5th Column

My dear Mangala,
I thought I must write to you even though you are a busy man these days, shuttling between Colombo, Geneva and New York, trying to negotiate a solution to our problems in Geneva where some people are trying to punish us for defeating the Tigers and ending the war six years ago.

I would agree that it has been slightly different this year at Geneva because normally it is that time of the year when ministers like Mahinda Sam and GL start fighting with each other trying to steal the limelight instead of attempting to defend the country at the UN against allegations of war crimes.

This is also the time we usually hear of resolutions against us being sponsored by Uncle Sam in Geneva and when we look at the results of the vote, it reads like the scorecard of one of our recent cricket matches — defeated convincingly, despite the occasional individual outstanding performance.

This year you are telling us an entirely different story. You say that Uncle Sam is our friend once again and that we would in fact be supporting the resolution that they are moving. That is all well and good if it is indeed true but quite frankly, Mangala, we find it quite confusing too.

To begin with, we had that High Commissioner chap, the so-called ‘Prince’ who replaced the dreaded Pillay lady telling us that he had no faith in our judicial system and that, therefore, we were not capable of inquiring in to these issues on our own. That was a bit uncalled for, don’t you think, Mangala?

Then he proposed a ‘hybrid’ inquiry. Now, we have heard of hybrid plants and even hybrid cars but we haven’t heard of hybrid inquiries. If that meant the involvement of people outside the country, it would be nothing more than an international inquiry with a fancy name, wouldn’t it, Mangala?

A few days later, we are told by Maithri and the Green Man that we need not worry and that all they would agree to, is a ‘domestic’ inquiry. We were told that Uncle Sam is impressed with the changes at the top, especially the departure of Mahinda maama, and they were now willing to trust us again.

Another day or two later the tune changes again and now we are told that what we would get is a Sri Lankan mechanism ‘with the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges’. Pardon me if I am wrong, Mangala, but to me, that still looks very much like a ‘hybrid’ or ‘international’ inquiry.

I don’t know what your tastes in food are, Mangala, but if we take a pizza or a burger and wrap it in a kehel kolay (banana leaf), can we sell it as ‘Sri Lankan’ food? To me, what they have suggested is not very different to that and that is why many people are worried about where all this would lead to.

By the way, Mangala, while you are hobnobbing with the John Kerrys and the Prince Hussains of this world, could you ask them what ‘hybrid’ inquiries they propose about Uncle Sam’s action in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. You could even offer some Sri Lankan judges to help them!

But you are a smart man, Mangala, and I think I know what you are trying to do. I am sure you will get down Sri Lankan judges who are serving overseas and call them ‘foreign judges’ which they technically are. Uncle Sam won’t be able to object and those of us in Paradise won’t complain either!

But while you are planning to do that, Mangala, you need to be careful. Already Mahinda maama is saying that we should reject this resolution instead of accepting it and depending on the shape or form this ‘inquiry’ takes, I know there will be many people who will agree with him.

If you wholeheartedly agree to this ‘pizza in a kehel kolay’ type of inquiry and at the end of it, all our war heroes are found guilty and face penalties for risking their lives and doing their duty by the country, I know our Kurunegala district manthrithuma would turn around and say ‘I told you so’.

Think about all this, will you, Mangala? I am sure you will try to do your best in Geneva but there is another reason I am worried about the outcome: that ‘yahapaalanaya’ spokesman, Rajitha says everything will eventually be alright. Now, when did something he said ever come true?

Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS: While you are in New York with Maithri, take good care of the chip off the old block, will you? Already people are asking embarrassing questions like, ‘How could he take him to New York when he was complaining so much about the special privileges given to Namal who was at least an MP?’