Way to go Lanka..!

Robert Clements

Exactly a year ago I was in Sri Lanka, with the war between the Tigers and the Government at its zenith. Every few moments my friend's mobile would ring and his face either light up or grimace in dismay as news of victories or defeats of the advancing Army came to him.

And every time there was news of a victory the whole of Sri Lanka; the man on his bicycle, his wife wearing traditional skirt, the Burghers, the Singhalese, Muslims, even the Tamils smiled and walked with a more confident step; that terrorism that which had worn Sri Lanka down for nigh a quarter of a century would soon be over.

The man on his bicycle, his wife wearing traditional skirt, the Burghers, the Singhalese, Muslims, even the Tamils agreed on one point; that it was one man who made the decision to go all the way and finish Prabhakaran and that man was their President! The President said 'Go,' and the general and his troops followed. "Sir we have reached the Elephant Pass, there are landmines and suicide bombers on the other side!"

"Go!" "Sir International opinion is against us!" "Go!" "Sir should we work a truce!" "No! Go!" And they went, following his orders and won!

But how we love the men in uniform! How soon we make them our heroes, forgetting the ones who dared make decisions! "He fought and got us a terror free country!"

"Who?" "That man in khaki!" "But who gave him the orders to go ahead?" "The President!"

If there is peace in Lanka today it is not just because a general led his troops to victory, but a politician dared decide to press forward! Had a weaker man been the leader a terrorist called Prabhakaran would still be alive, bombing, killing, bullying!

Remember Ike? Same man: General Dwight Eisenhower. He led the allied troops to victory against Hitler during World War Two, became a hero and was later elected President of the United States!

But a poor president was he. Of course we need our generals but let's leave them to lead their troops, and before glorifying them let's never forget the men who make the decisions.

The Lankans did just that; they remembered the one who's given them back their peace and voted him back; They voted in the man who gave the orders, not the one who followed them! Way to go Lanka..! Pakistan Observer.