5th Column
Political bullets won’t kill war hero
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My dear General,
I thought I must write to you because you are in the news again, although for the wrong reasons: they tell me that they have taken away your right to vote, which also means that you have also lost your right to contest elections.
For a man who nearly lost his life several times trying to rid this country of terrorism, losing your right to vote and contest elections may not mean much, but I am sure there are many others who would feel that you have been cheated and wronged — which is why they still insist on calling you ‘General’ .
After all, it was only a few years ago that you were described as the ‘best Army commander in the world’ and no one dared disagree. That was after the Army led by you had defeated the most ruthless terrorist group in the world, a task which we didn’t believe would be achieved in our lifetime.
That admiration lasted for only a few months and everything changed when you decided to take on Mahinda maama at the big election. That was when it all changed and in hindsight, even though you may be a brilliant tactician, it seemed as if you were not a clever politician.
You should have realised that the Green Man allowed you to contest Mahinda maama not because he thought you could win but because he knew that if he contested, he would have lost. It was just after the war victory and even if D.S. Senanayake contested from the Greens, he would have lost!
That election also showed us that you didn’t have the patience to be a politician. You were barking out commands from the platform as if you were still in the military. That didn’t go down too well with people and it was no match for the smooth talking Mahinda maama. So, you lost the election.
That is when all your troubles started. You were dragged before military tribunals and civil courts and paraded in handcuffs like a criminal. Of course, the defiant man that you are, you always had a scathing comment to make on your way to the courthouse — and many people looked forward to them!
After all that, you were put in prison, stripped of your rank, your pension and even the house that was given to you as a reward for winning the war. Why, I am told they even removed your picture at Army Headquarters, where the photographs of all Army Commanders are displayed.
I wouldn’t blame you, General, if you feel bitter about all these, because these days, our cricketers who retire or win a World Cup seem to be rewarded much more than you were, even though they never risked their lives! You would have been better off if you had been Sanath or Murali!
I wouldn’t also blame you if you think this is a funny country. That is because Tiger terrorists who fought against you, Karuna for instance, were in Parliament and being sworn in as deputy ministers while you, who saved the country from them, were languishing behind bars! Ah, such democracy!
Now that your voting rights have been taken away from you and you have been prevented from contesting elections, I don’t expect you to just fade away. I know you will keep fighting against this decision but in doing so, I hope you would be careful in what you say and who you get help from.
There will be many people, political parties and organisations offering you advice and support but they will all have their own agendas — just like when they undertook visits to Welikada when you were in prison, so they could get themselves into the evening news. So, be careful about them, General.
In a sense, it is ironical that this decision about you should come on the same day that those in Europe lifted their ban on the Tigers. That too seems a senseless decision but some of these countries are hell bent on destroying the peace our country has achieved over the past few years.
I suppose this will be just another battle for you — and for someone who won a war, it will be only a minor setback. You can take heart from our own history where those who have been deprived of their civic rights have returned many years later to become Prime Ministers!
Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS: I think Mahinda maama likes giving orders to Fonsekas. Many years ago, he played the role of a General in a movie, where he was the commanding officer of a Colonel who was played by a Fonseka, the incomparable Gamini. I know that you may not have many kind thoughts about Mahinda maama these days but we have to agree that he plays his roles very well. In fact, what most people haven’t realised is that, after all these years, he is still acting!