They Are All The B….y Same!
By Emil van der Poorten -September 8, 2013 |
Emil van der Poorten
Particularly with the visit of Navi Pillay which might well have occurred before this sees print (or the web equivalent), it seems like every columnist and his or her aunt and uncle have brought out their crystal balls or miniature wishing wells for that momentous occasion.
Suffice it to say that it isn’t that important that this submission sees the light of day while that discussion resides in the “matter of burning interest” category. In response to the obvious question of, “Why so?” let me say that, given past history, the visit is not going to mean a great deal in the larger scheme of things and may end up being yet another (boring) chapter in any effort to introduce even a smidgen of decency into the conduct of Sri Lanka’s affairs. You will note that I have not so much as made reference to matters of accountability, democratic practice etc. etc. The reason for that is very simple, we appear to have passed that “best before” date on those issues and it will take more than a Herculean effort to inject some freshness into them at short notice.
This is no reflection on the Louise Arbours and Navi Pillays of this world (and the UN agencies that they represent or represented, as the case may be). Both of these giants of modern human rights practice did more than most men and women, put together, have done in recent times in that field but there is a limit to what even human genius can achieve in the face of a “do-nothing” set of international powers.
China and Russia, for the very simple reason that they do not want anything resembling human rights established on the world’s stage because they are against that very concept, will torpedo every effort by the Pillays and Arbours of this world. The hypocritical brigade led by the Brits, the Yanks, the French and Germans will continue their leadership role in what I have previously described as the “Tut-tut brigades,” strutting the world stage while uttering inane platitudes. There is some hope from among the economic second tier of democracies, but nothing to write home about!Read More
