Extending the democratic revolution

by Vikramabahu Karunaratne

( December 26, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Nava Sama Samaja party anniversary will be held at New Town Hall, Colombo on December 30 starting from 2 pm. Party believes that participation within the democratic mass struggle to evict fascistic Mahinda regime is a great experience. This anniversary conference will be an opportunity to explain the united action front experience and how it could be compared to other fronts Sama Samajists have entered in the course of several decades of Sama Samaja history. Our experience is a part of the Trotskyites praxis that goes back to the days of German fascism. Duality in this problem could be seen today.

On one hand there is the need to unite working class movement as an independent movement to face the ideology and the state power of the bourgeoisie. On the other hand there is the unquestionable need to defeat racist fascistic reactionary politics that has dragged the country to misery and barbarism. Leon Trotsky was a brilliant man with deep understanding of Marxist fundamentals. Above all he was a humanist who wanted humans to continue with full freedom, splendid environment and cultural glory. He said in this struggle lies and cruelty are unnecessary, while truth and kindness will enlighten our path. He started the Fourth International and NSSP is to day the Lanka section the forth international

In spite of the fall of NM, Colvin, and Lesley, due to the coalition with the SLFP, they were political giants who played a massive role in building a tradition of revolutionary politics. To face these giants who stood for the working class, the bourgeois in Lanka were compelled to promote leaders of same capacity to represent their side. DS, Dudley, Sir John, SWRD etc were brought in for this purpose. Thus Lankan Parliament became a place for acute debate and fine statements. Sama Samajism entered the mass political movement with the heroic battle against the British imperialism.

At the outbreak of the Second World War the party was forced to go underground due to its opposition to the British war effort. The two State Council members of the party and others on its Central committee were arrested and jailed, but Leslie Gunawardena evaded arrest and went underground. On April 20,1941, a secret conference, attended by 42 delegates, was held. Lesley Gunawardena, who was in hiding, attended this conference at which the new programme and constitution were adopted.

The cover organization of the party enabled him, to work for a period of one year and three months till he left for India. Following the Japanese raid on Colombo on April 5,1942, the imprisoned leaders escaped and fled to India. This revolutionary period concluded with the Hartal. A Hartal is a form of general strike, which attempts to bring all workers and small holders activity to a standstill for a limited period. Prior to 1953 it was a relatively unknown concept in Lanka.

Nava Sama Samaja party emerged to counter the massive desecration of the revolutionary vision by the coalition for socialism with the SLFP. The so called socialism with the SLFP turned out to be an attempt to create a state capitalist bureaucratic dictatorial regime with the connivance of global capitalism. Not only the workers but all other layers: fishers, peasants, small holders, and petty traders lost their freedom and became hostile to the regime. Firstly with Sirimavo then with Chandrika and finally with Mahinda under various names they seek an anti imperialist pro socialist government. Every time what people got were mismanaged capitalist regime and it became worse every time; under Mahinda it became almost a fascist regime with gross violation of human rights.

We understood the tasks of revolution as national unification, democratic constitution with protection for human rights, agrarian reorganization to modernize the village society and protection from the ill effects of MNCs system. Struggle for the implementation of these tasks will lead us to establish a proletarian regime, as bourgeoisie will fail and get exposed among the radical masses. However, the inability to understand the Tamil national problem has created, under Mahinda regime, a hideous state oppressing all sections of the Lankan society, except selected section of the Sinhala Buddhist. There was no option for any body who wanted democracy except fighting together to overthrow this hideous monstrosity. We explained this truth to the people and the united action front formed with our help was able to overthrow the fascistic regime and win freedom which people enjoy now.

There is ample opportunity for the Sama Samajists to go forward. We have to extend the democratic revolution to bring working people to consolidate their power. We have started such campaigns among all oppressed sections. We go to all mass campaigns and intervene to show the path of Marxism and socialism.

