Are you Brainwashed?

Let’s examine ourselves: what have we heard over the radio? What have we seen on TV? What did we read in the papers?

by Uri Avnery-Jun 9, 2018

( June 9, 2018, Jerusalem, Sri Lanka Guardian) IT’S FRIGHTENING. Unprincipled psychologists, in the service of a malignant regime, use sophisticated techniques in order to control the mind of a person from afar.

The term “brainwashing” was born in 1950. It is a Chinese word (“xinao”, literally wash brain). Originally it served to describe a technique used – so it was claimed – by Chinese masterminds to manipulate the minds of American prisoners in the Korean War. They changed their unconscious mental processes and turned them into agents of sinister forces.

Many books and movies purported to show how this works. For example, the classic film “The Manchurian Candidate” shows how the communists take an American prisoner-of-war in the Korean war, an officer, manipulate his mind and give him an order to kill the US presidential candidate. The American officer does not know that he has been turned unconsciously into a communist agent. He does not remember the order given him under hypnosis and does not know that he acts accordingly.

THIS PLOT is ridiculous, like most of the pseudo-scientific descriptions. In practice, it is much easier to manipulate the minds of people, individuals and collectives.

For example, the Nazi “propaganda”. It was invented by Adolf Hitler himself. In his book, “Mein Kampf”, he describes how, as a soldier on the Western front in WWI, he witnessed the extremely successful British propaganda. The British dropped leaflets over the German trenches and shattered the soldiers’ confidence in their leadership.

When Hitler came to power in Germany, he entrusted one of his faithful henchmen, Joseph Goebbels, with the creation of a Ministry of Propaganda. Goebbels turned propaganda into an art form. Among other means he turned all the German media – newspapers and the radio – into government agencies. In German that was called “Gleichschaltung” – connecting all components to one electric line. Thanks to this, Nazi Germany continued fighting long after it was clear that it had lost WWII.

One of the means was the disconnection of the German public from any other source of information. The official propaganda was blared from every medium. Listening to a foreign broadcast was a major crime, punished severely.

Thus it happened that the Germans still believed in their final victory – the Endsieg – even after the Soviets in the East and the Anglo-Saxons in the West had already crossed the borders into Germany.

DOES IT take a dictatorial regime – Nazi or Communist – to turn the media into a brainwashing machine? Common sense says that this is impossible in a democracy. Common sense is wrong.

It will be remembered that Hitler attained power by democratic means. Even now, fanatical nationalists are winning democratic elections in many countries. All their leaders are busy destroying the courts, stuffing the parliaments with useful idiots and – especially – turning the media into brainwashing instruments. In our country, too.

How is this done? It’s quite simple, really: one has to suppress all other voices. One has to make sure that the citizen hears only one voice. One that repeats a few messages over and over, endlessly. This way the lie becomes truth.

In such a situation, the ordinary citizen becomes convinced that the official line is really their own personal opinion. This is an unconscious process. When one tells a citizen that they are brainwashed, they are deeply insulted.

This has been happening in Israel over the last few years. The citizen is not conscious that it is happening. He or she absorbs diverse newspapers, TV programs and radio broadcasts, and sees that all these media are freely arguing with each other and even quarreling with each other. The citizen is not conscious of the fact that on the one critical subject of our life – war and peace – all the media are “connected” to one singular line of brainwashing.

DURING THE last few weeks we have been seeing a perfect example of this mechanism. The events on the Gaza Strip border have activated a mechanism of brainwashing that dictatorial regimes in the world can only envy.

Let’s examine ourselves: what have we heard over the radio? What have we seen on TV? What did we read in the papers?

Within a few weeks more than a hundred human beings were shot dead, and many thousands were wounded by live fire. Why?

“We were forced to fire at them because they were storming the border fence”. And indeed, did the Gazans themselves not proclaim their will to “return home” – meaning, to return to Israeli territory?

But on May 14, “Black Monday”, 63 unarmed demonstrators were shot dead and over 1500 wounded by live fire. Every Israeli knows that this was necessary because the demonstrators stormed the fence and were about to swarm into Israel. Nobody paid attention to the simple fact that there was not a single photo showing such an occurrence. Not even one. In spite of the fact that on both sides of the fence there were hundreds of photographers, including Israeli army photographers, who filmed every single detail. Tens of thousands stormed, and not a single picture?

One should notice the use of the word “terror”. It has turned into an adjective attached to everything. There are not just tunnels – they are all always “terror-tunnels”. There are “terror-activists”. There is “the Hamas terror-regime” and there are “terror-bases”. Now there are “terror-kites”.

Notice: not just “incendiary kites”, or “destruction-kites”, only “terror-kites”. The same every day in all media. Someone has made the terminology decision. Of course, everyone who has the word “terror” attached to his name is “a son of death”, as you say in biblical Hebrew. Another proud term of the brainwashing.

The inhabitants of the Gaza Strip are “terrorists”. (In Hebrew, a special term has been invented: “Mekhablim”). All of them? Of course, no question. Especially Hamas members. But Hamas is a political party, which has won democratic elections in all of Palestine. A civilian party which has indeed a military wing. But in our media all party members and supporters are “terrorists”, sons of death. Of course.

The use of these terms, hundreds of times every day, clearly constitute brainwashing, without the citizens noticing it. They are getting used to the fact that all Gazans are terrorists, mekhablim. This is a process of dehumanization, the creation of Untermenschen in the Nazi lexicon. Their killing is allowed, even desirable.

In such an atmosphere, even abominable sentences pass unnoticed. For example, this week I heard on one of the TV news programs this sentence from the mouth of a military correspondent, speaking about the coming Gaza demonstration: “Iran wants dead demonstrators, and it seems that they will get them.” One has to read this sentence twice to realize what it says: that the Israeli sharpshooters serve Iranian interests.

Or a sentence that is repeated again and again, even by respected commentators: “Iran wants to destroy the State of Israel”. I don’t know what 80 million Iranians want, nor does the writer. But the sentence itself is ridiculous. Israel is a nuclear power. How does one annihilate a nuclear power (with submarines that can launch nuclear devices in the hour of need). Are the Iranians ready to turn their country – one of the cradles of human civilization – into a graveyard and a desert?

Or a forecast “Friday another violent demonstration will take place”. “Violent”? “Another”? There is no argument about the fact that all the demonstrations along the Gaza fence were completely non-violent. The demonstrators did not shoot one single shot, when thousands of them were wounded by live fire, and more than a hundred killed. Yet the lie passes without comment.

