Messing up of the value of honour

Wasantha Priya Ramanayake (Translated by A. A. M. Nizam)

A war victory for a country means the result of a combined effort. It may be because of that President Mahinda Rajapaksa always says ‘it is not mine’. But some people have made it out that as something that belongs to them, and their own. Everything belongs to me.

It was my plans. Just like that such persons held hands with Prabhakaran and matched the strength with him. It was the combined effort that became victorious almost two years ago. Or else it was the victory of the 30 years of war.

This victory is also considered as the second independence. There is nothing wrong in commemorating it frequently or once a year. It is the organizers who should decide whether such commemoration should be held based on religious functions, or as a royal ceremony with parades of the Security Forces, or both of them.

The victory of defeating the LTTE two years ago brought freedom to all sections of the people in this country. There is no dispute of Sinhala or Tamil in it. In fact, the freedom achieved by the Tamil people in the North and the East was unlimited.

National harmony

It was greater than the freedom achieved by the Sinhala people. However, if there is a misconception among the Tamil community that they had a setback or had a defeat by this victory, it is the responsibility of the majority Sinhala community to remove that misconception.

This would be beneficial for the future national harmony. In this context holding an annual ceremony to commemorate the war victory would become beneficial to the long-term peace and stability of the country.

There could be heroic commanders, gallant soldiers and war leaders related to this victory. But the Chief Commander was the Head of the State. Therefore, the war victory is referred to as the victory of the Head of State. When the Soviet Red Army defeated the Hitler’s German Army that victory was not considered as the victory of a particular Commander of the Red Army.

It was considered as the victory achieved by Stalin. The victory gained by the British soldiers in defeating Hitler was christened in the name of Churchill. It was same in respect of the war between Dutugemunu and Elara. The liberation of Anuradhapura Kingdom from Elara was not a victory of Pussadeva or Velusumana. It was the victory of Dutugemunu.

Dutugemunu-Elara battle

Similarly Pussadeva and Velusumana and other were considered as the heroic commanders in that battle. It could have even been difficult for King Dutugemenu to win that war without their participation. They were so talented. But it was King Dutugemunu who gave the leadership for the victory. He was the Commander.

Therefore, it was not Pussadeva or Velusumana who unified the country in that battle. It was King Dutugemunu. Therefore that battle was considered as the Dutugemunu-Elara battle and not as the Pussadeva-Elara battle or the Velusumana-Elara battle.

This theory is applicable to the war against the LTTE as well. Sarath Fonseka was a good Commander. There is no dispute about it. He was not in Sri Lanka even during the last two weeks of the war. But the war proceeded unhindered. His absence was not even a dishonour for him. Other Commanders completed the work that needed to be done. That is why the war is termed as a victory of a combined effort. Similarly the commander for it was the Head of State.

The war was waged in the battlefront in accordance with his command. When an order was received from the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, President J R Jayewardene took immediate action then to stop the war in Wadamarachchi. It did not happen this time.

International community

There were no international orders even. The difference lies here. It was the capability of the Head of State to handle the international community. That is why he becomes the commander for all forces. The Head of State had the responsibility for all incidences of fighter aircrafts that took to air in the 4th Eelam War. It was his command. Obliging it was the work of the forces. Victory is shared. But the inheritance of both the responsibility and the glory rests with the Head of State.

The capability of assassinating Bin Laden recently was possessed by the ‘Seal’ forces of the United States. But the command for the unauthorized intrusion into Pakistan and assassinate Bin Laden was given by President Barack Obama.

Any of these examples will not underrate the dedication and the war talents of Sarath Fonseka. He is a good commander a country rarely gets. However, in a war like this with international compulsions the final victory is decided on the Head of State’s commands and his handling of politics strategically.

That is why the local and international war analysts claim that if it was not for President Mahinda Rajapaksa this war could not have been won. It is a truth.

Even the Darusman Report focused on Rajapaksas because the role of the Head of State was very vital in the war. The focus of the International community, today as well as tomorrow will be on Mahinda. Everything else is after President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Military courts

The international forces always attempted to put a finish to the Mahinda Rajapaksa ‘Regime’. That is why Sarath Fonseka became the common candidate against President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the last Presidential Election. The Tamil National Alliance supported a person like Sarath Fonseka, a former Army Commander becoming the President of this country was in keeping with this goal of these international elements. Ultimately President Mahinda Rajapaksa succeeded in ensuring the defeat of Sarath Fonseka after taming the Opposition Leader by feeding him with Medamulane Helapa.

It was his talent. To disarray his own party loyalists and secure a political niche for himself to lead the Opposition. Because of this the strategies of the international elements were temporarily halted. It is like the same things that are coming once again through Darusman.

We should not forget that Army Generals such as Denzil Kobbekaduwa, Wijaya Wimalaratne, Janaka Perera attained great victories at various stages of this war. But they could not win the last war.

The reason lies behind the leadership. Fonseka who led the war in the war front is now in prison.

To be continued