The Victor, The Victory & The Victorious – “There go my people. I must follow them, for I am their Leader”

Posted on February 7th, 2010.

Dr.Levins T.C.Rajaratnam.

( The writer Dr.Levins T.C.Rajaratnam Cousin of Late Dr.Neelan Tiruchelvam and Grand nephew of Late S.J.V.Chelvanayagam )

“There go my people, I must follow them, for I am their Leader” were the words of Mahatma Gandhi practiced to the very syllable by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. That is the secret of his success. Amidst the turbulent waves of politics and the intricacies of conspiracies by vested interests- President Mahinda Rajapaksa was  be re-elected as the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for a second term.

Victor, Victory & The Victorious

The Victor is President Mahinda Rajapaksa, The Victory was inevitable due to the patriotic deeds of the President and the Victorious are the Nation as a whole.

Expectations of the IDP’s

Thousands of men, women and children driven from their lands are preparing to return home. The demands of an outraged community have been met. We have achieved a victory for a safer world, for our democratic values, and for a stronger Sri Lanka.

 Victory at War

Our Air force Pilots have returned to base. The air strikes have halted. The Naval boats have slowed their speed. The Army has slowed its pace. Aggression against  innocent people by the LTTE and the Terrorists have been halted. When the President ordered our armed forces into combat as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, he had three clear goals: to enable the Tamil people, the victims of some of the most vicious atrocities in the North due to terrorists and militant groups, to return to their homes with safety; to destroy the LTTE; and to deploy our armed Forces to protect all the people of the North. Those goals were achieved. Unnecessary conflict has been brought to a just and honorable conclusion.

Nation’s contribution

The sorrow experienced by the people and the tears shed by them was for patriotism. We know the pain, the anguish and we too shudder to think of the darkest hours in our history in the process of destroying the LTTE. We appreciate the countries, the local People  who by sending generous assistance to the refugees and for opening their hearts and  homes to the innocent victims made the task of settling the IDP’s easier.

Liberation

We fought and liberated the people held in hostage, what we achieved and what we have to do now to advance the peace and together with the people, forge a future of freedom, progress and harmony. This can be done only under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa

The Terrorists were the cause for Men of all ages separated from their loved ones killed and forced to join the Terrorists, children made to watch their parents die; a whole people forced to abandon in hours communities their families had spent generations building.

Tamil Militants

For these atrocities, the Tamil militants and the LTTE and their allies whether they were in the past full time and now part time -they have reformed or not all of them are collectively responsible for the disasters and killings. We should be cautious not to align them but to treat them and rehabilitate them. Recent history has proved that Terrorists in whatever garb will try to revive their traits in some form or the other and would never be loyal to a democratically elected Leader or the Government.

Settlement of IDP’s

The IDP’s could barely talk about what they had been through. All they had left was hope that the world would not turn its back. The President was deeply moved by them. The President has settled a large number of IDP’s he has provided housing, shelter, healthcare, education and sustenance. Moreover, by his personal visit he has touched their hearts and in turn they have touched his by their appreciation.

Liberation of a Nation

When our diplomatic efforts to avert this horror with the LTTE were rebuffed, and the violence mounted, the President took affirmative action. Now the people are free, the roads that were closed for years have opened, the people have been liberated.

Freedom in the North

The schools have been re-opened , they have freedom to  shape their destiny.No more nights of hiding in bunkers cellars, wondering if the next day will bring death or deliverance.

Unitary State

Now, the Tamil people must join hands with the Muslims, the Singhalese, the Burghers and Malays and assist President Rajapaksa to continue the development work.

Stability of Leadership

Finally, we have averted the wider war this conflict might well have sparked.  Now, we’re entering a new phase – building that peace – and there are formidable challenges, the foremost amongst them is the stability of Leadership and the Government.

IDP and the Militant exploitation

We must get the refugees home safely. Minefields will have to be cleared. Homes destroyed by the war will have to be rebuilt. Homeless people in need of food and medicine will have been assisted and day in and day out they are gradually settled. The fate of the missing will have to be determined. But this next phase also will be dangerous. Bitter memories will still be fresh, we have to prevent vested interests from exploiting the situation by mud slinging campaigns perpetrated by the opposition and its allies whilst still be cautious of those amongst us who may betray especially the Terrorists groups whose survival was dependant on the survival of the LTTE.

Saviour of The Nation & The Destruction of Tamil Militancy

When President Rajapaksa addresses the Tamil people directly, he has been and will be acknowledged by the people. All the Tamil groups and parties with blood in their hands cannot convince the Tamil people. The Tamil people have now learnt by their mistakes and misunderstanding that the democratically elected President Mahinda Rajapaksa is their only salvation. But the Tamil militants should be unarmed and their militant identities destroyed.

Development

We must build and develop our country. For that to happen, the European Union  must plan for tomorrow, not just today. Our friends the United States, China, India and the United Kingdom must assist us in our endeavour. They must provide most of the resources for this effort, but it is in Sri Lanka’s interest to do our part as well.

We must pave a path to a prosperous shared future, a unifying magnet more powerful than the pull of hatred and destruction that has threatened to tear us apart.

LTTE Destroyed.  Terrorism must be destroyed 

As long as any form of Tamil militancy remains and Tamil militants of bygone eras are in power, as long as we give prominence to Tamil criminals and Tamil terror groups the journey for development will be far sighted.

Tolerance & Freedom

Our Government represents tolerance and freedom, not repression and terror. As such every individual or group which transgresses these ideals should be dealt with by the Laws of the land.

President’s Duty towards Nation

We have sent a message of determination and hope to all the world. Think of all the millions of innocent people who died in this bloody century because democracies reacted too late to evil and aggression.

Because of our resolve, the past is gone not with helpless indignation, but with a hopeful affirmation of human dignity and human rights for the 2010. In a world too divided by fear among people of different racial, ethnic and religious groups, we have given confidence to the friends of freedom and pause to those who would exploit human difference for inhuman purposes.

Sri Lanka still faces great challenges in this world, but we look forward to meeting them. We can successfully maintain the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka now that we have re-elected President Mahinda Rajapaksa . We must stand united as Patriots of Sri Lanka to support and defend the saviour of the Nation, President Mahinda Rajapaksa

 (The writer is the author of “Selected Essays of President Mahinda Rajapaksa” Sarvodaya Vishwa Lekha Publication. ISBN 978-955-51312-2-3. (Dr.Levins T C Rajaratnam is the son of Late Justice T.W.Rajaratnam Former Judge of the Supreme Court and SLFP National List Member of Parliament, grandson of Late T C Rajaratnam O.B.E.,C.B.E.,Founder Member of the UNP., Chairman CWE.,& American Ceylon Missions; Cousin of Late Dr.Neelan Tiruchelvam and Grand nephew of Late S.J.V.Chelvanayagam )