It’s been pretty heavy on kottu this last week with all the emotional responses to the action of the government with regard to the eviction of Tamil lodgers from Colombo. Have you felt the vibe? And if so, what has it done to you? Has it in any way altered the way you think about the ‘ethnic problem’ we are immersed in, or the way we are governed, or what alternatives other than what has already been tried could be put forward? It seems to me that in spite of the differences in views – mostly which consist of the military option with the intention of defeating the LTTE on the ground against seeking a negotiated settlement with the intention of arriving at a ‘Federal’ solution, most folk want there to be peace so that they can get on with their lives and allow the country to develop instead of regress to the depths of a failed state.
Many of us I’m sure are of the opinion that most wars are based on ideological differences of ethnicity and/or religious beliefs – and the acquisition of territories that are so involved. And what usually comes in the way of a peaceful settlement is the filthy lucre that is involved – in every aspect of the conflict and attempts at its resolution. Right from the industrial complexes that process the raw materials, that in turn are used for the manufacture of all manner of ultra-complex death-machines, from supersonic flying craft, to the most sophisticated battle-tanks , to multi-barreled launchers that decimate environments and life, to the less sophisticated but equally lethal automatic and semi-automatic weapons that find their way into the hands of criminals, to the employment these actions generate, that in turn fuels economies and the stock markets. At a lesser level, we have the arms dealers and the ten-percenters and then on the lower rungs, the black-marketers and other feeders off the carrion that is left to dispose of. So, in effect, the global economy is, in a way, dependent on war. It isn’t just the industries involved in the manufacture of instruments of death and destruction that reflect on the economy, transportation by rail, road, sea and air add tremendous weight to the mass. The implications need not be detailed here, as anyone with a modicum of reasoning power could see how this stretches to encompass the very fabric of our lives.
This is not to forget the power struggle – usually with egos of the main protagonists taking a share of the space – and this of course filters down to the rest of us. Let’s take a quick look at Prabhakaran – starting off as a member of a ‘rag-tag’ group that, if what I have read is right, murdered his ruthless way to lead the group that eventually became known as the ‘Tigers’. Let’s not take anything away from this guy – not the ruthless, one dimensional track littered with corpses he pursued and also not the incredible expansion of his originally ‘primitive’ organization to what is now a multinational organization with millions of dollars behind them. And let’s not forget the degree of legitimacy that he achieved for his group to be on par with the elected government of this country when they met on equal terms to negotiate a settlement over many years – quite an achievement, given his background. Let’s also not forget the veneration that we are told that many hold him in – known as the ‘Sun God’ to his ‘followers’, and for whom many Tamils would gladly sacrifice their lives for the greater goal of the separate state they want. I have friends who think that Prabhakaran is the best hope they have of achieving autonomy and I have friends who think that his time has passed and he is now more the problem for the Tamil people than the solution to their problems. And I am of the latter view.
Then we have the protagonist on this side – Mahinda Rajapakse (and his brothers). Voted in on a combination of the ‘war ticket’ pledging to defeat the LTTE militarily, and buying out the LTTE through Tiran Alles and his coterie of Jayasundera, Basil and Weeratunge on the orders of Mahinda himself (if Sooriarachchi and Alles are to be believed), and thus scraping through to what was a hollow victory. Mahinda’s background is well documented, so details will not be required here. However, what developed within his psyche with the power he enveloped himself in, is interesting, to say the least. We saw during the lead up to the elections the number of MOUs he signed with a variety of parties and individuals – few, if any of which were honored. The MOUs he signed after he became President went the same habitual way. The much heralded Chinthanaya, which was the pledge he gave the masses has yet to be implemented. In other words the man can not be trusted to honor his agreements – it is as simple as that – at least this is the way I see it.
