Columns

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. Here is a story of how one from the canine breed has been enjoying special privileges like his boss, a top cop in the south.
However, for the top cop’s subordinates, it has turned out to be a dog’s life. One of the staffers was asked to remove ticks off the dog and groom it for a birthday party in the top cop’s office. The party took place in the official premises.

That is not all. Every now and then, the same staffer is asked to take the dog for a sea bath. Three other Police officers have been assigned to accompany the dog in official vehicles. That is to ensure the pet does not stray away. Nowadays it is not only the politicians who have security but even dogs! This prompted an officer in the south to remark that “he loves the dog more than his staff. If we went for a sea bath in an official vehicle, we would be charge sheeted.”
Dogged by these problems, the staffer has now complained to the Inspector General of Police, the Police Commission and the Ombudsman in Parliament. It’s a dog’s life for him, he says. A senior officer at Police Headquarters confirmed that an investigation is under way.

Complaint against 84-year-old Anandasangaree
An intra- party argument in the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) saw one of its leaders lodge a complaint with the Jaffna police.
TULF leader P. Sivasubramaniyam alleged party secretary, 84-year-old veteran Tamil politician V. Aanadasangaree, tried to physically attack him when on Friday he went to take part in a party meeting organised without his knowledge. He also alleged that though he is the leader of the TULF, the General Secretary is domineering and trying to control party affairs without giving any roles and responsibilities to other senior leaders.

During the recent local council elections, the TULF contested along with the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), a breakaway group of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the North East. It secured only a few seats.
When contacted, Mr. Aanadasangaree said it was only an argument.

Sea chief, but no residence on land
This battle of the senior-most seafarers is being waged — on land. Close to a year now, the present boss is without his official bungalow.
The former boss, with more connections, continues to occupy the house fit for a great mariner.

Man smart; monkey smarter
Jaffna Chavakachcheri District Court proceedings had to be suspended for several hours due to disturbances of an unusual kind this week.
A troop of monkeys climbed to the roof of the court house and began running on top of it causing a lot of noise. The chaos compelled the judge to suspend sittings.
Security personnel and other members of the staff made a valiant effort to chase the animals away and they succeeded after sometime.
The monkey menace, apart from disturbing the lives of residents, also has hit other state buildings. The District Secretariat is another place which is often invaded by the monkeys.

The roof of the DS building has been damaged by the monkeys while two CCTV cameras and lights and side mirrors of vehicle have been damaged. Some items have been taken away by the non-hominoid simians.

Jaffna Wildlife officials who were roped into to tackle the problem brought a large cage to capture the animals and relocate them elsewhere. However the cage has been lying there for almost a year with not a single monkey caught. Despite the close relationship between man and monkey evolution-wise, it seems it’s a case of man smart; monkey smarter.

Elaborate sword from Wigs to outgoing Indian Consul General
A farewell dinner was held by the Consulate General of India in Jaffna to honour outgoing Consul General A. Nadarajan who has completed his three-year assignment in the North. Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran and Governor Reginald Cooray were among those invited. Those who took part in the dinner were surprised to see Chief Minister present a memento of a handmade sword to the outgoing Indian Consul General.

While thanking the outgoing Indian Consul General for his “outstanding assistance” on improving cultural and art ties between the two countries, the Chief Minister remarked that he wanted to convey a special ‘message’ through his special memento.

“India needs to be robust in its foreign policy with Sri Lanka in order to find a lasting solution to the ethnic conflict. India should apply political pressure on the Government for a federal solution rather than strengthening more economic ties, as has been the case in recent times,” Chief Minister Wigneswaran said remarking that the controversial 13th Amendment to the Constitution was not passed in Parliament the way India wanted it and Provincial powers were diluted.

Minister fishing in troubled waters
United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) General Secretary and Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera appeared to throw the government’s Yahapalanaya (Good Governance) principles out of the window this week. He publicly declared that the Government would provide more aid and carry out development work in areas where the party gained more votes at the recent local council elections.

Addressing a public meeting in Angunukolapelessa in his home district of Hambantota, Mr Amaraweera related a story where a person from a nearby household had asked him whether the road in his area would be tarred. He said he looked towards the house and saw the symbol of rival Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) prominently displayed on a tree in the garden. “I pointed out to him that I could not tar the road as it belongs to the local Pradeshiya Sabha, that was won by the SLPP. I told him I for one would not repair their road.”

The minister then declared that he had already begun repairing and constructing new roads in areas where his party (Sri Lanka Freedom Party – SLFP or the UPFA) had won. “In such areas, households will benefit from the Government’s development activities,” he said.“I have told people that we are prepared to fund development projects in these areas even with our own funds to ensure that households which worked for us during the election are benefited,” Mr Amaraweera stressed, adding that the Government should do more for areas which supported it.

The minister also appeared to blame the media for the Government’s humiliating election loss, stating that negative coverage by some media institutions influenced some people to vote against the Government. “Politicians will now have to decide whether to start their own media institutions, because unless they (the politicians) behave according to the way these media institutions expect them to, it will be difficult to win an election,” he quipped.

Communal politics emerging again: GTF
Tamil diaspora groups are hyping up their campaign as a discussion on Sri Lanka nears at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The London-based Global Tamil Forum, which is in the forefront, is lobbying foreign governments. This is what the Forum said in a statement which is excerpted:
“The warning signs are all there. Almost nine years after the end of the war and two and a half years after co-sponsoring a UNHRC resolution calling for comprehensive transitional justice measures, the Government of Sri Lanka has not taken meaningful steps to inspire confidence of its commitments and intentions. The Office of Missing Persons (OMP), the only transitional justice process Sri Lanka has contemplated to-date, has not been operationalised more than a year and a half after it was legislated.

“The constitutional reform process appeared to be in a standstill. The recent Local Council elections show the desperate need for enlightened political leadership to prevent the re-emergence of communal-antagonistic politics. It is in this context that the ongoing UNHRC session is highly significant for the future wellbeing of all the peoples of Sri Lanka.”