Governing Under Siege: Dangers Of Perpetuating Partisanship
By Rajan Hoole –July 25, 2015
Dr. Rajan Hoole
In perpetuating the system through giving unjustified promotions to its own favourites, the PA government was creating more problems for itself than it was solving. By so doing, it made a significant section of the security services secretly hostile to it and biding their time. Some of this came into the open in the weeks between the military setback in November 1999 and the presidential election of 21st December 1999.
This highlighted the dangers to a country without a consensus, no stable principles or stable goals. Politicians who unleash communal violence on the Tamils one day, could wax eloquently as peace makers handing over the Tamils to a fascist group another day, and then again thrash the Tamils in the name of fighting terrorism and uniting the nation. This happened in 1990 and we came close to a repeat in 1999. Where does such opportunism leave the Army and the ordinary soldier?
In a situation where the army leadership had been compromised, the LTTE’s attempt to create instability by using a suicide bomber to assassinate President Chandrika Kumaratunga showed how vulnerable the State was. Kumaratunga survived the assassination attempt on 18.12.99. However half an hour earlier another suicide bomber succeeded in assassinating Major General Lucky Algama, a prospective defence figure in a future UNP government. Despite apparently having reached an understanding with the UNP leadership and lulling them into complacency, the LTTE was not taking chances.Read More