People Are Grateful To Mahinda For Winning The War And Bringing Peace — Chamal
By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema in Ambalantota — Photo by Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
Ports and Aviation Minister and President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother, Chamal Rajapaksa says the President would win the election with a clear majority due to the confidence people have in him. He added that the President would also receive votes in favour of ending the war, even from the voters in the north and east, due to the leadership given by him amidst many obstacles. Rajapaksa also observed that the corruption charges leveled against the First Family have been instigated without any proof due to political jealousy.
Excerpts:
Q: How sure are you of President Mahinda Rajapaksa winning the presidential election?
A: The campaign has fared well. In the Hambantota area, the President will get between 68-70% of the votes. The people are grateful to the President’s leadership in winning the war and bringing peace. They want to show their gratitude. If you look at the development in this area, there is an international harbour, airport and other projects that are ongoing. They also see the development activities in other areas but they don’t have confidence in a person who says one thing today and another tomorrow. There is also no clarity in the policies of the opposition candidate. Whose policies is he following, the UNP or the JVP? Now there is also the TNA. People have no confidence in the opposition candidate.
Q: Do you think the war will play a key role at this election, especially since the two main candidates are stakeholders in it?
A: In relation to the war, the plus votes will go to the President. It is the leadership that should get the credit for winning the war. We all know what happened in 1987 during the Vadamarachchi operation. We saw how then President J.R. Jayewardene reacted and acted in the face of international intervention. We also saw how Mahinda Rajapaksa tackled the problems during the war and how he handled international pressure.
Q: How have people in the south reacted to the campaign given that the main candidates are both from the south?
A: Two high priests from Ambalangoda (the opposition candidate’s village) have said the opposition candidate had not visited his hometown in about 40 years. They said that once he left for Colombo after receiving his primary education in Ambalangoda, he never visited his hometown. Apart from the south, the President has also received the support of many other areas in the country during the last four years. The government has received the support of areas in Kurunegala and provinces like East, Uva and Sabaragamuwa and in 2005 that was not there.
Q: Do you think the minority votes from the north and east would play a decisive role?
A: The President has the support of the people in the north and east and other provinces as well. If you take the east, most of the votes are for the President. These people see the development work, the freedom of movement and the increase in their incomes. As for the north, the people in Jaffna have supported the SLFP. During Alfred Duraiappa’s time they supported the SLFP and it was the same when Kobbekaduwa contested. This time around, the people in Jaffna have been given freedom after the war.
Q: Now that the war has been won, how would peace be won?
A: We have to see it from the political aspect of all parties. The solution must satisfy the ordinary people and not just the politicians. We have to see what the majority of the people want. We can give a good solution after building a dialogue with the ordinary people. These people would propose a solution. Therefore during the next few years we would focus on development and finding a lasting solution to the ethnic issue.
Q: The main opposition slogan at the election is to defeat nepotism and corruption of the First Family. How do you respond?
A: I entered politics in 1985, Basil entered politics in 1970 and was the secretary of the SLFP Youth Wing in 1972 and 1973 when Anura Bandaranaike was the president. He also contested the elections in 1977. My father and another uncle were also in politics long before we entered. Mahinda became the President of the country. What about J.R. Jayewardene? When he became president his brothers were in key positions. His sister in law was appointed as the chairman of the Pharmaceuticals Corporation. His son Ravi Jayewardene started the STF. Then Army Chief Weeratunge, IGP Ana Seneviratne, Defence Secretary Dharmapala were all related to then President Jayewardene. The UNP therefore can’t talk of nepotism. It starts from their leaders like D.S. Senanayake and Dudley Senanayake.
When the President assumed office, the most important position was in the defence establishment. Gotabaya was chosen for the post because he had 21 years of experience in the army and resigned as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was experienced as he took part in the Vadamarachchi Operation. The President chose him for the post and he did it well.
Basil was earlier in charge of the Mulkirigala electorate and worked well. If you entrust any work to Basil he would devote his time and do the task to perfection. Look at the development in the east and the north under his leadership.
The advantage the President has against other politicians is that he can trust his family members.
As for the corruption, is there any proof to the allegations that have been made? Any one can just say it. If there is proof, the CID and the Bribery Commission can investigate into it if complaints are lodged. If they say we won properties, then let them show deeds or any other proof.
