An Unfinished Life – My Father Ossie And Vijaya

By Asanga Abeyagoonasekera -February 16, 2013 

Asanga Abeyagoonasekera

The 25th death anniversary of Vijaya Kumaratunga falls on 16^th February. In order to honour this fearless leader, I thought of contributing an appreciation. Vijaya and my father Ossie Abeyagoonasekera were very close friends and I remember him visiting our place almost every day and working together until his death in 1988. My father was always very supportive for his political cause. Even though I was quite young when he died, I remember how people gathered to see him. His personality was such that he managed to bring happiness to everyone, be it through his life as an actor or as a politician. Some who didn’t like his politics loved his movies. Vijaya along with my father and few other members of the party were jailed in 1982 as Naxalite prisoners during J.R. Jayawardena’s period in office. They went through many hardships in their political journey and one could call Vijaya’s was an unfinished life. He was assassinated at a young age of 43.

Vijaya Kumarathunga and Ossie Abeyagoonasekera during their visit to Jaffna in 1986

He was the founder of Sri Lanaka Mahajana Party (SLMP) which used to be the third largest party some years ago. Unfortunately the SLMP almost died down as it lost many members, totally about 117 who were assassinated during the 88 insurrection. Vijaya was the first to be killed.

Vijaya’s courage became evident when he made a journey to Jaffna in 1986 to meet the LTTE leaders such as Kittu and Raheem. My father and Felix Perera accompanied him. The intention of this journey was to engage in a political discussion in order to free Sri Lankan soldiers who were detained by the LTTE. They managed to win the hearts of the Tamilians of Jaffna. While delivering one of his most memorable and remarkable speeches, Vijaya stated that “Sinhalese and Tamils are one …” For a politician to utter these words in the political context which prevailed in 1986 requires courage.  It should be noted that he never changed his position. He was called a traitor by some in Colombo after this journey. Before his death Vijaya was about to create a grand political alliance which was later created with the leadership of my father – the “United Social Alliance” under which my father contested for the Presidential election in 1989.

Vijaya was not afraid to meet Tamil political leaders to discuss solutions for the ethnic problem. He had a very close relationship even with South India. I remember seen one photograph where he was pictured with M.G. Ramachandran. He had the charisma to win people and people gathered to see him and listen to his speeches where ever he visited.

Vijaya did not go behind money or luxuries in life. He could not be bought by anyone. He was a true politician with a kind heart. My father commemorated Vijaya each year until his death in 1994. He built the statue at Polhengoda where he was assassinated which was later taken to Kandana. He also opened a museum so that people could see and remember this impressive leader. He released a stamp, a sports trophy on behalf of him and every time he spoke of Vijaya, he was emotional. He loved his dear friend. Every single speech I have listened to had a bit about Vijaya and the slain heroes of Sri Lanka Mahajana Party.

Vijaya was a courageous leader. He epitomized qualities of a courageous leader by fearlessly adapting and changing with the intention of ensuring a greater benefit to the society without running behind popularity. Vijaya believed in a multiethnic society and in devolution of power. He expressed his support to the Indo-Lanka Accord which brought about the 13^th amendment very publicly. When it is difficult to find a handful of politicians who would be courageous enough to engage in a constructive debate on the 13^th amendment even today when it had been implemented for over 25 years, the challenge Vijaya took in 1985 was enormous. One might think that most of the Sri Lankan Sinhalese politicians did succumb to popular politics of engaging in ethnic politics. But Vijaya was one of the few exceptions. ‘To stand against the tide when the tide is high is foolish and irrational’, one might say. Leaders sometimes need to make unpopular decisions as it was with Abraham Lincoln who implemented the 13th Amendment in the US constitution to give rights to the African Americans. It was not the most popular thing to do at that time. It will be history which decides whether you are a great leader or not, as it is the case with Abraham Lincoln. In the Sri Lankan case where ethnic harmony connotes how much inter-ethnic and communal trust you can build, actions of individuals such as Vijaya meant a lot for all the communities in Sri Lanka. Memories of Vijaya still bring hope and stands for the reality that not all Sinhalese are bigoted.

Had Vijaya and many other leaders who lost their lives were alive today, we could have witnessed a transformation in our political culture. He never had a price tag for him; he was honest and was truly dedicated to solve the ethnic problem. Vijaya introduced many politicians. However most them do not represent his party or ideology today. Only a few mention his name. In his death anniversary, we can pay tribute to Vijay by being introspective on what we can carry and introduce to the younger generation from his personality, from his political career and from his life.

Who needs Halaal?

Who needs Halaal?

