When Sri Lanka is engulfed in an intensive war situation, Chandrika Kumartunga, the former President who ruled this country for 11 years, has stated that her dissolving Ranil Wicremasinghe’s UNP government which stood for peace in 2004 was a great blunder.

In an interview with an English weekly, she says she took this decision under pressure from SLFP and JVP, some of which were avaricious of winning the election.

It is no doubt that the dissolution of Wicremasinghe government strengthened the hard-liners of the south and intensified the military offensive. Chandrika says it was a total mistake to have forged an alliance with the JVP.

Of what use is this confession?

Ranil’s government immediately after it assumed power signed a Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE, commenced peace talks and initiated steps to change the constitution and resolve the ethnic problem through a federal solution with the facilitation of Norway and the international community.

Although the UNP government and Chandrika’s SLFP had the necessary strength in Parliament to change the constitution and accommodate the aspirations of the Tamil people, she dissolved Ranil’s government all of a sudden. How does her regret now belatedly, help the nation?

Committing blunders for party interest and for petty purposes while in power and then regretting once out, is like crying over spilled milk. How can such regrets be justified?

Leaders of a Nation, having executive powers must possess exemplary qualities to run a country without racial, religious or linguistic prejudices and with the welfare of the people at heart.

An English translation of the Editorial in Thinnakkural, a Tamil daily based in Colombo

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