Hey fool what about the Attorney Generall`s order to file case against your brother MR for cheating “Poor people`s Tsunami Funds”?
Who won the war ; the military leadership or the political leadership?
I need not tell the readers that this debatable question that was born after 19th May 2009 has been the centre point of the present presidential election in Sri Lanka.
The president who turns each and every event to his political advantage – even if a child cries or laughs, in other words, politicize, was the chief claimant of war victory while the military commander who physically conducted the war is his challenger or competitor.
This is really another subject of whether the chicken came first or the egg came first.
The innocent public is confused and neither understands nor redeemed from the dilemma by either party. But the time has come for them to decide on the 26th.
Let us see what Sun Tzu tells about the ruler and the general in his book “The Art of War”. Who is Sun Tzu and what is Art of War?
Sun Tzu was a Chinese military general during the Spring and Autumn period (722-481 BC). Most scholars surmise he lived from 544 BC to 496 BC
Around 2,000 years ago, China was in turmoil. A series of wars left a third of the population dead and the leaders were in search of a new way of governing.
Confucius and Lao Tzu had developed their solutions but Sun Tzu’s philosophy, born of his direct experience of war also gained a popular following amongst the ruling class.
In the Art of War, Sun Tzu recommended a rarely required strategic method to win war.
He said “In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign, [means state or ruler] collects his army and concentrates his forces. Therefore soldiers must be treated in the first instance with humanity, but kept under control by means of iron discipline. This is a certain road to victory“.
When he talks about the ruler, he does not praise the ruler in any chapter, instead says that it is the duty of the ruler to provide food and armaments to his forces. ‘Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished‘.
Further he says there are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army;
1.By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army.
2.By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier’s minds.
3.By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers. No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.
Since it was the Chinese rulers who wanted a strategy from him to win war and govern the country, Sun Tzu mentions little about rulers but rests the entire responsibility of winning a war on the general who commands the battle. The ruler is to provide the army with food and weapon.
When talking about general he says ; the general is the bulwark of the State; if the bulwark is complete at all points; the State will be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the State will be weak.
The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.
That may be the reason in the history, there is no arm chair politician – a prime minister or a president ever claimed responsibility for the war victory like Sri Lanka‘s president claims. Instead they honored their the generals who were in the battle field and were proud of their achievement.
In history we learn that at Waterloo in Belgium, Napoleon Bonaparte suffered defeat at the hands of the Duke of Wellington. At that time George III (George William Frederick), 4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820, was the King of Great Britain and King of Ireland. He never claimed any war glory.
Indira Gandhi, who was determined like a goddess to win Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, that created Bangladesh, never sought credit for herself, but honored Sam Manekshaw, by promoting him as a Field Marshal for he showed uncommon ability to motivate the forces, coupling it with a mature war strategy. The emergency Indira introduced in 1975 with authoritarian excesses, similar to that of in SL today, brought her down fall in 1977 election.
Sri Lanka’s president’s war claim and assertion that it was his political leadership gave the victory is unacceptable and laughable. Government media and few others shower him with endless appreciations but the reason is well known. No doubt he is the owner of the armed forces and he could be proud of the achievement of his forces. He could have provided all the assistance sought to fight, but it was not he who fought.
Has he, a 40 year experienced politician, ever handled a gun? I mean not to kill any. Has he ever seen the fire ball coming out of cannons? Has he ever fired a rocket? Has he ever touched a grenade by hand? Has he ever heard the thunderous sound of bombs? Has he ever carried a bleeding dead soldier’s body?
If you say no to all these, I wonder how he can qualify to claim war credit? Can you say that it was the minister of sports who was responsible for the Sri Lankan cricketers to win the World Cup in 1996?
Further a war glory is not bound to give long lasting political dividends. Look at Winston Churchill, it was said, “Between 1940 and 1945 Winston Churchill was probably the most popular British prime minister of all time. In May 1945 his approval rating in the opinion polls, which had never fallen below 78 per cent, stood at 83 per cent.
With few exceptions, politicians and commentators confidently predicted that he would lead the Conservatives to victory at the forthcoming general election.
In the event, he led them to one of their greatest ever defeats. It was also one for which he was partly responsible, because the very qualities that had made him a great leader in war were ill-suited to domestic politics in peacetime.
Politicians are often rejected by voters because they have failed in office. But one of the reasons why Churchill lost the general election in 1945 was because he had succeeded in completing the almost superhuman task he had taken on in 1940, and in a way this made him redundant.