Many of the bloggers and commentors on kottu felt that a ceasefire and the process of negotiations are only agreed to by the Tigers when they want to buy time to regroup and rearm themselves and I’m sure that this was the case – not to do so would be stupid. And of course the government would also use the breathing space to do what they consider to be in their best interests – no big deal. The anti-Ranil folk denigrate his efforts by citing ‘appeasement’ of the Tigers and allowing them to be somewhat ‘legit’, to allow them to open offices and to roam around freely. The many times they broke the ceasefire regulations without being penalised was also an issue, as was what perceived to be the one-sidedness of the Norwegians. It must be said that many of these assertions were justified. However, what the denigrators may not have been aware of was the subtle and cunning way that Ranil was slowly but surely cornering the Tiger by what was euphemistically described as the ‘international safety-net’ and this, we are told is the main reason for the Tigers taking Rajapakse’s (or to be more accurate, the country’s) money and denying the people in the north and east the legitimate right of casting their vote. It seems that even at this stage, the Tigers would much rather have the Rajapakses in control than anyone else, as the Rajapakses are continually making the wrong moves and, by doing so, making themselves (and the country) look to be as extreme as the Tigers.
Now that the shit has hit the fan with the massive outpouring of views on the recent eviction saga, it is time for all us bloggers (and everyone else too) to take a more dispassionate view of this mess we are all in and, instead of trying to justify our narrow views and pour scorn of those with opposing views, try to understand what the repercussions would be for us all if this war is to continue the way it is and to try to be objective in our view of whether government by the Rajapakses is good for Sri Lanka or not. The way forward is not to further fragment our society and create even more divisions between ethnic groups and between those of the same ethnicity who can not agree to disagree. A much more rational way forward must be found or we will surely be sinking deeper into the quicksand that this beautiful country is fast turning in to.
What do you think?
21 comments
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June 13, 2007 at 9:22 am
Janus
Why cant we all just get along…
June 13, 2007 at 9:30 am
javajones
Exactly my point man
June 13, 2007 at 9:39 am
L
You’ve summed things up very well.
Why can’t we just get along?….because its not in the interests of those at the top of the food chain.
June 13, 2007 at 9:51 am
Jack Point
The root of a lot of problems is in the poor standard of governance. The issue of the evictions was a symptom of this problem.
The brothers run the show as they see fit, the monstrous contitution we are saddled with has weak checks and balances on the executive, but even these are circumvented and ignored. The parliament and courts are little more than rubber stamps for much of the time.
With a general information blackout and much of the media cowed there is little information available to the public on what is going on.
The allegations raised by Sripathi/Tiran/Mangala are very serious but the brothers ensure that the state press whitewashes the affair as far as possible and carry on regardless. The same story with the abductions issue. A toothless commission, plenty of whitewash and nothing else. Businessmen are voting with their feet and leaving the country, they have no faith in the law anymore.
June 13, 2007 at 10:29 am
dj
interesting post…but not everyone opposing ranil did so on the basis that he was conceding too much to the LTTE. What about his plans to turn SL into a one big call centre? Perhaps an exaggeration but still…the results of the 2004 election deserve closer examination. Our tragedy is that there is no viable, non chauvinist, socially progressive third option. And at least a small part of this has to do with the way that the prospect of an internationally guaranteed peace, has come to be coupled with a neoliberal settlement
June 13, 2007 at 10:55 am
javajones
L – Glad you thought so – and I do see what you’re saying
June 13, 2007 at 10:58 am
javajones
Jack – You said it man. The thing about it is, do the bloggers defending Mahinda see it the way we do? And if they don’t (or even if they do) I wish they would say so and then perhaps justify the reason for his continual.
June 13, 2007 at 11:02 am
javajones
dj – I’m really not much upto scratch on the reasons people opposed Ranil, but the payoff bit and the JVP actions to deprive many Colombo folk of their votes seemed to me the main reasons for his defeat. Hey, I ain’t a Ranil fan either, but given the choice………. And you’re spot on about the third option. Wonder if one will ever appear???
