June 11 visit of the Delhi trio and the Rajapakse blues

" The President is clearly working with an eye on the next few General Elections to ensure the continuity of his regime and that of his extended family sacrificing the wider interest of the people. India knows exactly what his mindset is. They have seen him renege on his promises to them."

by I. S. Senguttuvan

(June 17, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) One can only hope the Rajapakses take note the Indian Advisor to the government, their Foreign Secretary and the Defence Secretary do not usually go together overseas to discuss urgent and contentious issues with another government - unless the matter is of the utmost significance and importance. The other point to note is while the Advisor to the government and the Foreign Secretary have visited Colombo many times before, the visit of the Defence Secretary can mean India is worried her security is imperilled. This is a serious matter that should concern each and every citizen of this country. Whether the many “advisors” to our government have seen through what is in store is in some doubt. The very quality and standing of our advisors close to the President itself is now a matter of much discussion after the Sri Lanka Medical Council confirmed that President’s favourite and confidante “Dr” Eliyantha White is not in their register of Medical practitioners. Many sections of the media report the man is a quack – a former mechanic. How did the President and his close retinue allow such a man to gain and retain their confidence. It is bewildering the President took pride in introducing to many local and foreign dignitaries to this man as some form of a National Treasure.


Minister Dr. G.L. Peiris is, admittedly, a man of much learning and political experience. He surely is going to read the signs right. But the problem appears to be the man has allowed himself to be devalued far too much to a point the visiting Indians did not appear to have taken him to be of any importance – except to meet him formally in line with protocol. In Indian eyes the Government simply is Mahinda, Gothabaya and Basil Rajapakse (the order of importance in respect of the second and third is upto your own guessing) So much so for the collective responsibility form of government and the role of the Prime Minister and Cabinet - all of which are now reduced to a joke. If Sirima and Chandrika ran a "Kichen Cabinet" what, in tarnation, is the one we now have?

Predictably, the government used to its fullest level the local media to suggest the visit was a "tremendous victory" to the incumbent regime. The trio – hardly known to have strong religious inclinations – was seen offering prayers accompanied by the President in the Buddhist shrine in Temple Trees. Much hype was made about the Indian PM accepting to visit here. The fact is this courtesy of asking for the Heads of State to visit is one of the basics in the case of VVIP visits. Even Ahmedinajed of Iran and the Burmese Military tyrants have been invited here is well known. The Sinhala masses, suffering from a punishing rise in most matters needed to the kitchen at home for the daily meal – are told “once again our leader is winning – this time against the mighty Indians" – the last victory being in the Wanni when the tiger leader and his friends were slain right royally. But the more initiated in the majority are curious as to why the formality of a Joint Communique did not follow. The excuse here will be the Joint Communique in Delhi followed after the two Foreign Ministers met whereas there is no such need for the visit of the Delhi trio whose main business was with the President. But this will be pretty thin excuse in view of the import of the visit, matters discussed and decisions taken – many against the wishes of the President and the regime. Two such are the paid advertisements in the media in English and Tamil inviting relatives of people in the North-East Province missing in the past many several years. They have been asked to call at the TID offices in Colombo , Boosa or Vavuniya. The other is a bigger favour for the Sinhalese as well because the government is now committed to do away with the Emergency Regulations – through which journalist Prageeth Eknelygoda remains missing for over 500 days now - inspite of the desperate plea of his wife and children. Such dissappearance for long was the fate only of Tamils – and now it has spread to other communities as well. Many thousands of Sinhalese also vanished without trace. So it is no longer the Tamils who have to be grateful to the Indian trio’s visit but the majority Sinhalese as well.