It’s Morning In Sri Lanka

By Cassian M Fernando –December 25, 2015

Cassian M Fernando

When Ronald Regan started his campaign to be the President of Americas he choose a theme and slogan that was both mesmerizing and inspiring. He told the American Citizens that it is Morning in America.

When we are saying good bye to another year most eventful one where we Sri Lankans are concerned can we repeat that mesmerizing wish it is morning in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka started 2015 embroiled in unending controversies and the country plunged into a ruthless anarchy, complete and total family rule. Mahinda Rajapaksa craft fully used the popularity he gained with the defeat of the world’s most maniac terrorist organization to his maximum advantage to remain in power. Regular scare campaigns he launched to whip communal feelings that the Tigers will raise their heads again gave him what seemed to be almost permanent stranglehold in the Sri Lankan political arena. By 2009 Rajapaksa family had extended their hold over all political and civil institutions undermining the whole fabric of Sri Lankan Society. Seventy five percent of annual budgetary allocations were shares by the three Rajapaksa brothers giving a pittance of 30 percent to other over 100 ministers and their deputies. Not a word was raised against this monopoly. No trade Unions dared to get down the streets in fear of what will be their pathetic plight if they did so. He was confident and up beat that he will rule for another 20 years. That ego compelled him to go for another mandate two years before his term was over. Due to near anarchic conditions prevailing in the country Sri lankas relations with many significant and important foreign countries deteriorated and we were isolated

All these came to a catastrophic end in January 2015. The age old idiom that Power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely was proved unmistakably correct once more. Maithripala Sirisena with the support of all other democratic elements put together a front that ultimately put an end to the ambitions of this Maharajah of the present era. Having claimed that it was the northerners that defeated him Rajapaksa made another claim to political power by contesting the general elections as the Prime Ministerial candidate. People of the country thrice blessed by the visit of Lord Buddha thought enough was enough and the Maharajah had to retreat once again. His total strategy was to drive a fear psychosis in to the minds of the majority Sinhala Buddhist community that without him the country will be given on a platter to the Tamils. Half of his stalwarts who stood by the Rajapaksa have already deserted him of the 96 parliamentary seats he won only 42 are with him now. Some more are to desert soon Only the extreme communalist elements are sticking and hanging around him for the only reason they have no future without the Maharajah.Read More

TNA gets joint chair posts at DCCs

Main Opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R. Sampanthan had been appointed as the Co-Chairman of the Trincomalee District Coordination Committee (DCC), TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran today said. 

He said TNA members had been appointed to the Coordination Committees at eight districts in total. 

MP Kavindran Kodeeswaran had been appointed as the Co-Chair to the Ampara District, while MP G. Srineshan as the Co-Chair of the Batticaloa DDC in the Eastern Province, he said. 

He said Eastern Province Chief Minister Z.A. Nazeer Ahamed would act as the Co-Chairman of the three DCCs. 

Meanwhile, five more MPS had also been appointed to the DDCs in the North and the East. 

M. Senadirajah had been appointed as Co-Chairman of the Jaffna Committee, Charles Nirmalanathan as Co-Chairman of Mannar, Selvam Adaikkalanathan to Vanni and S. Sivamohan to Mullaithivu in the North.

 MP Sumanthiran said Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran would also function as the Co-Chairman of the five DCCs in the province.

 Ministers Ms. Vijayakala Maheswaran and Rishad Bathiudeen were also appointed as Co-Chairpersons to DDCs at Jaffna and Mannar respectively, he said. “The appointments were made in this month separately,” he said. (Lahiru Pothmulla) 

Tsunami victims remembered in Jaffna 11 years on
26 December 2015

The tens of thousands killed by the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 was remembered today in events across the North-East. The tsunami, which hit the coasts of the North-East and the South of the island on December 26th, 2004, killed over 35,000 people. The United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said five days after the disaster that almost two thirds of those killed were in the Tamil homeland of the North-East. See more here.

