Columns

On Monday morn visiting Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar made a pit stop at a Lanka Indian Oil Company filling station in Colombo to personally inspect how the Indian fuel supplied by his Government under the Indian credit line was being distributed to the hordes of Lankans queued outside to pump their tanks.

Minister Jaishankar tweeted on his hands-on approach stating he had been briefed by LIOC’S Managing Director Gupta, stating, “Indian LoC of US$ 500 million is helping Sri Lankan people in their everyday life.”

At least someone was taking an interest. Even if it was the new self-appointed guardian of our fate who had just purchased the rights over this nation’s destiny and was checking on the welfare of its leaderless citizens. The same could not be said of the nearly defunct local outfit’s fuel manager, Lokuge who when asked by a journalist that evening, whether he had ever inspected a filling station and inquired of supply and distribution problems, said, he most certainly had, “when I travel each morning, I look at the sheds  as I pass.”

And that was not all the duties that was cut out for India’s Foreign minister Jaishankar, who played the role of Modi’s Viceroy to the letter, during his three-day stay in Lanka to hold bilateral talks with the Lankan Government and to attend the Bay of Bengal states’ summit held in Colombo.

**On Tuesday morn he was at it again. With his eye on the ball on all things Sri Lanka, he was horrified to read a twitter message from Sirasa NewsFirst. It said: “Scheduled surgeries at the Peradeniya Hospital were suspended due to a shortage of medicines. Only emergency surgeries are taking place.” It was 9.51am.

Man of action Jaishankar didn’t waste time. He plunged straight in to tackle the issue. He ordered the Indian High Commission to act on it pronto; and tweeted: “Disturbed to read this news. Am asking High Commissioner Baglay to contact and discuss how India can help.”

One Indian, Sonali, was over the moon at the Foreign Affairs Minister’s response to the crisis. She tweeted in reply, ‘’India again at rescue mission. I am proud of my country. Jai Hind.’’

MY MONEY, MY PETROL: India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar at Lanka Indian Oil Company filling station on Monday in a hands-on inspection of Indian fuel distribution and supplies granted by India on credit line

Sadly no Lankan could echo the same pride and joy. They could only remain in silent shame, along with Health Minister Rambukwella who did not care to tweet his thanks to India’s Foreign minister for showing not only concern but also offering help in a crisis. While the Indian team were giving a ball by ball commentary on the steps being taken to resolve the crisis, neither did Rambukwella bother to tweet what remedial measures he and his ministry were taking to resume planned surgeries at Peradeniya Hospital.

Meanwhile, the Indian High Commissioner had been busy. Before noon  they tweeted back: “High Commission contacted Prof. Lamawansa, Hon. VC and the Dean of Medical Faculty of Peradeniya University and requested to know their requirements for medicines to continue regular and scheduled surgeries.’’ The time was 11.28am.

On Tuesday, Peradeniya Hospital Doctor, Dr. Thilakarathna told the media that the decision on Monday to temporarily halt all routine surgeries had been reverted because the Health Ministry had promised supplies by the evening.**

Did Indian intervention trigger early resolve? Not according to the Health Minister. On Wednesday, Rambukwella told reporters, “We had done the needful even before Jaishankar knew of the suspension. On Tuesday by 7 am we had already taken action. We had collected the drugs and made arrangements to dispatch it to Peradeniya.”

Good. And hats off to his efficiency. But hadn’t Rambukwella told the media five days before, “We have critical medicines for the next month”? Had there been a lapse in his ministry’s monitoring system that essential drugs for surgeries had not been supplied on time? Or did the Peradeniya surgeons discover the medical chest was bare only after they had scrubbed for the op?

On Wednesday a journalist also asked Rambukwella whether the Health Ministry could cope with the present crisis. His answer was: ‘There are few problems but we can very well handle the problem by ourselves. The day we cannot cope, then we will inform you.’’

Happily, he may not have to do so. As a cabinet minister of this Government, which has followed the perilous policy of seeking treatment only after the disease has turned terminal and spread, Rambukwella may be spared in the future the terrible task of telling the people that the medical system has collapsed despite his best secretive efforts to save it. Thanks to India, after it has achieved its neo-colonialist objectives, no longer will Lankans have to be brought to the brink of the precipice for relief to arrive.

India’s Foreign Minister Jaishankar’s and High Commissioner’s tweets on Tuesday may be a forerunner of things to come. Both gave short shrift to diplomatic norms and breached protocol which holds that foreign nations must channel any form or offer of aid through the host Government.

Jaishankar’s exercise was a typical ‘hearts and minds’ op suavely conducted to show India’s magnanimity: a tacit acknowledgment that with the acquisition of greater rights over Lankan territory, including her territorial waters, India recognises her concomitant duty to ensure the welfare of the Lankan people.

Already within these last three months, two agreements have been signed. The first, an Indian credit line of USD 500 million, signed on February 2, yielded the Trinco oil tanks and other interests in India’s favour. The second, the Cabinet approved MRCC agreement was signed on Monday in return for a further Indian credit line of USD one billion. It grants India the right to supervise our seas. Furthermore, the second agreement allows India to build hybrid power projects on Lanka’s northern islets.