Not a single one of the hundreds of TV news program presenters ever corrects such statements by correspondents. Because the directors, presenters, commentators and correspondents are themselves thoroughly brainwashed. The army spokesman knows the truth, of course, but he is a central cog in the brainwashing machine.

EVENTS REACHED a climax with the murder of the 21-year old female paramedic Razan Ashraf al-Najjar, when she was trying to save the life of a wounded demonstrator. The sharpshooter who shot her in the chest saw that she was a medic treating a wounded person. It was a clear war crime.

Was there a public outcry? Did the media demand an investigation? Did the media report this event in their page one headline? Did the Knesset observe a minute of silence? Nothing of the sort. A minor news item in some papers (by no means all). An excellent article by the admirable Amira Hass in Haaretz. And that’s that.

A few days passed, and abroad there were outcries. The Argentine soccer team, with the admired Messi, canceled a friendly game against the Israeli team in Jerusalem.

The brainwashers realized that it was impossible not to react. So the army spokesman published a statement saying that an investigation had taken place. What did it discover? Ah, well. It was clearly established that nobody had shot Razan. She was hit by the ricochet of a bullet that had hit the ground far from her. That is such a blatant lie that even the army liar should be ashamed of producing it. It was accepted by the brainwashed public.

One of the hallmarks of brainwashing is a phenomenon that everyone can notice: the total absence of a second opinion. When a commentator voices the official line on an event, does anyone express an alternative version? Is there a debate between the official spokesman and a contrary commentator? In the democratic media, that would be commonplace. Here it is very, very rare.

WHAT CAN be done to counter such brainwashing?

Not much.

First of all: there is a vital need for a second voice. Brainwashing can be efficient only when the official voice enjoys a complete monopoly. That was one of the aims of Haolam Hazeh, the weekly which I edited for 40 years. It met every untrue government version with a contrary version. Although our voice was weak, compared to the powerful government machine (even in those days), the very fact that there are two voices, however unequal, prevents a total brainwashing. The citizen hears two versions and wonders “who is right?”

If all the peace and human rights groups in Israel set up a joint center for information, which will be heard, perhaps the monopoly of official propaganda can be broken. Perhaps.

There is in the country a tiny band of commentators who are not afraid to tell the truth, even when this is considered treason. Gideon Levy, Amira Hass and a few others. We must ensure that their voice is heard. They must be encouraged.

All the media must be pressured to present a variation of views on matters of war and peace, to let the “internal enemy” be heard, so that the citizen is able to form an opinion of their own.

The foreign media must be allowed free access to the sources of information, even when the foreign media are critical, “hostile” and “anti-Semitic”. Friends of Israeli-Palestinian peace abroad must be encouraged to pressure the media in their homelands to publish the truth about what is happening here.

I don’t like the word “must”. But in this context, no other will do.

THE POWER of the truth against a brainwashing machine is always limited. But in the end, even if it takes time, truth will prevail. It needs courage.

The movie “The Manchurian Candidate” has a surprise ending: in the last minute, instead of killing the presidential candidate, the brainwashed man shoots the communist agent who was supposed to take his place.

Teenage and Trans: How YouTubers are showing teens they aren’t alone

By Anja Popp-7 Jun 2018

From bullying to isolation – for young people who are coming to terms with their gender and sexuality – life can become a struggle to find acceptance without judgement. There’s a wider debate about proposed changes to the law which would allow people to change their legal gender, without a doctor’s medical diagnosis – but there’s a more fundamental need too – for support.  Anja Popp has been to meet two trans teenagers who are turning to online networks – where they can feel normal in a society which often makes them feel anything but.

Politicians wearing mantles of Saints?. Ain’t it quaint?

2018-06-08

We live in a country where people have short memories, this includes politicians who often suffer from selective amnesia as well

Within the UNP too, those who were once photographed kneeling at the feet of the former ruler

Several promises which were given have been honoured, and in addition we have the Ambulance service which was Minister Harsha de Silva’s brainchild, a gift from the government of India

It is unfortunate that some sections of the electronic and print media choose not to mention the tributes but persist in giving maximum publicity to criticism of the PM

There have been a spate of politicians recently marching in as Saints, trying to cover their past sins with a saintly cover, going so far as to court ethnic minority communities who were harassed by them, even in their time of prayer, during their tenure of office. State sponsored violence was the trademark of that time.We live in a country where people have short memories, this includes politicians who often suffer from selective amnesia as well! There were several statements recently which displayed this mentality. Those who were famed for violence in various forms now parade as saints, pointing fingers at the government in power forgetting their own murky pasts, when they were leading segments within the powers that were. Their own record, academic and otherwise, are proof that they know little or nothing of the economy, rule of law or good governance. Then we have the former ruler, shedding crocodile tears about recent murders. How many innocent people were murdered and protestors shot at during his time. He seems to have forgotten the Rathupaswella, Chilaw and Katunayake incidents where people lost their lives after they were shot at by Defence forces, the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge and the disappearance of Pradeep Eknaligoda, whose weeping wife kept going and still goes from pillar to post desperately 

trying to get to the bottom of this tragedy. No heed at all was paid to public outrage, or ending the violence which continued unleashed with perpetrators unapprehended. Journalists, rugger 

players, so many other innocent people were killed during the past regime. He even refuses to debate with Minister Mangala Samaraweera, one recalls his reluctance to debate when he was invited to do so at the height of his power by Ranil Wickremesinghe. One of the sons, announces that the former ruler as the man responsible for winning the war, will not deign to face a debate. He also chooses to forget the way Sarath Fonseka, once hailed as the best of the best by them, was treated in an inhumane fashion, and thrown into jail. I think his refusal stems from the fact that he is well aware that the two people who challenged him to debate, can outtalk and outwit him, unlike some people who continue to be fooled by him. It is as strange a phenomenon that when some are caught out, in one way or another, their signature tune seems to be. I don’t know, I can’t remember’. We have another famed political jumper who has jumped several times, who did this recently.

