We have no qualms in recalling that for well over a quarter century we relentlessly called for the elimination of the LTTE and all forms of terrorism in writing in another journal. But now terrorism is claimed to have been eliminated. But is it so?
by Gamini Weerakoon
(November 15, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It’s Coronation Week now. There is the King’s birthday (as Mararajathuma’s faithful and some cynics say), a swearing in ceremony (coronation) for his second term of presidency and celebrations thereafter as usual for seven days — kiributh, kavun, kokkis; exhibitions of photography, ‘awareness programmes’ of historical and social developments; a food exhibition of traditional foods to display our ‘food heritage’, modern technology display — all that and much more; and all for free as government spokesman Rambukwella gleefully announced last week.
This time we are going in for a Guinness Book record as well with TV chef ‘Dr. Pubilis’ attempting a 4000 kg kiributh dish. Don’t ask whether such a Guinness Book kiributh record exists — whether it exists or not, we are going to make history as we do, every day. It’s time this week for raban playing, dancing on the streets and lighting crackers islandwide.
History
Of course we have been doing all this since our leader scored that ‘historic’ presidential election victory, won the ‘historic humanitarian war’ against terrorism and the ‘historic’ parliamentary sweep. No one can make history the way our President does and no people can celebrate such history-making as we do.
All these are just rewards for our leader. No one can steal it from him. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake who is superintending the celebration declared last week that only posters and cut-outs of the Great Leader will be permitted to be displayed as public places. That requires no explanation. Those who lived about 60 years ago will remember that during the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth there were no displays of any pictures of members of the royal family. Unjust as the Ratnasiri order may seem, those poster and cut out artistes like Vermin will not be able to put up even small cut outs of themselves saying that ‘this cut out of His Excellency……. was put up by…… so and so’ with a little cut out of the artiste himself, as it usually happens. A little unfair some would say.
All this song and dance has been possible because of the ‘unprecedented’, ‘historic’ and ‘humanitarian’ victory over terrorism. There will be other claimants too for this victory — dead, alive or in jail. The officers of the armed forces, poor soldiers, sailors and airmen who perished by the thousands for 30 years in the battlefield. They will naturally want to be remembered and rewarded, particularly those who paid the supreme sacrifice materially, not by a few passing lines. A few of the dead men’s families have been beneficiaries but what of the great majority?
Losers have no say
Being magnanimous in victory and defiant in defeat is an axiom of those who triumph in war. We may have been magnanimous in victory at least to some of the victors but what of those who lost? Losers were terrorists no doubt but they too were young sons of the soil. ‘Unwept, unhonoured and unsung’ they lie in their graves or in jail without being told what they are being charged for. This is an issue the victors tend to forget in their moments of euphoria but is the victory celebration leaving a significant proportion of the youth relegated to graves and jails of the damned?
We have no qualms in recalling that for well over a quarter century we relentlessly called for the elimination of the LTTE and all forms of terrorism in writing in another journal. But now terrorism is claimed to have been eliminated. But is it so? Why the continuation of the Emergency? There are still security service personnel — other than the police — on the streets. Expenditure on Defence Ministry votes have not come down in the Budget that is to be presented this month. The stark reality is that terrorism has been defeated militarily but the terrorist threat remains.
It is not fair to say that the Rajapaksa government has failed to cultivate the terrorists. It had done this quite openly to win over or buy some of the most dreaded LTTE terrorists — Karuna (LTTE Military Commander of the East), Pillayan (Karuna’s second in command) and KP the internationally notorious arms procurer of the LTTE. Perhaps their terrorist potential is exhausted and they may have served a purpose but the terrorist threat remains. The threat of the Tamil Diaspora remains and is most probably growing despite our negotiators in the form of diplomats and those under cover. The projection of a reduced threat from expatriate Tamils is essential for their bureaucratic survival and well being.
Despite being considered a wet rag during this joyous week of celebrations it is essential to remind ourselves that we are vigorously thumping ourselves on our backs, preaching to the converted and convinced, and hoping that Tamil terrorism will suffer a natural death. The pundits on curbing or eliminating terrorism keep forwarding the same arguments they did 20 to 30 years ago. Now they appear before the Lessons Learnt Commission and say the same thing which shows that they have learnt nothing. Some radical and lateral thinking is required if we are to get out of the beaten track.
Western allies as example
Perhaps we can learn some lessons from the Western Allies particularly Britain and America on how Nazism and Japanese militarism were eliminated after victory in World War II. After bringing top criminal leaders of Nazi Germany and the Japanese military high command to justice they took the people who undoubtedly believed in and fought for their criminal leaders not only into confidence and granted them freedom as normal citizens but they also pumped in vast amounts of financial and economic assistance. Economic assistance may have trickled in the last year to the Tamil people but they are still being treated as potential terrorists. ‘We are being treated as a defeated people and terrorists,’ lamented a Tamil professional to us.
Building up Fonseka as a national hero
Meanwhile vengeance is being wreaked on General Sarath Fonseka who led the Sri Lankan armed forces to military victory by locking him up in a filthy cell and humiliating him in the state media as well as in the privately owned puppet media. What is not being realised is that Sarath Fonseka is becoming a martyr for standing up against a developing fascist leadership and gaining the stature of a national hero. Pig headed leaderships often gain personal satisfaction by jailing national heroes. What they do not realise is that some of the world’s greatest heroes built up their reputation for being incarcerated on flimsy charges.
To cite a few examples there were: Mohandas Gandhi and Jawarhalal Nehru who became all time heroes, Nelson Mandela jailed for 26 years, Aung San Suu Ki now 20 years in a Burmese jail for winning an election, Jomo Kenyatta who won freedom from Kenya, even Fidel Castro and many more. Perhaps the greatest favour the Rajapaksas are doing to Fonseka is building him as a true national hero.
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