The former shotgun terrorists farcical fast

EDITORIAL

[July 11, Colombo, Sri Lnaka Guardian] Sri Lanka saw the biggest farcical show in Colombo within the past few days.

People undertake fast to uphold their causes. History will prove many people world over have died for political causes. Two of the prominent deaths are worthwhile mentioning.

‘Robert Gerard Sands (Irish: Roibeárd Gearóid Ó Seachnasaigh), commonly known as Bobby Sands, (9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981), was an Irish volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and member of the United Kingdom Parliament who died on hunger strike while in HM Prison Maze (or Long Kesh).

‘He was the leader of the 1981 hunger strike, in which Irish republican prisoners protested against the removal of Special Category Status. During his strike he was elected as a member of the United Kingdom Parliament as an Anti H-Block/Armagh Political Prisoner candidate. His death resulted in a new surge of IRA recruitment and activity. International media coverage brought attention to the hunger strikers, and the Republican movement in general, attracting both praise and criticism.’

Bobby Sands refused to take food from 1 March 1981 and died on 5 May 1981 (66 days)

‘Rasaiah Parthipan also known as Lt. Col. Thileepan was a LTTE political wing member who died during a hunger strike during the IPKF operation of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. On the 15th of September 1987 at 9.30 a.m at the Nallur Murugan Temple, Thileepan began his fast. His main objective was to bring awareness and action to a list of public demands made by him and the Tamil Tigers, at a time when the relationship between the LTTE and the IPKF administration was deteriorating. Thileepan died on the 26th of September 1987 (11 days).

‘There was widespread grief in Tamil areas. Thousands of people from the North and East flooded Jaffna as news of his death spread. His death created an anti-Indian mood in Jaffna that was pro-India till then.’

As part of the public razzmatazz of the government, the former shot-gun terrorist of the JVP and now the government minister Wimal Weerawanse undertook his fast unto death campaign on 8 July 2010. By 10 July 2010 the maverick and the idiotic minister gave up his fast.

In our editorial (One time shotgun terrorist is now terrorising the UN) we categorically stated: Let him lead the fast, let him not drink a drop of water and let him attain Nibbane through his self destructive ignoramus crusade. The right thinking citizens of Sri Lanka can give their homage to his idiocy and thank the God for letting Sri Lanka to progress thereafter with the loss of an unwanted patron saint of the President.’

We innermost felt Weerawanse’s fast was a false pretense and rightly reflected our feelings in the editorial. The gutless and unprincipled mavericks tummy was conflicting with his substandard brain that he has to end his fast with a king coconut drink poured through his mouth by our hilarious president.

We never expected Weerawanse to give up his fast so quickly after 48 hours and his sudden decision made us to abandon another editorial about his nonsensical fast. When Weerawanse started his fast, we knew it will be a worse than a Russian roulette game.‘Russian roulette (Russian: Русская рулетка, Russkaya ruletka) is a potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver, spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger. "Russian" refers to the supposed country of origin, and roulette to the element of risk-taking and the spinning of the revolver's cylinder being reminiscent of spinning a roulette wheel.’

But unfortunately Weerawanse’s roulette game did not have a cylinder to spin and it was a single bullet pistol that has the only choices of pulling or not pulling the trigger.

The cocky Minister’s party National Freedom Front (NFF) spokesman’s was more hilarious than the impromptu fast of the foolish minister. It stated: ‘The government assured us that soldiers who fought terrorism will not be allowed to be tried in war crimes tribunals through this UN panel. Sri Lanka will not provide any facilities or support for this panel, no matter what aid we lose. Also (the government promised) to appoint a committee comprising members of the patriotic intelligentsia to counter and examine the activities of the UN panel. It is learned that the president had agreed to these suggestions and therefore the NFF decided to stop the fast unto death on these grounds; to symbolize the agreement the president said he will personally come and inform Wimal and ask him to give up the fast.’ ‘I think we have achieved 90% of what we set to achieve’.

The President has asserted his position in uncertain terms through his mouthpieces and his media that he will never cooperate with the UN’s advisory committee on Sri Lanka. Weerawanse was more privy than anyone else about this and the President’s position has not changed an iota even with the mavericks fast.

With regard to appointing a committee to investigate the UN by the President, there were no comments from the President’s office so far about the appointment and even if one takes it seriously, it will be another farcical effort like many other investigating committees appointed by the President.

What has the mad Weerawanse achieved through his farcical show? He has discredited the image of Sri Lanka internationally and also has blatantly exposed the lethal cocktail of the making of the government.