‘People Living In Stone Houses Should Not Throw Glasses’
By Charitha Ratwatte -December 3, 2013
Charitha Ratwatte
Loka saama nayikawa, apey mara doothikawa (Leader of world peace/our devilish messenger)
The sub title appeared on the wall of the Colombo University in 1976 shortly after the Non-Aligned Summit was held in Colombo, at which Sri Lanka’s Prime Minster was elected Head of the Non Aligned Movement.
In the 1977 election, the government was routed and the Prime Minister deprived of civic rights. The current Chairman of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, allegedly in responding to British Prime Minister Cameron’s call for an international inquiry into war crimes, if Sri Lanka does not hold a credible inquiry before March 2104, commented: “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”
Apparently, a reference to the Lord Chilcot inquiry in Britain, set up with a mild remit by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on lessons to be drawn from the Iraq war and the fact that there are allegations that the US State Department and London’s Whitehall are conniving to keep certain vital documents relating to discussions between President Bush and Prime Minister Blair, on the decision to wage war, away from the inquiry.
CHOGM show
It is interesting that, as a wag pointed out, a certain boutique tourist guest house in the hills, is said to have a notice to stop guests throwing glasses at the stone walls; the wag wondered aloud whether this would have been applicable to recent dinner receptions in Colombo, with the corollary that ‘even if the glass contained Pimms Number One, Johnny Walker Blue Label or even Chivas Regal!’
Probably a reference to the ‘blue-blooded royalty’ that were trotted out by the ex-colonials to get the show going.
It is said that the Colombo CHOGM was attended by only 27 Heads of Government, out of a possible 53, the lowest such attendance in a long time. The stay-aways had many reasons, ranging from a plain and simple boycott, to national political compulsions, to the need to wriggle out of a commitment to host the next CHOGM, it is reported.
