Ranil's sojourn

UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is once again out on a sojourn in the Western capitals at a crucial passage in Sri Lanka, this time as a crusader for democracy and human rights in the Sri Lankan state.

His professed claim to save democracy in Sri Lanka as the reason for his latest visit to the EU countries is laughable if not for the gravity of the statement impinging on the country's dignity and honour.

Addressing a news briefing at the Opposition Leaders' office UNP front liner Lakshman Kiriella said that Wickremesinghe during his European tour was only hoping to seek support of the Western countries to safeguard democracy in Sri Lanka adding that democracy was facing it's worst challenge in the country.

In what way Wickremesinghe plans to persuade countries of the West to safeguard democracy in Sri Lanka is unclear other than prevail on these countries to use economic aid as a bargaining chip.

Significantly Wickremesinghe's trip also coincides with crucial negotiations on the Rs1.9 billion-dollar aid package Sri Lanka hopes to secure from the IMF.

This is not the first time that the UNP leader has taken wing to the West when the country is at a crossroads with the Armed Forces poised to finish off the LTTE.

Instances are many when he had bad mouthed the Government abroad as he is preparing to do now without realising that it is the country of which he was twice Prime Minister he is devaluing and denigrating before the international community.

This is a far cry from past UNP leaders who acted as real statesmen and never bartered the country's honour for political gain. It is regrettable that Ranil Wickremesinghe has chosen to take a different path whereby he is motivated by ill will towards the Government.

If there is a challenge to media freedom as UNP says how come there are so many newspapers and private television channels operating in the country with the freedom to criticise the Government. This was in contrast to the time when private TV channels were not given the right to telecast news broadcasts or even voice opposition against the Government in power.

Today the tendency is to cry fowl and invoke human rights at a time when the Government is taking maximum precautions to protect the civilians' population from terror strikes.

True, there was the case of eviction of lodgers out of an abundance of caution for the self same reason of protecting the innocent civilian population.

But even this step was revoked by a Supreme Court order and the Government forced to bring back the lodgers at it's own expense. Is this not a testament that the Government cannot act with impunity in this country and that the courts sits as an overarching influence to prevent such violations.

Compare this with the abduction and murder of human rights lawyers Kanchana Abeypala and Wijedasa Liyanaarachchi on whose behalf present President Mahinda Rajapaksa took up cudgels as a young human rights lawyer at a time the country was plunged into a reign of terror with burnt corpses at street corners and floating in the rivers as the insurgents and Government vigilantes engaged in tit for tat killings and when torture chambers were operating with the full knowledge of those now turned crusaders for human rights.

Who are these people Wickremesinghe is seeking support from to protect human rights is Sri Lanka? Today as everyone knows Britain has imposed harsh restrictions on minorities living in that country and are profiling members of the Muslim community after the recent subway bomb blasts.

Wickremesinghe's rabid pro-western stance and his penchant to take Sri Lanka's problems before the West has hardly endeared him to vast population of this country.

Wickremesinghe may want to build his crumbling stature by hob-nobbing with the Western allies to compensate for his party's electoral disasters at home.

But what the UNP leader should realise is the fallout of his conduct and utterances on the country's reputation. This at a time when the President is taking pains to rebuild the country shattered by three decades of war and trying to unite all communities and at a time the spotlight of the world is focused on Sri Lanka.

This is why the people of this country are going to have a poor opinion of the UNP leader across party lines.