Grunting About The Disgruntled Tamil Diaspora: A Response To Sharmini Serasinghe
Wasantha Karannagoda
A Response to Sharmini Serasinghe’s – “Is Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda To Be The Sacrificial Lamb At The Altar Of The 40th UNHCR Sessions?” published in Colombo Telegraph – March 4, 2019 ; Daily FT– March 6, 2019.
“..When the swallows come back to Capistrano
that’s the day you promised to come back to me.
When you whispered farewell in Capistrano
Twas the day the swallows flew out to the sea…” ~ Leon Rene, Songwriter
that’s the day you promised to come back to me.
When you whispered farewell in Capistrano
Twas the day the swallows flew out to the sea…” ~ Leon Rene, Songwriter
According to legend, on March 19th each year, St. Joseph’s Day, swallows migrate some six thousand miles from Argentina to San Juan Capistrano in Southern California and people from all over the world come to see this returning of the swallows, a tradition celebrated from the early 1900’s.
Like the returning swallows of San Juan Capistrano, this March we have a gathering of columnists and commentators, analysts and academics, bloggers and blowhards, politicians and pontificators, newscasters and nitwits, lawyers and law abiding citizens, all coming out of the woodwork to express their two cents worth when the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHRC) convenes annual sessions to discuss, debate, pass resolutions on matters concerning human rights issues around the globe. Coincidentally, around the time the swallows arrive in San Juan Capistrano, a report on Sri Lanka is expected to be submitted to the UNHRC. The report is titled: Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Unlike the swallows of San Juan Capistrano who after a long and arduous flight from the southern hemisphere come to peacefully nest in San Juan Capistrano the human gathering around UNHRC annual sessions seem to display some signs of restless nervousness and agitation.
Granted, these are well meaning people with wide and varied opinions. We have seen them all on the local airwaves, newspaper columns, on social media platforms etc. Notably, they have expressed their opinions in these columns as well – strong opinions about democracy, freedom of expression, good governance, individual freedoms, civil rights etc.
Sharmini Serasinghe stands out among all those who have gathered to voice their opinion on the UNHRC sessions currently in progress in Geneva, having gathered notoriety standing up to the Rajapaksa’s, openly defying them, challenging them and even going as far to say if anything untoward should befall her, Rajapaksa’s should be the cause of it. She stood on a platform at a mass rally under the banner, ‘Voice of Justice’ to protest the October 2018 action taken by President Sirisena. She thumped her chest and let out a battle cry asking the masses to follow her towards the President’s office and demand his ouster – if he had any sense of self respect. If you were like me in the front rows of that rally, you would have seen the fire in her eyes and felt hot breath out of here nostrils – an absolute replica of Hindu Goddess Kali, the destroyer of evil forces! Goddess Kali is believed to be the divine protector and one who will liberate you from all bonds of this earthly misery and deliver you to the heavens.
Serasinghe screamed her head off reminding us that only spineless toads (kondha naethi gembo) would elect drug-lords, rapists and child-molesters as their representatives and legislators. Her words were powerful, inspiring and a call to action. Those of us who watched her fiery delivery, were so pumped up we were ready to take to the streets and join the protest and risk it all. She said “api yamu” (let’s go) and nothing was there to hold us back!
