CHOGM: A Meeting Of Genocidal Criminals, Terrorists, And Torturers
Ajit Rupasinghe
Statement by the Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist):
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in Sri Lanka recently, between the 15th and 17th of November 2013. This is at a time when the Sri Lankan State and the current Rajapaske Regime is being held accountable for ‘alleged’ war crimes and atrocities during the final phase of the civil war by the UNHRC in Geneva, led by the US and its coalition of partners. The US as the number one terrorist, genocidal State in the world and in history, which stands accused of the most horrendous and barbaric war crimes, and its equally complicit coalition, is holding one of its trusted junior neo-colonial partners accountable for war crimes. This has to do with consolidating effective control over the lifelines and the politics of Sri Lanka in the context of intensifying inter-imperialist rivalry to maintain and expand strategic superiority in the Asia Pacific/ Indian Ocean Region between the US and China. It shows up the murdering hypocrisy of the imperialist system, including that of the United Nations.
To be expected, the Commonwealth, a crowning world body of former genocidal colonial predator states, along with their bloodied neo-colonial enforcers, has conferred its blessings and approval on one of the most trusted and ruthless neo-colonial terrorist executors of world imperialism- the Mahinda Rajapakse Regime. The Commonwealth has conferred chairmanship to an ‘alleged’ war criminal being held accountable by the UN. The Regime seized upon the chance to ingratiate and legitimate itself with this club of colonial-imperialist criminals in order to save its neck from the Geneva stranglehold. It was indeed pathetic and comic to see H.E. the President beaming with supreme pride as he showered his supine and servile graces upon Prince Charles, who had represented the Queen of Britain- one last archaic symbolic vestige of colonial barbarism, genocidal conquest and plunder. This is the Executive President who is claimed to be the reincarnation of a legendary line of Sinhala warrior- conqueror kings. The one who had authorized and orchestrated the military decimation of the Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam (LTTE) and ‘liberated the Motherland’. This is the President who stands up as the guardian of the Sinhala-Buddhist Nation, the living embodiment of militant patriotism, fighting to defend the Land, Religion and Language of the ‘chosen people’, against any and all foreign powers. The charade, the hypocrisy, the sheer ideological jugglery and political bankruptcy, the abject colonial servility was drowned out by the sustained din of official patriotism, jingoism and self-glorification, designed to stupefy and entrance the masses into fervent submission to the Regime. It was just one sick show of abject servility and capitulation to colonial-imperialist and regional hegemonic powers who are busily dividing up, slicing and devouring the country in order to advance their geo-political strategic interests in the Region, with the Regime living off the fat spoils of imperialist exploitation, profit and plunder. Read More
Patriotism And Nationalism Are Not The Same
R.M.B. Senanayake
The authorities have issued a statement pointing out that the actions of individuals and civic organizations in our country will be judged by whether they are patriotic or loyal to the country. But there are other more fundamental values like truth and justice which rank above patriotism. When an individual is faced with a situation where one value is in conflict with another the individual’s duty is to uphold truth and justice. This is the preaching of religions.
Moreover patriotism or loyalty to the nation or the country tends to be equated to loyalty to the ruler. Hitler proclaimed that the German nation was in peril from a world conspiracy for domination by the Jews. He decided that in the interest of the fatherland the Jews should be eliminated from the German Empire which he was establishing through war. So he killed 6 million Jews which came to be called the ‘holocaust’. After this exercise in mass murder Hitler equated patriotism to loyalty to the Fuehrer. It was too late for those Germans who stood for truth, justice, freedom and genuine patriotism. So Bishop Bonheoffer was implicated in the conspiracy to kill him which some Germans had planned. Bishop Bonheoffer was executed.
A sense of identity, patriotism, or whatever we choose to call it, can in fact be a progressive and generous force. We are more likely to share things with each other, where we feel a sense of shared identity. Yes but we cannot equate it to Sinhala Buddhist identity or nationalism. It must be inclusive of the Tamils, Muslims and Christians as well. The President no doubt has his love for the people, particularly the Sinhalese Buddhists. He has spelt out his love for the Sinhala Buddhist cultural and social traditions and proclaimed reasons to be proud of being a Sinhala Buddhist. But other people too are proud of their traditions, religion and culture and space must be provided for them to do so. Read More