The conduct of the war, however, was his overriding passion, and military victory was by far the most important of his goals – thus everything else, including party politics, was secondary. As a result, when the war came to an end and party politics resumed, Churchill suddenly found himself without a clear sense of purpose or direction.
Well, in SL also the conduct of the war, however, was the overriding passion, and military victory was by far the most important of goals – thus everything else, including cost of living was secondary. That way people have their right to support a leader issue by issue.
Besides there is no guarantee that a war victory would give a bumper political harvest. It might disappoint too. Let us count time to see the people’s verdict for ; Who won the war ; the military leadership or the political leadership?
END
Mainly Military leadership
Hey Chamal you and your brothers have to be greatful to MR for giving you guys a very comfortable living standed for the rest of you guys life by giving high salaries and luxery bungalows with males and females to spend the life as “Mharajas in India”,not for the poor villegers living in rural areas from hand to mouth.You guys converted your bankcruft life style you had with ‘kurakan” to ham and baken, but poor villegers they lost their “Pankala” and Kahataeka” to die or starving,you guys foolish “Sons” living like Prince of Mhamukalana” while poor clever villege students strugling to go to universities” as their parent cannot bear up the expences.Is that you and your foolish brothers did to the nation for the last 4 years.We dreamed when last link of Bandaranayaka`s, foolish son Anura`s death happened that will be the end of “Bandaranayaka Sapaya” but unfortunately another one ‘Rajapakas Sapaya” started.Bandaranayaka`s almost ruind the country for 35 years by introducing “Koti Sanvidanaya” and “Cheguweramoment” killing almost more than 300000 sinhalese, tamils and muslims youth, and fortunately our brave militery command by General Sarath Fonseka and the group of brigadiers wipe out the terrortism from Srilanka.I greately I believe what you brothers doing is not thanking to the “War Heros” but going to take the brave warheros great saccrifications to build up your family feuture living like “Maharajas”.I f this country foolish votters cannot understad this and votting back to MR and family I believe they are not suitable to introduce as “Srilankans” but as “Buras” in Maxico.
මෙයා:-
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█ ස්ත්රී දූෂකයෙක්! = 1975 දී දියතලාව කඳවුරේ ධනවතී නම් සේවිකාව
█ හොරෙක්! = Hicorp
█ බොරු කාරයෙක්! = මුලින් ජනපති ධූරය, අහෝසි කරමි, දැන් නොකරමි
█ ජාති ද්රෝහියෙක්! = උතුරු/නැගෙණහිර එකතු කරමි / ස්වයං පාලනය දෙමි
█ පාවා දෙන්නෙක් = සුදු කොඩි ගෙනා LTTE කාරයින්ට වෙඩි තිබ්බා
█ දූෂිතයෙක් = මුසම්මිල්ට ලක්ෂ 300 අල්ලස් දීම
What do you want us to do Chamal. When are you giving the benefit of the victory to the PEOPLE. Its time you stop talking of the war and start giving the people their legitimate share
Who won the War, India did every work blocking the ships coming for LTTE. But MR says that he is the person, MR was away in Austria and came to Srilanka on q17th May 2009 and kissed the Airport ground. Actually the War was ended on 19th May 2009. SF was in China, according to Wimals news . But when MR after landing and coming out he had called SHavendr Silva the Commanding Officer at that time and had inquired was the war is over. It is true that these happenings were done to cheat the mass in Srilanka, and he is still cheatin the poor mass in Srilanka. If you all allow this to go like this therer will be another Terroist activities because MR and their crowds want such things of war to continue to their benfits. MAY GOD SAVE THE POOR SRILANKA>
Who won the War, India did every work blocking the ships coming for LTTE. But MR says that he is the person, MR was away in Austria and came to Srilanka on q17th May 2009 and kissed the Airport ground. Actually the War was ended on 19th May 2009. SF was in China, according to Wimals news . But when MR after landing and coming out he had called SHavendr Silva the Commanding Officer at that time and had inquired was the war is over. It is true that these happenings were done to cheat the mass in Srilanka, and he is still cheatin the poor mass in Srilanka. If you all allow this to go like this therer will be another Terroist activities because MR and their crowds want such things of war to continue to their benfits. MAY GOD SAVE THE POOR SRILANKA> If so sorry.