Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera responding to a controversial statement made by a former military officer to the effect that anyone supporting a new Constitution for the country should be killed, said that the retired military officer has made this terrifying statement despite the fact that 63 lakhs of voters asserted in 2015 that a new constitution must be instituted in this country to achieve sustainable peace, stability, reconciliation and prosperity for our nation.
The Minister added that such statements were made at a time when the Unity Government, as a people-oriented and democratic government, led by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were working towards fulfilling this responsibility entrusted to them by the people.
At a recent event held under the patronage of former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa recently, under the banner of “viyathmaga”, a former military officer has said that anyone supporting a new Constitution for the country should be killed. Recalling the 88-89 era of terror, he had gone on to say that this should be done using the label “death to traitors”, and that this label should be tattooed on people before they are executed, and that the remains of those who are thus killed should not be raised above the knee-level of the pall-bearers. He adds that that the remains of those executed should not be shown any respect that is traditionally shown to the dead in our country,” Minister Samaraweera said.
“He has made this terrifying statement despite the fact that 63 lakhs of voters in this country, in 2015, asserted victoriously, that a new constitution must be instituted in this country, for achieving sustainable peace, stability, reconciliation, and prosperity in our nation; and at a time when the Unity Government, as a people-oriented and democratic government, led by His Excellency the President and the Honorable the Prime Minister, are working towards fulfilling this responsibility entrusted to them by the people, Minister Samaraweera he stressed.
Such statements make it very clear that the defeated, power-hungry forces in our country, who don’t value democracy, have got into a frenzy of insanity as they cannot bear to witness the President and the Prime Minister winning the confidence and trust of the public, both locally and internationally, by steering this nation successfully on a democratic path.
While it is really not worth spending ones time to respond to such insane and outrageous statements made by racist elements, I felt that I must speak up on behalf of the large majority of people in this country who value democracy and who denounce the statements and actions of those who today seem to be suffering as a result of not being able to perform somersaults on dead bodies and satisfy their bloodlust by unleashing their brute force on the innocent public.
During the initial days when “viyathmaga” was launched as a means to seek to realize Rajapaksa’s future political ambitions, I remarked that this would take our country on a “vipathmaga” – “a path of doom”. They themselves have today proved this to be true.
The fact that the founding father of the white van culture in this country, Mr. Rajapaksa’s unending dream of unleashing endless brutal terror has still not faded away, is proven again and again by the terrifying statements that emerge from the blood-thirsty movements such as this, that have been set up on his behalf.
The person named Kamal Gunaratna cast the entire Sri Lanka Army in bad light and betrayed the Army through his book named ‘Handikadal’ in which he described how they unleashed deadly attacks on innocent civilians in the north and looted their property. He even described how he derived sadistic pleasure by witnessing such ruthless acts. Moreover, investigations are currently ongoing in relation to an allegation pertaining to the mysterious death of a Sri Lankan employee during the time he was working as a diplomat.
“Isn’t what Gunaratna is now engaged in, in order to satisfy the bloodlust of his master, in fact aiding the arguments and war crimes allegations directed at the security forces by certain parties?” Minister Samaraweera questioned.
Sarath Weerasekera, who constantly spews out racist remarks, as an obedient spokesperson for Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has also called for all who support a new constitution to be killed.
Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa, who has made racist thuggery his brand of political strategy, has stated that Parliament should be bombed so that the constitution could not be passed. By following the example of his brother-in-law who carried out a bomb attack in Parliament in the past, he is now attempting to make people recall the 88-89 era of terror, revealing to the nation, his brand of brutal politics.
If these people have the audacity to fearlessly make such dangerous and terrifying statements so openly from public platforms when they are not in power, intelligent citizens of this country, I am sure, can make their own assessments about the nature of their behavior and actions and the crimes that they may have committed when they were in power, with full state authority at their command. These people now have the audacity to threaten to cause harm to the lives of the intelligent and wise citizens of our country who value democracy and who support a new constitution!
Reminding us that ‘though the jungle in which a tiger dwells may be changed, his spots do not change’ this ruthless group has demonstrated to us now that irrespective of whether they are in power or not, they behave in the same manner as blood-thirsty murderers.
The people of this country have still not forgotten the Rajapaksa era during which mysterious secret murderous groups used to be deployed to abduct civilians, media personnel and others in white vans, and make them disappear.
Over 62 lakhs of people in this country called for a new constitution in order to ensure that such a dangerous era of terror would not be unleashed on our country again. Such ruthless leaders were defeated and rejected by the people because the people of this country have experienced, and are well aware of the dangerous and fearful nature of such authoritarian leadership. Therefore, it is not necessary to give them another opportunity.
We are committed to take all necessary steps to establish sustainable peace and reconciliation in our country. We are committed to ensure that no power-hungry ruthless forces derail the democratic path that we tread to realize the vision of a peaceful, stable, reconciled and prosperous Sri Lanka.
Similarly, I stress that we are prepared, determined and committed to join hands with all the progressive and peace-loving people of our country, to once again defeat the blood-thirsty, ruthless forces to ensure the preservation of democracy and human values in our country.