JVP sees many students shut out of Grade One

by Dasun Edirisinghe-December 26, 2015, 9:56 am 

JVP led teachers’ union yesterday claimed that a considerable number of children would be left without schools next year due to a decision to limit the number of students in a class to 35.

General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Service Union (CTSU) Mahinda Jayasinghe said that according to a Supreme Court order handed down in 2011, the number of students in a Grade One class should be limited to 35 students.

At present, around 45 students were admitted to a class, he said.

Jayasinghe said under the 1,000 secondary schools development programme of then Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena primary sections in national schools were also closed down gradually.

"According to our calculations, every school has to reduce the number of Grade One admissions by 40, he said adding that parents, especially in rural areas, had to face a very difficult situation as a result.

Jayasinghe accused the previous government and present government of failing to prepare for the situation though they were aware of the 2011 court ruling. They had four years to prepare, he added.

The JVP Western Provincial Council member said there were several substandard private schools in every town at present. Parents had to admit their children to them and pay very high fees for want of a better alternative.

Jayasinghe said the present Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam had promised to increase the number of students from 35 to 40 few months back, but the relevant circulars had not been issued so far.

"We asked education authorities to have at least one additional Grade One class as a solution to the problem and reopen the primary sections," Jayasinghe said, nothing that they made a written request to the Secretary of the Education Ministry on Dec. 23, 2015.

Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam was not available for comment.

Swiss Banks to reveal SL's black money depositors

Dec 26, 2015

Details of Sri Lankans who had deposited 'Black Money' in Swiss Banks are to be revealed, the 'Divaina' newspaper reports.

The publication says that the move has received the approval of the Swiss Parliament to do so.

It adds that around 200 persons have deposited Black money in Swiss Banks and that around 02 billion Swiss Francs have been deposited in this manner in recent times.

These depositors include certain politicians and businessmen affiliated to them, the newspaper further says.
- SLM -

Sri Lanka President seeks Muslim support for reconciliation with Tamils

Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena has asked for the country’s minority Muslim population to support his efforts to reconcile with the island nation’s ethnic Tamil community following the brutal three-decade long war with the LTTE. (AFP Photo)

 Dec 25, 2015

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena asked for the support of the minority Muslim community in his government’s efforts for reconciliation with ethnic Tamils following the three-decade civil war with the LTTE.

“I trust those who follow the teachings of Prophet Muhammad in Sri Lanka can make a significant contribution to building a nation rich in tolerance, understanding and reconciliation, which will strengthen the efforts to take the country on the forward march to progress,” he said in a message to mark Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, on Thursday.

Sirisena said that ‘Madina Charter’, written and promulgated by Prophet Muhammad for the pluralistic society, provides answers to most of today’s problems, presenting approaches to solving and preventing conflicts between groups based on differences in culture and belief.

Sirisena had received wide support from the 7% Muslim minority in his landslide victory against Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential elections in January this year.

“I wish to point out that the Medina Charter shows that Islam rejects the use of compulsion and force in religion and, has been demonstrated over centuries of human existence, that the most effective way to resolve conflicts is through mediation. It guaranteed the safety and welfare of all the communities and promoted reconciliation with all the communities,” he said.

The former Rajapaksa regime was accused of backing the extremist nationalist group Bodu Bala Sena who whipped up anti-Muslim feelings among the majority Sinhalese.

Sirisena is to embark on a new Constitution formulation process early next month in his bid to achieve national reconciliation by addressing minority concerns among other issues.

The Government is set to move a resolution in Parliament on January 9 to convert the House into a Constitutional Assembly which will initiate the process of drafting the new Constitution.

Preventing Magapolis Being A Mega Blunder

By Hema Senanayake –December 25, 2015

Hema Senanayake

Global Economic Revolution Is Overdue: Part 7

With the Western Region Megapolis Development project one important economic factor is going to be changed. That factor will be the land use regulations. “Poor land use in the world’s greatest cities carries a huge cost.” This is true and this quote is the subtitle of an enlightening article which is titled “Space and the City” published in The Economist magazine in April this year. Will our own Western Region Megapolis do the same mistake? I hope we can avoid it now but not in the future.