Within the UNP too, those who were once photographed kneeling at the feet of the former ruler, when they did a political jump, are now wanting a change in Leadership of the party. They have no right whatsoever to make this demand.They were not with the party during tough times, but only came back when they sensed that the party was on a winning streak, just before the Presidential election. They were not harassed, intimidated nor were they victims of violence as many UNPers, including MP’s and Ministers who stuck with the party through thick and thin were, during those years. They should instead go to their electorates, tell the people what this government has achieved and prove their worth. Several promises which were given have been honoured, and in addition we have the Ambulance service which was Minister Harsha de Silva’s brainchild, a gift from the government of India. This has saved many lives and been a great boon to people in several areas. We also have freedom of speech to write or say what we want, without fear of white vans, a symbol of the former rule. Of course the government still has much more to do and achieve, promises to keep and more than ever, to bring to book perpetrators of crime and corruption of the previous regime. This has to be given priority. The appointment of Harin Fernando as spokesman and as Head of the publicity machine of the party is a good move as this has clearly been the weakest arm of the party. Harin must get this moving on the road as soon as possible as time is short and memories even shorter!   

The government still has much more to do and achieve, promises to keep and more than ever, to bring to book perpetrators of crime and corruption of the previous regime. This has to be given priority

The Mahanayake of the Sri Lanka Amarapura Chapter The Most Ven. Kotugoda Dhammavansa Thera recently commended the PM’s patience, intelligence and appropriate stance. It is unfortunate that some sections of the electronic and print media choose not to mention the tributes but persist in giving maximum publicity to criticism of the PM. This is hardly unbiased journalism! The PM’s example in not raving and ranting against the constant character assassination thrown at him, has always been his forte. He takes all this with the cool, patrician composure that he was born with and turns the other cheek. He has never been in a hurry to gain power, has never tried to throw out leaders by force or undemocratic means and got the leadership of the party at his own pace, in his own time. He was loyal to all previous Leaders. He always did his duty by the party and its previous Leaders with infectious zeal and probing intellect. But the time that we live in today, demands that he has to be tougher, instill more discipline, act decisively and move swiftly against the culprits of the former regime.Inaction on this front is the main criticism thrown at the government.   

The government still has much more to do and achieve, promises to keep and more than ever, to bring to book perpetrators of crime and corruption of the previous regime. This has to be given priority

 He is a devout Buddhist and perhaps the words of the Buddha on compassion towards enemies, stressing that ignorance was the cause of human frailties and faults have undoubtedly inspired this attitude. As a Christian, I am also reminded of the words of Jesus Christ on the cross, ‘Father forgive them, they know not what they do’!     

DEFENDER OF JUSTICE, FR. NANDANA MANATUNGA WINS PRESTIGIOUS 2018 GWANGJU HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD

Written by Sen Nguyen.-07/06/2018

(June 1, 2018) Diploma in Human Rights Training… diploma in Youth Pastoral & Faith Education… diploma in Foundations for Pastoral Renewal… diploma in Development Dynamics… diploma in Leadership…

So reads the educational background of Father Nandana Manatunga – winner of the 2018 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights. This award is an annual dedication to the people’s spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement hosted by the May 18 Memorial Foundation.

As I was waiting for Manatunga’s response , I was sitting on a bench with a cup of coffee in front of the Yongbong-gwan building at Chonnam National University. This was where the student protest started that led to the Gwangju Uprising in 1980. As a human rights activist myself, I am curious about how others got started in the same relentless fight against social injustice. For Manatunga, the impetus was seeing his compatriots being tortured, burnt, and killed on the roadside and thrown into the river.

It was during the second year of his priesthood in Sri Lanka that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Youth Insurrection – also known as the 1989 Revolt – hit its climax. It was organized by the left-wing nationalist Sinhalese JVP against the Sri Lankan government under President J. R. Jayewardene. Occurring from 1988 to 1989, the unfortunate incidents resulted in over 60,000 deaths, including many who did not have any connection with the JVP. Many people “disappeared” or were killed by security forces and paramilitary groups who operated under the authorization of the government.

Fr Nandana decided to do something about it. He visited several police stations and army camps to get some of the youth released and provide security for those who were being searched for by the security forces. Fr Nandana recounts the incident that changed his life: “Once when I was traveling alone in my van, a man stopped me, got into my vehicle, and asked me to speed up. The stranger then got off at the bus stop and only then revealed that he had been taken to the cemetery to be shot, but he managed to escape.” And thus commenced Fr Nandana’s career as a human rights defender. With his brother and sister being lawyers, he had a already a legal background as well.




Sri Lanka has left this dark past behind, but corruption still cripples the system, making it impossible to establish sound law enforcement units. This, coupled with widespread public apathy, has given rise to numerous cases of human rights abuses, particularly in the form of rape and torture. A rape occurs every five and a half hours in Sri Lanka, according to police statistics. The wrongdoers often beat the rap or get away with mild sentences. The fact that rape and torture are perceived as commonplace and that a culture of victim-blaming exists only rubs salt in the wound.

Fortunately, the situation is improving, according to Manatunga. “Because of the recent incidents of cruel, inhuman acts of rape and murder, people have changed their perception and are condemning crimes to the extent that civil society has campaigned to implement capital punishment for criminals of rape and murder,” he said.

The work Fr Nandana has put forward is not to be overlooked. His holistic three-body approach, called “Victim-Centered Activity,” involves providing security for young abuse victims to restore their sanity and lives. It also includes surrounding victims with assistance from a professional support group (including counselors, doctors, lawyers, and foster parents), and using Fr Nsndana’s post as a religious leader along with the media to transform public attitudes. His organization, Human Rights Office Kandy, is not the only one that provides legal assistance to victims in Sri Lanka, but his organization’s holistic assistance is still unique. As a result, Fr Nandana’s model has had a profound impact on countless victims of rape and torture, and has revolutionized the landscape of human rights work in other countries.

Not only are former victims witnesses of institutional injustice – they can also be agents of change. Fr Nandana told me about the stories of two such people. The first was a young man named Vivodan, who was arrested as a suspect under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in the north of Sri Lanka. He was severely tortured by the police but was later released after his persuasive negotiations. But Vivodan’s battle did not stop there – his brother was arrested, too. “Since [Vivodan] got his freedom, he has joined us and exerted ferocious efforts to free not only his brother, but also other political prisoners and all torture and rape victims in all our campaigns,” Fr Nandana said.

The other victim who later became an agent of change was a police officer named Anton Perera, who was arrested on fabricated charges and ended up being tortured and imprisoned. Fr Nandana’s team managed to free Perera, provide him with counseling, and restore his dignity. Perera is now an activist who supports other victims of torture by accompanying them to court. Unfortunately, his activism has also rendered him a target of law enforcement agencies. “[Perera] was followed by police officers when he accompanied a torture victim to an outstation high court, but he managed to escape,” Manatunga said.