Hejaaz Hizbullah-16 Feb, 2013

Groundviews 

When the big international fast food chains came to Sri Lanka they did not have halaal certification. However subsequently most of these chains went ‘halaal’. This had nothing to do with any ‘Islamist’ conspiracy to take-over Sri Lanka. It was a pure case of demand and supply and the pursuit of profit. The same applies to Islamic banking. There is nothing surprising about almost every player in the financial services market providing Islamic banking as bankers want to make money in as many ways as they can. So this whole brouhaha about ‘halaal’ really defies logic. The only reason why the All Ceylon Jamiyathul Ulema [ACJU] is a body of choice for it’s the only body that the Muslim consumers accept and find legitimate and in marketing – consumer is king.

Therefore ‘Who needs ‘halaal’ certification? It’s certainly not the Muslim consumer but the businesses that crave for halaal recognition. I say this because there was a time before halaal certification. Even then there were brands that had established consumer goodwill and trust to the effect that their products were ‘halaal’. So take away the ACJU halaal certification and market forces will come into play and either some other body will issue the license or producers themselves will find ways to build consumer confidence. In fact all what the ACJU has done is made it easy for anybody to access the Muslim market for their goods and services. It has particularly helped new players to enter the market. To those thinking only in religious terms, ‘new’ translates often to ‘non-Muslim’ as Muslim businesses find it easier to establish consumer goodwill even without certification.

So as a Muslim consumer, the future of halaal certification does not trouble me. The forces of economics and the fight for market share will ensure that products that meet halaal requirements will continue to be available.

However what does worry many Muslims is how this ‘non-issue’ is being banged about by a fringe few and made into a national problem. What we see is not an ‘issue’ but an agenda and a campaign of hate with ‘halaal certification’ merely an excuse. They are waiting to pick a fight and so they pick on anything. This is evident in many ways. Firstly despite all the shouting and the screaming we are yet to hear a clear and cogent articulation of the grounds for protest. If there were good reasons then we would have heard it by now.

Secondly the methodology to put forward their purported grievance are angry protests which are inflammatory and provocative? It is in this methodology that one sees some serious danger signs. If this was a genuine issue then what we would have had is an informed debate and dialogue, not a protest with a pig head on display.

Thirdly there is also a complete disregard for the truth, facts and honesty. For example at one press conference it was stated that the money collected was being used to fund Al-Qaeda. If this was a genuine allegation then what was needed was not a press conference but a police complaint. Much like the Law College entrance paper being leaked – a lot of noise – little hard evidence. Then they said that the money was being used to buy lands. Evidence? That products will be cheaper without halaal certification fees. Once again – where is the evidence? In fact what we see is that the ACJU can hardly pay for its own certification costs with the fee collected.

The level of misinformation is comically evident in that some are demanding that they be entitled to consume ‘non-halaal’ products – products that are unfit for consumption by Muslims. It is comical for if food is to be ‘non-halaal’ it would certainly have meat or alcohol and that is something that even the Buddhists who are making the demand would not be permitted to consume.

Without doubt the ‘halaal issue’ is part of a deliberate strategy of creating inter-communal tensions and scarily, an open clash – with obviously the Muslims the victims. Small pockets of tension and violence are being reported and one waits to see how the government and authorities will respond to this and how far they will allow this to go on. In fact a particular rabble-rouser stated that it was inevitable that we as a society will reverse ourselves by around a hundred years with an open anti-Muslim riot as that happened in 1915. Any of this would certainly not be in the best interests of the Sinhala Buddhists.

Champika to be blamed for The Leader journalist’s shooting

Saturday, 16 February 2013 

Sources from the Police Headquarters say that there is an attempt to involve Minister Champika Ranawaka in the shooting of The Sunday Leader journalist Faraz Shaukatally.

The IGP has commenced investigations as usual according to a Presidential directive into the shooting incident that had taken place around 12.10 a.m. on the 16th at the guest house belonging to Shaukatally.

The President has informed the head of the investigative team to investigate and report to him whether businessmen affiliated to Minister Champika Ranawaka are connected to the shooting.

Shaukatally holds dual citizenships in Sri Lanka and Britain and is an investigative journalist. He had written exposes on irregularities that have taken place in government tenders. He is closely connected to high level members of the government and had written the irregularities in large scale tenders on a directive by the new owner of The Sunday Leader, Asanga Seneviratne.

The journalist had exposed many irregularities in the awarding of tenders for coal for the coal power plant and the relevant files had been given to him by Asanga Seneviratne. Although two businessmen affiliated to the President, Ravi Wijeratne and Jehan Ameratunge have tried to secure the tenders to import coal, they had lost it. Following a request made to the President, he had directed the Power and Energy Ministry Secretary M.M.C. Ferdinando to recall the tender and hand it over to Ravi Wijeratne and Jehan Ameratunge.

JHU Secretary Champika Ranawaka was the Power and Energy Minister at the time and he had ordered that the tenders be allocated without giving into any political pressure.

It is then that a repot was published to state that the coal imported through the tender were of poor quality.

Government sources say that Ranawaka had lost his Power and Energy portfolio because he is opposed to the move to hand over the Norochcholai coal power plant to the Chinese and refusal to give the coal importing tender to the President’s favorites.