In the said article it argues that “in fact land is not really scares.” I like that argument because I too argue in this series of articles that if we remove the systemic push for extreme consumerism, in fact with continuing inventions and the development of technology, human civilization can create abundance in goods and services for the wellbeing of its all members. The market mechanism is the conduit through which we can reach that goal. Upon reaching there, it requires unprecedented adjustments for the market mechanism because it is common sense that with having abundance in goods and services the normal market mechanism cannot prevail. Let us leave it there for the time being and let us get back to our topic.

However, even though land is not really scares, the land use policy and land use regulations can make land scares and make prices skyrocketing. When this happens the economic effect is that much of the gains of economic activity would not flow to workers and entrepreneurs/investors. Rather more of the gains of economic activity would flow to land and property owners. Why is this bad? It is because that most of the cost of doing businesses would be to pay for building cost. For workers who live in rented houses or apartments, the major component of their income would be eaten up by the house rent. For people who live in their own houses or apartments, much of their income would be ended up paying mortgage cost. These things have to be changed from the beginning of our much anticipated first Megapolis.         Read More

Understanding Fundamentalism 

by Izeth Hussain-December 25, 2015, 6:50 pm

In my last article which dealt with Islamic terrorism I made the point that it is something that comes out of the matrix of Islamic fundamentalism. In this article I want to make some comments on fundamentalism in general, not just in Islam, as it has become one of the important political problems of our time. It is a huge, complex, and difficult problem, requiring in-depth analysis. Here, in these brief comments, I want to make just one point: there is no nexus between fundamentalism and terrorism, between fundamentalism and any sort of violence. This point is crucial for a proper understanding of the Islamic fundamentalism that has been spreading to a seemingly alarming extent in Sri Lanka.

In my earlier article I quoted the opening sentence of Karen Armstrong’s book Battle for God as follows: "One of the most startling developments of the late twentieth century has been the emergence within every major religious tradition of a militant piety popularly known as ‘fundamentalism’." I cited also another book by two authors which began by noting some details to show that the three monotheisms of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam had in the late ‘seventies entered more or less simultaneously into a process of "political radicalization". Karen Armstrong saw that process taking place within Hinduism and Buddhism also: "Fundamentalism, moreover, is not confined to the three great monotheisms There are Buddhist, Hindu, and even Confucian fundamentalisms, which also cast aside many of the painfully acquired insights of liberal culture, which fight and kill in the name of religion and strive to bring the sacred into the realm of politics and national struggle".

Some distinctions have to be made. Political Buddhism or militant Buddhism became a factor of primary importance in our politics after 1956. It is an interesting fact that it was precisely after 1977 that it became most potent: it was the major factor behind the State terrorism of President JR which transformed the ethnic problem into a violent form, leading to the 26-year civil war. But there was no violence in the name of Buddhism. Besides there was no claim that the Buddhist religion was being restored in its pristine form, which is invariably the claim made by the fundamentalists of the three monotheisms. The reason for that of course is that it has always been the proud claim of the Theravada Buddhists that they have never abandoned Buddhism in its pristine form. That applies to Burma also where Buddhist violence has been a very recent phenomenon. There could be a nexus between militant Buddhism and violence, but none between violence and a non-existent Buddhist fundamentalism. As for the three monotheisms, there seems to be no significant violence among Judaic and Christian fundamentalists. They are objectionable mainly for turning to the extreme right. Violence therefore does seem to be a specialty of Islamic fundamentalism. But that has to be explained not in terms of a supposed nexus between Islam and violence but in terms of the sequence of literacy-revolution-lowering of the birth rate of Emmanuel Todd’s brilliant theorizing which I expounded in my last article. There is in brief no nexus between fundamentalism and violence. That should always be borne in mind in considering the phenomenon of Islamic fundamentalism in Sri Lanka.

