The President who gives herself character certificate
In two weeks Chandrika Kumaratunge is relinquishing, her top post as President, all the executive powers that go with it, and the Presidential residence and she will return to her home. It is expected that a few days before she is to handover the power to the winner of the November 17th Presidential elections, she will give a farewell speech on the national television.
Yet, in a speech she gave on Monday, in Bibilai, organised by the Chief Minister of Uva province, Kumaratunge expressed pride and satisfaction about her performance over the last eleven years. The views she expressed may please the Sinhala people but Tamil people will never accept what she said. She has claimed that she is leaving the post of President without mud or blood on her hands. Tamil people are fuming that she is attempting to hide mountain with her skirt. This President first came to power with unprecedented number of votes by proclaiming that she will find a solution to the ethnic conflict through peace talks. Through these promises she created the illusion among the Sinhalese that she is a peace angel. She also raised the hopes of the Tamil people and the international community that this is the leader that Sri Lanka has been waiting for and so desperately needs. What happened later? The peace angel became the war monger. She let loose a brutal war as never seen before against Tamils. Tamil homeland faced horrendous war destruction and devastation. All civilian infra structure of the Tamils was destroyed. Tamils lost their families and friends and displaced in thousands as destitute people. Thousands remain as destitute people in refugee camps. Many still in pain due to severe injuries and without their limbs. Tamil land is forcefully taken away in the pretext of high security zones. This respectable President as the head of the government was responsible for the devastation and oppressive actions against the Tamils. As the supreme head of all three forces, the army, navy and air force, she must also take the responsibility for all their cruelty. After heading a government that caused river of blood to flow in Tamil homeland she is now flattering herself saying that she is leaving with no mud or blood on her hand. She is also the person who destroyed and continues to destroy the peace efforts taken forward from end of 2001 to end of 2003 by the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe. She also,
1.severely criticized the same ceasefire agreement that she is now praising,
2.dismissed the government that was taking forward the peace process using her executive power in order to grab more power to herself, and
3.gave encouragement to the chauvinistic forces in the south and thus destroyed future opportunities for peace in the country. The people of the south may be willing to accept her crowning herself but Tamils are no fools to accept it.
02 November 2005
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Europe which has a total population of 800 million is made up of 45 language based nation states. South Asia which has a total population of one billion, (1000 million) is comprised of four states. Who is preventing and therefore benefiting by limiting new nation-states in South Asia?
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