How time changes everything especially the history of rulers! The real legacy comes after and cannot be manipulated

There have been rulers who change the scripted history during their rule to what they want it to be, and are so foolish not to realize that once they have passed on, it is more than likely that change is made to reflect the truth.

In recent memory, the previous Iranian President was one who preached that the Holocaust never happened, only to be called misled by the current President.

In a similar fashion once this President’s rule in Sri Lanka finally ends, Sarath Fonseka will get his rightful place in what he did, and in a sense will be glad not to be associated with the President, who precipitated a break-up of Sri Lanka by defeating the Tigers without a just peace to put a lid on. Instead may end up as a traitor who paved the way for a breakup by his openly hostile attitude to minority rights, by claiming there are NO minorities in Sri Lanka!!

We are seeing alarming indications of his divisive policies toeing a Sinhala Buddhist line, that belittles the Tamil need to assert their rights. Many countries have different communities who live in harmony in a unified state, and Sri Lanka instead of learning from them are letting the extremism of a small ultra orthodoxy dictate a racist agenda, that is now clearly seen to polarize the country. A small match from either side is enough to give rise to a “Black July” and it is simply regretful that with all the power vested in this Administration, something no govt. before and I doubt hence will have, has been clearly unable to prevent a recurrence of communal disharmony. The size of the security forces will not matter!

One only has to see how different the Premadasa Administration was in its flawed policies. The Gam Udawas now don’t even exist and have been lost to the jungle from whence it came. The 80,000 flowers of our youth who perished with the idea of defeating the JVP, merely plucked out some of the most brilliant minds of a generation never to rise to their true potential, and the flawed policy of giving arms and funds to the LTTE to chase out the Indian Army, a wholly regressive step that further delayed the ultimate defeat of LTTE terrorism.

The unkind truth however is that we who forecast that truth will finally be the victor, from a very flawed administration, that has dazzled the people with monuments, but may not be around to witness the rewrite having passed on!! It is up to the good Historian NOT to be influenced by individual bias, but be objective in viewing the might have beens, to explain to those who come after us what it was really like in that period, and how easy it was to sway public opinion.