In an interview with a weekly newspaper after he lost the portfolio, Ranawaka has said that a certain group in the government had paid a bribe of Rs. 5 million to journalist of a weekly newspaper to publish reports against him and that details about the journalist would be released shortly.

However, the police team investigating the shooting incident is also doubtful whether Shaukatally was shot due to a dispute over a land deal.

Tiger taxes in the past, Hala taxes today - JHU

 Mirror 

Friday, 15 February 2013 

Mirror) -  The General Secretary of the Hela Urumaya Minister Patalie Champika Ranawaka has alleged that similar to the attempt made by the LTTE leader Prabhakaran to divide the country using weapons, the Jamiyathul Ulema Organization is attempting to divide the country by Halal.   He said that they are Islamizing the production process of this country and the whole world and added that bringing in of Arab culture to this country would lead to major conflicts. 

The General Secretary of the Hela Urumaya Minister Patalie Champika Ranawaka made these comments addressing a media conference held at the auditorium of the National Library at the Independence Road in Colombo.

Speaking further Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said:

The Jamiyathul Ulema Organization has issued 4,500 Halal Certificates for various food and other items last year and this year.  This organization has no legal right to do this.  No voluntary organization has the right to issue quality certificates for payment.

The Jamiyathul Ulema Organization is Islamizing the production process of this country and the whole world.  This is transformation of the whole production process to one particular religion. 

The murderous Prabhakaran attempted to divide the country in an armed struggle. The Jamiyathul Ulema Organization is attempting to divide the society through the whole production process.  Who has given authority for this organization to issue Halal quality certificates? They are Islamizing the whole production process using an assumed authority.   

A minority group has imposed “Halal” on the majority of the people.  At present there is no non-Halal milk power in the markets of this country.  None of the people in this country has been able to drink a cup of milk in this country which has not been dedicated to Allah.   Non Islamists are being forcibly given food and other items offered to Allah.

The Jamiyathul Ulema Organization is earning Rs. 75 Million annually by issuing Halal certificates.  Those days the tiger terrorists taxed the people.  At present these people are imposing taxes in the name the religion of Islam.  We should not allow the people of this country to pay Halal tax anymore.  The time has come to liberate the country from Halal Tax.

We are not prepared to betray the future of this country to a minority extremist group.  We should not surrender to a minority group among the Muslim people of this country,.  The Jamiyathul Ulema Organization is spreading myths and driving the country towards fundamentalism. If this organization is such a powerful organization why they were unable to rescue the child Rizan who was convicted for death penalty?  This group is misleading the business community of this country through artificial innovations. 

The Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian people of this country who form 91% of the population of this country should be ensured their right to consume non-Halal food items. Therefore all businessmen of this country should take steps to distribute non-Halal food and other items to the local market.  If there are people who needs to take the Halal certificate they can take it.  However we would enlighten the society the need to boycott Halal.

We were observing this background since a long time.  We cannot allow any more for this forcible act to continue  If attempts were made to bring in the Arab culture to our country it would lead to a major conflict.  We totally oppose causing any harassment to any Muslim business venture, mosque or a person of Muslim faith.  We only oppose Halal terrorism. 

The President of the JHU Ven. Aturalia Ratana Thero speaking at this media conference said:

There are many problems in the society today because of attempting to socialize Islam attitudes.  Earlier there was no division in the consumption of food as Sinhala, Hindu, Muslim or Tamil.  But because of the Halal certificate of the Jamiyathul Ulema Organization a major division has been created in the country. 

In the future Muslim brethren will not be able to eat Kevum, milk rice etc., from a Sinhala house for the Sinhala New Year and rice from Dansals during Wesak.  It is because they have not been made Halal.  

Buddhists do not get divided on simple issues.  We adopt whatever the good things in any religion.  But we should not allow the spread of extremism of this minority.  

At this meeting the Western Province Minister Mr. Udaya Gammanpila also expressed opinion.  The Central Committee Member of the JHU Ven. Passaramulle Dayawansa, Ven. Ranpathwila Wimalaratne, and Ven. Jinawansha also attended this occasion.

Bodu Bala Sena anti-Halal agitation to begin in Maharagama tomorrow

By Dharisha Bastians-February 16, 2013 
The Bodu Bala Sena will launch a campaign of agitation for the Halal Certification to be withdrawn completely tomorrow, representatives of the organisation said yesterday, adding that if their call goes unanswered, they will go door to door to bring pressure on the certifying body and the Government to ensure the certification process is halted.

Addressing a media conference at the Buddhist Cultural Centre yesterday, Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara Thera charged that the All Ceylon Jamaithul Ulema (ACJU) was engaged in a separatist campaign to divide religious communities in the island.
“It is not the BBS that created extremism in this country. The separatism that Prabhakaran could not achieve, the ACJU has managed to achieve in Sri Lanka today. The Muslim clergy have divided this society into two and built mistrust between religious communities,” the monk charged, hitting back at remarks by an Opposition politician on Wednesday.
“It is a simple thing of having two display units for Halal and non-Halal food. Non Muslims have no use for Halal foods.

