Sunday Times 2
Weak nations on borders of big powers and Non Alignment
Volodymyr Zelensky (41) who has turned out to be a heroic figure during the continuing military onslaught by Russia, struck a poignant memory of a similar political event in Lanka when he on TV — clad simply in a T shirt in an unidentified location — said: “We are being attacked by the world’s most powerful military and my country would resist the invaders although there is no country to help us.”
It reminded this writer of former Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayewardene on TV in July 1987, before he had to sign the so-called Indo-Lanka Agreement after the landing of the Indian Peace Keeping Force, saying: “What could I do. Not one country lifted a finger to help me.”
The political challenges are analogous but not the same.
JRJ in his inimitable style settled for a compromise: If you can’t fight them join them. He did not want any more blood spilt. Two decades of terrorism in the North and East and two JVP insurrections in the South — the second JVP officially declared to resist the IPKF but instead was eliminating rival political factions — were enough.
But JRJ with his uncanny political judgement believed that the IPKF and the LTTE would soon be at loggerheads. We recall his National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali telling a group of journalists in confidence that soon the LTTE and their saviours, the Indians, would go for each other, according to the thinking of JRJ. Even though we were sceptical about this JRJ prediction, it happened, stunning the Indian Brahmins and Pukka Sahibs of the South Block (Foreign Ministry).
What happened thereafter is too well known and too voluminous to be recalled here.
But even today, as Sri Lankan leaders and their cohorts are in New Delhi with their begging bowl, the Indians are attempting to enforce a part implemented agreement which Sri Lanka does not have the desire to go through.
Sri Lanka has survived Indian invasions since the Chola invasion of the tenth century but always drove back the enemy and even survived colonial invasions that lasted 443 years. It underlies the basic principle that a nation and its people cannot be coerced into accepting dictates of invading forces or overbearing nations.
Zenlensky is facing similar situations which Ukraine has faced for thousands of years but had not merely been a subject nation that had been walked over but also conquered and ruled over regions of Russia. His strength in this desperate plight is the awareness that Ukrainian people know that they are an independent nation and are prepared to die for it.
The turn of events not only in Russia, Ukraine and worldwide is being speculated subjectively–according to particular interests of nations, the military balance and the doctrine of MAD–Mutually assured Destruction. Albert Einstein who was a pioneer in the development of the atom bomb(Manhattan Project) before Adolf Hitler made it warned: If there is to be a Third World War, the fourth will be fought with sticks and stones. The world is now tottering on the brink of such a catastrophe.
Sri Lanka it appears has decided to stay ‘Non Aligned’ or ‘neutral’ in the current conflict. But small countries on the borders of continental giants or caught up in Cold Wars of global and regional powers need to examine their Non-Aligned policies in greater depth in the context of the times.
Non Alignment had different interpretations of particular countries. JRJ, before assuming the Chair of the Non Aligned, cynically observed: There are only two Non Aligned countries in the world – the United States and the Soviet Union.
Cuba which was well and truly sustained economically, militarily and strategically by the Soviet Union was a leader of the Non Aligned Movement and even its Chairman. Its strong ‘Non-Aligned alignment’ to the Soviet Union enabled it to survive and became a proxy power to its benefactor in Africa. An outcome of the Cuban missile crisis was that the United States assured the Soviet Union that it would not overrun Cuba and also pulled out NATO intercontinental missiles from Turkey directed at the Soviet Union.
Taiwan’s survival — not being overrun by China for nearly seven decades — is because of the pledge of unreserved military support extended to it by the United States. If Taiwan was Non-Aligned, China which considers regions as being historically parts of China such as Tibet would have been taken over by now.
India, the apostle of Non Alignment and its ‘moral standard bearer’ was aligned to the hilt to the Soviet Union, the latter being the main supplier of armaments and supporting the Soviet Union on every major political issue. With the decline of the Soviet Union its alliance shifted to the United States and today is an ally of the United States in the quadrilateral alliance of the United States, Japan and Australia in trying to meet the challenge of the emerging superpower, China. To call India a Non Aligned nation today is laughable.
So how does Lanka’s Non Aligned-Neutral policy work? Giving Trincomalee, the Oil Tank Farm, parts of Colombo port and Palaly to India while having China in Hambantota, Colombo port city; giving harbours to China and India while visiting both countries with the begging bowl for dollars to thwart islandwide blackouts even during the day? Prof GL Peiris won’t convince the Western bloc’s demand for human rights with his lectures sans substantial grants to demands of the minorities.
Meanwhile, Narendra Modi suddenly breaks out as an outstanding linguist and declared last week that Tamil is the ‘Oldest language in the world’. It is manifestly clear that Modi wants to win over Tamil Nadu for the BJP. And one of Tamil Nadu parties’ main election planks is support for Tamil separatists in Sri Lanka. Indira Gandhi’s interest in Tamil Nadu was support of Tamil Nadu parties for her Congress party. To win their sympathy, Gandhi extended support, even militarily for Tamil separatism in Lanka. It was the beginning of Tamil separatist terrorist movements here.
Is Sri Lankan history tending to repeat itself?
Cursory Rhymes
This is the Land of Lotus Eaters
Not forgetting tom-tom beaters.
There’s a hubble-bubble about Lanka drifting
Far into space of areas forbidding.
But not to worry we have a Dr (Not yet) Caber-a-all
Who solves problems one and all with stories tall
When the Covid Virus attacked American dollars
Caber-a- all activated Lanka’s unused presses.
But Lanka presses can’t print dollars American
Can help come from Valley Silicon?
Mattala Lament
A Lankan landed at airport Mattala was heard to say:
This was my own my native land
Of Rajas, buffaloes, Paksas and Kiri -Pani
But now they don’t have a red cent in money
Even for a glass of Covid Pani.
(The writer is a former editor of The Sunday Island, The Island and consultant editor of the Sunday Leader.)