Working as a human rights defender is like dicing with death – one has got to batten down the hatches. “In 2008, one of our victims was shot dead and our task was found to have become even more difficult with the PTA,” Fr Nandana said. “After the civil war, the police have all the powers to label any person as a terrorist and make them disappear.”

Providing protection and security to torture victims is the biggest challenge that he and his team have faced. As the perpetrators invariably happen to be running from law enforcing units, protecting the victims is a difficult task. As daunting as it is, their will withers not.

“Despite notes of warning, we accompany the victims of torture and continue to do so until the perpetrators are convicted in court,” Manatunga said. “Most cases have been going on for 12 to 15 years.” The very first cases in which Manatunga’s team provided shelter, security, medical care, counseling, and education were in 2001. The high court case was finally concluded in December 2015. He emphasized the enormous sacrifice the victims had to bear to seek justice while the perpetrators lived free and happy lives.

Regarding his view on the future of human rights in Sri Lanka, Fr Nandana is convinced that problems will persist if the leaders in his country carry on entertaining impunity and corruption.
“As long as we have a defective justice system, justice is going to be delivered with impunity and rife with loopholes,” Manatunga said. “The perpetrators of crime and corruption will rule the country, and human rights issues will remain.”

The future looks rather bleak, and the need for a strong, charismatic leader who stands for truth, justice, and integrity is urgent. Fortunately, the city of Gwangju has now recognized Fr Nandana as one such leader.

The 2018 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, presented to Father Nandana Manatunga by The May 18 Memorial Foundation.

As the laureate of the 2018 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, Fr Nandana dedicated the award to all the victims, survivors, members of support groups, and human rights defenders whom he has worked with. He hopes that the award will inspire many other activists, as well as religious leaders, to defend and protect the rights of the people, even if it means taking on unforeseen risks.

Fr Nandana is an astoundingly qualified academic, a revered Father, and a courageous hero who commits to building a harmonious society in his country and inspires humanity. He does not speak to us from an ivory tower, but rather keeps it real, confronting the predicaments in the trenches by supporting thousands of victims of torture and rape, and by educating myriad human rights activists.

We can all learn something from him. I know I did, as I was sipping his lessons into my consciousness while taking in the aura of the place where history began and human rights triumphed.

(The Author : Sen Nguyen is a graduate student and a vigorous reader, whether it is a book or people. She comes from Hanoi, Vietnam, but her home is wherever her heart is.)
gwangjunewsgic.com

Are we a Democracy? May be?

- 
BY S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole-June 7, 2018, 10:28 pm

Counting votes is just one aspect of democracy

On the face of it, we exercise our franchise, vote and often turn out governments. We have retired public servants working as election staff. By all accounts they are very honest poll workers and the result is inexorably the will of the electorate.

However, there is a lot more to democracy than taking a good record of the will of the electorate. There are related issues: Are people whom we would really choose as our representatives able to contest? Here the answer is often no, because of the cost and dangers of campaigning; and whom we choose are our second choice.

No democracy without the rule of law

Do we operate under the rule of law? No! The Seventeenth Amendment was enacted and became the law. It provided for a Constitutional Council to appoint an Election Commission, and other independent Commissions.

However, both Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa failed to implement the law. Nothing happened. Neither broke the law. They only defied the spirit of the law, and indirectly broke the law. This is the Sri Lankan style of breaking laws – not to do what it expects of us. No law said the President had to appoint the Constitutional Council. Similarly, when war criminals and thieving politicians are protected, there is a failure to do what the law expects.

The law and election officials

Does the law protect those who conduct elections? We have Assistant Commissioners who were assaulted by politicians years ago without due prosecution. Only one man stood up and used a private plaint. Last I heard he was still spending his money on it. When officials are not protected, they cannot do their work.

As an election official, I came across a complaint that an election campaign was launched from a temple. The KKS police when pressed by the complainant (a rival politician) filed charges before the Mallakam magistrate against the priest and not the politicians. Usually a priest would bless anything given to him – here the manifesto notices – so he was discharged. When the Commission pressed the police, they charged just one of the politicians leaving out the big guns who were at the temple. There were photographs of the event. The politicians themselves had boasted of the release of the manifesto from the "famous temple" in their Facebook pages. Articles appeared in newspapers. The police had all of these. However, they merely placed these in the file but the B-report to the magistrate did not mention this.

Angry at the Commission, although I was not the complainant, summons were supposedly served on me and untruthfully reported as such to the Magistrate by the OIC.

An attack was launched on me in court as having run away in fear despite the summons. The Magistrate thought that a Christian should not be involved when the offence involved a Hindu Temple! The one politician charged was discharged after the magistrate had launched his own diatribe on me.

The one man charged threatened me: "Until 10 February. 2018 you do your attacks. On the 11th attacks on you will begin. You be ready to face them. We are saying this pleasingly with responsibility. If you pull us into dirty work, we too will not let it/you be."

The TNPF issued a press release giving the speech, and photos. TNPF Lawyer K. Guruparan stated malicious untruths about me. I was fearful. I complained to SSP/Jaffna who said it was not an Election Offence and he could act only if it was. So he asked for two weeks to consult the AG.

As a senior policemen, he should have known it was a criminal offence under Section 186 of the Penal Code: Threatening a public officer and preventing him from doing his duty. I stet shame because of the alleged Christian bias I had been accused of in many newspapers. I stayed indoors to avoid meeting people and could not do my work.

Two weeks passed. Nothing. With elections round the corner as February 10, 2018 approached, I left the peninsula in fear, doing limited work from our Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Trincomalee offices. I could not avoid election day. So I came to Jaffna Central College, the elections centre. I was shocked to see this man who threatened me entering the office where I was and glowering at me. That evening, I was seated next to GA/Jaffna, the Returning Officer. The area was prohibited to that man because he was a candidate but he was walking up and down looking at me. The GA noticed this and had him removed.

Mallakam tricks again using the Police?

Next, I was invited by one Nandalal to the CID Special investigations Unit – 1 in Fort to record a statement. I went to Colombo for our appointment at 2.00 pm, After I had reached Colombo I was told by Nanadalal that he could not record my statement in Tamil so I should go to one Mohammed in Jaffna who knew "very good Tamil." In Jaffna I was informed by Mohammed that he spoke good Tamil but cannot write. I reached back to CID HQ in Colombo and I was told that there was no need for a statement, that the case B/R 201/2018 would be called on June 11 and I would be notified.