We certainly should never offer food dedicated to their God in our offerings to the Buddha,” he said.
He said if the trend continues, Christians would begin placing symbols of the crucifix on food products, and Buddhists the dharmachakra.
The organisation’s representatives also vehemently denied that they had launched a poster campaign against the Muslim community. “We can if we want to. We will go door to door to make sure this Halal certification is stopped – that is our right,” the monk-led group said, reiterating however that they intended to continue their campaign against Halal food products in peaceful ways.
“Politicians who cast allegations at us about these poster campaigns must understand that this is the nature of a national movement; today the Bodu Bala Sena have given this country a goal,” Gnanasara Thero said.
He said the Bodu Bala Sena had “awakened a sleeping race” and rekindled Buddhist pride. This was terrifying forces in the country that were huddled in corners and plotting to spread fundamentalism and extremism, the monk charged. “It is this renaissance of the Sinhala Buddhists that will defeat them,” he told the news conference.
The group also acknowledged that there may have been certain incidents of misconduct reported against the Muslim community, but dismissed them as being ordinary parts of a social movement. “There is nothing we can do about that. We cannot control it but we have never acted against the Muslim community,” the monks said.
“The Bodu Bala Sena will go from strength to strength; we have the social capital to do that. And whether they are in the Government or Opposition, all those who attack the Sinhalese and Buddhists will be grouped together and defeated,” Gnanasara Thero claimed.
Another Buddhist monk addressing the press conference said that the Halal Certification issue was a symbol of growing Islamification of the country. “When the Muslims were just two per cent of the population, they were as quiet as kittens. Now that their population has increased, they are trying to impose their ritualistic food products upon this country. The next plan is to bring about Sharia law. Already there is Muslim banking system in the country,” the representative said.
Gnanasara Thero said it was unfair that while other people in the country had to pay interests on bank loans, the Muslims did not have to do so because of special concessions being made to them by the banks.
The monks said that it was apparent that links were emerging between those politicians and organisations that were casting allegations of extremism at the Bodu Bala Sena and the ACJU.

 Sri Lanka Army Court of Inquiry concludes shelling not caused by army

Feb 15, Colombo: An Army Court of Inquiry appointed by the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya has concluded that the instances of shelling on civilians during the later stages of the war against Tamil Tiger terrorists were not caused by the army.
The six-member Court of Inquiry comprising military officers has investigated the controversial Channel 4 claims referred to in the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) report,
The Court of Inquiry has also investigated the allegations that shelling by the Sri Lankan security forces has caused excessive civilian casualties.
The Court has submitted the report on the first part of their investigation on civilian casualties to the Army Commander today.
The report has said that the Army had followed the President's order of "Zero casualties" and the directives from the higher headquarters with regard to No Fire Zones (NFZs).
The Court of Inquiry has said that even where the LTTE terrorists had fired from NFZs, commanders had refrained from firing at such NFZs.
From the testimony presented, the Court of Inquiry has concluded that the instances of shelling referred to in the LLRC Report were not caused by the Sri Lanka Army and civilian casualties might have occurred due to unlawful acts by LTTE.
"These acts include targeting civilians fleeing to the safety of Army held areas and likely routes of escape, dropping of artillery rounds fired by ill-trained LTTE gunners on to civilian concentrations, employment of sub-standard artillery guns and incompatible and sub-standard artillery rounds obtained from illegal sources by the LTTE, forced conscription of civilians including children and old people by LTTE for combat purposes, thus exposing them to danger," the report has highlighted.
The Court of Inquiry will now proceed to investigate the 2nd part of their mandate, to probe Channel 4 allegation on summary executions of captured LTTE terrorists.

Navi Pillay Warns Sri Lanka Against Harassing Activists

By Frances Harrison -February 16, 2013 

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, says her office is on the look out for further reprisals by the Sri Lankan government against human rights activists and journalists who attend next month’s human rights council meeting in Geneva.  This follows intimidation and death threats against Sri Lankan human rights defenders who travelled to Geneva last year. One government minister even threatened to break the legs of any journalist or activist who went to the Human Rights Council. Ms Pillay was responding to questions after giving a lecture entitled, “Freedom of Expression and Hate Speech: What International Human Rights Law Says”, at the London School of Economics.

Navi Pillay - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

The UN Commissioner for Human Rights said Sri Lanka had been reprimanded by the President of the Council last year for its behavior and added that she’d even written to the country’s Foreign Minister at the time to protest that some of the threats against civil society groups were carried on his own website. She said she hoped the reprisals that took place last March would not happen again, but added “we are on the watch out for this”.

