A Soldier & A Learned Man
By Sarath De Alwis –January 13, 2016
Sarath de Alwis
The Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe describes himself as a ‘Maha Pragnnaya’ – a great intellectual. Undoubtedly he is a learned man.
He made a frightening and shocking pronouncement on Saturday 9th January 2016 –the first Anniversary of the Maithri Ranil consensual coalition. Intervening in a live program on Sirasa TV he said that Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka was a mentally retarded – ‘Mandha Budhdhikayek’ b. was corrupt and had amassed a sum of Rupees 887 lakhs in questionable tender deals while being the army commander.
If the former Army Commander was guilty of corruption his elevation to the rank of field marshal has to be revoked. If indeed, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka is mentally retarded reason dictates that those who decided to confer on him that singular honor – President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe should ensure that their cerebral capacity is not as impaired as the Minister of Justice seems to suggest.
The ease, the resolve and the speed with which the Minister of Justice convicts Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka of financial wrong doing by arbitrary fiat and his equally vehement exoneration of former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksea and ‘Avant-garde’ Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi undermines the entire raison d’etre of the Maithripala Presidency and the platform of the so-called consensual coalition.
