Fonseka Camp proves politics makes strange bedfellows

If ever we thought politicians had principles we are being proved wrong as each day provides enough reason to accept the famous simile that birds of a feather flock together. So we have an opposition camp – referred to as the common opposition united only to oust the incumbent President.

Should we not wonder whether this is the correct ingredient to actually seek election to the highest office of a country? Has the incumbent President in his presidency of 4 years done any worse than what previous Presidents have done? As voters we need to know exactly why we should not vote for President Rajapakse & why we should vote for Sarath Fonseka?

If President Rajapakse had announced Presidential elections immediately following the May 2009 victory…he is sure to have gained more than 65% of the vote…had he called for Parliamentary elections the trend would definitely have flown in the favor of the UPFA. However, none would have expected the present scenario six months into the defeat of the LTTE and what makes the present scenario all the more poignant is for voters to actually be alert and not allow politicians to get the better of them.

Change is good so long as that change does not necessarily equate to a change from bad to worse especially when that change rests upon a very high risk factor. Fonseka may project himself as a common candidate but the reality of his candidature for the post of President is as an Independent candidate though he is being camouflaged by the backing he is receiving from opposition parties. The simple fact remains that he does not have a political party. He is not a member of the UNP/UNF or the JVP or any of the other parties that are presently supporting him. The swan symbol that is representing Fonseka as he bids for the Presidency belongs to the New Democratic Front and registered under the name of Mrs. S Perera though Fonseka is not a member of this party as well.

Ideally what we have is a situation where the entire opposition camp is united for revenge. This seemingly “united” opposition…are purely bound together by the motives that brings them together and that binding is purely on the grounds that this “Opposition Camp” desires to oust the incumbent President – it has nothing to do about the country or its people.

This should realistically raise doubts amongst voters to ask themselves whether they are prepared to vote for a man who is realistically speaking purely an independent candidate and one who can at any given time leave the country if the presidency is too rough to handle. The allegiance with the UNF and JVP has worked well for several reasons…as an independent candidate Fonseka would never have been able to garner the organization skills, vote base or campaign support alone. For the UNF, the realization that it has no proper candidate to actually oppose Mahinda Rajapakse was a reality check in itself.

Yet, how many in the UNP calculated or cared to wonder whether their traditional support base actually favor their decision to back Fonseka as an opposition candidate especially in the light of the decision to team up with the JVP & do they think that these numbers are not likely to effect the overall figures?

It is interesting to know what arguments traditional green voters have to make now that the UNP leaders & JVP leaders have suddenly become the best of chums? Obviously both sides have forgotten the scores of innocent victims both mercilessly murdered not too long ago.

We suddenly see the Fonseka camp overflowing with supporters all desiring revenge against the incumbent President. The Tamil National Alliance survived in politics only & only because of the LTTE – they would not be represented in parliament at all if not for the LTTE…therefore it is no surprise when this party that openly backed the LTTE now backs the very man who claims victory for the defeat of the LTTE. Did we not say politics makes strange bedfellows?

In so joining the Fonseka camp what the TNA has done as the “elected” representatives of the Tamils is to completely alienate the Tamil populace and go behind conditions that demands that Fonseka back a bid to resurrect the LTTE! Not much said of any ‘legitimate” grievances of Tamils.

So we have a war hero who played his role in eliminating the LTTE now contesting for the presidency but accepting with open arms the very party that echoed the voice of the LTTE in parliament and even agreeing to re-merge the North and East. Furthermore, into this Fonseka camp enters the former Chief Justice who by virtue of his verdict de-merged the North and East, yet is now declaring that the North and East should be re-merged and it is curious then to know what the main movers of this FR motion to de-merge the North and East – the JVP one of the key players in the Fonseka camp may have to say about this alarming new position to re-merge the North and East (these sudden developments certainly does brings India’s role into these developments taking place)….can we make head or tail of what these “common opposition” parties are actually cooking up for Sri Lanka?

All of them carry bag and baggage that should provide voters the wisdom to think twice before casting their vote…. For have any of these parties cared to ask of their supporters whether they agree to align themselves with leaders and parties having opposing views and policies?

If voters are not wise to wonder how an Independent President in the form of Fonseka is to balance his presidency with the policies of the UNP, JVP, TNA, Hakeem, Mano Ganeshan, Mangala … and many others that are likely to join this colorful retinue of supporters…it should only open up the voters eyes to the reality that the future is as bleak as the confusion in answering this very basic question. The west would have liked a puppet leader in the form of Wickremasinghe but the west is also aware that the UNP has lost its place amongst the people – the rural base. So now the West finds in Fonseka a suitable person to market given his popularity post-war…thus it has suited these strategists to allow a party such as the UNP to wither from the political scene thus we see the Elephant logo soon go into oblivion unless green voters rise to defend their party… and its symbol. The architect of all these deals possibly Mangala has nothing to lose…therefore everything contrived will only be a means for him to gain if the strategies work out according to plan.

So what of Fonseka’s election manifesto…whether a higher percentage echoes UNP policies or JVP policies or policies that combine the desires of the Opposition parties we can deduce that neither is the manifesto a binding document as well as the reality that hardly 1% of voters actually read the manifesto and vote upon it. Why create manifestos at all? These pledges of eliminating corruption is really gobbledygook especially when the very men surrounding Fonseka and assisting his campaign have plenty of corruption dealings against their name while they were in their power….when Fonseka could not eliminate corruption in the military while he was commanding officer how can he eliminate corruption in Sri Lanka when he is surrounded by corrupt politicians?