Ms Pillay also said in response to a question that she welcomed the internal inquiry (known as the Petrie report) into the UN’s failures in protecting human rights in Sri Lanka at the climax of the civil war in 2009. She compared the Petrie report to that on Rwanda but added, “Rwanda’s lessons were not implemented in Sri Lanka by the UN”. Ms. Pillay pointed out that she’d referred to the Petrie report in her own report on Sri Lanka this week which examined at post-war accountability measures. She added that she was very pleased that the deputy Secretary General of the UN has set up a task force to look at policy and actions that could address the situation described by the Petrie report.

Courtesy http://www.stillcountingthedead.com

British Minister notified despite the �fading of the manifestations of conflict, the root causes are not�.

Saturday , 16 February 2013
Alistair Burt the Parliamentary undersecretary of state at the foreign and the Commonwealth office said, despite the “fading of the manifestations of conflict, the root causes are not”.

He said further, allegations must be investigated, and if crimes were committed, whether by liberation tigers or government forces, those responsible must be brought to justice.

 I visited the north and the capital. I met displaced families, and Tamils trying to rebuild their lives. Much has been done. The economy is growing and infrastructure in the conflict zone is being rebuilt and expanded.

 Large areas have also been demined, allowing for a significant reduction in Internally Displaced People.

Detractors point to a host of reasons why progress has been slow. Some argue that the Government is justified in reconciling on its own terms. They also point out, often accurately, that there is more to do by all sides to advance a political settlement.

Yet there is one very good reason that the Government should do more; . If you don't make every effort to give people a stake in politics and if you fail to hold to account those responsible for the crimes of the past, you sow the seeds for future conflict. It is now time for the needed to heal the wounds

2013 will be an important year in Sri Lanka: in November it plans to hold the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The UK has not yet made a decision on attendance.

CHOGM is a time to recall the values uniting the Commonwealth values.  The Sri Lankan Government must think through exactly what will be seen when the international spotlight shines upon them.  As host, we look to them not only to adhere to the Commonwealth values of good governance, the rule of law and human rights, but to champion them.

No political will to stamp our corruption?

February 16, 2013, 5:31 pm 

Editorial

Yesterday’s front page report in The Island quoting Senior Minister Dew Gunasekera saying that there was unprecedented corruption in the state sector and that the situation has now reached alarming proportions would not have surprised any reader. The public is only too well aware of this fact, though only in general terms. Gunasekera who is the Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises, the parliamentary oversight body, occupies a vantage position where he can see better than most how bad the situation is. Having once worked in the Inland Revenue Department, he identified that department, which together with the Customs and Excise Departments is the biggest revenue collecting agency of the government, as being among the most corrupt. He could have said as much about the Customs. Both exporters and importers are too well aware of the need to oil palms at various levels if they are to get their papers passed. We do not know what prevails in the Excise Department but it is common knowledge that illicit liquor in freely available in most villages and street corners in urban areas. Much of the enforcement obligation necessarily lies in the hands of the police, but the Excise Department too would no doubt have a role. Corruption is undoubtedly a major factor in proliferation of illicit liquor.

Time was when the Excise Department was the monopoly producer of arrack in the country. In the early seventies this responsibility was taken over by the State Distilleries Corporation which was subsequently privatized. Today much of the Excise Department’s functions relate to regulating the privately owned liquor manufacturing industry, which together with the tobacco industry, is a major contributor of tax revenue to government coffers. It is necessary to ensure that these privately-owned industries properly discharge their tax obligations to the State and this is among the functions of the regulatory agencies. The liquor and cigarette giants periodically announce how many billions they have contributed to government revenue by way of the various taxes they pay. They are in fact the ``collectors’’ – actually collecting for the state the enormous taxes that the consumers of liquor and cigarettes pay for every bottle of arrack they buy or cigarette they smoke. The actual production cost of these harmful items is miniscule against what the consumer pays. The balance is all tax that flows to government coffers.

The local liquor industry, both hard and soft, have regularly urged that the only way in which people can be weaned from the harmful effects of illicit alcohol is to reduce taxation on the legitimate products and make them more affordable. It is reasonable to assume that most imbibers choose kasippu not out of preference but because arrack is way beyond their means. So also soft alcohols like beer; they too pay hefty excise taxes and thus becomes very expensive to the consumer. There is no doubt substantial logic in the arguments adduced by alcohol producers to make their products more affordable and wean people away from the illicit non-tax paying competition. Certainly in the case of cigarettes, the price stick is working as a deterrent and sales volumes of the Ceylon Tobacco Company, the monopoly manufacturer, have kept falling as cigarettes become more expensive. But the company’s profits keep growing and it is one of the best dividend payers quoted on the Colombo Stock Exchange! While CTC would have us believe that production efficiencies are part of the reason for enhanced profits despite reduced sales, it is more likely that the industry too benefits from price increases.

