Former Foreign Minister MP Mangala Samaraweera warned that the ineptitude of the Government, in the face of intensifying and relentless international pressure, is driving Sri Lanka further and further into isolation, and this is likely to have a devastating effect for this country’s prospects for rebuilding and reconciliation in the post-conflict phase.
He said the release of the Channel 4 documentary on alleged extrajudicial killings during the final phase of the war has undoubtedly damaged the image of the country almost beyond repair. “We are very much alone, increasingly isolated by the international powers and organisations that matter, or will matter someday, although the shortsighted foreign affairs experts aligned to the regime do not appear to realise this, unless immediate steps are taken to ebb the flow of negative publicity about the conduct of the Sri Lankan military,” the Matara district MP said in a statement.
He said that the Government has two options on how to handle the Channel 4 issue. If the footage is fabricated and, if this documentary aired on Channel 4 is in fact tainted by prejudice or separatist agenda, the Government can file charges against the television station, the MP said.
He said Channel 4 is merely a media outlet in the United Kingdom, which must be held to certain ethical reporting standards, a fact no doubt that a British court will uphold if it is proven that their reporting was entirely false. “If so, the Sri Lankan State is duty bound to act on this and take legal action against this channel for the incredible damage it is doing to the image of our nation and the manner in which these documentaries and video footage have degraded our standing on the world stage,” he said.
The MP also said the Government can put to rest such allegations which it decries as being false, by putting in place a credible and transparent process by which to determine if there is any truth to these allegations and prosecute those who may be responsible, if they are in fact true. “It wounds me deeply that the entire Sri Lankan military, which in my opinion has conducted itself impeccably for the most part, in the execution of the defeat of the LTTE, is paying the tragic price for what is at most, the incompetence of a few political leaders. “
He said the Government talks grandiosely of their respect for the soldier, even though they have incarcerated the man who led the Sri Lankan Army into battle and won the Government this victory. “They build monuments and conduct victory parades, apparently, to honour the sacrifice of these brave young men and women. And yet, when it matters most, to erase the ugly blight that has been cast upon our men in uniform by these heinous allegations, the Government does not act. It continues to make the case against the Sri Lankan military for the world that is agitating for an inquiry, by acting as if we have something to hide, making bombastic claims and alleging international conspiracies, all for the consumption of the local electorate.”
He urged the Government to stop playing world politics with the nationalistic jargon that it plays for the Sri Lankan public, decrying all those who disagree with some of its actions as traitors. “Under the watch of this regime, the definition of ‘nationalism’ has taken on new meaning. It has come to mean that a ‘nationalist’ must work first and foremost in the interest of the regime in power; it implies that only those loyal to the Rajapaksa administration can be ‘true nationalists’ and takes ‘patriotism’ on as a cloak under which to hide ugly, racist undertones. The spectre of the LTTE is constantly evoked to perpetuate this perception.”
Mr. Samaraweera said he is a Sri Lankan nationalist, although this regime has worked hard to denounce him, and that, he stands for one nation, a nation in which Tamil, Muslim and other lives mean as much as Sinhalese lives.
“I urge the people of this great country, to break away from the shackles this government has placed on us, with its jingoistic rhetoric and its subtle, yet transparent, hegemonic, dynastic agendas” he added. |
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