Of course….if Fonseka is to actually win the election…he can dash the hopes of his entire opposition camp and resolve to be President on his own grounds…his own policies…his own beliefs which we do not know and he has every right…for the people have voted for him. He may like to ponder if things would have fared different had he appeared as a totally independent candidate! The catch in belonging to a “common opposition” makes him have to “appease” the different parties that are funding, campaigning, and organizing his campaign. If we notice inconsistencies in his speeches it could possibly be that he is confused with what he has to promise on stage (things that he has agreed with these parties) for it is unlikely that these are the thoughts that he desires to actually implement when he comes to power….therefore, it is natural that listeners of his speeches are baffled about the manner he plans to govern the country – he himself must be tormented with what he must say publicly and what he has intentions of doing if he becomes President.

This is very important for voters must be aware that at any given time Fonseka can and has every right to completely ignore all of the “agreements” made with these “common opposition” parties and their leaders and rule the country as he likes for 6 years too (or until he is impeached in Parliament, perhaps) Moreover, when significant details alleging him of irregularities while in office have been tabled in parliament it behoves any aspiring presidential candidate to prove his innocence. This is a far cry from the “rumors” that are floating about the incumbent President. The question remains why the common opposition has yet to table anything with documentary evidence against the Rajapakses’ in parliament. If the Government could do so against Fonseka…why hasn’t the opposition done so against Rajapakse?

Therefore, voters who presently feel that a change is necessary for Sri Lanka should first ask themselves how that change is likely to be guaranteed. What type of change are they looking for? Corruption is the fancy word that is being used…Fonseka for an “uncorrupt Sri Lanka”…seems the popular slogan..but why is it that an “uncorrupt Fonseka” has no reply to allegations that have been made against him in Parliament. Then UNP voters must always remember what they faced at the Colombo Municipal Elections…let them not be misled again…or will they? Do the UNP voters especially the urban vote base actually think that Fonseka will hand over power to Ranil Wickremasinghe…? May be they should repeatedly listen to Fonseka’s claim that he does not want to be a “ceremonial” leader …because unless the UNP vote base understands what they are heading for it will be too late after the 26th January when not only their leader but the entire party that has a long history of pride in Sri Lanka is likely to enter a phase of no return. For the JVP they have nothing to lose…they are a dwindling party..with their support base relying on innocent youth whose lives the JVP leaders enjoy playing around with but the fact that they are openly canvassing for the former chief justice to play an integral role in the Fonseka presidency leaves UNPers especially to question what place the UNP and its main team is likely to have or in the least what assurance of UNP policies are likely to be accepted by Fonseka not before presidency but after becoming the President? They say promises are meant to be broken & voters supporting Fonseka & political parties supporting Fonseka are likely to see the reality sooner than later.

But it is most surprising how a nation can actually forget to show gratitude for the incumbent President who rose to his present stature by almost a whisker in 2005 but rose to become arguably Sri Lanka’s best leader in so far as measuring leadership against odds are concerned.

Undoubtedly, his team chosen to counter the LTTE proved every bit worthy to be part of that team but the reality for voters to recall is that the plan to wipe out the LTTE militarily started with the Mavil Aru episode and at this stage the former army commander was nursing fatal wounds in Singapore and the attack on the LTTE was spearheaded not by Fonseka but by a team that was chosen and tasked to do as they did by the commander-in-chief the President. The fall of the LTTE took place not due to the efforts of a single person but an entire team…but what must not be forgotten by Sri Lanka and its populace is that the victory and the ability to forge ahead with the military plans went ahead unabated because of the strength and will power of the President who was steadfast in his resolve to once and for all eliminate the military might of the LTTE… and rehabilitate all remaining LTTE cadres while instructing his team to continue the development drives ….no one can deny that infrastructure development not seen under previous governments have taken place before our very eyes…those that remain in the comfort of their homes and enjoy ridiculing the government may like to travel North, East, South or West and see the changes that are visible to the discerning eye.

It is unfortunate that Sri Lanka has come to such a sorry state of affairs where vendetta, malice, revenge and resentment has become the grounds on which candidates are vying for votes…it has nothing to do with the desire to create a better Sri Lanka.

When one says a better Sri Lanka – it should not mean a better Sri Lanka for supporters of the UPFA, supporters of the UNF, supporters of the JVP, supporters of the TNA…etc….a better Sri Lanka should mean for the betterment of Sri Lankans and all Sri Lankans…however this is not what eschews from the Fonseka camp….unfortunately in a bid to neutralize the tilt of those who are being “mesmerized” by calls for change, the Government is also falling prey to what Sri Lanka’s politics should not be about…washing everyone’s dirty linen in public…the whole world is now laughing at us and because of the haughtiness of Fonseka it is likely that international tribunals are to be opened against the country and its armed forces….how ironic that the former commander that was so revered by the people has embroiled his very army into such controversy …can he be the President while possibly being also motioned to answer for his role as the army commander?

All we can say is that voters must not be blinded by realities. While we reiterate that all politicians are corrupt…unless we vote in a completely new set of parliamentarians without any bad record to their name..people with education…respected amongst society…we will end up dethroning one lot of corrupt politicians and enthroning another lot of corrupt politicians…this unfortunate circle of affairs will continue until the people finally wake up.

However, this presidential election we are likely to see not just one humpty dumpty falling but a brigade of others… and it would be worthwhile if none of them can be put together again…for the sake of their political parties…at least.

- Asian Tribune -