Sob, sob, sob …
Editorial-September 11, 2013
The UN does not seem to give the Sri Lankan government a break. Close on the heels of UNHRC Chief Navi Pillay’s trenchant remarks which left many a ruling party politician fit to be tied the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network has dropped another bombshell. Sri Lanka finds itself in the exalted company of Sudan, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Mali, Haiti etc close to the bottom of the list of countries in the World Happiness Report (WHR) 2013.
We first thought those who prepared the WHR had gone by the third rate, hokey soap operas on local TV, where artistes do nothing but cry, weep, mourn and sob between 7.00 pm and 10.00 pm 24/7. But, the compilers of the report have, in gauging happiness, used criteria such as life expectancy, social support, GDP, perception of corruption and the freedom to make life choices.
The Opposition, desperate for some political traction, is sure to paint the town red as it has got enough grist for its mill in the run-up to the PC polls. The UN has bolstered its claim that the incumbent government has made life miserable for the ordinary public. We could gratuitously suggest a slogan for the Opposition: ‘Corruption makes Sri Lanka one of the world’s saddest nations!’ Happy?
It is hoped that the government will not try to dismiss the WHR as another UN conspiracy to discredit Sri Lanka and facilitate a regime change. (We don’t think Darusman had a hand in preparing the report!) We hope and pray there won’t be another ‘Lemon Puff-Ginger Beer’ fast opposite the UN Colombo office.
Sri Lanka is below Bangladesh, Nepal and India on the happiness index. We thought it was theMiracle of Asia! How mistaken we have been. Sob, sob, sob …
Another monument problem
No sooner had one monument problem been solved with the erection of the Lakshman Kadirgamar statue in Colombo albeit belatedly than another one cropped up unexpected. Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken up with UN Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay a claim Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has reportedly made that she, at her recent meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, called for the removal of the D. S. Senanayake statue from the Independence Square. A Sunday newspaper quoted the Defence Secretary as having said Pillay had asserted that the late Prime Minister Senanayake represented a particular ethnic community and, therefore, his statue should not be there.
The Defence Secretary would not have made such a statement without proof to back it. There were several others including UN as well as government officials at Pillay’s powwow with the President. They may be able to tell us what really transpired. However, the principle of natural justice demands that Pillay’s side of the story also be heard before conclusions are drawn.
The UNP has done the right thing by writing to Pillay seeking a clarification. It will be interesting to know what she has got to say. The sooner she replies, the better. Will she respect the UNP’s right to information and put the statue issue to rest, if she could. It will be unbecoming of an official of her stature not to reply promptly. Statuesque grace should be a hallmark of every UN dignitary.
In what may be described as a dramatic turn of events, the UNP has accused the government of looking for excuses to remove the DS statue from the Independence Square. What will the government say to this? And if Pillay admits that she wanted the statue relocated, what action will the UNP take against her? Will it stage a protest condemning her and demanding an apology?