The ill effect of smoking is today very well known and requires no elaboration. Governments not only here but elsewhere, for revenue and other reasons, do not ban smoking outright but try to break people away from the habit and prevent younger people from beginning to smoke by various devices including prominently displayed health warnings on cigarette packs and price deterrents. They impose restrictions on smoking in public places but proper enforcement of such laws is difficult. We occasionally see a report of somebody fined for smoking a cigarette in a court house but such cases are few and far between. Smoking continues in public spaces despite the dangers of passive smoking with people occupying such space vulnerable.

The fact that corruption is rampant in the state sector needs no repetition. Quite apart from the small fry occasionally netted by agencies like the Bribery Commission, very few of the big fish manipulating tenders running into billions of rupees and other rackets are seldom if ever caught. The VAT refund scam at the Inland Revenue Department that grabbed headlines a few years back is now a distant memory. What has happened to those responsible is not known. The machinery available to investigate and successfully prosecute the guilty is woefully lacking. So also the political will to deal with influential wrongdoers enriching themselves at the cost of the people. Recently the government legitimized the sale of duty free vehicle import permits granted to MPs and upper level public servants. It was an open secret that vehicles imported under such concessions were commonly transferred on so-called `open’ papers. Under the new rules, even such cursory subterfuges are no longer necessary. If the vehicle is not needed for job-related purposes, why grant such permits in the first place? They are purely a means of giving privileged people a chunk of money that rightfully belongs to state revenue.

It would be useful if the oversight committees of parliament like COPE and the Public Accounts Committee find out what happens to the various recommendations they make. Are their reports acted upon? It is to be hoped that with people like Minister Dew Gunasekera going on public on the extent of public sector corruption, the concerned authorities would open their eyes to the ever-growing need for stamping down on this menace. Unfortunately, there are few signs of this happening. Corruption keeps growing exponentially with the growth of public expenditure.

Freedom for Tamils is a question mark, even though opposition party comes into power.

Saturday , 16 February 2013

Opposition party leader Ranil Wickramasinghe made a statement that, security is important for Palaly airbase, hence even though opposition party which is now, forms a government tomorrow, will Tamils acquire freedom, which is a question mark.

Such statement was given by National Fishermen Coordinating Movement Coordinator S.Yesudas. He made this statement on his speech  at the Waligamam north hunger protest.

He said, our country is considered as a democratic country. Statements were given that freedom is prevailing after war.

If it so, then  why did you come to chase the people who were protesting?

What is the democracy prevailing in this country? What is the security existing in this country? Defense forces here are not protecting the government which consist civil society, alternatively they only protect the state.

Opposition party leader Ranil said, security is important for the Palaly airbase. Even if opposition party forms a government tomorrow, Tamils getting freedom is a question mark.

Until people like us come to the road and protest, we cannot get freedom. We did not appeal relief from the government. They say "Northern Vasantham". Everyone is resettled in the country. Are you not aware, people are still sheltered in welfare centers from year 1990?

International society is also performing a drama. According to government program itinerary they come here and observe and say everything is perfect. If it so, to whom should we go? People should come to the street to protest, we will attempt, if we continue to attempt, we will win was said by him.

This land is our land-

Editorial

2013-02-15

In 92 days, Sri Lanka will mark the 4th anniversary of a famous victory that ended a destructive three-decade war. Given the prevailing sense of triumphalism, which seems to have a lifespan longer than the famed Duracell Bunny, it is not difficult to understand why four years on, the victor-vanquished divide seems to be expanding, with post-war developments stuck at the starter point. The defeat of terrorism promised much for a country that had suffered too much pain and devastation. But to enjoy the peace dividend, it was important that steps be taken to ensure the situation that paved the way for a 30-year war never arose. A popular term for this is reconciliation. A more understandable aspect of this is 'those who suffered the traumas of the war are not victimized.' This, from the perspective of the Northern citizen, means, among other things, the right to return to their ancestral lands, claim ownership to these lands and also restart their livelihood. Yet, although nearly four years have lapsed since the North was liberated, thousands who were forced to flee their homes and spent months in makeshift camps, are yet to be given these rights. Significantly, these lands have either been demarcated as coming under High Security Zones or are occupied by the military. This is why more than 20,000 civilians who have no access to their lands have been compelled to stage a mass hunger strike at the Tellipalali Durga Devi Temple premises today (15) and demand the withdrawal of the Security Forces from their lands. The political significance of this action is reflected in the fact that along with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), has not only conveyed its support, but also garnered the support of the recently formed joint opposition, of which it is a coalition partner. According to the TNA spokespersons, civilians who were affected when they were evicted from their original places of traditional residence, consequent to the intensification of the war, still live in a pitiful state as their ancestral homes and productive lands have been encroached upon by the Security Forces. Most of the charges articulated by the protesters, most of who are still living in IDP camps, are very serious and if prosecuted in any other democracy, would have drawn very pointed reprimands on the perpetrators of these land-grabbings and resulted in the reiteration of the fundamental right of every citizen of the country to own property and the restoration to the eventual owners of such properties. Materialization of military townships might appear as imposing monuments to the might of the victorious military of the government, but it is no spectacle for celebration for the inhabitants of the region. Yet, the odds against the protesters are far too great. The might of the Security Forces is too daunting a force for an unarmed civilian population to fight against. A hunger strike would certainly generate a different yet strong sense of solidarity among the rest of Tamils in the area. But most significantly what we need to understand is that hunger strikes such as what is happening today and protests that are more or less a daily routine, are not taking place in a vacuum. They are all happening in a living dynamic of political instability in the country. The USA is threatening to embarrass the government yet again in Geneva in the forthcoming UNHRC meeting; Navi Pillay has already issued a couched warning of sorts about Sri Lanka's failure with fresh calls for intervention and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is posing even more ominous problems. To add to this and the growing sense of polarization, the President is reported to have attended an official working meeting in the North and the leading political entity in the North, the TNA, had not been invited. When a hunger strike is being planned in the context of this murky political and social backdrop and when the central issue of that strike is 'land,' which in effect for some, is 'Eelam' for all what one means by Eelam is land, the seeds of another protracted struggle, whether aided and abetted by the TNA or not, are being sown. Let us hope, for the sake of the country and all its inhabitants, the government acts sensibly and not provide nourishment to these seeds by ignoring the concerns of the Tamils that are both relevant and significant.

