Editorial

The unceremonious ouster of ex-President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga from the presidency of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the installation of incumbent President of the Republic of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa, timed awkwardly on the former's birthday, heralds a major turning point in the country's politics.

Ever since the party was formed by the patriarch S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike in the early 1950s as a protest against the family politics that prevailed in the United National Party, the SLFP has been the family heirloom of the founder's kith and kin, its many members virtual retainers of that family.

But who can complain if these family members were elected, and re-elected by the people of this country, time and again.

It was probably too much for President Kumaratunga to try and run the party by remote-control from faraway London, where frankly, she seems more comfortable now, than in Sri Lanka.

While a new and hopefully bright era dawned for that party, we have equally entered a new and dark era in the politics of this country.

With the shocking assassination of the senior-most serving military officer earlier this week, we saw the familiar charade -- almost a circus - being replayed. There were emergency meetings of senior officers and politicians; road blocks were set up and searches mounted; urgent investigations begun. The capital's rumour mill worked overtime with busybodies pontificating and every man and woman having his or her own theories.

But after only a few days, we see once again the equally familiar slide back to complacency and indifference.

The terrorists know enough about this cycle -- they just keep their heads down -- and wait for the froth and bubble to evaporate -- until their next kill.

Are we exaggerating? One does not have to look too far. We need only hark back to August of last year and the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, already a forgotten chapter in the annals of contemporary history.

There have been no investigations completed, no lessons learnt: Just the bottle-of-soda-knee-jerk reaction.

Detectives have not been able to find out the identity of the woman who tried to murder the Army Commander, or how she got into Army Headquarters. And sad to say, it will be the same with the killing of Lieutenant General Parami Kulatunga.

Yes, after the attack on the Army Commander, the Government quickly imported a batch of bullet proof vehicles -- but they were equally quickly distributed to the VVIPs of this country -- the bunch of cabinet ministers.

Why, oh why, even after the attempted assassination of the Army commander did not it become apparent that other top-ranking Army officers would be targets and their security tightened?

The LTTE's objectives are clear: they are just pussy-footing with moves towards peace talks. They will, probably, come for talks, but when it suits them -- not now -- because they firmly believe they are on the ascendant on the military front.

The LTTE must keep its military machine well-oiled to keep its war chests filled. This is, mind you, LTTE Incorporated - a business - nay an industry, that has a worldwide network.

They are not confident enough to enter the mainstream democratic process -- either they don't trust the Government in Colombo, or they fear its manifold repercussions, especially a backlash of the wrath of sections of their own people - for both reasons.

The Government, the international community and the people must 'bite the bullet' so to say. The grim reality is that the LTTE will not lay down arms, they cannot lay down arms, and they will continue to destabilize the 'Sinhala State' by singling out the military and political leadership of the country, with a view to ensuring its total disintegration.

And what is the Government's reaction? A feel-good factor of pleasing a section of the people by dropping some bombs on LTTE targets for two hours every three months when an incident takes place -- triggering an influx of refugees to neighbouring India and creating other geo-political ramifications.

There is a feeling that the new Government is not up to the task and is not clearly focused on what has to be done next. There is no aim; no target; no clear vision or plan on how to checkmate the LTTE.

Depending on the international community to exert pressure on the LTTE alone is never going to solve this bloody conflict. Battling the LTTE -- on a worldwide scale requires much, much, much more to be done than just having the organisation banned in the west. There're miles to go, and they don't seem to know how to even put the correct shoe on the right foot.