Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, The Terrorist The Traitor
Muhammed Fazl
While the Oxford dictionary defines the word ‘terrorism’ as “the unofficial or unauthorized use of violence & intimidation in the pursuit of political aims”and the word ‘terrorist’ as “a person who uses terrorism in the pursuit of political aims”, the Merriam-Webster dictionary gives a full definition to the word ‘traitor’ as the “one who betrays another’s trust or is false to an obligation or duty”.
The ignorant reader may wonder the relevance of my English lesson to Mr.Gotabaya Rajapaksa, but as a result of definitions above and the characteristics of our Secretary to the Ministry of Defence being so deeply intertwined, needless to say, life in modern day Sri Lanka has become more or less akin to that of Gestapo/Stasi Germany half a century ago. To be fair to the present regime, it should be mentioned that the state-sponsored fear psychosis has been in existence even during the tenure of Mr. Ranasinghe Premadasa’s presidency.
Unlike in the past and since the mid nineties, when only empty rhetorical speeches were made by opposition parties in their resistance against the violent subjugation of masses and the plunder of economies, it would be insensate on the part of Mr. Gotabhaya and his gang of brothers should they trivialize the threat of a resurgent opposition alliance, led by the ‘never-say-die’ Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe. In this context and considering the ‘blood ties’ factor, the need to examine the nexus between the Mahinda Rajapaksa government and the law enforcement machinery headed by Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa becomes exigent.Read More