5.10.20058
Sunday Discourse by Philip Fernando
LTTE
Headquarters in Kilinochchi were bombed by the Sri Lankan
forces on Thursday. The army was poised to march on the
Kilinochchi town within days if not weeks. UNP’s
inability to come to terms with the impending victory
of Sri Lanka over the Tigers seemed a pathetic exhibition
of self-delusional stubbornness, indicative of outright
disloyalty to Sri Lanka. Does the UNP secretly believe
that the Tigers are about to turn tables on the armed
forces? Do they acknowledge that to all intense and purposes,
Sri Lankan forces are now in control of the East, Jaffna
and a large section of the Wanni at the same time, a remarkable
achievement for our forces. UNP has to make a decision-on
which side they are-Sri Lanka’s or Tigers’?
The
Tigers are now facing decimation. LTTE’s recruitment
channels are completely blocked outside a narrow stretch
in the Wanni. The UNP once openly challenged the armed
forces to take the battle to Kilinochchi. The armed forces
just did that with remarkable agility and speed. So the
Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe must come
out and recognize that fact.
UNP’s
silence is a telling indictment of their hypocrisy. LTTE
now faces the broadest ever enemy front they had witnessed
in two decades. Come-backs are not possible now. The UNP
taunted the government for not confronting the Tigers
in a meaningful manner. Their failure to accept their
folly openly acknowledges how treacherous their pronouncements
were.
These
are the undeniable facts that stare in the face of the
UNP which exposed their culpability being unapologetic
and viciously untruthful over the years. Sri Lankan Navy
has eliminated the LTTE arms smuggling ships and their
domineering presence in the sea, remember Prabhakaran
once said the final battle would be a sea battle for supremacy.
Sea Tigers are now a sorry bunch of toothless navy fighters.
It can be stated with certainty that the Rajapaksa government
prosecuted the war with complete confidence and single-mindedness.
The Tigers do not have a ghost of chance in reversing
their losses. The UNP is dead silent. If they think that
Tigers can turn tables they are sadly mistaken.
Political
fallout for the UNP would be disastrous due to their inability
to come to terms with the LTTE's impending defeat. It
would be the height of stupidity for them to go on pretending
that things would work out great for them. A decisive
military victory in the Wanni is sure to be followed by
a crucial election. Like the Tigers the UNP may face decimation
at the polls if they continue their stubborn resistance
to the truth.
Those
who fear facing the electorate may at the back of their
heads wish for a reversal of the fortunes of the Northern
war. Is that what is driving the UNP not to be magnanimous
at this crucial stage in that war. The UNP leadership
may be somewhat allergic to polls. The polls-hating politicos
may be banking heavily on the weather gods; that would
make Wanni a safe place for the Tigers. So they want the
war to get dragged on and the economy to collapse. Is
that a part of their reason for being silent?
UNP
was bold enough to state sometime ago that the LTTE HQ
would never be bombed as the war was being fought according
to a secret pact between the government and the LTTE.
The military, they said, would not attack the LTTE facilities
in the Wanni, they added. They pooh-poohed the liberation
achieved by the government in the East. It was only a
part of the secret pact that the Rajapaksa government
had with the LTTE, they said.
Time
has come to ask one question from the UNP leaders because
the conspiracy theory they perpetrated never had any truth
to it. Those who peddled such diabolical falsehoods stand
exposed as anti-national traitors. The Air Force has attacked
the Tiger Head quarters. Will the UNP have the guts to
admit that they deliberately misled the people? Tell the
people about what happened to that alleged secret agreement
between the government and the LTTE. They would be held
accountable for those utterances that were completely
unworthy of an Opposition. Time is now to come out with
the truth. If not they have hell to pay when the elections
come.
The
sound of fire crackers that would deafen Sri Lanka when
victory over LTTE is achieved would indict the UNP. You
can bet on it.
Courtesy - Asian
Tribune