In what was perhaps the most trau matic and tumultuous week since the PA came to office, the country saw the horror of horrors in the bomb attack on Buddhism's most hallowed shrine, followed by the legally disputed ban on the LTTE, the obviously orchestrated resignation of Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte and the UNP's decision to change course and totally oppose devolution.
The explosion on Sunday near the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy would have left an indelible scar in the hearts of the Sinhala Buddhists.
Though they acted with restrain the Sinhalese would never forgive LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran for this sacrilegious act.
Buddhist monks throughout the country openly agitated for an effective ban on the LTTE, which was done promptly by President Kumaratunga.
Of course there was no legal basis for the ban in the essence of proper legislation or emergency regulations.
Emergency regulations governing proscription of such organisations, under which the JVP was banned by the previous UNP regime were dropped by the present PA government after intense lobbying by human rights groups.
In the circumstances, it was a situation where all were groping in the dark regarding the legality of the ban.
The Attorney General's Department said it was not involved in the process, while a Presidential Secretariat spokesman added it was done under the normal law of the country.
The Justice Ministry too was unaware and top Defence Ministry officials had no idea as to how the decision was made.
However, at the time of the ban there was no legal basis to the whole exercise, but the President would have thought of framing emergency regulations subsequently and back dating the same.
UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe soon after this decision accused the government of violating the bi-lateral agreement signed between the two parties with British mediation.
But he perhaps would have been happy that the government did not consult him before banning the LTTE, since it would have put him in an awkward position.
However by this decision the government closed the doors on any possible negotiations between the government and the LTTE.
Minister G.L. Peiris who is currently in London had clearly stated that the government did not intend to have any kind of talks with the LTTE after the Kandy Dalada Maligawa incident.
The LTTE meanwhile responded to the government ban by over running a military camp in Valachchenai and attacking two other camps in the vicinity.
When the attack was on, a military high-up got through to Opposition UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to tell him of the development.
Mr. Wickremesinghe at that time was addressing the UNP Working Committee on alternative proposals to the government's political package.
After hearing of the attacks in Valachchenai Mr. Wickremesinghe who was outlining his proposals said.
"It is time that Anuruddha Ratwatte leaves the office of the Deputy Minister of Defence without continuing to mislead the country."
The UNP made an immediate demand for the removal of Gen. Ratwatte as the Deputy Minister of Defence.
Mr. Wickremesinghe told the UNP Parliamentary Group that Gen. Ratwatte should have resigned from all his portfolios.
When the UNP Group was discussing Gen. Ratwatte's resignation, Manod Wijeyaratne drew attention to a person familiarly referred to as "Palayakat Siva" a close friend of Lohan Ratwatte who was given a contract to repair certain areas of the Dalada Maligawa.
Lohan Ratwatte who is the son of Gen. Ratwatte had gone to Singapore with the man in question, Pradeep Hapangama said.
But Lohan Ratwatte had returned to the country.
It is now alleged that one sub-contractor employed by Palayakat Siva is missing after the explosion at the historic Temple of the Tooth.
Mr. Wickremesinghe said he would call upon the government to get down either Scotland Yard or FBI investigators to probe the Maligawa incident.
At the same time it was agreed that the UNP should move for a Select Committee to examine the charges now being made against Gen. Ratwatte.
At the Group meeting former Minister John Amaratunga referred to a speech made by the President where she had allegedly made some remarks on the judiciary.
Mr. Amaratunga said the President referred to the judiciary in a speech saying that Fundamental Rights cases have become a big industry, but Mr. Wickremesinghe pointed out that the Judges had accepted an invitation to lunch. A proposal by Mervyn Silva that MPs should donate one month's allowance towards the restoration of the Maligawa did not gather support when Mr. Wickremesinghe gently reminded that there was another question to be considered and that was about the increase of allowances to MPs.
Mr. Wickremesinghe also said the demonstration organised by the UNP with short notice at the Lipton Circus was successful.
At the demonstration the UNP demanded the resignation of Minister Ratwatte from the Cabinet with immediate effect.
But Gen. Ratwatte's allegedly orchestrated resignation generated some public response with demonstrations in Colombo and Kandy, and several Buddhists prelates urging him to stay on.
In Kandy, people burnt Mr. Wickremesinghe's effigy while in Colombo, posters and leaflets distributed in Fort called on Gen. Ratwatte to stay on.
The UNP and the JVP accused Gen. Ratwatte of trying to secure his position as the Deputy Minister of Defence through a political stunt.
The UNP leader said Gen. Ratwatte had placed the responsibility on the President when he stated in his letter of resignation that he had implemented the policies of defence matters that the President delegated to him on her behalf under her guidance.
However the resignation was not accepted by the President. One reason would be that she does not presently have in mind, another person who could handle defence better than Gen. Ratwatte. At the same time Gen. Ratwatte had a big breakthrough when the US Government approved for the first time the sale of combat-related equipment to the Sri Lankan government.
Jane's Defence Weekly reported this as follows:
Sri Lanka will buy a Hughes AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder locating radar from the USA, the first time that Washington has approved such a transfer of combat-related equipment to Colombo.
The US Bureau of Trade Controls granted a license for the sale early this month, a Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence official told Jane's Defence Weekly. The official added that a six-member team from the Sri Lankan Army has already been sent for training to the Hughes Corp manufacturing plant in Fullerton, California. These personnel will conduct further training courses in Sri Lanka on completion of their course.
