To be Diplomatic or not...

"Please be diplomatic about it"
"That was a very diplomatic way of putting it."

By Sinhaya

(June 23, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) I am sure all of us have used or heard of the above phrases in some stage of our lives, either to reach out to someone who's unreasonable, demanding or flat out unfair. It actually rolls out of our tongues without a second's thought, but rarely given the proper respect it deserves. Here's are few explanations about the word "diplomatic" on cyber space.

Diplomatic-adjective
1. of, pertaining to, or engaged in diplomacy: diplomatic officials.
2. skilled in dealing with sensitive matters or people; tactful.
3. of or concerning the profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations : having or showing an ability to deal with people in a sensitive and effective way:

Sitting in the audience last Friday at the meeting called by the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Ottawa, it was obvious to me and many others, that Mr. Daya Perera showed none of the above qualities. I say this with lot of sadness as I attended the meeting with an open mind, wanting to listen to what he had to say. Frankly he didn't say anything of any interest to us, or anything we couldn't have read in the news, or things we haven't already done.

The meeting itself had no agenda attached to it. Only a call by the HC to meet with the Sri Lankan community in Toronto. The message was delivered by Consul General, Mr. Bandula Jayasekera in Toronto, who was merely the messenger in this matter. Few days before the meeting, couple of our hard working patriots, who'd been in the forefront of fighting the LTTE propaganda machines in Canada, had requested the HC via e-mail the reason for this sudden meeting. After all the HC had been appointed and been in Canada for a while now, and the opportunity to introduce him self to the community had long since passed. In fact the Sri Lankan community in Canada had hardly seen or heard from the him during his tenure here, specially during the last few months when an official Sri Lankan presence in the media, was much needed. This meeting sounded more like a request to drop by and meet him on a casual visit. The only time we "drop by" to meet someone is if that person happens to be a friend or a relative ours. As far as I know the invitees were neither relatives nor friends of Mr. Perera, at least not all of them. Therefore it was a very valid question that a few of us were interested in getting a response from. But the only response we received was from a misguided lawyer who obviously had another "agenda" in his mind when he called the author of the e-mail requesting the agenda, a Sinhala extremist. By then it was obvious to many of us what this meeting was all about.

First let's take the timing of the meeting, which was more than a month after the fight against terrorism had ended in Sri Lanka, when all that was needed to be done, had been done and continued to be done by many of us living here. But it's also after the major gaff made by the HC about a week ago, when he publicly went after one of our own Sri Lankan patriots, threatening to sue her over a remark made on an article appearing in a newspaper in Sri Lanka. The issue was raised on this blog at the time and two polls ran for a week, which clearly showed the obvious displeasure of the Sri Lankans in Canada, of his conduct. While these poll results were not scientific, the percentages for supporting for his removal from Canada were rather alarming, which probably had reached even the foreign office in Sri Lanka. In short, this was a meeting organized for the purpose of damage control, an obvious attempt to gather some political points to show Colombo, that there was no rift between him and the Sri Lankan community here.

But the meeting itself was highly disorganized as the individual who was supposed to be the moderator for the night, only came to the podium after the HC was bombarded with questions by several members of the audience and was unable to continue his speech. Some in the audience demanded to know what this meeting was all about, asking for an agenda and even demanding that a resolution be passed against Mr. Perera, recommending that he be sent back to Sri Lanka. This is where Mr. Perera, if he was a true Diplomat could have shined. He could have used the opportunity to win the audience, by being calm and cool. But more importantly, "listening" to an obviously upset group in the audience. Instead, the words that came out of an agitated HC were more like threats. When one of the members suggested that the audience walk out of the meeting, HC's response was "That's okay, walk out" and when that person was convinced by another to stay, Mr. Perera mocked him "I thought you were going to leave". He obviously hadn't heard of dual citizenship either, when he told another that "he can't be a Canadian and a Sri Lankan, only one or the other". That's just only a couple of many undiplomatic responses of the evening.

