Sri Lanka’s astro-politics

"Chandrasiri Bandara is reported to be a sympathiser of the UNP. But his expertise is in interpretation of the effect of planetary movements in the zodiac on events on Earth."
_______________

By Gamini Weerakoon

(July 05, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves that we are underlings…’ These immortal words put into the mouth of Cassius the Roman conspirator, by William Shakespeare, many centuries later, will be very much with all those associated with the stargazer, Chandrasiri Bandara, who is reported to be languishing in the Fourth Floor of the Criminal Investigations Department.

Bandara who is an astrologer for our sister paper Irudina and TNL TV had while speaking at a ‘motivation session’ of the UNP at the party’s headquarters alleged to have predicted that a sudden change in the country’s political order was due on September 9 with the opposition coming to power under dramatic circumstances. Whether his comments had motivated UNPers now cringing in defeat to come out of their shell is not certain, but what is apparent is that it has motivated CID sleuths to go into action, and detain him on suspicion of a conspiracy to assassinate/cause harm to President Mahinda Rajapakse.

In the absence of further evidence being produced how a prediction made in public of a change in the political order of a country could be assumed to be a political conspiracy appears to be an astronomical leap into space. Let’s wait for more evidence or the release soon of another media person.

Chandrasiri Bandara is reported to be a sympathiser of the UNP. But his expertise is in interpretation of the effect of planetary movements in the zodiac on events on Earth. Therefore it would be logical to consider his predictions as those based on planetary movements and not political machinations on Mother Earth. Sri Lankans, rightly or wrongly, believe in astrologers for their astrological predictions and not their political motivations or convictions.

Dooms Day predictions

We all are well aware that in neighbouring India, occasionally, in a decade or so, Indian astrologers — reach a vast consensus — that the world would end on a date and time specified by them. Western media have reported with headlines dripping with sarcasm that ‘the entire sub-continent is waiting with bated breath’ for Doom’s Day.

These dreaded moments, however, have passed away quite harmlessly and Western media have then reported with glee: ‘India breathes again.’ No astrologer has been arrested on this count by Indian governments and grilled by astro-police investigators on political conspiracies although the prediction of the end of the world with all of humanity is a very serious matter.

Why then is this nervous reaction against a single pronouncement of a relatively unknown astrologer at a party meeting? This happens at a time when the Rajapakse administration is shouting to high heavens: ‘We are the best and the greatest…We have defeated the most powerful terrorist organisation in the world by ourselves…We have told the mighty industrialised nations to go to hell… No one can meddle with our sovereignty… We will not go on bended knee to the World Bank and the IMF. We have won all PC elections…’

But then, why lock up the poor astrologer?

The fear

Our surmise is not that the government fears the prediction of Bandara coming true but it fears astrological predications being made against the government gathering momentum and wants to kill it at the inception. Astrology is politics in Lanka and politicians cannot fight the stars, it is widely believed. May be they even fear another prediction that has not been made: Ranil’s star is rising!

In the 1970s J.R. Jayewardene’s march to power seemed unstoppable, a desperate move made against him was to make astrologers say: J.R. has no Rajya Yogaya — His horoscope is devoid of a planetary line up necessary to be the ruler of this country. Rajya Yogya or not the aging J.R. scored the greatest ever victory in this country and his party ruled for 18 continuous years.

President Premadasa was fanatical about deities of varied religions as much as he believed in astrology. We recall that towards the tail end of his career he summoned all astrological commentators in the media for a friendly pow-wow.

The politically savvy Premadasa did not ask the astrologers to predict that he would be president for life. But instead spoke to them individually, having taken great pains before the meeting to study their past and professional careers. After that meeting no astrologer would predict disaster for him even if they did not like him. Premadasa however soon after was blown up by Velupillai Pirapaharan.

Acid Test

On the other hand the arrest of Bandara may be an acid test on the freedom of speech. Astrologers down the centuries have been markedly inaccurate in their predictions. But history has not recorded a single astrologer being beheaded for making a wrong prediction. Astrologers have a right to predict correctly or wrongly just as much politicians, political scientists, scientists of various disciplines, economists and other academics do.

Or is this testing the water on limitations of freedom of speech? Since Bandara is not a journalist not much concern would have been expected to emanate with his arrest. And indeed journalists’ organisations as well as so called human rights organisations have been snooty and not expressed their disgust at this arbitrary measure.

Locking up astrologers for political predictions made is not the way for a country which wants the Nobel Peace Prize to be conferred on its leader.

-Sri Lanka Guardian