Opposition dragged down ‘historic General’

Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) leader Venerable Ellawela Medhananda Thera says that the opposition parties that supported the recent presidential bid of retired general Sarath Fonseka should take the rap totally for politicizing ‘beyond comprehension’ the hitherto independent military structure of this country.
In an interview with LAKBIMAnEWS the Thera affirmed that the opposition also has to be held responsible for dragging the former army chief into politics through his own conviction or otherwise.
The Thera noted that as a result, the opposition had forever destroyed the heroic status of general Fonseka - as one of the prominent figures who spearheaded the successful military offensive against the LTTE.
The JHU leader stressed that both the UNP and the JVP had committed political hara-kiri by failing to put forward a presidential candidate of their own at the presidential election and that in an effort to mask their humiliating defeat at the January 26 poll they are now casting all kinds of aspersions both against the President and the UPFA.
Excerpts:

By Jatila Karawita

What is the opinion of the JHU with regard to the outcome of the presidential poll?

This result is not surprising for us in the JHU, as we predicted and anticipated such an overwhelming and conclusive victory for the President long before the President even decided to call an election before his first-term was up. From the moment Prabhakaran and his murderous guerilla outfit was decimated, this was evident to us.
The people of this country have spoken loud and clear that they want Mahinda Rajapaksa to be at the helm of this country for another term. That is the truth and the people accept it, but not the opposition, which is a real pity for this country.
But, the opposition in a vain effort to hide their ignominious defeat is currently on a crusade to take the gloss away from the President’s win by highlighting election irregularities and even finding fault with the Elections Commissioner himself.
The people cannot be hoodwinked anymore by these third-rate tactics and we as the JHU will never allow this bankrupt and degrading opposition to dictate terms to the government.

The outcome of the presidential poll clearly showed that the president had won the faith of the majority Southern polity but not of the North-East or the Estate sector. What could be the reason for this?

It is wrong to assume, going by the results alone the president has only clinched the support of the South and not of the North-East.
As a matter of fact, the president soon after his election victory told the nation that he is after all the leader of the people who either voted or did not vote for him, be it the North-East, South or the Upcountry.
Actually what happened here was that in the North-East in particular the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was responsible for painting a scurrilous picture of the president to the Tamil and Muslim people along with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC).
What eventually transpired was that as a result of this putrid campaign launched against the president, a large number of Tamils and Muslims who wanted to express their gratitude to him for eradicating terrorism which had gripped them for over 35 years, were swayed at the last moment and cast their vote instead to the former army chief.
But, as the President said in the aftermath of his historic win, irrespective of whether they voted for him or not, what was most encouraging and heartening to see was people of the North-East being able to cast their vote in a free and fair atmosphere, sans the LTTEs sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.
That is always a positive signal if a vibrant democracy is to flourish in this country from Point Pedro to Dondra.

The opposition is charging that the government is carrying on a witch-hunt against their activists and suppressing the media since the January 26 polls, and they are saying that if the President has a 1.8 million majority, then there is no reason for him to behave like a dictator?

This is a ridiculous argument to begin with. The opposition is at sixes and sevens in the wake of this staggering defeat and they are working overtime to mask the election result by coming out with all kinds of accusations and allegations against the president and the UPFA.
There is not an iota of truth to any of these allegations leveled against the President as the UPFA could never have rigged it in such a clinical way to win with a margin of 1.8 million votes, even in their wildest imagination --- even if it was possible in this day and age.
An opposition activists have alleged that the government had carried out the world’s first high-tech computer manipulation of an election result and this is bizarre in the extreme.
What we can say is that due to this smear campaign launched by the opposition, against the president and the government, it is the country’s image that is going to take a beating in the eyes of the outside world.
These ghastly tactics have to be eschewed forthwith. As long as the opposition is trying to indulge in such tactics, their bid to gain power in the current political landscape will continue to remain a fantasy.

What do you make of the immediate political future of the common opposition candidate, and the two main parties that backed him to the hilt in the aftermath of this poll?

The two so-called major opposition parties (UNP and JVP) that supported general Fonseka will in time to come pay for the grave sin they have committed in the name of this country by dragging him into politics.
The former army general was one who was destined to go down in history as one of the frontline military figures who spearheaded the successful humanitarian operations against the LTTE.
But, the bankrupt and naked opposition in a bid to cover their political nudity (being unable to field a candidate of their own...) dragged the former general into an arena that he was simply clueless about, and the latter as it transpired stood to pay the price!
General Fonseka has committed political hara-kiri along with the UNP and the JVP by ganging up at a time when there is an unprecedented following for the president throughout the country, but the severity of this alliance lies elsewhere. In our view both the UNP and JVP, are political history going by the outcome of the presidential poll.

What do you mean by the severity of the opposition alliance?

The opposition by dragging the former general into politics had committed a grave offence - that is politicizing the hitherto independent military beyond comprehension.
It was evident to us that during the height of the election that some former army commanders took to the stage to support general Fonseka.
Thus a precedent has been created within the military - between those who support the president and those who do not, and this is dangerous. This country cannot afford a plunge into military rule, at whatever cost.
This is a predicament Sri Lanka has never experienced even during the war against Prabhakaran and the opposition has to be held responsible if this country by some strange quirk of fate were to veer towards military dictatorship in the future.

The opposition is charging that the JHU is hanging on to the president’s satakaya for political survival instead of contesting the general election alone --- and what do you think of the president’s immediate task in his second-term?

We are not clinging on to the satakaya but supporting the president to achieve his objectives at this crucial juncture.
The president met the challenge of eradicating terrorism and now he needs all the support he can get to develop this country and bring it on par with other developed nations in Asia.
At this moment, we don’t think by going against him or putting a spoke in the wheel, those tasks could be achieved, and that is the reason we continue to be in the UPFA and not because we cannot contest alone,
about which we will prove to all and sundry when the time comes!