The mobile AN/TPQ-36 system is used to locate the firing position of artillery, mortars and rocket launchers in order to direct counter-fire. It is being obtained at a cost of $11 million.
Last October, Washington turned down a Sri Lankan request to purchase 60 M-16 assault rifles from a US supplier. Its office of Defence Trade Controls said at that time: "The proposed export would not be in the best interests of US foreign policy, given restrictions on the export of certain categories of lethal commodities to end-users where human rights concerns have been raised."
However also last October, the US Government for the first time listed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam among 30 foreign terrorist organisations cited under 1996 law. As a consequence, providing funds or other forms of material support is now a criminal offence in the USA.
The Ministry of Defence announced that RBR Armour of the UK has won a contract to supply 18,455 items of combat body armour to Sri Lanka. An earlier decision to obtain the jackets from Israeli company Achidatex has been cancelled. RBR will provide the jackets at a cost $224 each for a total of just over $4.1 million. The Israeli bid had offered at unit price of $218.
In the circumstances it is unlikely that the President will accept Gen. Ratwatte's resignation.
Gen. Ratwatte also had a lengthy discussion with President Kumaratunga on Wednesday.
Though Gen. Ratwatte was not seen at the Cabinet meeting he once again surfaced during the President's meeting with the Southern Development Authority.
Minister Ratwatte handed in his letter of resignation while the meeting was in progress.
The President queried as to what it was and the reply came: "My letter of resignation".
The President only smiled and did not read it at that stage.
At the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday Ministers expressed their views with regard to the explosion.
The President said she was distressed when she heard about the explosion.
She said it was Minister D.M. Jayaratne who informed her of the incident.
When Minister Jayaratne called the President from the historic Pattirippuwa the President was speechless for some moments.
Then she wanted to know as to what had happened.
Mr. Jayaratne described that a part of the Pattirippuwa had also been damaged along with some other sections of the Sri Dalada Maligawa.
The President said from the time it was decided she gave specific directions to the people who handled it. If this was followed there should have been six security checkpoints around the Maligawa, she said.
It was also reported that the President blamed the persons who were in charge of the arrangements when she visited Kandy after the Mahanayakes wanted her to see for herself the trail of destruction left by the explosion.
The President indicated that she did not want to hold the Independence celebrations in Kandy.
Later the President changed the venue at the behest of several Bhikkus and on the basis that it would be difficult to provide adequate security arrangements for the ceremony where 5000 school children were expected to participate.
Though Minister Ratwatte insisted on the National Television that the Kandy ceremony would be held as scheduled, the President decided otherwise after consulting other Ministers including the Leader of the House Ratnasiri Wickramanayake.
The Ministry of Public Administration accordingly informed the Mayor of Colombo on Wednesday that the celebrations would be held at the Independence Square but later a high ranking Officer of the Army came to see the Mayor to inform him that the ceremony had been shifted to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte.
The President's decision to change the venue from Kandy to Kotte without consulting Minister Ratwatte would have probably upset the Minister and prompted him to hand in the letter of resignation.
Gen. Ratwatte apparently wanted a situation where the President would be obliged to ask him to stay on. But the President was not in a hurry to do so. She wanted him to withdraw the letter.
The state media which was in a dilemma as to how they should report the matter, then went up to the President to get directions.
She allowed the letter to be read over the national TV and radio, but when asked whether she had accepted the letter the President reportedly said they need not report about the matter. But later she said they could indicate that it was not accepted so far.
Late on Wednesday night Gen. Ratwatte dined with the service chiefs who persuaded him to settle the matter.
By Thursday the state media announced that the President had refused to accept the letter of resignation ending an orchestrated political drama in which Gen. Ratwatte was the protagonist.
Amidst these controversies several Ministers proposed a media censorship in a bid to restrain the media from reporting freely on matters related to the war.
The proposals came from none other than Kingsley Wickramaratne. Minister Ashraff said the government had to think carefully when taking a decision on a sensitive matter of this nature.
Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle expressed views similar to those of Minister Wickramaratne, while Minister Mangala Samaraweera and several others opposed censorship. Finally when a vote was taken a majority of the Ministers opposed the move to impose censorship.
Thereafter, Mr. Fernandopulle queried about Sirimavo Bandaranaike's statement that a day of mourning should be declared on account of the damage to the Dalada Maligawa.
But the President said she had spoken to the Premier that morning and was not told anything about such a move. The President who rejected the call told Ministers there should be some sort of discipline when issuing statements of that nature. Minister Mahinda Rajapakse told the President that Mrs. Bandaranaike's statement helped the government to calm the people in the aftermath of the Maligawa bombing.
But at this juncture the main question concerning the government is whether it could go ahead with the Devolution Package and the non-binding referendum. Minister Peiris in London had talks with Britain's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs on the current situation in the country.
He also had talks with Liam Fox to explain the government's stand on the LTTE.
At the same time along with a National Intelligence Bureau Officer Minister Peiris was engaged in a relentless effort to persuade the British authorities to make Prince Charles available for Sri Lanka's Golden Jubilee Independence celebrations on February 4.
As developments unfold it is clear now that there would be serious confrontation between the government and the opposition. Already demonstrations and counter-demonstrations, and burning of effigies of personalities in both camps have started. The UNP has decided to take the issues to the people and the government has decided to respond in a similar manner. Therefore as we pointed out recently, Sri Lankan politics would be dominated by violent charges and counter-charges, confrontations and conflict, unless wisdom and wise counsel prevails in both camps.
It is time for both camps to rise above party politics and fight the common enemy without going for cheap political gains.
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