Sampur - striking the proper liberal note

SAMPUR: Many of us are just now taking in the full meaning of the security forces' success in taking over of Sampur. There is cause for justified satisfaction at the success of the operation to dislodge the LTTE from Sampur, both militarily and in terms of the welfare of the people of the area, till then now held in thrall by the LTTE.

The first military success in the past five years by the Sri Lankan security forces, and the reassertion of the government's writ in an area the LTTE had blatantly taken control in gross violation of the Ceasefire Agreement, is certainly cause for much satisfaction. There is also the relative safety the success at Sampur has provided to the Trincomalee port, which will remain a key target of the LTTE.

The LTTE's retreat from Sampur, whether or not it is a strategic retreat as tiger propagandists state, has certainly eased the pressure on Trincomalee and the vital sea lanes of the East. It is important that all sections of the Armed Forces share in the credit of this successful operation.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, announcing of the military success at Sampur at the SLFP's 55th annual convention earlier this week, did strike the proper note. He was not carried away by the military success nor was he unaware of the other implications that this success would have on the minds of the people, who were firmly behind the government and the Armed Forces on this important exercise.

Although the President won applause from the audience when he broke the news of the capture of Sampur to the country from the podium at the SLFP sessions, he was sagacious in how he announced it.

He said: "Our Armed Forces have captured Sampur for the welfare and benefit of the people living there". The President struck the proper note in combining the aim of the welfare and benefit of the people of Sampur together with the military success.

The message he gave was that although it was an important military success, what was uppermost in the mind of the government was the welfare and benefit of the people of Sampur. He has already been proved correct by the large numbers returning to live under the protection of the Sri Lankan security forces in Sampur and Muttur.

No sooner had the President announced the success at Sampur, he made another timely and necessary statement. He said: "As I always state, what we are engaged in is not a war, but a retaliatory response to attacks carried out on us".

This was most timely in the context of repeated statements from various quarters, that the operation at Sampur was an inevitable move towards war. It was heartening to hear the President temper his announcement of the success at Sampur with reiteration that this was no act of war or no invitation to it, but a response to hostile actions by the LTTE.

It would do well for those who take delight in singing the praise of the hugely flawed CFA to see how the LTTE had violated it with impunity in establishing its positions of control in Sampur, which had been clearly identified as area under government control.

What the operation at Sampur did was to set right that major wrong, conveniently ignored by the UNP government of Ranil Wickremesinghe, December 2001 to November 2003, and later by President Chandrika Kumaratunga from November 2003 till November 17, 2005 when they controlled defence.

One must recall that the threat posed to the Trincomalee port and key civilian installations in the peripheral area by the LTTE's build up at Sampur, were highlighted by the late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, as part of the LTTE's dangerous violations of the CFA, albeit to no effective response from those in charge of defence at the time.

Notes in sync

If President Rajapaksa struck the proper note in announcing success at Sampur, he continued to speak in the proper vein throughout his speech at the SLFP convention. It was speech marked for statesmanship in his handling of several subjects.

In its essence he spoke of the need for national unity, not in terms of empty phrases, but with concrete examples of the need to shed the blinkers of race, ethnicity and division that continue to blind many to the realities before us.

It is unfortunate that many of the published English reports of this speech by the President's did not carry some of the core elements of what he said. I shall therefore state here what he said in Sinhala on some important matters.

On narrow thinking with regard to religion and school attended in picking competent persons for high office he said: "As we were taking of the success of the Armed Forces, I will relate one incident. At the time when a certain service chief was to be appointed, some persons told me about his religion.

Some told me about his school. Some told me about statements made by his father. Some showed me these reports and asked me not to make this appointment. I asked Defence Secretary Gotabhaya for his views about this officer. He said this officer was the most capable and suitable. I accepted this observation with the highest consideration.

Not only did we acknowledge his capability, but it has led to new expectations in the battlefield." It was not different to identify the choice of the present Air Force Commander.

In further explanation of recognizing competence the President said: "We handed over the Army to General Fonseka who was due to go on retirement. That is the secret of victory. The way forward is by giving due place to those who are capable and most suitable. What I always say about our party too is that it is not only the Bandaranaike's and Rajapaksa's who are suited to lead this party".

The liberal note

At a time when divisive trends along communal and religion lines are strong, and with many attempts to portray him an extremist or Sinhala chauvinist, the observations he made about the rights of communities other than Sinhala are significant.

This is what he said: "Friends, we [the SLFP] carry the responsibility of making this country a land where people of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim ethnicity and Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Islamic faiths can live in peace. For this purpose, if there is the need for changes to our administrative and political structures, they should be implemented without any delay. That is what I repeatedly state about a Sri Lankan model for our political structures.

It is necessary to have a structure where all people will participate in governance. While we respond to terrorists in the language they understand, it is also necessary to comprehend the language that is understood by the ordinary people.

"Not every Tamil is an LTTE-er. Some of us have such a misconception. When they look at innocent Tamil people, what strikes their eye is the image of a Tiger. This is entirely wrong. Are those opposed to terrorism such as Lakshman Kadirgamar, Anandasangaree, and Douglas Devananda who is over there, not Tamil people? Do we not have many Tamil officers who serve with dedication in the Armed Forces? Those who hold the second and third positions of command in the Air Force are from the Tamil community.

Do they not perform their duty by their country? We should respect this reality. If this difference cannot be understood, we will fall into grave difficulty."

Thus in his first address to an SLFP convention as its leader, President Rajapaksa laid down the ground rules of liberalism and social democracy which he expects the party to follow.

They were the principles on which the party was founded by the late SWRD Bandaranaike, DA Rajapaksa, H. Sri Nissanka and others. He has struck the correct note in the larger national context.