| by
Vickramabahu Karunaratne
( October 7,
2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The FUTA protest march was a success. Its
success could be measured from the hate generated in the government camp.
Minister SB said, “We do not intend to look at FUTA as our foe. But for
example, take the foreign countries that were visited lately by Nirmal Ranjith
Dewasiri. He is a second grade junior lecturer on History. In the recent past
he toured Oslo and the US. Who provided the air tickets for his sojourns
overseas? Even Kumar Rupasinghe has joined them now. He has publicly stated
that the FUTA strike has the makings of an Arab Spring that will emerge in the
future. But that guy is nothing but a knucklehead who is unable to understand
that this is not Arabia but Sri Lanka and that there is no scope or room for
such springs to take root in this part of the globe. No doubt there are scores
of NGOs behind the FUTA strike. They have also been supported by the UNP, JVP
and Sarath Fonseka as well. They have also cleverly got around the breakaway
faction of the JVP, the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) towards this endeavour.
I must say that Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri is nothing but a mentally sick and ill
person. He has publicly ridiculed our esteemed King Dutugemunu and he has also
publicly clamoured to get same-sex marriages legalized here as well. It has
been alleged that in the past, he has even crowed from the rooftops to get
Eelam for the Tamil people in the North-East.
Dewasiri has
also allegedly gone to India with the EPRLF and obtained training in arms as
well. He does not understand who the genuine university lecturers are. He
continues to grope in the dark. The genuine university lecturers are now
beginning to understand who the FUTA chief really is. That is one reason why
the FUTA strike is now showing signs of coming apart at the seams.”
All these words
do not bring FUTA or Nirmal into disrepute; but go a long way to further
deteriorate image of the minister. I have never heard of a category of
lecturers named second grade junior lecturer. I joined the staff of the
Engineering Faculty at the University of Peradeniya in 1966 as an assistant
lecturer. Thereafter, I was promoted to the lecturer grade in 1970 when I came
back from Cambridge with a PhD. At the time I was interdicted in 1978, I was a
senior lecturer. The next title awaiting me was assistant professor which was
earlier referred to as Reader. These are the categories of university lecturers
at the time. I never heard of this category that SB refers to. I am sure he is
wrong and he needs to apologize to Nirmal, who in my estimation, is a reputed
academic in his field. Also, I must add that History is not as marginal a
subject as SB assumes. E.H. Carr, the great historian said in his famous
lecture ‘What is History?’ – “When we
attempt to answer the question ‘What is history?’ our answer, consciously or
unconsciously, reflects our own position in time, and forms part of our answer
to the broader question – the view we take of the society in which we live. I
have no fear that my subject may, on closer inspection, seem trivial. I am
afraid that I may seem presumptuous to have broached a question so vast and so
important.”
The march to
Kataragama
SB must remember
what happened in Arabia, happened in Lanka way back in history; when we marched
to Kataragama with Mahinda and participated in many mass actions which finally
brought the downfall of the last UNP regime. It can happen again, perhaps more
virulently. When SB says that the Frontline Socialist Party was cleverly
trapped into this protest, he displays his ignorance as to what is happening in
the Higher Education sector. In fact the government paper, Sunday Observer
reported: “The JVP did not have much say in the Inter University Students’
Federation, better known as Anthare, the protest march that proceeded from
Kandy to Colombo in support of the dons. It was the JVP’s second breakaway
group – the Peratugaami (Progressive Front), which secured control of the
student protest from Kandy. In contrast to the FUTA protest march, the
Peratugaami student leaders holding power at Anthare were clever enough not to
entertain any of the opportunist politicians of the Opposition in their protest
march, not even the JVP leaders. Hence, JVP parliamentarian Anura Kumara
Dissanayake was seen taking shelter at the FUTA protest to mark their political
presence. Here we can disagree with the opinion but facts are correct.
Nirmal never
ridiculed historic figures; he only ridiculed mentally sick politicians who try
to reenact stories of the Mahawansa in the modern world. If Nirmal stands for
same sex marriages he is with great intellectuals’ the world over. If he has
gone to the EPRLF for training, then he must have gone through the United
Socialist Alliance headed by Chandrika, because the EPRLF was in a common front
with us at that time. We all got training in the Vanni jungles to save our
selves from the DJV attacks. In fact the leader of the Independent Students
Union, Daya Pathirana, was killed by the DJV. So it is perfectly correct to
learn to defend one self. As far as I
know Nirmal always stood for a United Lanka based on devolution of power. Any
sensible person who expects a United Lanka should hold that view. There is no
other way out.
Special attacks
Ridiculous
arguments by SB display the bankruptcy of the Mahinda regime. They have
forgotten their past and what they were campaigning for at that time. The
government media has made special attacks mentioning my name. I am happy to
think that the NSSP intervention got such recognition. One report said: “Though
Sajith even had his usual team which whistles and cheers each time he comes on
a political platform, Fonseka and Vickremabahu appeared to be isolated.
On-the-spot reports said Vickremabahu, who tarnished Sri Lanka’s image at the
UN Human Rights Council earlier this year, had only three supporters with him
while Fonseka had only his security guards, that too provided by the government
as a former army commander.”
It added “The
FUTA protest march which was followed by a rally in Colombo was used as
gathering points for anti-government elements and political parties while UNP
leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Karu Jayasuriya, Sajith Premadasa, Sarath Fonseka,
JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe, Vijitha Herath and Vickremabahu Karunarathne
were seen voicing for their political survival.”
No, we were all
voicing for the end of this chauvinist dictatorship!
 The FUTA protest march was a success. Its success...){kind=link}