Certainly India, thanks to her timely throw of a billion dollar lifeline to buy Indian fuel and Indian food to drive the Lankan economy and feed the Lankan people, has scooped the Lankan sweepstakes; and, with the Government’s newly found source for easy dollars to stay propped in power, has Lanka on a leash begging for more to extend, what Gammanpila called this week, ‘Apaya’s interval’.

Hardly had the ink dried on the MRCC treaty signed in exchange for India’s billion dollar lifeline, the Government was on its knees again, begging for an extra one and a half billion dollar credit line.  CB Governor Cabraal confirmed Lanka has sought a further USD 1.5 billion from India. According to the Reuter report, New Delhi has indicated it would meet the request for the new line.

Why has India suddenly turned into such an easy touch for Lanka to sponge on? Or is India secretly claiming Lanka’s soul, part by part, by sating the Lankan junkie’s financial craving, joint by joint?

Rather than India being a soft sponge, hasn’t dollar strapped Lanka rendered herself to be squeezed dry? That she lies spread eagled to be ravaged at will? That she lets India, while New Delhi’s sun shines, to make hay in Lanka under the cover of her dire adversity?

And the Government is more than willing to oblige. In fact it is begging to be beggared more with its latest plea for another USD 1.5 billion to make it temporarily stable. What new collateral will India seek this time to stamp a larger footprint on the isle?

No wonder India’s Foreign Minister Jaishankar dumped diplomatic niceties this week to direct local welfare operations as Modi’s viceroy representative in Lanka whose fiat, none in the government would dare override. And that’s only for starters.

It is said that in 1945, J.R. Jayewardene called for Ceylon to be made another pranth of India for which he was branded a traitor. But it f JR dreamt of an Indian summer for old Ceylon, then, 77 years on, it is fast becoming a virtual reality. Even as the Hawaiian Isles – 2000 miles away from USA – became the 50th state of America in 1959, Lanka is well on Modi’s chartered course to become the de facto 29th Pranth of India.

PS Anyone knows of a good Sinhala translation of Nobel prize winning Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore’s – the only man who has written the national anthem of two countries, India and Bangladesh – much sung ‘Jana Gana Mana’? May come in handy soon.

People power throng the President’s homeExtremist mob tarnish peaceful protest with violence On March 5 SJB’s Hirunika Premachandra with members of the party’s women’s wing storm the presidential lane at Mirihana to bring the nation’s woes to the President’s door. After holding her protest and handing over a letter to be delivered to the President, she and her group peacefully leave but not before telling the media: “I held this protest outside Gota’s home mainly to break the fear psychosis of the people.” Before March had ended, Hirunika had solid evidence, dramatically shown live on Thursday night television, that she had achieved what she had sworn to destroy: she had successfully smashed to smithereens, the people’s phobia of fear. On March 31st evening, while the nation lay in darkness due to a 13 hour blackout, a crowd was gathering at the Jubilee Post to stage their daily protest. This time they decided to do it differently, to air their grief at the President’s home down Pangiriwatte Lane just 200 odd yards away. TOPPLED: Angry crowds bring down barricade outside lane where the President resides. Pic by M A. Pushpakumara In what was, perhaps, the symbolic equivalent to the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution, the angry crowd thronged the entrance to the presidential lane. After Hirunika’s trailblazing excursion to the Presidential gates itself, the Police had erected two large steel barricades to prevent entry to this forbidden lane which, apart from the president’s private home, also had many other private homes. For more than an hour a livid people, their frustrations furrowed on their faces, kept a noisy but peaceful vigil, shouting slogans and holding placards to demonstrate their fury at the Government’s failure to resolve the never ending stream of crises. For over an hour they laid siege to the lane, continuing with their protest. But as the minutes ticked, so did the crowd enlarge. So did patience wear thin. The public mood distinctly changed. The steamy night suddenly became charged and anger stood poised to breakout. The heat was on.  The cacophony grew louder, the frenzy reaching boiling point. It seemed that an extremist force had inveigled itself into the noisy but still peaceful air, one whose brief was to tarnish a people’s genuine outpouring with violence. A few minutes after 9.30, a violent impulse stirred in the crowd. To add a surreal touch, the streets lights went out and the road lay enveloped in darkness, with only anger starkly visible. The crowd began to topple the steel barricade but though the police resisted at first, they eventually succeeded. The barricades fell and the jubilant crowd charged down the street where the President lived to meet head on the riot squad shield of defence. With the crowds engaged in a tense stand-off, it became apparent that action had to be taken before the last line of defence fell and the President’s home lay open to be stormed. Stones were hurled. Two state buses were burnt. The extremist spirit had taken hold. Soon the Police started to fire tear gas into the crowds forcing them to disperse. Journalists were among the injured; 45 were arrested and some reportedly beaten in cells. A curfew was declared in Colombo and surrounding areas. A people’s protest had begun in peace that evening. A mystery force ensured the night ended in war. But let the masterminds who sent the mob beware that not all the evil they caused can snuff the flame lit throughout the nation to symbolise a people’s suffering nor stifle their potent, peaceful dissent. The violence and the imposition of emergency law lift the crisis to another level; and, as for the tears that flowed from the tear gas bombardment, they will be nothing new to a people who came to vent their woes in peace but simply add to the tally of tears they have known and wept unbidden in silent suffering, in exquisite anguish these past few weeks. The tears will only stiffen their resolve to carry on the potent fight till the Government acts or falls.