Today, June 7, 2018, no word yet. The Jaffna Police say they have informed the Commission. The Commission has received nothing. The Commission has written two reminders to the relevant DIG. No reply. The Commission sent our Jaffna’s Deputy Commissioner to ask court for the papers. He was told that the case has not been heard and we should wait. He asked the police and he was told to ask Colombo.

The Commission is unable to brief our lawyers. We do not even know if we are respondents. The hearing is on Monday. I do not trust our law enforcement. We can see how those who took bribes in the bond scam are protected. At a smaller level, we have a house in Colombo which is occupied by a doctor who refuses to leave and pays no rent. A case initiated last year has not been heard even once. Why? The Fiscal says he cannot find the man who runs a busy practice from our home. I am told that the usual court practice is simply to paste the notice on the door and that suffices. However, the court then asked for service through the Grama Niladari. That also did not work. When my lawyers approached the Fiscal and the Niladari separately, they both said "We will serve papers but look after us." It is a game of who looks after them best. Anyway, how can a Fiscal be blamed when the big guys are raking money in by the millions.

Coming back to Monday next, it seems that all the tricks that worked in Mallakam are at play here. Against legal advice, I have written to the Jaffna magistrate to ensure my views are heard.

Post elections

Usually Election Observers come for elections and are gone in two weeks after giving their ++ reports. What is not seen is what happens to election complaints. It takes two years to see what happens to them. There are thousands of complaints. Things like putting up illegal posters are quickly resolved through minor punishments and are harped on. There are, however, some complaints against major players. I see no action. It is these that tell us if we are a democracy or not – whether the only people allowed to break election laws are those in power as when the UNP "treated", in defiance of election laws, by offering millions for Buddhist temples during the LG elections. Immunity for some, breaks us as a democracy.

Meddling close to elections

Let me finish by quoting from the Commonwealth Secretariat’s, Election Management: A Compendium of Commonwealth Good Practices, 2016:

"During the run-up to polling, it is therefore important to be wary of attempts on the part of the executive […] to amend the legislative framework or regulations."

Our failures are because of what officialdom failed to do what was expected of it, rather than in breaking of the law. The last local government elections were not held and our franchise robbed by undertaking changes to the law when elections were due, and then using the Supreme Court to block elections. It was a case of using the law to thwart the law.

Now we have the Provincial System laws meddled with again to delay elections – saying the mixed system the government bull-dozed through, ignoring standing orders, needs change again. The delimitation for these Councils though done, has not been approved by Parliament. So the Commission cannot implement the law for PCs without electorates.

Paraphrasing the Commonwealth, "Democracy involves the use of clear, predictble processes with uncertain outcomes. In a non-democracy, the electoral process is characterized by unclear and uncertain processes but with predictable outcomes."

Our process is uncertain because we do not know when our government will approve the delimitation. The predictable outcome is that we will have no provincial government until the government thinks it is ready to face the electorate.

We are no democracy.

A few who wants to serve under a slave owner favour executive presidency

June 7, 2018

A few individuals who want to live under a slave owner and serve under him are protesting against abolishing the executive presidency and they are weaklings who don’t have the strength to stand independently but make their existence by clinging on to a dominant character says the Information Secretary of the JVP Parliamentarian Vijitha Herath.

This was said by Mr Vijitha Herath at a press conference held at the head office of eh JVP at Pelawatta today (7th) to correct the errenous statements that are being made by various parties regarding the 20th amendment to the Constitution presented to parliament by the JVP as a private member’s motion.

Mr. Herath emphasized that not only lawyers attached to the JVP but many lawyers wsho are not connected with the JVP assisted in compiling the draft of the 20th amendmednt.

He said a group of Buddhist priests opposed the draft even before it was presented but at the moment the JVP is having a dialogue with those priests so that they would be able to know the exact purpose of presenting such an amendment.

The Information Secretary of the JVP pointed out that the JVP opposed the executive presidency from its inception in 1978 and in addition to the JVP several other political parties opposed the executive presidential system. He said presidents who were elected in the country promised to abolish executive presidency.

Mr Herath pointed out that Parliamentarian Wijedasa Rajapaksa who opposes abolishing executive presidency now presented a private member’s bill in 2005 to abolish executive presidency.

Despite groups favouring executive presidential system argue that abolishing exeecutive presidency would be a harm to sovereignity of the country, Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa presenting ‘Mahinda Chinthanaya’ had stated that “The aremment that betrayed the country was signed using executive presidency”. As such, it is the executive presidency that has harmed sovereignity of the country added Mr. Herath.

The Member of the Central Committee of the JVP Attorney at Law Sunil Watagala too was present.

A Government that itself is the Opposition

 

 

The two parties are playing into the hands of the former President Rajapaksa 
President’s outburst seems to be a resurgence of the bickering
The President accused monkeys for the price hike of coconuts

2018-06-08

President Maithripala Sirisena has been making startling revelations since lately. He expressed hopes in mid-May that the GDP would rise by about 2 or 3 per cent if the rain continued, while the people living on the banks of several rivers in the country were anxious about a devastating flood. 

He said this despite his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has attributed the country’s current economic recession, after their Local Government Elections defeat to the floods in the Kelani Valley in 2016, among other factors. 


Then on May 30, he surprised the entire country including those who toiled to make him the President with a question as to who compiled the 100-Day-Programme on which his entire campaign for the 2015 Presidential Election was based. 

He said this in a tone that rejected that programme as an unrealistic strategy. 

The President made another statement this week blaming the monkeys for the price hike of coconuts and said that people, who should blame the monkeys, were blaming the Government. 

He was explaining how one-third of the crops in the country was being destroyed by monkeys and other wild animals. However, his claims cannot be totally denied by anybody in spite of them sometimes seeming inappropriate and sometimes surprising. 

The action against the TNL transmission centre in Polgahawela also might be an extension of the strife

Most baffling among these statements was the one about the famous 100-Day-Programme and the occasion it was made also interesting as it was the 76th Birth Anniversary commemoration of the late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera, who laid the ideological foundation for his ascension to the high post of Presidency. It is unlikely that people except for a few of his close associates would have believed what he said about the 100-Day-Programme at the function held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. 

He said that with only 47 United National Party (UNP) MPs in Parliament, a programme had been prepared in a calendar form to be implemented within 100 days while asserting that the right thing that should have been done was to dissolve Parliament on the very next day after he was sworn in. 

