Leadership on the road to stability

Lankan leaders who did not kowtow to foreign pressure and anarchists to destabilize the country:

Rupa Monerawela

At this moment we are facing another dilemma in the Sri Lankan politics. The voter who gave full support to end the terrorist war of 26 years has the carpet pulled under his feet. My thoughts at this time goes to our past leaders who bravely followed a line of action which was independent but traditional and made the world look up to our democracy. Our leaders of the past, like the present President, has acted in the interest of our country.

DS Senanayake	SWRD Bandaranaike	Sirima Bandaranaike	Mahinda Rajapaksa

Mahinda Rajapaksa was not deterred by the false propaganda of the international community nor the forces within the country paying lip service to the international community, to back away from his strategy.

Past leaders

Sri Lanka, during this short period of independence has always followed its own line of decision making which we are proud of. Some events and incident in the lives of our past leaders would throw light on the leadership quality of our leaders. It was these leaders who had, shall I say, ‘guts’ to think independently and follow a policy in the interest of only our people.

President Rajapaksa, had the determination shown by leaders like Winston Churchill, to end a war that had brought so much suffering to innocent and ordinary people. During the past years the ongoing skirmishes with the terrorists demoralized Sri Lankans to such an extent that many left the country. The leaders before President Rajapaksa had failed to take decisive action and failed in their attempts, largely because of international interventions that advocated solutions that were not in the interest of the majority in Sri Lanka.

General Fonseka , trained in the best tradition of the Army, both in Sri Lanka and abroad should be aware of the role the Army played in countries when there was a war situation. These countries had a tradition of democratic government. Sir Winston Churchill was the driving force that motivated his people and the British Army to win the war against Hitler’s Germany, in world war two.

Field Marshall Montgomary, a very popular leader to the rank and file of the British Army, was a peoples’ General, whose lifestyle endeared him to his soldiers. Montgomary won the war for the allies in North Africa and was credited and honoured by his country.

His greatness is that he did not cash in his popularity to act independently to challenge the statesmen who gave him the free hand to plan his strategy for success. He was not a politician but an excellent soldier who did not covet a higher status as he was only doing his duty as a soldier and a disciplined general to win the war against Nazi Germany.

Instability

In countries where there is no tradition of a disciplined society or a disciplined army there has been instability within the country. Even at this late stage I hope General Fonseka would put the welfare of the country first and be wise to the cunning plot laid out for him by bankrupt politicians and international conspirators who would use him for their own ends.

Saddham Hussain, Osama bin laden, Polpot, General Zia, Ayotolla Khomini and many others were once the friends of western ‘democracies’. Democracy is only good when it serves the interest of the western powers.

Manipulation

When these leaders saw the manipulation of their ‘so called friends’ who wanted to use them as puppets, they revolted. But it was too late for their countries and their people. International politics is a dangerous game when it does not serve the big powers.

Now at this juncture of the presidential polls the history of Pakistan, Afganistan over shadows their success because of their military leadership. They have become a target for criticism to a changing international community.

Past history and events have shown that our leaders never allowed themselves to be used by international groups who would thrive at a time when there is dissention within the country. History has shown how countries have been deliberately destabilized by international forces who relish the role of advising and thereby dictating terms to those who fall prey to them.

Post independent leaders in Sri Lanka had on occasions shown an independent character that stood them separate from countries kowtowing to big power politics, and falling in the end with tragic consequences. In brief, I shall mention how some of our past leaders steered away from committing our country to super power meddling.

Our first Prime Minister, DS Senanayake saved Sri Lanka from the fate India experienced when breaking away from British rule. D.S Senanayake, should be remembered for his diplomacy to gain independence for Sri Lanka without shedding blood. There would have been terrible events if a partition of the country took place as it was in India. But the diplomatic skills of our first Cabinet, with names such as Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, G.G. Ponnambalam, T.B. Jayah kept the unity of all communities and gained independence with forthright courage and avoided a political division of the country.

Facing odds

It was Dudley Senanayake, Prime Minister of a small country who stood against western opposition to trade with the new communist Government of Mao Tse Tung, of The People’s Republic of China. At that time, the whole western world considered China, a pariah State. Dudley’s independent spirit, made him face all these odds to sign the Rubber/rice pact with the communist regime. That action was the beginning of a life long friendship with China. The evidence of this we have seen on many occasions and recently during our struggle against terrorism.

SWRD Bandaranaike, aware of western intervention and imperialism took immediate action to get rid of the British Naval Base in Trincomalee. This prevented future interference in Sri Lankan internal affairs by international groups. We would have never seen the end of this terrorist war if the Trincomaleee base was still in the hands of the British. The international troops would have been at our door step to divide the country as it was done in Cyprus, Somalia and many other countries.

Students of history would remember the beginnings of the wars in the Middle East that were the result of big power intervention, which still continues blatantly.

Mrs Bandaranaike when she suspected the North Koreans in 1972 aiding the then JVP who was trying to destabilize an elected government by anarchy, she did not wait till it went out of hand; in the middle of the night the North Korean ambassador became a persona non grata and was asked to leave Sri Lanka. The embassy was closed down.

Non Aligned policy

Our successful Non Aligned foreign policy helped Sri Lanka at such catastrophic times. India and Pakistan were the first on the scene with assistance. Mrs Bandaranaike upheld the foreign policy of non alignment seriously and acted independently, cultivating friendship with communist nations as well as nations with dictators. She was respected in all these countries for her sincere commitment to South Asian unity.

Similarly President Premadasa too acted against a mighty Indian nation by ordering their troops to leave Sri Lanka as he thought it best that Sri Lanka should not depend on outside forces to solve its problems. He also knew the beginnings of our Tamil terrorists becoming a formidable group because of the training and support given by the Indira Gandhi, Government.

It is a national disgrace to see some of our past leaders running behind international bodies to discredit the actions taken by their own fellow countryman, Rajapaksa to end a terrorist war, that claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians. These so called leaders should take a cue from their ‘foreign pals’ as to how they acted in unison when their countries faced danger from internal and external enemies.

Desirable leader

JR Jayewardene, a true Sri Lanka nationalist, whose favourite song was Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ related this anecdote at the dinner table in 1986. He visited England before independence as a minister of the State Council, with two other colleagues. With great enthusiasm Jayewardene had telephoned Buckingham palace; a request to meet ‘His king’.

There had been an icy silence from the other end which could have been interrupted as who dares to ask for such a request and it was not an English voice. The request was denied and Jayewardene had said, ‘if the king cannot meet his subjects we shall change the king’.

This response gave food for thought to the listener on the other side of the telephone; a colony was going to break away, quickly a meeting was granted. Although it made us all laugh, it once again reflected on the individuality and fearlessness of our leaders.

These actions and anecdotes about our past leaders should make our people think seriously, not to be influenced by treacherous and defeated politician, whose motives are hidden. A candidate who will not once again kowtow to the international organizations, and who will uphold our non aligned foreign policy and take Sri Lanka on the road to stability, should be the most desirable leader for our country, during this anxious time.