June 13, 2007 at 3:25 pm
betrayed
Mahinda is no different than any of the leaders sri lanka has had throughout history…
They all made deals with the Tamils and broke them…
Banda/Chelva Pact, DS/Chelva Pact, Soulbury Constitution, SIHRN, PTOMS, etc, etc, etc…
how can the tamils trust the Govt?
if the LTTE signed an agreement for a political solution with the WEAKEST form of federalism…
could the GOSL “sell” it to the sinhala south?
could the GOSL implement it?
could the LTTE be sure that the agreement wouldn’t be aborgated by the next sihala govt?
if not for the LTTE the NorthEast would have been colonized and would have the ethnic composition of the rest of the country…
and tamil would not be spoken in the country…
the world that you colombo elite live in is soooo far removed from the reality of the daily lives of 99% of the population… SL is paradise for you all and hell for everyone else…
if SL was a western liberal democracy this war would never have occurred… the satyagraha protest of the 50’s and 60’s would have been effective… but satyagraha and gandhism only works with an ELIGHTENED oppressor…
as another so-called terrorist, “nelson mandela”, said: “It is the oppressor who dictates the form of the struggle”
The events in colombo show that the GOSL has not changed despite the GREAT PR campaigns and savvy marketing that they engage in with the international community…
SL is ruled by the oligarchy of the colombo elite… they dress it up with “elections” that are comepletely fraudulent…
Tamil Eelam is the only solution
only then will there be peace
the other option is for the GOSL to kill all tamils on the island…
you choose…
peace!!!
June 13, 2007 at 3:44 pm
javajones
betrayed – Yours is the disillusionment of many thousands of Tamils all over the world and who’s to blame you for what you feel? Certainly the causes for what is felt can not be denied. It would be difficult to disagree with your views, given the circumstances and we must all hope that somehow, a viable solution is found – and soon. There’s too much hatred, death and destruction here.
June 13, 2007 at 6:05 pm
dj
java, 2004 elections not 2005. as for the third option, we haven’t been able to look to the old left for a long while. i’m left wondering too…
June 13, 2007 at 11:51 pm
javajones
dj – The old left? Aren’t they like prehistoric? Anyway, ‘left’ is not what it used to be anymore is it? No, I believe we need a whole new culture of politics that will make accountability and responsibilty the primary focus of thier philosophy. But here and now, this is like some elusive dream. And more importantly, we need a polity that is halfway intelligent enough to sift through the bullshit that these bozos feed us
June 14, 2007 at 4:35 am
dj
java, i think its the other way around. anti-corruption and accountability while worthy & necessary do not a political philosophy make. however at present given the utter palpable cronyism of mahinda inc they offer the most ready means of mustering some kind of popular/populist groundswell against the triumvirate. in the near past we might have expected the jvp to lead this but their critique has been nullified by the ‘war against terror’.
anti-corruption etc promotes an agenda for reform that seems to offer the vision of better service delivery. and that is hardly a message to turn people on, although in these times etc.
yes, the old left is superannuated and much of their politics redundant. but much is not and much of it has deep roots in this country, deeper than chauvinism or for that matter what mahinda represents…perhaps thats the elusive dream
June 14, 2007 at 5:02 am
L
I think dj, the problem is Sri Lankans tend to look to politicians as the person who is going to fix it all for them.
I have pointed out earlier in other blogs, the importance of a good public service that serves the people not the politicians of the country and this is where accountability and reform is very important.
Politicians provide a vision and do help to implement policies, but with corruption, these policies are implemented in an ad hoc manner without proper scrutiny from independent parties.
This is why things go wrong so easily every time you vote for different parties.
I am of the view that policies similar to the current British labour government which were influenced by the Australian labour party, might be what Sri Lanka needs and could have in the distant future:
ie a good business climate
without disregarding the needs of the disadvantaged and marginalised.
And all of these implemented through an efficient public service.
These parties also have good relations with the union movement; good negotiation skills without compromising the welfare of the people in the country is the key in all this.
But all these theories are redundant in a climate of corruption and nepotism.
June 14, 2007 at 6:55 am
javajones
dj – I said that “accountability and responsibility (should be) the PRIMARY focus of their philosophy”, and did not mean that these should be the SUM of the philosophy – just an important part of it. And I have to agree with the rest of your comment.
