Sri Lankan politicians, of late, have descended to a low level of behaviour. The 1978 "Bahubootha Vyawastava" and the associated changes in the election laws made this misfortune possible. Under the new system of politics of corruption and criminality, no respectable or "educated" person will think of contesting an election.

One can try to understand this sad political mud pit using what villagers (and my dead parents) used to say-we are facing in this country an "Abuddassa Kalayak" (un-Buddhist era) or we are living in a time which conforms to the descriptions in King Kosol's Sixteen Dreams. Yet, the stupid reason for this essay is "Gotabhaya is the real traitor" statement made recently by the leader of the Opposition (LoO) and his definition of the word traitor. One can ignore such badmouthing like, "MIG jets are floating coffins" or "the capture of the barren and empty Toppigala was a useless military exercise" ,but attempts by a LoO (the office, not the person) to make false statements, however desperate for his survival struggle cannot be pardoned.

Who is a traitor?

The dictionary meaning of the English word traitor is "a person who betrays another, a cause or any trust; a person who commits treason by betraying his or her country." Naturally, the application of this definition to facts has a subjective as well as an objective side. That means one person's traitor can be another persons hero. What is reasonable is the test one could use in such situations.

Did Vibheesana, Ravana's brother, betray Ravana by taking the side of Rama and Lakshmanan? Did Kuveni betray her people by making love with Vijaya? Did the Sinhale leaders betray their Tamil king in the Kanda Uda Rata by joining hands with the British in Colombo? Was the exposure of the secret military deep penetration unit operating from the Millennium city a betrayal of the country? Could providing arms secretly to terrorists while there was an agreement with the Indian Peace Keeping Force, a traitorous act? Compare this with the soldier hitting Rajiv Gandhi with his rifle butt?

The verbal abuse of Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay by some Sri Lankan politicians (personal issues are sometimes more important than state security issues) finally ended as the 13th amendment. But was it not betrayal to agree to have seven other white elephants instead of a merger of N-E Provinces? Why weaken the rest of the island, dividing it into seven pieces because Rajiv Gandhi wanted to implement the 1935 Government of India Act in Sri Lanka in 1987? India broke into two and it is suffering on a continual basis after the 1956 language-based state demarcation method. How can it be good for Sri Lanka? Can one say all those including some remnants of old Marxists traitors, because they want to follow the Indian order given in 1987?

The Englishman Paul Harris described the 2002 CFA as the greatest giveaway in history. For saying this he was deported. Was this not a betrayal by a foolish set of selfish Colombo politicians and their retired civil service henchmen?

How can we explain the kissing of the Portuguese posterior by inviting Lisbon to come to celebrate 500 years of their arrival in Colombo in 1505 while the same person described his opponent as an Asavedu? Asavedu was the symbol of cruelty and death during the Portuguese rule!

Colombo family rule ends

In November 2005, Sri Lanka turned a new leaf of the old chapter that began in 1956. Despite all the obstacles it is facing and all the defects we find in its implementation, the Mahinda Chinthanaya of the village is going to stay. Colombo families were able to kill SWRD in 1959 and tried a police-navy coup in 1962. Since then Colombo politicians of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim origin messed up and destroyed Sri Lanka. The LoO has become the last person remaining from the Colombo families who is trying to bring back Colombo rule.

This is why the LoO is so confused and disoriented. My friend Ariya Rubasinghe, who is his media advisor, should give him some lessons on how to identify a traitor. Someone like the present LoO who lives in Colombo 7 has no right to talk about soldiers and their resignations. He grew up in a neighbourhood, thanks to his grandfather's money earned by selling news, in households calling each other, for example, "Ranil malli" and "Chandrika akka". Both of them got "lucky" because of the untimely tragic deaths of other Colombo politicians. The LoO most probably does not even know which end of a rifle fires.
American lesson

The LoO says that Gotabhaya is a traitor because he resigned from the army. The record is that Gotabhaya retired after 20 years of required service which made him eligible to retire. He faced the threat of death and enemy bullets in the Vanni jungles while the LoO was drinking wine in Colombo 7 hotels. In America Bill Clinton could escape going to Vietnam and become the President of USA by defeating Bob Dole, who was a soldier in World War II who became a cripple with war wounds. The Speaker of the House at that time ,Newt Gingrich, was also one categorized as a draft-dodger.

George W. Bush also escaped going to Vietnam. He was suspected of not even completing his service in the National Guards, an alternative to avoid going to Vietnam. Al Gore at least went to Saigon as a war journalist. But the irony was that Bush could derail the paths of two other war heroes. He could dislodge Senator McCain's claim as a presidential nominee from the Republican Party despite the fact that McCain was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Bush could defeat John Kerry, his opponent from the Democratic Party, even though Kerry was awarded a purple heart for fighting in Vietnam.

According to LoO's definition these two American Presidents are traitors. Neither Clinton nor Bush could claim 20 years of military service that Gotabhaya had. God Vishnu saved Gotabhaya and Sarath Fonseka from death to save Sri Lanka from destruction. The LoO is directly and indirectly responsible for unwanted deaths due to his unwise actions. His CFA 2002 will go into history as a crime against Sri Lanka. How can a person with such record open his mouth as if he were born again (marila ipadila)?

Courtesy : The Island