Need for unity of the people of Sri Lanka

Lakshman INDRANATH KEERTHISINGHE - LL B LL M Attorney-At-Law

‘The function of a leader is to make his people free of fear’ Chankya as quoted by Pandit Nehru in Discovery of India

In keeping with the above statement by Chankya the leader of our country President Mahinda Rajapaksa has made his people free of fear by terminating the terrorist threat posed by the ruthless, barbaric LTTE that hung over the heads of our people for over three decades. Kumar Sangakkara delivering the 11th MCC Lecture at Lords stated: ‘The war is now over. Sri Lanka looks towards a new future of peace and prosperity. I am extremely grateful for this. It means that my children will grow up without war and violence being a daily part of our lives. They will learn of its horrors not first hand but perhaps in history class or through conversations for it is important that they understand and appreciate the great and terrible price our country and our people paid for the freedom and security that they now enjoy.’

This is the sentiment expressed by all Sri Lankans who are grateful for the peace and tranquillity that prevails in Sri Lanka today.

British colonial era

Dr Dayan Jayatileka in his article ‘Enough’ published in the Lanka Independent website on July 6, 2011 speaking of Sri Lanka states: ‘An ancient nation, possibly one of the oldest on earth, with a long chronicled history, a unique language specific religious denominational adherence and strong identity and consciousness, demographically well positioned on an island in Asia; a nation which has beaten back a 30-year old ferocious suicide terrorism and survived an external intervention; a nation with a fairly sizeable population and tough armed forces; does this look like a pushover or a collective that is going to bend over for six of the best from a former colonial school master.’ This statement sums up the position that any foreign aggressor to this country is liable to face.

In my article titled ‘Channel 4 Video, Darusman Report and World Opinion’ published in the Daily News of July 5, 2011, I reiterated the text of the General Order given in 1818 to the British troops in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) during the British colonial era in order to put down the Uva-Vellassa Rebellion. The order amounted to genocide. The British used utmost force to terrorize the inhabitants of the countries they colonized. J B Miller in his article ‘The Good Old Days’ states that the area from Badulla to Ratnapura was totally devastated ‘from which this area is yet to fully recover.’ Today the British have become the most ardent human rights crusaders. What a turn around?

Sri Lankans living all over the world should realize that a sinister plan is being hatched to destabilize our country and bring the present regime to its knees for reasons best known to the persons who finance these machinations and others who obtain electoral benefits from their constituencies.

What is at present happening in Libya is a good eye opener. Do our Tamil brethren living abroad realize the devastation that may occur in their motherland if they pave the way to foreign aggression in Sri Lanka?

As Dr Jayatileka says further in his article titled ‘Enough’ referred to above: ‘What does a state do, and what does a leader at the helm of state affairs do, when faced with a situation of a heavily armed movement dedicated to dismembering the country through secession; a movement which has repeatedly resorted to terrorism, has repeatedly returned to war after episodes of ceasefires and negotiations with successive governments of two countries, has finally being outmanoeuvred, cornered, trapped?

Massacres of innocents

President Obama went to the extent of violating the sovereignty of a member nation of the UN, Pakistan, in order to kill unarmed Bin Laden and some of his family members. Wasn’t this done to allay the fears of the American people, as their leader? The NATO bombed residential areas in Libya killing a large number of innocent civilians including women and children leading a normal life. The NATO has apologized for this terrible mistake committed under UN licence.

The UN Rapporteur on extra judicial killings has not uttered a word regarding these massacres of the innocents. The UN has maintained a deafening silence on these matters. It is this duplicity that would finally make the peoples of the world denounce their respect for the world body, who should act impartially and win the confidence of the nations of the world. As far as the UN is concerned it appears that might is right is the order of the day.

As the Bible says no man is infallible and no man should sit upon judgement on another lest he be judged. The truth of this saying is evidenced by the terrible mistakes committed by NATO in mistaken air strikes killing innocent civilians in Libya. What gives any one nation the right to rule the world? Where is the UN Expert Panel Report on accountability regarding these human rights violations happening presently in Libya? These violations are taking place under cover of UN Resolutions sanctioning these air strikes with scant respect for human life.

Foreign aggressors

Has the UN expressed its remorse regarding these violations as it has been reported that the Leader of the Opposition has stated when he met the Secretary General of the UN recently that he would support the government if it expresses its remorse. (see Lanka independent website).

What are the reasons for the Sri Lankan government to express its remorse? Is it for killing of the ruthless terrorist Prabhakaran in war or decimating the barbaric LTTE? Will the government of the United States express remorse for the killing of unarmed Bin Laden violating the sovereignty of a member State of the United Nations?

It is time that all Sri Lankans all over the world irrespective of racial differences unite and express our solidarity with our motherland Sri Lanka, the beautiful resplendent island in the Indian Ocean where we were all fortunate to be born and declare as one that we would never be bowed by threats of foreign aggressors and vow to protect our land from wanton destruction as our ancestors have done over the ages.