He implied that he was not only unaware as to who prepared the 100-Day-Programme and was not in agreement with it during his election campaign. And he at the same time grabbed the credit for certain achievements of the Government under that programme, such as the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, pointing out that without the support of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party led by him they would not have seen the light of the day. 

One can argue that the President was in the dark about the programme when it was prepared as he was deeply involved with his election campaign. The common candidate of the Opposition who had just left the Government and almost the entire SLFP, except for a few MPs and a segment of the party at the grassroots level, was with the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa. 

The burden of organising and implementing the common candidate’s campaign was left to the main party of the Opposition, the UNP. 

The burden of organising and implementing the common candidate’s campaign was left to the main party of the Opposition, the UNP  

The UNP might have prepared the programme without the knowledge and consent of their common candidate, but in the belief that there was no reason for him to oppose it. 

And it can be further argued that the candidate might have seen the programme and its impracticability in the middle of the campaign, but put up with it since it was not a time for the parties teamed up to oust Rajapaksa to fight each other. 

And also the programme was readily accepted by the civil society groups that had joined hands with Mr Sirisena due to its reformist nature. 

However, it is unlikely that the people including most of the close associates of the President might have accepted his claim on the programme as he had not shown an iota of a sign of his views on it for the past three and a half years. 

And the programme seemed to have had his blessings and the support of the SLFP group that broke away from former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s leadership along with him, throughout the 100 days, when some of the 100 points of it were implemented. 

The President rightly but by implication argues that it was absurd to put forward such a programme by the UNP at a time when the party had only 47 MPs in Parliament. 

He also rightly boasts that it was he who gave the necessary Parliamentary support as the new leader of the SLFP, to give effect to the main items of the 100-Day-Programme such as the 19th Amendment to the Constitution that was passed in Parliament in April 2015 and the Right to Information Bill (RTI). 

It is the very support he gave the UNP to pass these legislative pieces in Parliament that now stands against him when he attempts to convince the country that he was sidelined when the 100-Day-Programme was compiled. 

On November 21, 2014, the day Maithripala Sirisena announced his candidature at the Presidential Election that was to be held in January 2015, he also declared that he would appoint UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe his Prime Minister once he assumed duties. 

He kept that promise. Yet, the question remains as to why he did so, without doing the “right thing” - dissolving the Parliament. 

Did he intend to appoint a Prime Minister without a programme – 100-Day-Programme or something else- to be implemented? 

In fact, had he dissolved Parliament on January 10, 2015 it would have been the “right thing” as his team, though led by the UNP, would have swept the electorate, since it was a time when they were fresh from an incredible Presidential Election victory, which had demoralized the Rajapaksa camp and there would have at least been a stable Government now. 

The President’s outburst seems to be a resurgence of the bickering between the two main parties that form the Government, the UNP and the SLFP, that has been fluctuating for the past two years. 

The action against the TNL transmission centre in Polgahawela also might be an extension of the strife. 

The infighting had come to a peak after the humiliating defeat of the UNP and the SLFP at the February 10 Local Government Elections with the President reportedly seeking the opinion of the Attorney General to sack the Prime Minister.

After exploring so many options by both sides, such as instituting a Government by the SLFP with the support of the Joint Opposition and forming a Government by the UNP on its own, both sides had decided recently to put up with each other. 

The defeats at the Local Government elections of the two parties in the Government was attributed to the Government’s inaction towards the development of the country in general, and immediate welfare measures in particular. 

It is clear that with the new wave of fighting the two parties are playing into the hands of the former President Rajapaksa, who recently said that President Sirisena performed the duty of the Opposition.     

EU recognizes Sri Lanka's progress in protecting and enhancing human, urges zero tolerance for religious, ethnic hate crimes 

Fri, Jun 8, 2018, 12:02 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

June 07, Brussels: The European Union recognizing the progress made by Sri Lanka in protecting and enhancing human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country has urged the government to address issues relating to religious and ethnic hatred and to maintain zero tolerance for hate speech and crimes.

The third meeting of the Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights under the European Union-Sri Lanka Joint Commission was held in Brussels on 5 June 2018 in the context of Sri Lanka being granted better access to the EU for its exports under the EU's Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) in May 2017.

The decision of the EU to accord such preferences was taken in exchange for Sri Lanka's commitment to effectively implement the international conventions that it has ratified on human rights, labor conditions, the protection of the environment and good governance. It also demonstrates the EU's commitment to support the Government of Sri Lanka's reform and reconciliation agenda.
Progress has been made by the Government of Sri Lanka in protecting and enhancing human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country, the EU said in a statement.

"A number of important measures have been taken, including the operationalization of the Office on Missing Persons, the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and the passing of the Right to Information Bill. The EU drew attention to the importance of Sri Lanka making prompt and concrete progress in fulfilling international commitments on human rights and labor rights as well as environmental protection."

There was a detailed exchange of information on many important ongoing reforms, such as the replacement of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and reform of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act to bring them in line with international standards, and the status of the Constitution. The participants agreed on the need to make further progress on reconciliation. To this end, the full implementation of the UN Human Rights Council Resolution of October 2015, including the urgent return of land, remains a priority. The EU reiterated its readiness to continue supporting the Government in advancing national reconciliation.

There were also discussions on the progress made and the challenges ahead in maintaining the freedoms of expression and of the media, strengthening the civil society, advancing the rights of women and children, respecting non-discrimination on any grounds, addressing the rights of minorities, accelerating the return of land, labor rights, and implementing the treaty obligations and the rule of law.

The EU encouraged Sri Lanka to address issues relating to religious and ethnic hatred and to maintain zero tolerance for hate speech and crimes. The EU stressed the importance of addressing areas of concern, especially torture, violence against women and the need to combat corruption.

The Working Group reaffirmed its commitment to promote and protect human rights domestically and globally and to collaborate on the effective implementation of international human rights instruments.

The conclusions and recommendations of the Working Group will be reported to the EU-Sri Lanka Joint Commission to be held later this year in Brussels. The Joint Commission will then assess the progress achieved since today's meeting.

The delegation of the European Union was led by Ms Caroline Vinot, Head of Division for Regional Affairs and South Asia of the European External Action Service.


The delegation of Sri Lanka was led by Ms Shobini Gunasekera, Director-General for European Union, Commonwealth and Multilateral Treaties Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka.