But of course it all arguably depends on how you define fundamentalism, on how you understand it. Today most people would understand it as an Islamic phenomenon, the typical manifestations of which have been September 11 and the subhuman savagery of the IS. The idea that there could be something positive about fundamentalism will therefore seem perverse to them. I will now put down what I understand by fundamentalism. All the world religions came to have orthodox forms, which in the case of Sunni Islam took almost six centuries after the death of the Prophet. The orthodox version of a religion is therefore a construct, not something that exists in the immutable form originally propounded by its founder. Consequently it could come to be questioned; parts of it could undergo revision, a process that could lead to a new version of that religion.

Possibly the most important reason why that happens is that the orthodox version of a religion invariably comes to be tied up with state power. This is what Mohammed Arkoun, the Algerian scholar who was a Professor at the Sorbonne, wrote in his essay, The Concept of Authority in Islamic Thought,: "Orthodoxy – in its Sunni or Shia version – is no more than the official religion resulting from the collaboration of the ulama with the state". The word "ulama" means theologian. Therefore people who become seriously dissatisfied with the state of affairs under the Orthodox dispensation could seek to change it by effecting changes in the religion. Today, in the case of Muslims, they seek to do this by adapting Islam to the needs of modernity, which results in what I call liberal Islam. But many Muslims, as well as adherents of the other world religions, have sought change by going back to the roots, to what they conceive of as the fundamentals of the religion. It is that process that I regard as fundamentalism. It corresponds to a profound human need to go back to the roots for self-renewal. It could result in a new benign form of a religion, or it could take a morbid form, morbidly violent as in the case of the IS.

I will take my illustrative material – to illustrate my point that fundamentalism could be a benign process – from two American works of art that have acquired iconic status: Fred Zinnemann’s film High Noon and Martha Graham’s ballet Appalachian Spring. The film is available in DVD form through Colombo outlets, material about it is there in the internet, and the ballet is easily accessible through the internet. The film belongs to the genre of the Western but it is really a political film which in my estimation compares with the best work of Wajda and Pontecorvo. The story is about the Marshal of a small town who has done an excellent job in ridding it of criminal elements, which included the bringing to book of a killer who is condemned to death. The killer vows vengeance on the Marshal. He is later pardoned through the intervention of corrupt politicians of the North, and is on the way back to town to join three comrades who will help him in killing the Marshal. The Marshal, who initially flees the town with his newly-wedded Quaker wife, decides to return, against her wishes, to confront his antagonists. His expectation that he would find sufficient supporters in the town to confront his antagonists turns out to be totally mistaken. He is isolated but he manages to kill all his antagonists with the help of his wife. In the famous last scene of the film, he throws his Marshal’s badge in the dust and leaves town with his wife.

What I am now going to do is to provide a reading of what might be called the sub-text of the film. Practically any work of art could be read in more ways than one, all of which could be legitimate. I am informed by a reader, who has provided invaluable help by directing me to important material on the film in the internet, that the Director Zinnemann’s son had in a discussion with Gary Cooper’s daughter stated that the fact that the Marshal’s wife was a Quaker had no importance at all. At this point I must cite D.H. Lawrence’s observation which went something like this: "Trust the tale, never the writer". I hold that in a work of art the intention of the artist counts for little or nothing: the real meaning of the work of art could burst through without his being aware of it. To my mind the religious dimension of the film is paradoxically intrusive though only implicit, and the film can best be understood in terms of the myth of the frontier and the appeal of fundamentalism in its benign form.

(To be continued)

izethhussain@gmail.com

Thajudeen murder : Suspect shielded by the Government!

( December 26, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The arrest of a main suspect in the Wasim Thajudeen murder case has been temporarily put off over the influence of a government bigwig, political sources say.

