No Time To Sleepwalk
The political strategies of the anti-UNP forces together aimed against the Joint National Government are clear: Rally all possible forces – sane or insane, informed or stupid – in addition to the traditional anti-UNP forces lined up to topple this government and keep to the Rajapaksa pledge of destroying this government within the course of this year and take over power.
All that is permissible under democratic rules which this government pledged to abide with although Mahinda Rajapaksa would have found ways and means of not only of breaking the spine of those movements not exactly recommended by the ICC or Queensbury Rules or ICJ, as we experienced during his reign of humanitarian discipline which others call the reign of terror.
What’s exasperating is that Yahapalanaya is sleepwalking. There was President Maithripala Sirisena openly declaring at ceremony held for the opening of a million-rupee hospital wing (donated by Sri Lankans and an American) at Ratnapura that those watching TV at night, would have doubts whether there was any government in the country.
We say with deep regret and much sympathy that it is an astounding statement: The projection of events on TV is such that the president of the country does not know whether there anyone governing the country.
President Sirisena is an honest politician and telling the truth like an innocent who sees his grave being dug but does not realise what’s in store for him.
Two of the TV channels – Rupavahini and ITN – with the widest of reach and best resources are available to him. He should ask his highly paid advisors why the state media are tongue tied and are trying to blindfold viewers. He won’t get the correct answers because they are committed to act against his ‘Yahapalanaya’ government! Some of the recruits in his own entourage are virulently anti-UNP propagandists for long years but supporters of the SLFP, presumably of Sirisena. But are they if the SLFP remains in government? Time will tell but it will be too late.
More dangerous are attempts of so called intellectuals backing Rajapaksa. Intellectuals in this country we have had a few when they were those of a social strata that did not need hand-outs like those of the post-1970 days and whose intellectual progeny are continuing in full force today.
Many of those that emerged are those waving flags of countries that who they presumed were destined to be ideologically correct despite the undeniable mass murders staring in their face. We now find the dregs of ideologues of similar ilk waving the Rajapaksa flag (Is there any such flag?) in the hope for cutlets and patties and hopefully diplomatic appointments if times are propitious.
A notable feature is that most forces that could be rallied against the government are undeniably racist: Sinhala Buddhism is being threatened.
For any Sri Lankan government that hopes to be elected through democratic means it is inconceivable would they take to an anti-Buddhist platform. President Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe are devout Buddhists who have come a long way in Sri Lankan politics. Perhaps their fault is not to demonstrate their piety in public as often as those who want to ride their chariots of victory with ‘Pitcha Mal’ over corpses of non- Buddhists.
An opening that has emerged is to exploit the alleged anti-Buddhist sentiments of Buddhists with proposals to draft a new constitution. Given the current mood prevailing among opposition forces in the South against the UNP and the National Unity Government the climate is certainly not propitious for drafting a new constitution.
Various proposals made by diverse sources are even being produced in parliament as the real Constitution to whip up racist and religious tensions against the government for plotting against Sinhala Buddhist interests, which the government has strongly and consistently denied.
A constitution is urgently needed for this country because of many reasons: It almost enabled an ambitious individual to make himself the president for life but the more important is the fact that the country is threatened with racial separation, as it has been for the past 50 years and more.
The people of the north and east want a greater degree of autonomy – federalism. But the Southern politicians fear these are initial moves for separation, along hackneyed argument which Sinhalese now shoo-away from but don’t take it seriously.
If demands of the north and east are not granted will there be war again in the South? That is far from the minds of Sinhala lions cheering their cricketers at Sooriyawewa.
The situation is tense. This is no time to sleepwalk. But we are a Lotus Eating Nation.