Of GOPs, gobs and godforsaken ops

 
Friday, 8 June 2018

There was a time when one might have admired the country’s Grand Old Party (GOP). It was the party of the Grand Old Man (GOM) who put Sri Lanka on the free world’s map as well as earned us a black mark against our name for national crimes committed in the face of pragmatic politics. Be that as it may, there was much to endorse in its ostensible ethos back in the day, if one did not examine its modus operandi too minutely. Then, as now, it wasn’t good for one’s stomach to know how laws and sausages were made. And how successful parties united national interests with partisan agendas to fund political campaigns.


To do so today, to endorse the UNP’s sea-green incorruptible self-image, or take it a step farther and become a card-carrying member or an MP in its stalwart ranks, is tantamount to committing political hara-kiri. A golden opportunity at national transformation presented on a platter to a UNP-led government by an autocrat greedy to consolidate power – squandered by an oligarchy of old-boy network obscurantists? To be fair, they had more than a little assistance getting hamstrung from their helpful but not every bright young supporters’ club… to say nothing of a bright but not very helpful or in the least beautiful Joint Opposition (JO).

G, B, U!

A rather helpful classification of the parties concerned, at least to the readership of this newspaper, might be the Good, Bad, Ugly (GBU) schema. In its simplest form – back in the day, but not too long ago to be out of mind – the GOP was good. The yokel who would make a good common candidate was bad but could be used for the common good. And an idealistic common front could be well employed to keep the ugly yobbo and his cohorts from hell at bay – in everyone’s best interests but the gobs’, of course!

In due course, the formula underwent some modification. The GOP presented the yokel as the middle classes’ all-new GOM of sorts atop a supposedly ‘new’ political culture, which was good. The JO yobbos et al. put spokes in the wheel of progress at every point, which was bad news for the reforms agenda. And the plug-uglies were relegated more or less to outer darkness, which was beautiful – because it gave us all a breather and democratic-republicanism a decent chance to refresh itself.

But good things go south sooner than it takes to say central-bank bond-scam backwards in broken double-speak. And when bad things begin to fall apart in a political marriage of pragmatic convenience, ugly things fall out of the closet. To cut a long story short, it seems that everyone and their GOMs have skeletons in their cabinets. Which is a bad thing for transitional justice and the constitutional reforms process. But a heaven-sent basket of goodies for the hell-hounds knocking at the door…

If I appear to paint a bleak picture, it’s because the apocalypse is upon us. Apocalypse in the original Greek sense of the word… a revelation: an uncovering: the truth behind the façade when the mask slips or is ripped off. No one loves the smell of napalm in the morning; but since good governance is bombing itself into oblivion, it’s incumbent on the fourth estate’s commando regiment to pick up the pieces.

G, B, U?

Today, the new ugly is that the Managed Spectacle (MS) of all being cosy in a marriage of political convenience is not only over, it is all over the scandal sheets – as if papa-bear and mama-bear have been exposed for child molesters who care precious little for Goldilocks but had only porridge on their mind all along. Today, the Monstrous Regimen (MR) that is, was, and will be again – if we don’t look sharp – is more than knocking on the door… it’s breathing down our neck… and more than the good, bad or ugly of it (for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so), may I simply say God Bless U (GBU) – and leave it there!

So, where do we go from here? Well, the not-quite general officers in the ugly corner seem to have a pretty good idea how bad the present lot are and how it is all their fault that the country has come to this pretty pass. In the strange case of these ex-officers and former senior officials under the previous strongman’s latterly oppressive regime, they seem to have some welcome help from the powers that be themselves. For those who rode in on a pale horse trailing pink ribbons and promising peace and justice have fallen short – to say nothing of incurring a laughable (if you’re a gob) or lamentable (for everyone else) fall off their high horse. There is no good or kind way to explain why the baddies are still at large, thumping their chests and rattling sabre to boot.

In the short term, it’s no use pressing the National Unity Government to do anything meaningful to address the distressing realities of partisan and personal disunity at national levels of governance. That ship set sail the day a sitting head of state forgot he was meant to be a one-term prez and pressed the Supreme Court for an extension, thereby nailing his true colours to the mast. Nor is it any use nominating the Central Bank imbroglio – egregious as it was – as the beginning of the end; because governors before the last one has been in cahoots with crooked governments while our culpable baby was in diapers.

In the medium term, it behoves the GOP to reverse its habitual MO of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. One suspects that its incumbent GOM is not a man easily given to eating humble pie; but his mumbling dissembling apart (“he’s my friend, I appointed him; he’s not my friend, I’m disappointed”) he might be the best man for a bad job: rescuing the state from its present rottenness by breaking with turncoat chief executives; investing in streamlining the only national party with an internationalist worldview that will bode our interests well; prosecuting past villains – as promised – with no thought given to personal agendas or pragmatic wedges against the gobs at the gate. In the longer term, nothing less than genuinely reforming the GOP and bringing its GOM down to Earth from a lofty Olympus will serve the nation-state. But I’m not holding my breath in cloud-cuckoo-land. Since every effort at making a once admirable party has gone the way of all flesh – towards kitchen cabinets and comfort zones where skeletons in the closet are dismissed with mumbling dissembling.

In the long run we are all dead – GOPs, gobs, yobbos, yokels and all.

(Journalist | Editor-at-large of LMD | Writer #SpeakingTruthToPower)

What is the secret message Indian P.M’s high profile security officer who arrived in SL suddenly convey to Gamarala and P.M.?

(Lanka e News – 07.June.2018, 10.40AM) A high profile Indian intelligence division officer extremely close to Indian prime minister(P.M.) Narendra Modi arrived in SL on 4 th forenoon , and met with president Palllewaate Gamarala and  Prime Minster Ranil Wickrmesinghe separately and secretly. On the same day after the discussions he left our shores ,based on reports reaching Lanka e News inside information division.

Diplomatic circles are of the view that the officer suddenly arrived to convey a special  warning message from Modi.

Various powerful foreign forces are in operation in the country because the incumbent chief of the government  himself is while  being in the government is in the process of destabilizing the country during the last ten months. Among those are evil forces which are militating against India’s security .In the circumstances India has therefore alerted itself most intensely in this direction.

On the last tour of India of our president , Modi told  ‘you have not only put your own country in jeopardy but even mine’ direct to the face of Gamarala , which was reported by Lanka e News always  first with news and best with the views , earlier on. This news report was not repudiated by India or SL.