The bigwig who had urged not to make the arrest during the Budget 2016 vote proceedings, had promised a SLFP bigwig to make the arrest after the final vote on Dec. 19. However, that too, had ended as a broken promise.

Death penalty?

However, Cabinet spokesman minister Rajitha Senaratne says that several prominent figures in the previous government are likely to get the death penalty after they are revealed to be linked to several serious crimes.

Legal action would be sought against these persons as investigations have already concluded, he added.

They face a host of charges including murdering a popular ruggerite, extortion and abduction. Some of these bigwigs will receive accommodation at the Welikada Prison, he further said.

However, the process is slow as the government is only taking the proper legal procedure. Therefore, some are conspiring to topple the government before the process is completed, the minister has further said.

Don’t Interfere With Ekneligoda Investigation – Lawyers Collective

( a campaign against investigate military killings, led by Namal Rajapaksa)

26/12/2015

‘Lawyers Collective’ views with deep concern the attempt being made to intimidate, by public pronouncements, the police officers conducting investigations into the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda. Previous government did not allow any investigation into the abduction of any journalists and this investigation commenced after the regime change. Lawyers Collective is happy to state that the investigations are steadily progressing.

It is unfortunate that politicians and those who are connected to the military intelligence of the former regime are intimidating the investigators by making baseless allegations that investigations are being targeted at implicating former intelligence officers and certain politicians. Extremist elements headed by the former President Mahinda Rajapakse had recently visited the suspects who are in remand custody.

There is no immunity on intelligence officers or politicians however influential they may be, to commit murder or any other criminal offence on any person, without recourse to due process. If an immunity of this nature is accepted, then it will be a sad day for Rule of Law in our country.

Therefore, we call upon these politicians who are trying to cover up their misdeeds by making use of the respect the people have on the security forces to desist from interfering with criminal investigations which are legally bound to be conducted under law, after the establishment of the independent commissions. We reiterate that the criminal elements should not be permitted to destroy the due administration of justice, when their criminal acts are under investigations. Further, the use of communal slogans to intimidate the highly respected investigators demonstrates the unprincipled character of these politicians who are prepared to stoop to any law level to cover up their misdeeds. Ultimately the verdict will be by Courts of Law which function independently without any political or other influence. Therefore the officers and politicians who are being investigated will enjoy due process, if they are charged before a Court of Law.

Any interference by any party with the proper investigations into criminal offences against any person should not be allowed, if Rule of Law is to be reestablished in Sri Lanka.
 
Lal Wijenayaka,
Chandrapala Kumarage
K.S. Ratnavale
JC Weliamuna
Conveners of Lawyers Collectiv

The Horror Of The Port City EIA

By Ranil Senanayake –December 26, 2015 

Ranil Senanayake

The Port City project is a glaring example of how national resources are abused by politicians and the bureaucrats at the controls by treating it as their chattel. In doing international deals, the public (even those who might be directly affected) is never consulted, only ‘informed’ by the great leaders that, a deal has been done. The Port City project, which is now in the public eye, gives us an opportunity to comment. The EIA is open for public comment at many points; I examined the copy at the library of the Central Environment Authority (CEA), where there is also a book for comments. It will be in the public domain until the second week of January.

The document itself is very poor and lacks any mention of the impact on the Environment of Colombo. It deals with the dredging and filling operations without once mentioning that there is whole city that its operations will impact.

Not acknowledging that the city of Colombo will have to put up with breathing construction dust for twenty or so years, a gift to a generation of citizens with increased lung problems, nor the danger of flooding in Colombo due to the blockage of the Beira lake outfall has been addressed in this so called EIA.

