Opposition wants Fonseka to be Aung San Suu Kyi

Half of the opposition seems to be waiting for the now expected arrest of General Sarath Fonseka, so that he could be made a martyr to the opposition’s difficult cause.
The government has compulsorily retired various forces personnel, and therefore the opposition feels that the next step would be Sarath Fonseka’s arrest on trumped up charges.
Though the expectations are that he would be arrested on charges of a Russian style coup attempt, which the media minister has already alluded to, it is more likely that the government wants to arrest him with regard to the Lasantha Wickremetunge murder case.
However, general Fonseka continues to meet opposition activists and live a normal life at his new Queen’s road dwellings.
The opposition’s main concern now after the presidential election is how not to make the general election a complete rout - - when the government is talking in terms of securing a two-thirds vote.
The joint opposition is now attempting to build a protest movement out of the agitation against election malpractices - - this protest movement being modeled on protest movements and peoples movements in Philippines and Thailand for instance.
Last week’s Hyde Park rally against the election result was one such, but one cannot help but get the feeling that the president is carrying on regardless because as he told his cabinet last week “the Colombo people may make deals with us, but the rural folk are always with us and come to our aid at the last moment.’’
In fact he had more reason to be cross with the “Colombo folk’’ because some of them who used to break bread with him at Temple Trees had in fact contributed huge amounts of cash to General Sarath Fonseka’s election campaign.
This is why last week he called for the resignation of all chairpersons of state institutions so that appointments could be made afresh - - and of course the TRC chairman Priyantha Kariyapperuma was removed without much ado, and in his place, Mr Anusha Palpita former director of information was appointed to head that institution.
The president is very clear and categorical about cultivating his image as a rural people’s man who is a super-patriot and a custodian of Buddhism.
This he is doing, because he is aware that the joint opposition rightly or wrongly is lobbying against his government on the grounds that it is illegitimate because of a “fraudulent’’ election.
It seems to be clear even to the international community that the recently concluded presidential election was not fraudulent, and as diplomats last week who converged on Cambridge terrace and spoke to top leaders of the joint opposition said, the opposition should present concrete evidence.
Therefore, “fraudulent election’’ seems to be joint oppositions code for the simple idea that “Mahinda Rajapaksa has been in power for too long and will be in power for too long.”
It ought to be remembered that the international community or at least large chunks of it, and the Tamil Diaspora etc., are against the Mahinda Rajapaksa government and thinks of his administration as being “too big for its boots’’ as there was a great deal of crossing of swords with the international community, particularly during the concluding phase of the war.
Therefore, the opposition wants to galvanize the current “fraudulent election’ ‘campaign as a broader people’s movement against the Rajapaksa government that would lead to the government having to face extreme difficulty in staying on in power, despite a very handsome election win.
But all indications are that the president would not need to care because now a massive general election victory is almost assured with the opposition under extreme stress due to the ignominious defeat at the presidential poll.
The opposition for the moment seeks to be content to galvanize people’s support with General Fonseka still continuing to be the figure at the head of the opposition effort.
But this strategy is not totally welcome in the joint opposition because most are now of the view that the General was far from a charismatic figure who could speak passionately and rouse the opposition. In fact on the contrary most of the opposition sees him as a wooden figure not suited for the passion play that is Sri Lankan politics.
However the joint opposition that was dreaming of enjoying the plums of office is now rather bereft, which is why various shady and down and out characters such as Sarath Silva have come forward to “draft an election petition’’ on the recently concluded election.
However, the opposition does not seem to have anything more than fancy theories and a few ballot papers that have been found in a drain - - not an uncommon occurrence after a Sri Lankan election.
Therefore the more astute among the opposition are waiting for the government to play into their hands.
This is why they were rubbing their hands together in glee when the government banned the use of loudspeakers at the Hyde Park rally recently.
The opposition used loud hailers instead — and hit home the point that the government is using repressive tactics against free expression of views.
Their guns not firing, the opposition is desperately now hoping the government would give them some convenient ammunition.