Liberation of the Nation

 

Mahinda Rajapaksa was not given a chance by the community of so-called humanitarian activists.  He was called ‘hawk’ the day he took oaths as President.  He was called ‘war-monger’, accused of pandering to racists, chauvinists and extremists.  His approach to dealing with the LTTE would see Colombo being reduced to rubble, people were told.  He delivered a nation free of terrorism, free of suicide attacks, a nation where citizen could be citizen and not a cowering apology for one, haunted by the shadow of terrorism.

Mahinda Rajapaksa didn’t argue with such people. He did what he had to do. He fulfilled a pledge to the nation and accomplished the tasks that came with office, ensuring the security of the nation.  He gave the political and logistical leadership to the effort that no one believed would end in delivering peace to a war-weary nation.  To do this he had to contend with enemies within and without; those who did everything to scuttle the humanitarian mission to liberate the North and East and various forces outside the country with the same intention, either out of ignorance or because they were partial to the LTTE or in the pay of that organization.  He came through for the nation.

Today, the citizens are a relaxed lot, not jittery or jumpy, not suspicious of each other, not forced to exercise 100% vigilance.  There are no suicide attacks. No bomb explosions in buses, trains, crowded places, supermarkets etc.  The parents and loved ones of the troops are smiling.  Those who were once held hostage by the LTTE now have reason to hope, they have a future to look forward to. 

And ‘liberation’ was not just about freeing a trapped people and securing control over a territory once held by terrorists. It was and is about resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction, about creating conditions for a recovery that does justice to all the lives sacrificed to rid the nation of the terrorist threat.  It is about clearing landmines, building roads, schools, providing power, and creating conditions for the recovery of livelihoods.  A return to familiar places, to village, home and family.  Mahinda Rajapaksa delivered.