But a real surprise was the fact that the developer has been awarded reclamation material at ‘zero cost’ where, the cost of the sand and even the Royalty that this nation would receive has been waived. No wonder the developer was so keen on expanding and expanding, we were giving him our land for free. To keep the story right we have to realize that it is a Chinese company we are dealing with here, not the Chinese Government. It is interesting to find out the current financial positions of those who dreamt up and approved the gifting of our revenue in such a cavalier manner.                                      Read More

Liquor licence fee hike may be withdrawn

- Dec 26, 2015

The budget decision to increase the licence fee on liquor production to Rs.150 million is to be withdrawn, government sources said. Several complaints have been received from liquor producers about the financial difficulties they may have to face due to the increase of the licence fee.

After considering their plea the government is to take the decision to withdraw the increase, sources said.

Meanwhile economists have warned the government about the possibility of a collapse in many liquor production companies if the fee up to Rs.150 million was implemented. At present there are 24 liquor producing companies in the country. -

Courtesy: http://www.dailymirror.lk/

Man held with gold worth over Rs 11m at BIA

December 26, 2015

A person who attempted to enter the country with gold jewelry worth over Rs 11 million has been arrested by customs officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake. 

Customs spokesman Leslie Gamini said the suspect, a resident of Gampaha, was arrested after 4 packets containing 363 pieces of chains and seven bracelets, weighing 2,013.7 grams and valued at Rs. 11,075,350.00, was found in his possession. 

White Vans and Black Defenders

The government is under heavy pressure to compromise security in the North and the East. Hence the story that the main grievance voiced by the Tamil people is that they should be allowed to go back to their lands which they occupied before the war and everything will be forgotten and that will be the end of the ethnic problem. There is no question that land should be provided to the landless but not at the expense of national security.

by N. A. de S.Amaratunga

( December 26, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The government seems to have got into the habit of covering up its sins by saying that the previous government did worse things but nobody protested as they were afraid of the so-called white van. However, when Black Defenders are used for abductions it claims the law is enforced against the suspects. Perhaps similarly corruption, nepotism and other such social ills I suppose continue provided they are being done in a transparent manner and the people can talk about them and protest on the streets if they like.

The Chinese helped the previous government substantially and the country developed rapidly but according to the present rulers the policies of the previous government were not to the liking of the Western powers and that resulted in the UNHRC resolutions against Sri Lanka.

On the other hand, the Western powers are not doing anything to help us develop our economy though the government had high hopes. In fact the Western powers seem to be doing the opposite. They do everything they could to thwart our economic development so that they can continue to dominate us. All requests to the IMF for emergency aid have been turned down. Our currency has depreciated by about 8% since January 2015. The present rulers say the previous government had taken massive loans at high interest rates and that is the reason for our economic woes. But they themselves are desperately looking for loans.

Before the election the Colombo Port City Project was condemned, but now it has become acceptable. The original budget which was obviously designed to meet the conditions of the IMF has been drastically changed beyond recognition in the face of strong trade union pressure. The government says it listens to public opinion unlike the previous government which used the white van to suppress public protests. But the fact remains that they cannot take the risk of losing the forthcoming local government elections.

The IMF will move in for the kill before long. The government will be left with no alternative but to fall in line. The East Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia are protesting against the IMF policies that have ruined their economies. In Sri Lanka too it is possible that the economy would be on the decline due to IMF intervention and the workers, farmers and the poor would be badly affected. One hopes black vans would not be deployed to suppress their voice.

The government is under heavy pressure to compromise security in the North and the East. Hence the story that the main grievance voiced by the Tamil people is that they should be allowed to go back to their lands which they occupied before the war and everything will be forgotten and that will be the end of the ethnic problem. There is no question that land should be provided to the landless but not at the expense of national security. The High Security Zones have to be maintained at any cost and alternative land must be given to people who have a claim for those lands in the High Security Zones. Further, Britain which did not raise a finger to help Sri Lanka defeat terrorism has now come forward to assist us in military reforms.

These issues are further complicated by the fact that the government is under pressure to bring in constitutional reforms to grant further devolution of political power on an ethnic basis.

