By Harischandra Gunaratna
The national government of a UNP-SLFP nexus would do the dirty work in the US agenda to prosecute the country’s military personnel and political leaders on trumped up charges of human rights violations and war crimes and it was the price they had to pay for liberating the country from terrorists, Chairman of Federation of National Organisations (FNO) Dr Gunadasa Amarasekera said yesterday
He said all those who were hell bent on prosecuting our soldiers and political leadership were mum about the atrocities committed by the LTTE.
Addressing a press conference at Abhayaramaya in Narahenpita, Amarasekera said “The US backed move will get the approval and support of the Tamil National Alliance in fulfilling their separatist agenda.”
He claimed that the foursome Dinesh Gunawardena, Wimal Weerawansa, Vasudeva Nanayakkara and Udaya Gammanpila who campaigned against a national government on political platforms were now acting against their conscience by joining it and they had betrayed the voters.
Ven. Vitharandeniye Medhananda thera was of the opinion that the TNA refused to join the national government as it had a separatist agenda and would cooperate with the US to divide the country.
The monk said that the UNP was not in a position to bring in any constitutional amendments since it didn’t have a 2/3 majority and it was forced to form a national government.
But the bone of contention here was that President Maithripala Sirisena had told the SLFP parliamentarians that they were free to sit in the Opposition benches, but they should not criticise the government which means there was no democracy, he said.
Gevindu Kumaranatunga said that the national government was a part of a separatist agenda and accused the JVP of attempting to scuttle the war effort during Mahinda Rajapaksa government.
“Mahinda Rajapaksa should be the Opposition leader”, he added.
Secretary of the National Patriotic Movement Wasantha Bandara, said the campaign to defeat Mahinda Rajapaksa as President was a move instigated by the US and the move to deprive him of becoming Opposition leader was also a part of their agenda because if Rajapaksa was appointed the Opposition leader, he would be in a strong position to fight against war crimes allegations levelled against him.
Bandara said the decision of Mahinda Rajapaksa to allow Maithripala Sirisena to be the Chairman of the UPFA was a grave mistake and his refusal to become the Opposition leader was also a similar one