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by     (2018-06-07 05:13:27)

Towards a nation of singers and taxi drivers

If we don’t embolden the blue collar worker enough, we will get a nation of engineers who know, who can and will quote statistics, but who can’t get the job done

Economic imperatives are aligned with the gig economy

We want to educate our children into careers that empower a brain drain which, if left unchecked, may take away or push out more than 25% of the population

2018-06-08 

A friend of mine pointed out not too long ago that nearly every Sri Lankan parent wants his or her child to be a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, an accountant, etc. This friend, who was clearly incensed by it, contended that if everyone wanted to become a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, or an accountant, “No one would want to acquire the skills necessary to repair a leak in their homes, or on a wider scale, the skills necessary to get rid of garbage dump collapses and other issues which clearly need hands-on expertise that paper qualifications and white collar professions do not pass on.” The gist of the argument was the same argument I pointed out weeks ago in this paper: if we don’t embolden the blue collar worker enough, all we will get is a nation of engineers who know, who can and will quote statistics, but who can’t get the job done. It’s like identifying where a transmission line has tripped and gone off, but without the necessary fleet of workers and inspectors who know how to get up and fix that line.  

However, this friend was bothered less about the divide between blue collar and white collar than the (even more) perennial and fundamentalist divide between those who take to professional fields and secure jobs at the cost of those career options which are seen at the fringe and are hence not favoured as much. “Chekhov wrote beautifully, there is evidence to suggest that his encounters at Sakhalin Island, traumatic as they were, helped him perfect his prose. Is there any reason to suggest that he would have been better if he remained a doctor, without taking to literature?” he characteristically quizzed me. Of course, I was stumped, in particular because some of the world’s greatest and most loved writers, like Bulgakov, Somerset Maugham, and the immortal John Keats, dabbled in, if not took to, the field of medicine. “If doctors learned to read and write, if they could versify, the world would be a better place,” a teacher of mine, reflecting on how compartmentalised we’ve become, put to me one day.  

Sri Lanka has always faced a higher education problem. Of those who qualify for entrance to a local university, only very few actually get in. To top it all, a rigid arithmetic formula designed to address inter-regional disparities ends up preventing candidates living in “privileged” areas from making it beyond their A Levels. One student I know, from a Colombo school, had to sit for his A Levels thrice. On all three occasions he had received exceptional marks (three As, to be specific), but because he was from Colombo, and because he had studied in the Science stream (heads up the most difficult stream to get through in the local syllabus), he had to perform more exceptionally than students from less privileged areas who had got in with two Bs and one C. One could call this a tragedy, a necessity, or a twist of fate and karma. I prefer to see it as a consequence of the way we look at education, and the problems attendant on what we privilege and what we think our children and students should become.  

I know and know of students who say they regret choosing Science for their A Levels. I know and know of students who, after trying Science out for one or two years, feel so famished that they switch to a subject which tests their so-called right brain (Art, Media, Geography, History, Economics). All this is part of a tragic roundelay: we want our children to become doctors and engineers, forgetting that medicine and engineering are two fields in Sri Lanka which, paradoxically, push their practitioners to leave their country in search of better prospects, and greener pastures, elsewhere. We want to educate our children into careers that empower a brain drain which, if left unchecked, may take away or push out more than 25% of the population (that is, the percentage of the young, between the ages of 18 and 25, resident) in the future. This is a risk we are taking with the young, and the irony is that only a small proportion of those who pass out from their A Levels, and qualify for entrance into a university, actually go beyond what they’ve done. If there is a bottleneck somewhere, there must be a solution somewhere. The solution, as always, is to look for alternatives.  

That’s where alternative career options come into play. Take any school, particularly from the more affluent suburbs within Colombo, Kandy, and Galle, and chances are that the number of those doing Science for their A Levels vastly outstrips that of those who do Maths, Commerce, and the Arts (and in that order). In the early days, being a doctor or a lawyer was seen as a status symbol in a context where a village, or an entire region, boasted of only one or two practitioners in those fields. Now, with the democratisation of knowledge and the drive away from specialisation (ironically, the gig economy, or the economy of Uber and PickMe, has enabled people to work with multiple jobs, two, sometimes three, and very often within the same day), along with the wave of protests and notoriety which have greeted doctors (over SAITM) and engineers (particularly over those at the Electricity Board and their ambivalent preference for coal over renewable energy), people, particularly young people, who have been encouraged to pursue other options, are pursuing them well enough. They are not rich mansion owners by any stretch of the imagination, but they are doing much better than those who labour on to be practitioners of the more renowned professions. Clearly, economic imperatives are aligned with the gig economy.  

Being productive means working at a job that you are happy with, so happy that it translates at the end of the day to more work, more output, and a better deal for both the consumer and the producer

There are those who suggest that the gig economy works well in countries where “productive sectors are declining”. While true, this rakes up the inevitable question, “What is productive and what is not productive?” Sound engineering, advertising agencies, and of course taxi cab services, are for me the definitive sectors of the gig economy. (Sound engineers can be part time lecturers or musicians, copywriters at advertising agencies are now increasingly being recruited as part timers or freelancers, while taxicab services, whether multinational or localised, are thriving in Sri Lanka through drivers who work at night and work during the day in other, more respectable and formal occupations.) It took a great many months and years for the gig economy to catch up with Sri Lanka, or rather for Sri Lanka to catch up with it, but chances are that once we’ve caught on fully with it, it will be here to stay for a long, long time. Which brings me back to that question I posed before: What is productive?  

To me, being productive means working at a job that you are happy with, so happy that it translates at the end of the day to more work, more output, and a better deal for both the consumer and the producer. Medicine is a productive field if its practitioners fall fairly and squarely into this definition. If they do not fall into it, they start looking for greener pastures, and once they embark on their search, their quest, this inevitably leads them elsewhere. If productivity is to flourish, thus, there’s no harm in carving paths in other jobs and other areas, especially the arts, where the very definition of  “a good job done” is to come up with a work that satisfies its client. Contemporary society has found a way of compounding art and commerce; the necessities of the one are those of the other, and through advertising, artists have discovered a niche. Of course, one can argue that for every successful music entrepreneur, there will be a dozen others who will fail and flounder. But that’s how creative industries operate: a grand phenomenon built on the failures and flaws of its predecessors and its past.  

I have never understood this obsession over driving children into “respected” fields parents prefer nowadays and chances are I never will. While they have justifiable reasons, the statistics and the trajectory of those sad statistics into the future do not justify those preferences for science, engineering, accountancy, and law over the arts, economics, history, media, and geography. After all, if this were a nation of scientists and engineers only, and if those scientists and engineers didn’t know a thing about how other fields operate, we wouldn’t have much to pin our hopes on, with respect to the future of the country or the future of those who take to science and engineering.