UNP no guts to challenge fruitless war - Mano Ganesan
Friday, 05 December 2008 11:00
"I did not expect any of UNP opposing the defence vote." Says Colombo district MP Mano Ganesan, Convenor Civil Monitoring Commission, commenting on the UNP this time voting with the government on the Defence budget at its committee stage.
Commenting further on the UNP strategy of opposing all things except the war, Mr. Ganesan says, "It is like this. When you oppose ‘all other failures’ of the government it does not make any noticeable difference of weakening the government. But when you support the war effort it noticeably and effectively strengthens the government. The campaigns on ‘other failures and issues’ would be effective, if it is coupled with a campaign against the war effort. Otherwise these campaigns are a waste of time."
Explaining his stand on the UNP decision, Mr. Ganesan argues, "The biggest danger of ALL is that Sinhala people are getting the idea to and arriving at the decision of continuously supporting the government. This is simple. If the very opposition which wants to topple (really?) is approving the government’s war, why on earth there need to be the trouble of changing the government ? Why on earth people think of handing over the power to the opposition ?"
Full text of Mr. Ganesan's comments appear below
I did not expect any miracle. A miracle of UNP opposing the Defence vote.
But after hearing the UNP General Secretary at his ‘Defence Watch’ participation, I thought they would at least abstain. This thought became stronger, again when MP Ranga Bandara talked of 12,000 deaths in the Army during the rule of this regime.
It seems UNP’s strategy is ‘oppose the government on all other issues and support the government on the war efforts’
There are two positions here. One is, opposing all ‘other issues’. And the other is supporting the war.
The reality is this. The government has failed in all other avenues. You need not to take the trouble of lecturing the people on these failures. Of course you can educate the people with more specific details through “Watch’ programmes. But people are aware of the failures and blunders of the government.
That leaves the government with one and only avenue for survival. That is the, WAR. This is THE hard fact. The government knows this fact very much than all or anybody.
It is like this. When you oppose ‘all other failures’ of the government it does not make any noticeable difference of weakening the government. But when you support the war effort it noticeably and effectively strengthens the government. The campaigns on ‘other failures and issues’ would be effective, if it is coupled with a campaign against the war effort. Otherwise these campaigns are a waste of time.
The biggest danger of ALL is that Sinhala people are getting the idea to and arriving at the decision of continuously supporting the government. This is simple. If the very opposition which wants to topple (really?) is approving the government’s war, why on earth there need to be the trouble of changing the government ? Why on earth people think of handing over the power to the opposition ?
Therefore unless and until the UNP and opposition challenges the WAR efforts of the government nothing is going to change. The government will be sitting where it is now very prettily.
However hard, the strategy need to be ‘Challenge the War efforts’.
This government is not only a ruthless tyranny but also a shameless regime. It will take up the flags, slogans, strategies and manifestos of others without any hesitation if that suits its demands of the day.
The JVP developed the War Flag. It gave it to the government during the initial peace talks period. The government took it without much enthusiasm. But later it learned that this war flag as a ‘magic stick’. It in no time learned that this stick gives it easy access to state coffers, plenty of impunity, ruthlessness, the loot and hoot….Now the government has kicked out the JVP from the government and taken up the War Flag as it’s own. Poor JVP, it cannot complain much. It has been pushed to the level of supporting the government from outside, in the name of war. Nobody is giving any credit to the JVP nor taking any notice of their other slogans and campaigns. What’s’ more ? Their party is divided too, thanks to the government.
I told this to JVP Leader comrade Somawansa Amarasinghe during our flight between Colombo and Doha recently.
Look at UNP. It is the party which brought in the 13th amendment paying heavy price. UNP amended the constitution against great internal and external pressures. Thus the provincial council system of power devolution. It is the political flag of the UNP. Whatever said and done, UNP, the so called ‘capitalist’ party had done progressively better than the so called ‘leftist’ parties in the subject of ‘devolution of power’ in the history of Sri Lanka. The SLFP is the party which went to town (with JVP) against 13thamendment. Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse played a very major role in the campaign against the 13th amendment. He also played a lead role in the anti-Indian campaign. Look at the scenario now. Mahinda has taken up the PC system and 13th amendment as ‘god given’. He is behaving as he fathered the 13thamendment and technically working with India. Nobody is giving any credit to UNP. Mahinda has taken the PS system as his own flag. And like JVP, UNP is also divided, thanks to the government.
Mahinda Rajapakse is enjoying the best of both UNP and JVP. The poor UNP and JVP are pushed to support his war efforts.
Forget JVP. It cannot move forward if it does not change it’s policies on ethnic question, power devolution and war.
UNP is the party which proposed peace to this country while in government. It is the party which brought the one and only power devolution law (13thamendment) in the history of Sri Lanka. But look what is happening, today?
UNP today has no guts to challenge the fruitless war. It has no guts to say that war will neither solve the ethnic issue nor finish terrorism. It has no guts even to tell the government to implement what is already law in the country to the letter. It has no guts to tell the government to provide all the powers to the provincial councils listed in the 13th amendment including the land and police powers. It has no guts to tell the government that need of the hour is not the war but winning the minds and hearts of the Tamil speaking people with a substantial package well beyond 13th amendment. It has no guts to tell the government ‘very loudly’ not to antagonize the international community.
Instead UNP is singing war chorus and playing supportive role to the government with very little or small slogans, sometimes contradictory to each other. And pathetic it is the dream of UNP. Dreaming the people to put it into power at elections after elections.
Why should the people do that? When the UNP itself is endorsing the very lifeline of the very government it wants to defeat. People are not that fools, eh?
courtesy:lankadissent.com
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