When Govt. gave orders the Service Commanders had to execute them, Ranil tells media

While being interviewed by the Global Tamil Vision (GTV) recently, Mr. Wickremesinghe was responding to a question regarding the candidacy of General (Retired) Sarath Fonseka for presidency and the faith the Tamils had on him as he was the then Army Commander.

United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesingha said that during the Mawilaru incident, once the government took the decision to wage all out war on the LTTE, the Service Commanders had to go out and execute the government order. The government gave the time frame and what should be done. That is how the war developed.

 “But now that he is no longer the Army commander, he can express his own views. So I have asked many tamil leaders in Sri Lanka to go and meet him. And if satisfied, to tell me. Many have said that they are satisfied,” Mr. Wickremesinghe added.

 
On the split in the LTTE, where Karuna its Eastern commander broke away from the outfit, Mr. Wickremesinghe said that he did not have anything to do with it. He said he was being blamed by even the Tamil Tigers for this incident.

“What happened in the LTTE was an internal issue which I had nothing to do with. It is very unfair to put the blame on me,” he said during the interview.

 
Elaborating on the January 26 Presidential poll, Ranil Wickremesinghe said that General Fonseka was nominated to abolish the Executive Presidency.

“This Presidential candidate is to abolish the Executive Presidency. And in April we will have a government with a prime minister with executive Powers. So it is only that person who will do this.

“If we are going to abolish the Executive Presidency we can’t give a manifesto to carry out if he is not the Executive Presidency.”

 
On changes to the constitution, Mr. Wickremesinghe said that the Constitution could be changed only by Parliament and not by the Executive President. The Parliament has to sit down, discuss and do it, Mr. Wickremesinghe added.