The Decline and Fall of "Colonel"Karuna
Karuna Amman is a politician who had the potential to be a phoenix but got all his fortune ruined as a result of a wayward lifestyle.
pic courtesy: dailymirror.lk
Today the ex- LTTE Commander of the East is chickening out of the election race and insists he should be nominated from the national list.
Not stopping at that the Kiran born had prevented his sister also from applying for nominations from Batticaloa as a mark of protest against the UPFA refusal to book him a national list slot.
In short the SLFP joint Vice President is attempting to call the shots for the SLFP leadership.
It is very unlikely that anybody will entertain his demands right now and what one hears is that he had got a dressing down from the SLFP hierarchy for this stubbornness.
Karuna, for the government, is a spent force. The dispute over nominations heralds the beginning of the end of perks and privileges he enjoyed under the Rajapaksa regime despite his betrayal of it with the London police.
And it is nobody but Karuna who should be blamed for his fate today.
While the much less exposed and informed Pillayan remained loyal to his Eastern roots Karuna forgot his community the moment he got used to urban life and got carried away with an extravagant lifestyle thereby digging his own grave.
Had he remained loyal to his people and got involved in the development work in the area, the need to runaway from polls would not have arisen.
Instead he went ahead with his excesses, including promiscuous ways, while the people in the East were working hard to put together the pieces of life after war.
With his callousness to the stock of his community Karuna proved in many ways that he does not deserve the mandate of the Tamil people whose rights he championed while he was with the LTTE.
Today he stands as the most loathed character among Eastern Tamils and most probably he too knows about this fact.
Within the government ranks the post-war value of Karuna Amman has started hitting the rock bottom since he hardly has a role to play in a post-LTTE era.
Plus the lifestyle of Karuna especially his escapades at nightclubs had brought enough humiliation to the government.
The government is also alive to the fact that there are difficulties in wooing the Eastern Tamil vote as long as it harbours Karuna.
It is most likely that the move to offer him nominations from the Batticaloa list came with the agenda of providing the former LTTE commander an honourable exit in politics.
It is after all too obvious that there’s no way of Karuna mustering enough votes among the Batticaloa people to win a seat in parliament.
He saw through the design and dodged it.
However if the UPFA is adamant in showing him the door the orders will come the sooner or later.
(This is the text of the "Daily Mirror"editorial of February 23rd 2010)
17 Comments
Who knows the real reasons behind Karuna breaking from the LTTE in 2004 but his lifestyle since the breakaway provides some hints to why it happened. Hopefully he will disapear from Tamil politics for good. Like Douglas D, once he became a slave/puppet to his Sinhala chauvanist and nationalist masters, he had little to offer the Tamil people. Good riddance!
Rajapaksa is a guy who never forgets his friends.Karuna is a real friend of not only Rajapaksa nut a friend of all Srilankans who wanted a terror free society.
Although Karuna survived the ruthless LTTE murder squads. he paid dearly with the life of his brother and his close aides and mates.In addition Ranil personally handed over on a plate the lives of eighteen odd patriotic and brave sleuths to appease the the anger of his mate Prabakaran.
Rajapaksa will ensure the safety and well being of Karuna and engage him to continue the fantastic work he is doing for the betterment of his people.
This is shocking news. Karuna is the undisputed leader of eastern province tamils. Every human being has weaknessess. karuna saved the eastern population from terrorist threat long before the current government.
If Karuna is not in parliament, he has no choice but to take up arms for his own protection.
Bye, bye Karuna. Thank you for nothing!
You want to be a representative for the Tamil people? Go ahead and enjoy your life with a lot of women and night clubs. The only problem is that without a minister post you would not have the money for that.
Once again, bye, bye.
The Sinhala project identified Karuna while he was in the LTTE as a candidate who is vulnerable and could be manipulated and targeted this uneducated child soldier by corrupting him.
A close operative of the President even took him to Colombo night spots in Kolpitty and offered him young Russians while Karuna was in the LTTE. Bangkok was where the initial bait was offered.
The Sinhala project worked on him, used him and screwed him........all planned and executed with Machiavellian manipulation.
On 8th December 2006 I wrote in the Daily news "peace talks remain the only tool available to the LTTE to stop the Army from reaching Kilinochchi."
No one believed me.
Rajapakse has shown his true colours in relation to Karuana too. Karuna is not the only one who "enjoys life" A lot of politicians do. Because they are from the "Previledged community", it is tolerated. As far as Rajapakse is concerned, Karuna's role is over and he will be thrown like a sucked orange!!
The Tamil people are aware of the dirty works Karuna has done for Rajapakse, hence he cannot live a normal life in the East without the protection of the army. After all the affected people are their kith and kin.
This is the first time MR government is doing the right thing, hope more good news to follow in 2010!
Karuna is a Traitor, he will do the same thing what he did to VP if he gets an opportunity. Why live with a devil when there is a temple close by?
GROBR, THIS PARIAH HAS BLOOD ON HIS HANDS, HE SHOULD BE TRIED IN THE CRIMINAL COURT FOR BEING INVOLVED IN THE MURDER OF SO MANY ARMED FORCES IN THE EAST WHEN HE WAS WITH THE LTTE.MAY BE HIS SAVIOR GOTHABAYA WILL ISSUE HIM WITH ANOTHER VISA TO A THIRD COUNTRY.
Karuna is a classic example of what will happen if a leader forgets his cause, move away from his people and indulge in treachery & double life.
Your betrayed the Tamils for your glory, power and good night life. You destroyed what we were fighting hard in the last 30 years to live a free life with honor and dignity. You are the cause for killing tens of thousands of innocent Tamils in the North and East. You helped the unscrupulous government of Mahinda to subdue the Tamil community. There is a saying what goes around comes around. You will have your miserable end soon. Its sad nobody is going to cry for you.
I can understand your wishful thinking about karuna.You hate karuna,just like any other tigers.
It's really very sad.Person like your caliber too have some soft corner for tigers.
Karuna's contribution is greater than your pen service.
If you have some basic decency,please publish this comment. I hope you will not behave like a coved.
The government used him and has now discarded him. This was much expected and I am not surprised.
Checkmate, Karuna.
Your choice my dear Sir, is what the Gods offered Achilles. Death with immortality, as a man behind the distruction of the fascist LTTE or a life of in-consequence.
You may choose your poison.
Everyone else please note that the Sinhala project is alive and kicking.
Karuna gave up his terrorist ways for the benefit of the whole nation at the expense of his popularity among some Tamils. It was this that enabled the destruction of the terror leadership that much easier. His contribution should not be so easily forgotten by the masses or the politicians.
Is it not obvious? I accuse Ranil for for showing him the mundane taste of life of which MR made the best use of! In politics there is nothing wrong in it. Karuna is actually an offspring of one Diamond Silva from what I have heard. Be that as it may. He has exhausted his usefulness to MR & Co., and he has to look after himself. I am thankful to Karuna who was instrumental in bringing down the anarchy of Prabha,his former commander. But he should have thought of his future and should have followed a path to lead the east rather than the promiscuity to which he was intentionally exposed.
What a traitor deserves -rightly kicked - adage in Tamil arsan inRu koLvaan .thamilarukku seytha aneethikku theivam nindru kollum
Anti Karuna pro LTTers and their supporters must be absolutely devastated to hear that Karuna is going to parliament again to look after his people in the East.
After rescuing them and their children from the Terrorists, now Karuna can focus on their economic liberation under the peaceful and promising environment.
I alaways said that Rajapaksa never let down genuine friends.