Enter the moderator, who outlined a few ground rules and requested the audience not to make any personal attacks on each other. But that request seemed to have flown right over the head of the Deputy High Commissioner Mr. Wijeratne, who took the podium next and went on a personal attack against another vocal member of the audience. He even held up some papers that were supposed to be e-mail evidence against that individual, which only proved to us that he came well prepared for an argument instead of a brainstorming session. Obviously the upset audience became even more vocal and one member actually walked off the meeting. Then comes one of the best moments of the meeting, when Mr. Lenin Benedict who was in the audience requested to address the crowd. He addressed his "fellow countrymen" and humbly requested that we as Sri Lankans work together, and not fight among each other. He proved that he was a much better diplomat than Mr. Perera, as he was able to calm the audience down with some sensible choice of words and reasoning. He sat down to a roar of applause only to be thanked by the moderator, who "didn't know who the gentlemen was". For the past few months, while the whole of Sri Lankan community had watched, followed and participated in the fight against LTTE false propaganda on Canadian news media, apparently this individual had not! May be he was too busy with his Business Council work, or was simply not interested in the issues. Either way, why such a person was asked to moderate a meeting on how to rebuild Sri Lanka, was simply beyond me.

This was followed by a boring, uninspired speech by Mr. Perera, who claimed that these were direct requests from the President himself. He talked of re-building the country, investing in bonds, building roads and houses, all of which many in the audience were well aware and were already participating in. He wanted to use the "expertise" of the Sri Lankan diaspora in Canada. But when one patriot in the audience stood up and offered to help with low cost housing, and requested more details on how to proceed, HC seemed unprepared or unaware. His answer was to tell the gentlemen to visit the website and get the details, something Mr. Perera failed to realize that all of us could have done, sparing the agony of listening to him. In the process he could have saved the Sri Lankan tax payer some money, for the booking of a hall as well as his travel expenses to Toronto. However, there were some very good suggestions, requests and comments from the audience. Majority of the message relayed to the HC revolved around the ineffectiveness of the HC Office in Ottawa and the need to be more closer to the community, and their needs. Yet, answering some of these questions, Mr. Perera continued to put his foot in his mouth as he made reference to Buddhist monks in Ottawa temples and how he was "tired of eating hoppers" at their functions. Once again, members of the audience reminded him that such comments are uncalled for and shouldn't be aired out in public. It was another indication on how far removed the HC was from Sri Lankans living in Canada, a void that has been very effectively filled thanks to Mr. Bandula Jayasekera, a very dynamic and active Consul General in Toronto.

Wrapping up the meeting, Consul General thanked the Sri Lankan community for their efforts in countering the LTTE propaganda. He acknowledged some key members of the community, and organizations for their tireless efforts to safe guard Sri Lanka for the past few decades. He pointed out that as officers of Sri Lankan Government, HC and his stay in Canada are temporary, and it's us who live here and need to continue to work together. These were inspiring words the audience appreciated very much and HC could have used in his speech. The meeting was almost called to an end when two more questions from the audience were taken. One for possible assistance from HC in acquiring a community centre for the Sri Lankans and the other, a more important one to this writer as well. The reason for the threat Mr. Daya Perera made to the Canadian news media, to sue Mrs. Ira De Silva. Apparently it was a question many others wanted answered too, as few clapped while others let out a few sighs of relief and murmurs when Mr. Daya Perera apologized for publicly threatening her. Although he still believed Mrs. Silva's comments on the article were inaccurate, he admitted that he was angry at the time when he made the comment, and that he was not proceeding with such actions. While the chances of such actions without an approval from Sri Lanka were slim to none, to hear his apology seemed a small moral victory to some.

His apology and explanation may be welcomed by some of the audience, but many didn't seem ready to forgive him for his lack of action and presence during these trying times. "Too little, too late" seemed to be the thinking among the audience mingled with each other after the meeting, enjoying few snacks and tea. If the HC intentions were to win the approval of the Torontonians with this meeting, I believe he failed badly, losing whatever the support he had before. Even the lawyer who'd approved the call for this meeting in an e-mail while accusing another of being an extremist, just sat there with no words of support for the HC or the meeting. While some may not approve the actions of the vocal members of the audience who interrupted the HC's speech, to others it was also a reflection on Mr. Perera's inability to be proactive. It's also because all the members of the vocal audience were individuals who spent their time, energy and money defending their motherland, during these past year and beyond. They did so even at the risk of their own security, without the kind of protection the HC gets from the Canadian officials. They did all that without ever asking to be acknowledged or recognized. But they also weren't expecting any repercussion from someone who failed to do their own part in protecting the country either. It's one thing to be threatened by Terrorists and their supporters, but another when one of your own leaders acts with such arrogance. As much as their actions hurt, it's even more frustrating when the same parties try to pull a fast one by them, in the form of a "agenda less" meeting organized to score political points. Right or wrong, it's that wrath HC felt from some part of the audience this evening. It's clear that HC has failed the Sri Lankans living in Canada, and lost their approval in the process. It's time Sri Lanka realized this and made the change that's inevitable!

-Sri Lanka Guardian