High King and the Forsaken Land

"Sate run electronic mouthpieces constantly promoted the King and brainwash the people, just like what Prabakaran did when he began training new Black Tigers, the famed suicide squad of the LTTE."
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By Nilantha Ilangamuwa

(March 23, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) There is no doubting the bitterness with which Sri Lankans talk about politics under the present regime, which has held power by force and manipulation since last January. The Sri lankan citizens were taken in by hopes for a lasting return to democracy on the last week of January, but have since become yes-men to the self proclaimed "High King," who places himself above the law. Perhaps we have to accept the blame ourselves for his excesses.As he himself has pointed out, we invested him with power, and now he wields it as he pleases. But beyond our own responsibility, there are many great betrayals in our nation's politics.

The Miracle that is Sri Lanka has turned into a politically forsaken land. Our shameless President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, gave an interview with another “International” journalist after a cocktail in the Prime Minister’s official residence, the so called 'temple trees,' that is now overrun by the President. He described in that interview his political rival, but military friend, the first four star General in Sri Lankan History, General Sarath Fonseka as a ‘fool,” recently. A few days later, the General’s wife Mrs. Anoma Fonseka replied with her concerns over the ungracious and arrogant attitude of President Rajapaksa. “My husband will never apologize at you because he never did any things wrong,” Anoma says in her letter.

Anoma has quite correctly identified the President's sick mentality and what he aspires for as he conns the Sinhalese people. Of course, General Fonseka is the fool not because he entered politics, but because he worked to create Mahinda Rajapaksa’s political image and the name of the War against the Tamil Tiger rebels. Perhaps we cannot say Rajapaksa is a fool, but certainly he is an accomplished thief.

Now, the President is dreaming for control of two thirds of Parliament to make clear his path to position to his elder son Namal in a place of power. His dream day is April 08. It’s very easy for person like Rajapaksa to manipulate and trick the Sinhalese Community into investing more and more power into himself. It is very sad to see, and unbelievable to think, how a heroic race like the Sinhalese so easily surrendered their hard earned liberty to a person like the heretic Rajapaksa.

This is a curse for all Sri Lanka. The people of Sri Lanka have forsaken the cause of Sinhalese Buddhist’s rights. They have destroyed the spirit of Buddhist philosophy. Perhaps the great ‘way of life’ which was introduced by the social revolutionary Gauthama Buddha, has become warped into selfish political motivations that centralize wealth and political power with Rajapaksa family. Buddhism has always stood against the manipulation of the masses by politicians, and opposed the horrible caste system that is the bane of personal liberty. Buddhism has promoted two basic principalities among society. One was equality among all living things, (Human and Animal) while the second second called for all mankind to love each other. But in Sri Lanka there is no more Buddhism. Instead there is something that steals the name of Buddhism, but has betrayed the great philosophy that was discovered thousands years ago.

As Tisranee Gunasekara says in her recent analysis, there are no citizens when the country is ruled by the regime of a king. There are only his subjects. Now Sri Lanka, under the yoke of the self claimed High King and his blood brothers and cronies rule over the subjects you his subjects with impunity. We have created a Sinhala Prabhakaran, after all our sacrifices to eliminate the brutal LTTE terrorists, which nearly eliminated the Tamil community from the Island Nation. Now sate run electronic mouthpieces constantly promoted the King and brainwash the people, just like what Prabakaran did when he began training new Black Tigers, the famed suicide squad of the LTTE.

“When you are faced with some one who already established cruelty as their way rather than compassion, and they are about to act cruelly toward you or toward another, what can we do? How can we respond to lead that person away from the cruelty?” (Quoted: Destructive Emotions: And how we can overcome them – pp. 288), the Tibetan Spiritual leader pointed this out once. The present situation of President Rajapaksa is very similar to that point. How can we hope for justice when the President himself claims he is above the law?

In this context, at the end of the day, this bloody emotional game will have one true hero in Sri Lanka. That of course is General Sarath Fonseka who was truly dedicated to resisting the President's manipulation of power beyond his constitutional role. The people of Sri Lanka might be too late in understanding this fact and who they need as real leader of the Nation.

(The writer, who currently lives in New Delhi, India, can be reached at ilangamuwa@gmail.com)