'We' are the 'We'

by Gamini Weerakoon

(October 14, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) As a newsman I have been constantly assailed in recent years with the question: Where are we heading? In all sincerity I have confessed my ignorance and countered with the question: Who are 'We?'

Most people in general tend to consider themselves as Sri Lankans but when specific issues emerge, 'We' become a different 'We' - in terms of race, religion, caste, politics, schools, etc. Politicians love to speak openly in terms of the Sri Lankan 'We' but deep in their minds there are subterranean tunnels for the different 'We's.'

Janaka not among the 'We'

Major General Janaka Perera's tragic death and that of his wife, and the deaths of Dr. Raja Johnpulle and his wife along with 27 others resulted in the call for 'national unity.' 'We must unite to fight terrorism,' it was said loud and clear. But one day after the foul killing of one of the greatest soldiers of Sri Lanka, those who were calling for unity in the wake of the foul murders, were unable to sanction the use of an air force helicopter to take the bodies of the slain couple to Anuradhapura.

Apparently to the petty minded leaders at the top and their bureaucratic bootlickers, General Janaka Perera was not one of the 'We.' He was UNP and was being extended the same privilege as an ordinary Provincial Councillor!

An idiotic panjandrum who had joined the state media circus had said that neither the family nor the UNP had made a formal application for the use of a helicopter. One is entitled to ask him when Mervyn Silva injured a toe in Polonnaruwa and a helicopter was rushed from Colombo whether a written application was made by Silva!

This asinine excuse was made after the two bodies were kept at the Ratmalana Airport for four long hours to be taken to Anuradhapura.

Is this the way to treat a national hero even after no less than the Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake had assured that a helicopter will be provided?

'Application'

During the chaos that followed the assassination, it could have been that such an 'application' could not be made. But surely while the bodies were being kept in the hot sun awaiting a helicopter, a telephone call could have been made to the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, President Rajapakse, requesting sanctioning of the use of a helicopter and written documents sent later on with authorised signatures?

The two bit media commissar had also been quoted saying that no helicopters were available at that time because they were being used for military duties. On how many occasions have we seen on TV air force helicopters transporting political non entities accompanied by thugs and other despicable characters?

Of course the despicable belong to the 'We' category, not the General who had served the country for 36 years battling terrorism and quite successfully at that.

Petty jealousy

What happened to Janaka Perera's remains could not have been an insult to him. His name is engraved in the history of the country and in the minds of grateful Sri Lankans. It only reflects on a callow, petty, jealous mind which could not rise up to the heights reached by Janaka Perera and got satisfaction by thinking that he was insulting the corpse.

National slogan

'We are the We' (api apitai) has become a national slogan displayed ever so often on TV. The idea appears to be that 'We' must unite, help and defend each other. But when a national hero like Janaka Perera is excluded from the category of 'We' of the ruling clique, it certainly excludes all honest and capable Sri Lankans.

The day of the Anuradhapura bombing, President Mahinda Rajapakse was seen on TV addressing a public meeting in the south where he claimed that the world was learning how to fight terrorism from 'Us.' What he intended to make out, in our opinion, was that 'We' are becoming world class as fighters of terrorism. It was indeed gumption of a high order - to claim world class prowess to fight terrorism scarcely 24 hours had elapsed after a terrorist bomb had slain the country's most beloved soldier along with 27 others.

Another first

Mahinda Rajapakse can claim another first in combating terrorism. On that very day he appointed Karuna alias Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan as a MP on the National List of his party.

Karuna was the Eastern Province commander of the LTTE who wreaked havoc on the Sri Lankan armed forces. He is being accused by many Sri Lankans of having massacred in cold blood, among hundreds of others, a near 700 policemen who surrendered to his forces on the assurance given by the then President Ranasinghe Premadasa that they would not be harmed.

Reports said that the policemen were lined up by trenches and then machine gunned. Now Karuna is a hero among the 'We' and would most probably be made a cabinet minister. The dead 700 policemen would surely be attempting to rise from their graves!

Angulimala

Even Sinhala hardliners such as Ven. Ellawala Medhananda have adopted a philosophical stance on Karuna's recruitment. Angulimala, a mass murderer in Buddha's time, was converted by the Buddha to be a monk and was forgiven, he has pointed out.

Angulimala is a good analogy for the ruling party when it is in need, such as to build a parliamentary majority. They could always cite his conversion and absorb serial killers and the like into the party.

However, Mahinda Rajapakse is no Buddha and not even an Arahat but could probably be described as an Arafat (Yasser variety) now that he has gone into clinches with the Palestinian Leader Mahmud Abbas, says a cynic.

Another Rajapakse slogan has been: 'Api Wawamu' (Let us grow). This is supposed to be in the (grammatically) active sense of making plants by human effort.

Others interpret in a passive sense - Api Wewemu (Let us grow without effort). The subtle difference is that not much agricultural produce has resulted from the 'grow more' campaign but that there has been a visible increase in the girth of the Rajapakse clan as seen in pictures and on TV. The increase cannot be explained solely on bullet proof vests.

Enter Velu?

Even after considering all these developments, we can't give a clear cut answer to the question that is being asked: 'Where are we heading?' One guess we can make is that with this tendency to absorb one and all into the 'We' category, Velupillai Pirapaharan too maybe among the 'We.' Karuna might as well watch out.- Sri Lanka Guardian