Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe; A Hero Or Traitor?

By Lankamithra –AUGUST 25, 2017

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others, at whatever cost.” ~Arthur Ashe 

Just in two short weeks the Yahapalanaya claimed its second victim. One may never know whether the political initiators of the Yahapalanaya movement would be happy about this outcome. There are advantages as well as disadvantages in a political process that entails the ouster of two leading members of the Cabinet of Ministers, a forced resignation in one case and a complicated firing of the other. The man who resigned, or forced to resign, Ravi Karunanayake, did so in consonance with the traditions of a parliamentary democracy while the one who was fired came out swinging against those who fired him.

Whatever opinions or verdicts politicians of the involved parties may present, we should be able pass judgment and ascertain the plusses and minuses that would eventually accrue to the government. More than Maithripala Sirisena, the President, it was Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Prime Minister who was intricately enmeshed in both cases. Ranil is not only the Prime Minister of the country; he is also the leader of the United National Party (UNP). Both Ravi Karunanayake and Wijeyadasa Rajapaksheare among the leaders of the UNP.  Ravi Karunanayake’s resignation and the issues related to his ouster have already been extensively discussed and written about in the media. But Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s ouster is different in that the firing occurred after a wide discussion had taken place in the highest decision-making body of the UNP. The Working Committee of the UNP decided, almost in unanimity, that Wijeyadasa should be removed from the Cabinet. The grounds were his criticism of the government’s decision regarding the Hambantota Project which is a breach of collective responsibility of the Cabinet, along with undue delays related to the numerous probes and investigations into the former regime’s bigwigs’ corrupt practices. While the accusations and allegations against Ravi K were of the nature of financial corruption, Wijeyadasa R had even more telling issues associated with his conduct as Minister of Justice. And those allegations were even more significant as far as the UNP members were concerned. Allegations about the lackadaisical fashion in which the probes into the Rajapaksas, the former First Family consisting of Mahinda, Shiranthi and Namal and Basil and Gotabaya etc. and their cohorts feature very prominently in the minds of the ordinary members of the UNP, leave alone its leaders in the present government. The allegation about Wijeyadasa R’s involvement with the notorious Rakna Lanka Company and its obscenely corrupt dealings dating back to the former regime and its Secretary of Defense cannot be swept under the carpet.

Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe had somewhat a fairly unimpeachable reputation about his financial integrity. Enter Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, it all changed. The veneer of purity was removed. The man who was once the Chairman of Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), a man who crossed over from the Rajapaksa’s grip to the Opposition and then joined the UNP is now standing accused of safeguarding that very regime and on top of that the revelation by Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka about his unholy alliance with the Head of Rakna Lanka have now tarnished his name and reputation. It certainly is no allegation one can ignore. A picture is worth a thousand words- that is an old saying many an editor of a newspaper would throw at his trainee journalists. It could not have been truer; especially when Wijedasa Rajapaksa’s unholy alliance was exposed a few months ago Wijedasa looked almost naked and guilty of untold misdeeds. He simply cannot afford to throw stones at others, for his habitat is utterly vulnerable, more vulnerable than a house of glass.   

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