JVP Kurunegala district MP Anura Dissanayake, the co-spokesman for opposition common candidate General (retd.) Sarath Fonseka in an interview with the Sunday Times accused the government of resorting to low-down tactics to harm the campaign of their candidate, but said these attempts will fail and it will be Gen. Fonseka who will raise the flag at the next Independence Day ceremony on February 4, after securing victory in the upcoming presidential poll.
It was the JVP that invited General (retd.) Sarath Fonseka to come forward as the opposition common presidential candidate. Why did you choose him?
There is a strong challenge to democracy in the country because of the executive presidency.
The JVP opposed it since its inception. We have tried over the years to have it abolished. The task of abolishing the executive presidency does not rest with one party but with all parties that believe in democracy and value it.
For this purpose it was necessary to find a non-partisan common candidate around whom like-minded parties could rally. General Fonseka worked as a military officer for 40 years and during that time served the country with commitment and honesty.
We have associated closely with him in recent days and going by the response he has received from the public, we are certain that we picked the correct person.
But he is politically inexperienced?
President Rajapaksa has more than 30 years of experience in politics, but what benefit has the country received from that experience. He has experience of awarding contracts in violation of all lawful tender procedures, he has experience of appointing his relatives who have no suitable qualifications to important government institutions, also he has the experience of protecting person engaged in massive fraud and corruption and also of turning a blind eye to the actions of people like (Minister) Mervyn Silva who behave in a undemocratic manner that has brought disgrace to the stature of a minister.
Those experiences are all detrimental to the country. It is true Fonseka has been a professional military officer for 40 years but the forces that have rallied around him have a vast amount of experience. He works in close co-operation with all these parties.
The government has levelled various allegations against your candidate including linking his son-in-law to illegal activities with the connivance of General Fonseka. What are your comments?
We deny these allegations 100 per cent. The government cannot counter the real issues we raise with facts, so they are resorting to low-down tactics to slander the opposition candidate. We can also use the same methods but will not do so. Going by the overwhelming support from the public for Gen. Fonseka, we know these smear campaigns will not work.
The government has brought forward several military personnel who have spoken against Gen. Fonseka. What do you think of the military being used for election work?
If we use the military in this way for election work, it can have serious repercussions especially if they are still serving in the military .Those who retire can enter politics. Gen. Fonseka was a disciplinarian when he was in the army.
Those who speak against him now have some personal enmity against him. If he was an indisciplined person as they charge now, why did the President appoint him as Army Commander, promote him to the rank of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), offer him the post of Secretary to a Ministry, offer him the Parliament seat of Basil Rajapaksa and even offer to split into two the post of Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and make him the joint Secretary. Because the government could not win the support of Gen. Fonseka to support its corrupt practices and nepotism, the Rajapaksa government has resorted to these low-down tactics.
It is said even a lie becomes the truth when it is repeated many a time. Isn’t your campaign being affected by these untruths as you call them?
This government is not one that has won the confidence of the people of this country. Contrary to what the government says about the Mahinda Chinthana promises being fulfilled 98 per cent, the truth is that 95 per cent of it has not been fulfilled.
The only point that has been fulfilled is the granting of fertiliser at Rs. 350. Even the end of the war cannot be called an election pledge being fulfilled because in the Mahinda Chintana, what was promised was to hold talks to solve the problem and not militarily defeat the LTTE. So people will not believe all the lies being propagated against Gen. Fonseka.
The decision of the TNA to support Gen. Fonseka has run into controversy amidst allegations that a secret pact was signed between the two parties?
When we visited Jaffna, we met with members of civil society, religious leaders, intellectuals etc and put forward our programme to address the immediate problems faced by the Tamil people. It was in the best interest of the TNA to extend its support to our programme. The displaced people need to be resettled while the problem of the large number of detainees too needs to be addressed.
There are reportedly around 12,000 detainees and first and foremost we must inform their next of kin about their whereabouts. I have requested in parliament too that the names of all the detainees should be released. We should not keep them in detention as exhibits but expedite their prosecution and rehabilitation. The issue of the High Security Zones too must be addressed.
Do you think a free and fair election will be held on January 26?
State media and state resources are being abused, opposition supporters are being assaulted and ministry secretaries are engaged in election work. But these high-handed tactics will not frighten the masses who are gathering around our candidate.
Are you satisfied with the manner in which the Election’s Commissioner is conducting himself?
We are not at all satisfied. He is a good gentleman but his directives have today become lame and invalid . Today, under the Rajapaksa regime, he has become another powerless public official.
People are wondering how the UNP, the JVP and the TNA who have such varied policies can work together?
It’s true we have different polices. But whatever differences there maybe, we all have the common goal of creating a democratic society. We need a democratic environment to work in to fulfil our policies. We started this election campaign for this purpose and will start with abolishing of the executive presidency which will open the doors to the restoration of a democratic society.
So who will hoist the flag at the National Independence Day ceremony on February 4 this year?
It will definitely be Gen. Fonseka |
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