Reacting to the recent interview given to Singapore’s The Strait Times and published last Thursday, General (retired) Sarath Fonseka’s media unit has hit out at the President in an ‘open letter’.

 

 

In the ‘open letter’ to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the General’s media unit states, “(The) Statements full of fury and shortsightedness. You called Sarath Fonseka a fool, you said you won’t pardon him and you said he warned you on India.

 

 

Firstly Sir, if your most celebrated General is a fool, what does that make his commander in chief, namely you?”

 

 

In the interview to The Strait Times, President Rajapaksa had also spelled out his economic ambitions for post-war Sri Lanka and had said that it would take time to eliminate the vestiges of the Tamil Tiger rebellion.

 

 

Referring to Gen. Fonseka’s entry into politics, the Sri Lankan President had stated, “He is a fool. On 16th November he was sitting right here and I asked him if he was interested in contesting and he said, ‘No, sir... I haven’t made up my mind.’ Even on the day of his last visit he didn’t tell me.”

 

 

The text of the ‘open letter is reproduced below:

 

 

An open letter to the President.

 

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

We saw your statements in Singapore last week.

 

Statements full of fury and shortsightedness.

 

You called Sarath Fonseka a fool, you said you won’t pardon him and you said he warned you on India.

 

 

Firstly Sir, if your most celebrated General is a fool, what does that make his commander in chief, namely you?

 

 

If in fact, as you and your brother mentioned during the war, that SF was the only one capable of the strategic and tactical knowledge to outsmart the LTTE, which in fact was accomplished, you cannot expect us to believe that you were all dependent on this so called ‘fool’ - who actually ended the war.

 

 

Secondly Sir, to pardon, there must first be a charge and your bungling tribunals and partisan judges, with all the wealth of the nation and the military capabilities to fully torture, scare and bribe the citizens still haven’t come up with anything even remotely worth considering.

 

 

Third, why Sir, would you go and divulge our nation’s intelligence secrets in foreign states? True, Sri Lanka and Indiahave a rocky relationship, have had for centuries. So, why would you as the head of this country, go on international media to divulge our relations with neighbouring nations?

 

 

Sir, Sarath Fonseka is no fool, neither are we.

 

 

However, your desperation is becoming a threat to our nation as we don’t know what else you are willing to divulge to other nations in your relentless quest to silence your opposition.

 

 

Large scale blunders on an international level don’t go away that easily.

 

 

 

Sarath Fonseka Media Unit,

 

3/1, Rajakeeya Mawatha, Colombo 7.