MR should hold his fire when abroad
02 September 2016
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has developed a penchant to visit countries with large expatriate Lankan workers. The visits are billed as official and on more than one occasion the Foreign Ministry had to pick up the tab. But Rajapaksa, throwing protocol to the wind has gone about attacking the Sri Lankan government before large gatherings of Sri Lankans, obviously mobilised in the manner that only Mahinda Rajapaksa is capable of , during these visits.
His recent visit to South Korea where the former President regaled large contingents of Sr Lankans on the alleged misdeeds of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government is a case in point. Rajapaksa is now off to Malaysia, a country with a sizable Sri Lankan working community, to attend a political parties’ conference. Not surprisingly the visit coincides with the arrival in Sri Lanka of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. It will be recalled that Rajapaksa was one half (Moon being the other) to a joint statement during the Secretary General's visit in the immediate aftermath of the war victory, which called for an international inquiry into war crimes in Sri Lanka. Of course, Rajapaksa and his cohorts later denied this for its obvious political fallout and the presence of the former President during Ban's current visit would have very much helped clear the air in this regard.
Be that as it may, what is the status of Rajapaksa to address an International Conference of Asian Political Parties conference in Malaysia when he has no political party to represent, being virtually estranged from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (the JO is not a political party but a group of Rajapaksa associates) despite maintaining a pretense of being a true blue party man. Hence it is crystal clear that the visit is just a facade for MR to engage in government bashing before a Lankan audience. It is obvious that the former President this time too is planning to attack the government before a large gathering of Sri Lankans mobilised beforehand in a foreign country. The crowds naturally would be receptive to Rajapaksa, the majority of whom are largely employed in menial jobs and is less intelligent to grasp the real motive behind MR's visit.
Rajapaksa is next planning to visit Italy, still a haven for Sri Lankan job seekers, most of whom travel to that country through the perilous sea routs arranged by human smugglers. No doubt the former President will use the visit once again to lambaste and castigate the government like he has done so far in the countries where Sri Lankan workers are found in large numbers. It is as if Rajapaksa is engaged in election campaigning in these countries in anticipation of the government sometime soon granting voting rights to the expat Sri Lankan population. It is also noteworthy that MR is carrying out these political stunts in the countries where there is political freedom and democratic governance. It is interesting to see if he will take forward this campaign to countries such as the Middle East which has an overwhelming Sri Lankan workforce and to countries such a Australia with a huge Lankan population but more enlightened and intelligent and cannot be duped by political rhetoric.
Be that as it may, what is the stand adopted by the government to counter this frontal assault on it by a former President of the country on the soil of friendly countries of Sri Lanka. It ought to take up this matter at diplomatic level. This is because these outbursts, though made in Sinhala, are beamed across the world and is bound to impact on the country's image and that of the government. Investigations should also be conducted to ascertain if this was a deliberate attempt to discourage investors into the country at a time the government has lined up many projects that require foreign investment. Could it ever be conceived of a scenario of a Sonia Gandhi being allowed to erect a stage in Colombo and attack Prime Minister Modi. Sri Lanka's envoys should be told to be alert to situations where defeated politicians, when abroad, are allowed free rein to attack Sri Lankan government leaders.
For his part, Mahinda Rajapaksa who was President of Sri Lanka twice over should know better than to discredit the holder of the office he once held, in foreign lands. In any event he cannot now aspire to be President or Prime Minister, for that matter, ever again. Besides Rajapaksa never misses an opportunity to display his love for the country and patriotism before the locals. This however does not accord with his conduct of bad mouthing the country's present leaders before Lankans during his foreign trips and by extension placing the country in poor light. It is also conduct unbecoming of a one time leader of the country.
Ideally Rajapaksa should have retired into the sunset after his electoral defeat and carried himself with the dignity as befitting a leader under whose watch the country was rid of the scourge of terrorism.
His recent visit to South Korea where the former President regaled large contingents of Sr Lankans on the alleged misdeeds of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government is a case in point. Rajapaksa is now off to Malaysia, a country with a sizable Sri Lankan working community, to attend a political parties’ conference. Not surprisingly the visit coincides with the arrival in Sri Lanka of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. It will be recalled that Rajapaksa was one half (Moon being the other) to a joint statement during the Secretary General's visit in the immediate aftermath of the war victory, which called for an international inquiry into war crimes in Sri Lanka. Of course, Rajapaksa and his cohorts later denied this for its obvious political fallout and the presence of the former President during Ban's current visit would have very much helped clear the air in this regard.
Be that as it may, what is the status of Rajapaksa to address an International Conference of Asian Political Parties conference in Malaysia when he has no political party to represent, being virtually estranged from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (the JO is not a political party but a group of Rajapaksa associates) despite maintaining a pretense of being a true blue party man. Hence it is crystal clear that the visit is just a facade for MR to engage in government bashing before a Lankan audience. It is obvious that the former President this time too is planning to attack the government before a large gathering of Sri Lankans mobilised beforehand in a foreign country. The crowds naturally would be receptive to Rajapaksa, the majority of whom are largely employed in menial jobs and is less intelligent to grasp the real motive behind MR's visit.
Rajapaksa is next planning to visit Italy, still a haven for Sri Lankan job seekers, most of whom travel to that country through the perilous sea routs arranged by human smugglers. No doubt the former President will use the visit once again to lambaste and castigate the government like he has done so far in the countries where Sri Lankan workers are found in large numbers. It is as if Rajapaksa is engaged in election campaigning in these countries in anticipation of the government sometime soon granting voting rights to the expat Sri Lankan population. It is also noteworthy that MR is carrying out these political stunts in the countries where there is political freedom and democratic governance. It is interesting to see if he will take forward this campaign to countries such as the Middle East which has an overwhelming Sri Lankan workforce and to countries such a Australia with a huge Lankan population but more enlightened and intelligent and cannot be duped by political rhetoric.
Be that as it may, what is the stand adopted by the government to counter this frontal assault on it by a former President of the country on the soil of friendly countries of Sri Lanka. It ought to take up this matter at diplomatic level. This is because these outbursts, though made in Sinhala, are beamed across the world and is bound to impact on the country's image and that of the government. Investigations should also be conducted to ascertain if this was a deliberate attempt to discourage investors into the country at a time the government has lined up many projects that require foreign investment. Could it ever be conceived of a scenario of a Sonia Gandhi being allowed to erect a stage in Colombo and attack Prime Minister Modi. Sri Lanka's envoys should be told to be alert to situations where defeated politicians, when abroad, are allowed free rein to attack Sri Lankan government leaders.
For his part, Mahinda Rajapaksa who was President of Sri Lanka twice over should know better than to discredit the holder of the office he once held, in foreign lands. In any event he cannot now aspire to be President or Prime Minister, for that matter, ever again. Besides Rajapaksa never misses an opportunity to display his love for the country and patriotism before the locals. This however does not accord with his conduct of bad mouthing the country's present leaders before Lankans during his foreign trips and by extension placing the country in poor light. It is also conduct unbecoming of a one time leader of the country.
Ideally Rajapaksa should have retired into the sunset after his electoral defeat and carried himself with the dignity as befitting a leader under whose watch the country was rid of the scourge of terrorism.
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