undue privileges that used to be offered by the previous rulers, had infused patriotic flavour, ethnic harmony, and sense of responsibility in the masses and given them the guidance and the wisdom to shed petty differences and live as Sri Lankans of one nation.

Under the direct initiative of the President, and also under the guidance and direction of the President many meaningful projects have been launched and steps have been taken to alleviate the sufferings of the rural masses who remained neglected under many of the previous regimes.

President Rajapaksa hailing from the most powerful and patriotic political family in the Ruhuna and being actively involved in politics for over 35 years and well aware of the post independent political history of this nation should be extremely cautious on the threats to his government and the presidency not only from the terrorist enemy but also from the reactionary forces lying dormant but making every move to raise its ugly head to halt the current progressive march and drive the nation once again towards the reactionary objectives.

Unlike the pre-77 era in which our politics were dominated and ruled by the anglophile reactionary elite families, currently there are scores of dollar slavery shameless bootlicking NGO gangsters who would go down to any mean level to discredit and topple the government.

Going beyond their shameless whitewashing of the terrorist gang and promoting the terrorist objectives, these NGO gangsters have already commenced their dirty work to disgrace the government. One such bootlicker had succeeded in listing the nation as a "Failed State" and another recently attempted to brand the government as a non-governance state through the media organs of the pro-UNP and the terrorist enemy.

Early and stern action should be taken to curtail and monitor the activities of these NGO gangsters and eliminate all potential threats to the nation from these shameless enemies. Steps taken by the President to handle the terrorist threat so far has received acclamation from all the progressive and patriotic masses. Although the government is willing and committed to settle this conflict by peaceful means the terrorists continue to send out threatening war signals.

The terrorist leadership dismayed by the dwindling diaspora support and the growing antipathy in the international arena due to the government's successful and admirable diplomacy, is making concerted efforts to provoke the security forces, unleash murder and mayhem in the North and East and generate communal riots in the country, in order to win back the Tamil diaspora and international sympathy.

The government and the people should not fall pray to these ensnares but at the same time the government should not fail to deploy the security forces whenever it becomes necessary to exert its authority and defend the nation.

In conclusion, I think it is pertinent to quote from a recent article written by the legal luminary Gomin Dayasiri which I received from a friend through e-mail.

"Time has come to sink differences however meaningful it might be, with the Tiger at the gate. Every patriotic citizen has a role to perform against the hidden unknown enemy lurking in our neighbourhoods.

The direction, guidance and leadership must come from the Security Services, Government and an emerging spirited Civil Society. This is not a time to sit and stare for there is a role each dedicated man can play. Think and search, it is within your reach. Not wait until you are told."