The Opposition's Amnesia
The Opposition has taken to lambasting the Government on what
it alleges are human rights violations, with Opposition Leader Ranil
Wickremesinghe leading from the front in this image - tarnishing
campaign. This is most ironic because the Opposition Leader is opening
himself to the charge of having a very short memory. Is this a sudden
lapse into Amnesia?
It need hardly be said that the Government is up against a most
exacting challenge. It has to maintain the civilized norms of governance
while fighting the brutal LTTE which would resort to any horrendous
means to further its ends. Yet, the State has done admirably well to
meet these ends.
The LTTE has been almost completely routed in the Eastern Province
while every effort is being made to keep the law and order machinery
ticking in the rest of the country.
Today it is possible for the Government to obtain the services of an
international panel of eminent persons to oversee its probes into some
major violations of the law, including the assassination of former
Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, because of its major adherence to
the Rule of Law and transparent governance.
Meanwhile the courts of law are operating with all the
constitutionally-enshrined powers granted to them and the political
opposition and media are provided all the freedom legally permissible.
By contrast what had the 2002-2004 UNF Government, headed by Ranil
Wickremesinghe, to offer to the people? Besides turning a blind eye on
the steady arms build-up by the Tigers, which made them seem powerful in
those years, the most closely guarded secrets of state were allowed to
get into LTTE hands.
The most infamous incident in this regard was the police swoop on the
Armed Forces safe house in the Millennium housing project in
Athurugiriya.
This is a piece of history which should never be forgotten, for, it
is in the national interest to keep it fresh in our memories.
The safe house was broken into by some rogue law enforcers and the
inmates, who were undercover operatives in the Armed Forces, doing a
superb job in the North-East against the Tigers, taken into custody and
severely humiliated.
Consequently the most sensitive security information in the hands of
these operatives were leaked to the LTTE. Close upon this happening,
LTTE killings of Armed Forces informants and undercover operatives
snowballed dramatically.
Needless to say, this led to a steady weakening of the Sate security
apparatus and the Security Forces' military capability. The rot was
stemmed only in recent times when the present administration under
President Mahinda Rajapaksa decided to take the fight back to the LTTE
while observing the CFA.
Given this ignominious record, how could the Opposition Leader take
cudgels against the State? Wasn't the UNF government responsible for
strengthening the LTTE - national enemy number one? Were not the
indiscretions of that government responsible for the subsequent crime
splurge of the LTTE, which added to our law and order problems ?
We urge the Opposition Leader to think again before pontificating to
the Government on law and order issues. He must ponder deep on these
things, lest he be accused of being hypocritical. |
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