Distortion coupled with Duplicity: Sampanthan prelude to an arbitrary announcement

The Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa told the Asian Tribune that all issues raised by the TNA parliamentary group leader R. Sampanthan at the recent meeting held with the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his team were acceded by the President.

He said that Sampanthan gave all matters and issues relating to, in writing.

Basil Rajapaksa further said that Sri Lanka President has accepted to all those points put forward by Sampanthan in writing and fully agreed to grant them.

It is reliably learnt that for reason unknown, Sampanthan failed to request for a written assurance for all those points agreed upon by the Sri Lankan President, when the Government was prepared for it.

It appears from what the senior Presidential advisor told the Asian Tribune, though the contentious issues raised by Sampanthan was agreed upon by the Sri Lanka President, there seems practically no ground for dissatisfaction, but Sampanthan raised some other issues also that were not in the points form put out in the written memo submitted by him.

However, there was an interesting exchange between the two delegations. Sampanthan strongly protested to the appointments of the retired armed forces officials as the Governors of both the North and the Eastern provinces.

Presidential team pointed out that no Tamils officials were prepared to take up positions even as Chief Secretaries at that time, for fear of reprisals by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

“We approached number of Tamil officers but all refused. Ultimately we were helpless and we were compelled to select armed forces officials,” Presidential team told Samapnthan.

It was pointed out that even Sampanthan was given the maximum protection when he was a target of the LTTE by the armed forces officials. Also said that it was the very armed forces officials who saved his life from being snatched by the LTTE gunmen.

Together with this comment, it was pointed out by the Government side to Sampanthan that while he opposed the appointment of the Armed Forces officials as governors to the two provinces, but what he is trying to do at present is to support a retired Army Commander as the Executive President of this country.

Asian Tribune learnt that Sampanthan was dumbfounded.

It was pointed out that the logic behind Sampanthan argument seems to hold no water.

Presidential team pointed out that when those appointments were made, Sampanthan never registered his protest. Even when President invited Sampanthan and the other 21 TNA MPs for discussion, they never came forward for reasons not revealed publicly.

Against this backdrop,` it is indeed puzzling to note that the Deputy Leader of the TNA Parliamentary Group Mavai Senathirajah, who accompanied Sampanthan at the meeting with the Sri Lanka President has given a twisted account of what transpired at the meeting.

According to Mavai Senathirajah, whose detailed description of the discussion was carried by a Colombo based Tamil daily, and accordingly, there was more disagreement than agreement on the issues raised by the TNA team.

Along with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Senior Advisor to President Basil Rajapaksa, General Secretary of the ruling SLFP Minister Maithripala Srisena, Minister Nirmal Sripla De Silva, who headed the two rounds of Peace Talks with LTTE delegation in Geneva, and Lalith Weeratunga – Secretary to the President, also participated in the Talks with Sampanthan and Mavai Senathirajah.

In the meantime, Asian Tribune learnt that the political solution to the national questions still remains unsettled with the opposition candidate retired General Sarath Fonseka. It is learnt that JVP is insisting that Sarath Fonseka should not give anything in writing to the TNA negotiators- only it has to be a verbal agreement and not a written one.

The TNA has already engaged in a series of discussions with both the retired General Sarath Fonseka and the UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe, but so far they have failed to reach any agreement.

According to Sampanthan, who left for Trincomalee on Friday, another round of discussion with the retired General Fonseka is due to be held on his return from Trincomalee.

In this regards, the meeting the TNA has had already with the retired General Fonseka and Ranil Wickremasinghe, it has become a routine matter to give expression that the discussions were going on, on a fruitful manner.

Questions are now being raised whether these developments bordering on duplicity being displayed with a preplanned agenda to announce the support of the TNA arbitrarily, in keeping with mounting opposition from within to extend support to General Sarath Fonseka.

It is further revealed that Sampanthan, has distorted the account of the meeting he had with Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the TNA parliamentarians, it is said.

In this context, questions are now being raised to ascertained the truth behind the political exercise arbitrary taken up by Sampanthan without taking the other TNA Parliamentarians for talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, despite a pending invitation to all the 22 TNA Parliamentarians by the General Secretary of the UPFA .

- Asian Tribune -