| by I. S. Senguttuvan
(September 17, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) There is hardly any reason, likely to benefit the country, for the President to undertake a visit to the UN in New York at a time when the country is mercilessly assailed in Geneva and elsewhere on grounds of many incidents related to bad governance. The consequences of the desecration of the Muslim mosque in Anuradhapura by a gang of thugs lead by a Buddhist priest - while the backboneless Police watched idly – requires firm Presidential action before matters go out of control. The local Muslim community is reported to have already sounded their colleagues in the Arab world about their plight.
What is the great necessity for the President to rush to New York in these difficult times?
Surely, the UN will survive without this visit. It is no secret the UNGA draws media attention only when leading players in the world go there. This time the spotlight will be on the PLO delegation where their PM is to demand recognition as a new State. Various nondescript leaders from the smaller countries in the developing world merely get there “on a look-see and shopping visit” for their near and dear ones. Nothing much more.
The standard joke in the UN is other delegates take the opportunity to visit the washroom, visit restaurant for Coffee or make phone calls when these leaders from States that have little clout take the podium. To ensure our leader does not speak to an empty hall, it was reported his close relative – Ambassador Wickramasuriya in Washington – tried to buy up the Entrance Ticket entitlement of other delegates. This poor performance, heartily laughed at by the UN staff, will be very likely repeated this time.
But there are bigger dangers in this proposed visit of yet another jumbo delegation. Lawyers for various Tamil diaspora groups are waiting for a chance to re-activate legal action filed in various US Courts against President Rajapakse.
More disturbing is the news Sri Lankans in the US, Canada and Europe – this time including many Sinhalaese and Muslims – will converge in large numbers in the Hotel and at the UN site to give effect to high-profile demonstrations that are likely to engage wide coverage by the sensation-hungry Print and electronic media. The battle between the two TGTE groups is likely to heighten with each trying to outdo the other at Rajapakse’s expense. Recent issues of the Grease Yaka, the Mosque attack, ICC and HRC cases are expected to feature high in these proposed demos. The American Press Club is due to ask President Rajapakse for a Question and Answer session if he gets there – and we know where that will take us.
President Rajapakse’s close advisers should review this matter – asking our diplomatic community in the USA/UN to check what the chances of a damaging round of demos are – before the Jumbo delegation of Friends, relatives and nimcompoops take to the air.
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