The JVP? I find them to be a pathetic bunch of hypocrites that have shown us that they need chaos and instability to thrive – but that’s just my view, based on what I experienced and saw in the late 80s.
And if the ‘old left’ has anything of value to offer, then I’m sure that many of us that are looking for viable alternatives will listen without prejudice.
Ah yes – that elusive dream…hey how come you sound so fucking familiar???
Cheers buddy
June 14, 2007 at 11:07 am
dj
L, I note your points & agree on most of them. In a sense perhaps the problem is the system that persists regardless of changes of government. You also remind me that the “politicization” of the bureaucracy goes back further than many would care to remember – ie to a more utopian time when it was a way of bringing popular sovereignty to bear on a bureaucracy perceived as remote and elitist. Ironic eh?
Fair enough java, I’ve just developed a knee jerk response mechanism to all this anti-corruption/ good governance discourse…it’s the most obvious thing but its also as if it distracts us from addressing more deep rooted issues that will persist long after gota retires to california & mahindachamalbasil is a bad memory. And yes, perhaps one should have a longer memory as far as jvp opportunism is concerned, easier if you suffered through it.
Perhaps what you’re saying about the old left’s is that it speaks to us in a language of personalities and politics of yesteryear that doesn’t help us to get a handle on the current situation, ‘what’s going on’, but rather represents a form of retreat into altogether cosier times ie colvin’s living room?
Hey man, I may be more, or less, familiar that you think!
June 14, 2007 at 2:54 pm
L
With regard to the old left, I think more than “personality” based politics, it is important to have the compassionate individuals/idealists to balance out the technocrats/ populists. The “old left” still has a significant role to play.
I am only going by what people have told me. Don’t really know enough about it, but I do hear two such types are Vasudheva Nanayakara and Wickramabahu.
In the U. S. there is Ralph Nader who has not yet been elected, but held in high regard, and in Australia a maverick/idealist who is respected throughout the country, Senator Bob Brown. These two individauls have played extremely important roles in reminding the people and those that govern the importance of upholding some of these principles.
Actually the last point I would like to make is the importance of placing a limit on campaign spending to make the electoral system truly democratic, and I don’t think any government in any democratic country is prepared to pass that rule, because pretty much all of them have got into power because of access to more resources than the other parties. The drive to implement this can only come from the people. Who knows Sri Lanka might do this in the future and become a model for other countries 🙂
June 14, 2007 at 4:40 pm
javajones
dj – Maaan, at least it’s cool to have this kind of a discourse with someone who is not on a blinkered, defend the government at all costs, paranoid that anyone who dares to question is a traitor or a Tiger supporter, trip. The convoluted crap that one blogger in particular indulges in is a case in point and I, for one, just don’t have that kind of energy or time to waste. You however, buddy, are something else again.
Agreed on the ‘ironic’ aspect.
You may also be right about the distraction from the more deep rooted issues, but then again, these are extreme actions by forces that don’t seem to give a damn about the country or its people and if voices are not raised in protest HERE AND NOW, who knows what kind of screwed up situation we may find ourselves in tomorrow? We must work NOW to change what is obviously wrong with the management of this country and although I’m usually one of the apathetic ones, I think the time has come to be a little more proactive (although I really don’t look forward to it at all). And don’t even try discussing those hypocritical creeps with me – as far as I am concerned they are not worth wasting time on
The ‘old left’ – what a bunch of guys! I really didn’t have much exposure to them at the time, but do remember them as gentlemen – quite far removed from today’s yokels. ‘Communism’ and ‘Socialism’ have changed considerably haven’t they? I’m not much into political philosophy, so can’t really get involved in an exchange of views on this – unfortunately! But I was never attracted to either form – possibly because in my mind they were synonymous with the lack of freedom. But then again, as I said, I am not in a position to debate the merits or otherwise.
Hey mate, I was kidding about the ‘familiar’ thing – we both know where I’m coming from – and from where you are!
Take good care
June 14, 2007 at 4:45 pm
javajones
L – I’m with you man. No harm in hoping, is there?
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