The 21st Century Fox

By Sharmini Serasinghe -February 16, 2013 

Sharmini Serasinghe

These is always a reason why people do the things they do or don’t do!

It is indeed a strange and ironic phenomenon in the system of governance ofSri Lanka that when it comes to sound policies to solve issues of a national nature, those in power appear to be at a loss, while those in the opposition seem to have all the best policies to solve the country’s ills.

In Sri Lanka today, there is much written and talked about the perceived inaction of a certain Opposing individual who is looked upon by many especially his loyal following, as one who is able to salvage our country from the social and political quagmire it is sinking into.  Because traditionally as mentioned above, those not in power are expected to have all the right solutions.

The perceived ‘silence’ of this Opposing individual has bewildered many, mostly amongst his loyal supporters giving rise to much personal attacks, ridicule and criticism.

However I see it differently. Some may regard it as a figment of my over-dramatic imagination while some may not. But in a democracy and as a citizen of this country I believe I’m permitted the freedom of looking at things my way, therefore “outside the Box”.

The following is an Allegorical Narration of the Status Quo

“Once upon a time there was a Fox and a Bull in a land comprising mainly of Cattle, Leopards, Reptiles, Owls and Others. The Cattle were in the majority, followed by Leopards. The Bull was the ruler of the Land, for reasons best known to those who elected him.

The fox was a descendent of a family that had ruled the Land before and was not new to the game. However he unlike his predecessors never quite got to rule the Land except for a very limited period. During this short space of time the Fox together with his following of some wise Owls and Reptiles ruled the Land according to some, like a CEO of a massive efficiently run enterprise.

The Fox’s method of governance was far too sophisticated for the Cattle majority to comprehend and appreciate. Therefore the Fox came across more like a Lamb than a Fox and lacked mass appeal amongst the simple minded majority of the Land made up of Cattle.

The Bull on the other hand quite unlike those of his fraternity was a shrewd and charismatic one. Being a talented actor the Bull came across as more Cattle-friendly than the Fox. He knew exactly how to play his cards with the masses made up of Cattle known for their limited intelligence.

The Bull’s less sophisticated home-grown methods of governance therefore appealed to the masses which obviously valued populism over efficiency and thus ensured the Bull’s victory at every subsequent election.

This was a time when all was not well in the Land. Leopards were creating a ruckus disturbing the peace in the Land.

This came about due to a mess created by the predecessors of both the Bull and the Fox resulting in the Leopards being marginalized over the years. The unresolved mess which was not nipped in the bud snowballed into the Leopards wanting to carve out their own niche in the land. The majority would not hear of it, for they regarded the Land as their sole property.

The Leopards got mad and killed off all the great wise Owls who might one day rule the Land, leaving only the Bull and the Fox for the majority Cattle population to choose from. Therefore it became a Hobson’s choice situation in the Land.

Meanwhile the Land was going up in flames with the Leopards intensifying their wrath. The economy of the Land was down to a dribble and the rulers of the Land were caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

The Fox being a moderate intervened and wanted to settle the issue through dialogue and other diplomatic means. And so the Fox with great difficulty managed to get the intransigent Leopard chief to agree to sit down and talk, instead of burning up the Land.

The Leopard chief was a tough nut to deal with and continued to insist on the niche for his Leopards. The Fox and the Bull were for once united and said “Nothing doing”.

All hell broke out in the Land with the chief Leopard unleashing his fury on the majority Cattle and others. The Bull decided that the Fox’s method was not the way to go and unleashed his armies to finish off the Leopard chief and his comparatively small army of Leopards once and for all.

