LEARN FROM HISTORY: End This Racial Tension

There is a saying that ‘Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it”


It could very well be a good lesson for our current crop of politicians who want to live for the present and the future only, with all sorts of personal benefits at the expense of the common man.

An interesting anecdote comes to mind when we talk of the “achievements” of politicians:

“A doctor, an architect and a politician were arguing over the oldest profession in the world.

The doctor said it was his job because Eve was created from Adam's rib, a surgical procedure.

The architect said it was his job because before that there was chaos and the world was made from this chaos with an architect.

Then the politician said "And who do you think caused all this chaos?"

Likewise, who created the ethnic tensions and language issues : the answer is very simple, greedy politicians who wanted to grab power by whatever means with magical solutions such as “Sinhala Only – in 24 hours”. It is rather unfortunate that even foreign educated men from good families resorted to this sort of cheap ruses to grab power. From then onwards, it had been a very rough ride for the country which is still struggling to get out of the mess. Even though we were triumphant in war, we have miserably failed to usher in peace to the country.
As if to add insult to injury, we now have a thoroughly racist and fanatic organization called Bodu Bala Sena, styled along the lines of India’s Shiv Sena which had created a lot of trouble for those who are not followers of Hinduism.

If these fanatics are allowed to proceed with their agenda of subjugating everyone who are not Sinhala Buddhists, without doubt, the country will once again be plunged into another unwinnable war.

And, the politicians would thrive on the resultant chaos.

“From fanaticism to barbarism is only one step” – Denis Diderot

SOUR GRAPES

When the Central Bank made the announcement that they have dropped plans to obtain further financial assistance from the IMF, there were many who refused to take matters at face value as there had been many discussions at the behest of the Treasury to obtain budget support from the IMF due to dire economic situation in the country which is not a secret any more. So, then it dawned on everybody that the proverbial fox is at play again with his sour grape theory.


One is also amused at the thought of IMF refusing further assistance when one recalls that some time ago one vociferous, influential Minister who jumped to the government side from the “revolutionary Marxist party, JVP” who advocated “unplugging” from the IMF and the World Bank if Sri Lanka is to prosper! This very same Minister, whose antecedents and educational qualifications are no secret, also advocated severing all relationships with the USA – including patronizing fast food outlets, Google search engines and emails etc. – although it is suspected that his family members are very fond of American fast food. Such is the stupid mentality of these politicians.

We have also had the humorous situation where when the EU withdrew GSP facility, our highly educated Rhodes Scholar, Foreign Minister Pieris announced to the country that he will take legal action against the EU – but nothing was heard thereafter. Most probably, because he felt that he had been taken for a ride by the less-educated socialist elements of the government. The end result, as we all are well aware, is the closure of many garment factories thus throwing thousands on to the streets. What a price to pay for stupid arrogance?

We have just heard that the government has decided to hand over the Norochcholai power plant to the Chinese company who lent us the money, due to the its inability to repay the loan. Sadly, this represents the shape of misfortunes which will hit the country in the not too distant future due to arrogance and mismanagement of the current set of rulers who seem to be blinded by a false sense of comfort blinded by unbridled power and a brand of fake patriotism.

Today, it may be sour grapes but tomorrow it would be a case of going Bananas.

DIPLO-MUTTS

They say that a Diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip. Without doubt, none of our current crop of Diplo-mutts qualify in this context.


Gone are the days when Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) was really recognized and respected for the calibre of our crop of greatl Diplomats like Dr. Gamani Corea, who headed the UNCTAD (they say that one wag from Korea once asked where this Corea is!); Dr. Neville Canekaratne ; Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala etc. who headed various UN bodies and shone in their fields.

With the gradual politicization of this field, where career diplomats were confined to the Foreign Office desks, a crop of political affiliates took over and diplomatic postings for plum destinations became political rewards for services rendered to the ruling government. Due to this policy, we have ex-IGPs, ex-Election Commissioners, ex-Judges, ex-Army men etc. sitting as diplo-mutts in various world capitals, thus providing inducements to the current public servants too to toe the line of the government if they too want to end up having a cosy life as a diplo-mutt in some world capital, with all the benefits which come with such a posting. We have also seen offsprings and siblings of senior public servants such as judges, etc. being posted to these embassies in various capacities – again to buy their loyalties in executing the demands of the ruling government.

So, it is no wonder that our foreign service has come a real cropper with the country facing stinging indictments from world bodies for many violations and strictures being issued against the country which ultimately affect its citizens.

It is both funny and tragic that the Rajapakse Brothers’ government has to utilize “diplo-mutt suicide bombers” and 8th grade pass drummer-boys such as Wimal Weerawansa to advise the President on foreign policy issues. He had also become the butt of jokes of many foreign embassies here and even at the United Nations for the infamous “farce unto death” he performed opposite the UN Office in Colombo some time back. It is rather tragic that this government cannot even understand that a country cannot conduct its foreign affairs in such a haphazard manner like street-corner circuses using monkeys to entertain the bystanders.

“Diplomacy is more than saying or doing the right things at the right time; it is avoiding saying or doing the wrong things at any time” – Bo Bennett

INDEPENDENCE DAY

On the day Sri Lanka celebrated its 65th anniversary of Independence, all that we are reminded of is the loss of liberties of the people in the country. On the economic front, the people are struggling to provide a decent meal to their families. On the political front, the people are victims of a system in which they are powerless to influence. On the legal front, they are without any protection of the law.


Freedom of speech, which is a sine qua non to sustain an independent nation, is today considered to be the privilege of so called patriots. We have seen many instances of those who tried to exercise their right to freedom of speech having paid a heavy price for it – some with their lives and others having to go into voluntary exile – or simply go missing without a trace.

Meanwhile, those who rule us engage in endless rhetoric of the “motherland” and the virtue of patriotism. What this means is there must be voluntary silencing of oneself about what whatever evil one sees happening around the country. It was William Randolph Hearst who once said “ a politician will do anything to keep his job – even become a patriot”

Even under colonial times, the citizens enjoyed the right to a legal remedy against wrongs. But, today, no one can reasonably expect redress for the wrongs he or she suffers.

Besides the security apparatus, which has become essential for the survival of the current system of government, there is the propaganda apparatus, i.e. the state media which has been given an open licence to operate outside the law, without any kind of ethical behavior or morality. Again, the law and the courts can do nothing to regulate or to control the operation of the government machinery obviously for fear of repercussions and strong-arm tactics of the Executive.

What is required at this juncture is a firm will to demand the kind of political system that matches the aspirations of the people as a whole and the rejection of a system that exists only for the benefit of a handful of people. Whether that can be achieved in this lifetime of the current generation, remains a big question mark and a distant dream.



“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government : Edward Abbey.