During the discussions with the Delhi VVIP trio the government has said while a solution via the 13th Amendment is being sought Police and Land Powers cannot be given to the Provinces. Some political analysts are of the view this is the part of the usual ploy of finding some excuse to delay the coming of an acceptable solution. While this is true in respect of the other 8 provinces, the NEP is a different case, some argue. There was a time when the Indian government gave Kashmir a special status and a Prime Minister. The Tamil side insist there is nothing to fear in giving Police powers to the PC because the final Police authority – the IGP - will be operating and giving directions to the DIG in the Province. As to Land, the Tamil side suggests, the formulae enunciated by Dr Colvin R. de Silva should be considered viz: “first to the landless of the area, then to the landless of the Province - and, if there are no takers on the first two, then finally to the landless in the rest of the country” Using land powers by the State to change the demographic reality, as is now taking place in a furious pace since 2006, is frowned upon by the Tamils. This is yet another issue that can bring Tamilnadu into the equation quite un-necessarily. It is due to lack of action in the Tamil issue that Tamilnadu and Delhi are now taking a greater interest in the plight of the Lankan Tamils. The Governor of Tamilnadu in his recent speech at the opening of the Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly used the words “Lankan Tamils are forced to live in pathetic subjugation” Slow or no action in the part of the Rajapakse government has resulted in Delhi and Chennai speaking for the welfare of the Lankan Tamils – an unhealthy development GoSL must put a stop to by taking care of the needs of their own Tamils to the satisfaction of the latter.

In a shocking display of political weakness and lack of courage, President Rajapakse is now shifting his task of coming out with a solution. He and his brothers have reportedly told Delhi on several occasions the Tamil question will be solved in terms along the 13th amendment. And now they to shift the loadnto Parliament and the Opposition. It certainly is poor democracy where the people are not told what was discussed by the President and his brothers with Delhi since this government came in to power. Asking support from Parliament when they are in a tight corner is no more than asking the Opposition to be collusionists in a delicate decision - rather than asking them to be equal partners. Sri Lanka ’s weakness has always been the Sinhala mass is brain-washed to dismiss viscerally any reasonable concessions to the Tamilsas a “ a sell-out and trecherous against the Sinhala race” While this is delusional, this indeed has been the vehicle through which important elections have been won on a Sinhala mass doped by the effects of a form of racial-religious opium. It is unfortunate President Rajapakse is playing politics where Statesmanship should be the order of the day. Visitors – both Lankan overseas and foreigners – find it curious the President seems to lean on and has shifted to what is commonly described as "the Buddhist card" The message appears to be Buddhism is the State. The message is also, as Sarath Fonseka used to blabber with little understanding or purpose “I am a good Buddhist” This is clearly meant to convey he is a good Buddhist and therefore no harm can come from him and that the world must accept this empirical reality. Surely, this is no way to run a country. I went recently to the Card Centre of Bank of Ceylon at the World Trade Centre in the Fort and wondered if I was entering a Buddhist Temple . It looked more like a place of Buddhist worship than a commercial bank.

The President is clearly working with an eye on the next few General Elections to ensure the continuity of his regime and that of his extended family. the interest of the people are sacrificed in the process. India knows exactly what his mindset is. They have seen him renege on his promises to them. Even the minor concessions spelt out by Foreign Minister Dr. G.L. Peiris in Delhi - presumably with the assent of the President -during his last week will be breached is generally speculated.

Even those close to and within the government are worried about the current state of affairs. While the government is under siege in Europe – the UK PM has asked for a serious review by the government of the War Crime allegation tapes after the Channel 4 TV broadcast. India cannot be encouraged with events in Sri Lanka today. The visit of the Delhi trio seems to have brought more trouble than joy to the President – in spite of the virtual enforced group prayer. No wonder what is often described as the “Kept media” in Sri Lanka are influenced to attack the Indians, the UK, E/U, the Norwegians and just about everybody else "for trying to destroy little Sri Lanka and a regime-change agenda" in the hope the Sinhala masses will be behind him in sympathy. Sri Lanka continues to be in a state of denial to the amusement of the world. The post-|Channel 4 News broadcast of this week on the "Killing Fields" will only add to the Winter of Discontent of the under-performing Rajapakse Brothers.