Going by the number of the US state officials who have visited this country recently and the fact that no other country had received this dubious honour one could venture to say that the stakes must be very high in the geopolitical equation in the Indian Ocean region for the US to get involved in Sri Lanka so strongly. It is feared that Sri Lanka will soon lose its independence and sovereignty and come under the economic, political and military hegemony of the West. The West, particularly the US is losing slowly but surely its economic and military clout in the world. Our Government must realize the implications of this phenomenon and act in the best interest of the country.

Delinking the Palestinians

Israel’s Arab allies seek to diminish Palestinian claims over Jerusalem.

 Faiz Abu RmelehActiveStills

Joseph Massad-
22 December 2015

Since the more recent third Palestinian uprising started in early October, there has been a rush by different Arab countries and intellectuals to legitimize their good relations with, and their love for, Israel.

Delinking the Palestinians by Thavam Ratna

ANALYSIS: Rebel chief's assasination deals major blow to peace talks 

A key force bringing credibility to opposition agreement in Saudi, Jaish al-Islam now says it refuses to talk with the government

Zahran Alloush, head of the Jaish al-Islam Syrian rebel group, speaking in July (AFP) 

Saturday 26 December 2015

Jaish al-Islam, a key Syrian rebel group regarded as one of the most credible opponents to Assad’s regime, put out a defiant video statement following the killing on Friday of their leader, Zahran Alloush.

“We will not change and we will not shift … this only increases our determination to fight the regime [of Bashar al-Assad],” a member of the group’s leadership council said, after the appointment of Abu Hamam al-Buyedhani as Alloush’s successor.

“Let the [supporters of Islamic State] welcome the swords of Ali’s descendants.”

Despite the group’s promise to continue deploying its thousands of fighters against both Assad and Islamic State (IS), analysts have said Alloush’s killing is a major blow to the opposition and comes at a crucial moment when the government is reaping the rewards from a Russian intervention on its side.

Aron Lund, editor of the Carnegie Endowment’s Syria in Crisis website, said Alloush had been a “rare successful centralizer” in Syria’s long-fractured opposition.

As a hardliner who had nonetheless signaled his willingness to discuss a political solution during regime-opposition talks scheduled to start in Riyadh in January, Alloush was a key figure.

“Those negotiations needed … Alloush to be involved for their credibility,” Lund said. 

Coming so soon before the start of scheduled peace talks, others saw Alloush’s killing as a clear sign that Syria and its Russian allies, which have been pounding the various opposition groups this week, are now not prepared to go to the negotiating table.

“This is a rejection of the Riyadh talks,” Ibrahim Hamidi, Syria correspondent for the al-Hayat newspaper, told the New York Times on Friday.

For its part, Jaish al-Islam has responded to Alloush’s killing by announcing that it will refuse any negotiations with the Syrian government.

The group has promised to deliver a “violent” response within the capital Damascus, which Alloush in February had declared a military zone.                                                                                                                                         

“Whatever your views, note that Alloush and Jaish al-Islam were supporting a political process in Syria,” said Salman Sheikh, a former director of the Brookings Institution.

“The strike spells the end of [upcoming peace talks in Riyadh]. It was a hard job before to get all parties to the table. Now it looks impossible. Expect more war.”

Though the Carnegie Endowment’s Lund had suggested that Alloush’s killing could cause any opposition cohesion to “unravel,” others predicted that his death could end up strengthening Jaish al-Islam.

Writing in Arabic-language news site Zaman al-Wasl, Syrian journalist Abdullah al-Raja recalled what has happened to Ahrar al-Sham, another key rebel group, since a bomb wiped out most of its leadership in September 2014.

“The killing of Ahrar al-Sham’s leadership taught [its other members] a lesson in revolutionary perseverance,” Raja wrote on Saturday.

“[The group’s new] policy of creating coalitions, which has helped to establish the Army of Conquest, has been one of Ahrar al-Sham’s biggest victories.

“Jaish al-Islam is now learning that same lesson.”