The methods used were questionable because many other innocent Animals in the Land were killed in the crossfire on the battlefield but the Bull couldn’t care less because he “Won the War”. This was to become the Bull’s main weapon to win over the majority Cattle vote base at every election thereafter.

Animal rights activists from far and wide started to voice their concerns over what was happening in the Land, but the Bull couldn’t give a damn for he was now riding high on the hysteria “We won the War”. In the typical ‘bull-in-a-china-shop’ manner the Bull carried on doing things his way. His arrogance knew no bounds, so was his stupidity. The Bull appeared to interpret good governance as pure and simple poppycock.

Meanwhile, the Fox was becoming increasingly unpopular in the eyes of the majority in the Land. His CEO method of governance had lost out to the Bull’s street-wise methods. He had lost his status as a potential ruler of the Land and became the object of much scorn and criticism.

Many regarded the Fox as a fool and some of the Reptiles in his camp decided to dump the sinking ship and crossed over to join the ruling Bull’s camp comprising a large Herd of well pampered Cattle which offered a rosier future for them personally and to hell with the Land.

In addition to these problems the Fox had to deal with, there started some rattling and rumblings within the Fox’s camp. Moves were under way to oust their leader the Fox. But before long the ruckus ceased as his challengers realised that the Fox was no fool.

By now the Fox had come to be regarded as the Bull’s coziest asset, for never did he raise a hue and cry over the way the Bull and his Herd of Cattle were bulldozing around as rulers/ruiners of the land. And on the Bull’s part he made sure that the Fox had all the comforts he required and was protected from perceived enemies from within his camp. For the gullible Bull regarded the Fox as his greatest ally. It appeared to be a win-win situation for both the Bull and the Fox! Or so it seemed!

Few realised that the Fox was no Simple Simon. This was none other but the 21^st Century Fox himself!

The fox having lost out to the Bull at a record number of elections in the past realised that he needed to take a short cut to get to his destination and therefore decided to sit back and wait for his day he was sure would eventually dawn.

Somewhere down the line the Fox had acquired a spiritual need shared by the Bull to seek the divine intervention of Gods who could be consulted only at certain holy shrines in the big Land next door. Both the Fox and the Bull took turns at visiting these shrines to seek whatever they were seeking, causing much confusion to the Gods and putting them in an unenviable situation.

The Bull and his Herd of Cattle meanwhile were running amok with their self-destructive political gymnastics with the cunning Fox stealthily egging them on giving them all the rope to hang themselves with. The Bull was now increasingly becoming like the Emperor with new clothes, with the majority Cattle population admiring all his new outfits and failing to see his obvious nakedness.

To make his master plan not too obvious and being the tactician he is, the Fox every once in a while would make wise utterances at the regular congregations at the Zoo critically analyzing the problems facing the Land and urging the ruling Herd of Cattle not to incite religious and  communal passions, which once embroiled the Land in war.

This cunning 21^st Century Fox was only too aware that all his utterances were falling on the Bull’s deaf ears, but nevertheless he made them anyway, if only for the record. The Cattle were now starting to wonder why the Bull could not come up with such sensible solutions himself.

Meanwhile, the Cats and Vultures from far off well-to-do Lands were starting to take note of what was happening in this small but strategically located Land in the Indian Ocean. Their concerns and reprimands fell on the deaf ears of the Bull and his Herd of Cattle. They were still riding high on the hysteria “We Won the War”.

Given the characteristics of the species, the Bull and his Herd of Cattle little realised that in the eyes of the rest of the world the Bull had unleashed his armies only to squash a battle amongst the citizens of the Land he ruled and not against a foreign invader.

Serious concerns started to be raised by the Cats and Vultures in the international arena regarding Animal Rights being violated in the Land. They were being goaded into action mostly by Leopards of the Land who had fled during the war and become citizens of foreign Lands.

The Bull and his Herd of Cattle taking umbrage at this treated these concerns with scorn and ridicule, little realising the long term consequences of their actions and inactions. They stubbornly stuck to their policy that Good Governance is Good Poppycock.  Not for a moment did they stop to think that if all from these foreign Lands collectively spat on this tiny Land ruled by the Bull, his kingdom would vanish beneath the Indian Ocean within moments.

Meanwhile, the 21^st Century Fox is lying low marking time for his final leap, making periodic wise utterances at the Zoo congregations, while the Bull and his Herd continue to wind the rope around their necks.

Will the Bull eventually meet his Waterloo in the now seemingly sleeping 21^st Century Fox?”

Disclaimer:

The above is a work of fiction based on the writer’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, beings, living or dead is purely coincidental. Any humiliation caused to animals is deeply regretted.

*Sharmini Serasinghe was Director Communications of the former Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) under Secretary Generals Jayantha Dhanapala and Dr. John Gooneratne. She counts over thirty years in journalism in both the print and electronic media.