Columns

Between this writing and its publication anything could happen. Like a government without a cabinet, or a four-member cabinet of sorts with or without a finance minister but still has a highways minister. That, it appears, is enough to run the country or whatever is left to run, now that some others have taken off on the limping national carrier or a Pandora flight to parts known and unknown.

Now if a cabinet of such a number would have been adhered to from the very beginning imagine how much money this country would have saved and Ajith Nivard Cabraal all the trouble of sitting down to print loads and loads of money which, we are told, is the largest amount the managers of our money had ever got mixed up with.

Amidst all the confusion, demonstrations by thousands, tear gas, water cannons, baton-waving and knocking of heads and other parts of the anatomy, one good thing happened. Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal has removed his tie and matching handkerchief, put them in his brief case and announced that he was resigning.

Now why he did not do so months earlier when genuine economists were tearing him to shreds I would not venture to guess. But it sure would have saved the country much money, more headaches and stopped him turning into a joke of sorts among knowledgeable and intelligent economists more concerned about the country than position.

But, of course, one cannot forget that he managed to squeeze the Government for a reported 400,000 rupee monthly salary when his predecessors had received a comparative pittance, and also organised a pension to boot.

All this at a time when teachers and others were being denied a salary increase to meet rising living costs thanks to the Government’s economic whizz kids some drawn from that inglorious Viyath Maga that left President Gotabaya and his Brothers Three ‘athara maga’ and running round with begging bowls to those near and far.

At least former justice minister Ali Sabry did a sane thing, for whatever it was worth. He collected his letter of appointment as the new finance minister paying obeisance to his onetime client and went to the finance ministry.

There he would have opened the safes or whatever was left and found them as empty as Mother Hubbard’s cupboard.

So the next day he tendered his resignation with an obedient letter to the President. After all why be tagged finance minister when there are no finance so to say. How he found a note paper to write his resignation may well remain a mystery when the history of the SLPP government comes to be written.

On Friday a government MP claimed in parliament that Mohamed Ali Sabry was still finance Minister as the president had not accepted his resignation. That apparently is because nobody wants to touch that portfolio except perhaps Mahinda Rajapaksa.

What chaos, what confusion! Remember how in the heat of the of the Mirihana protest, three still surviving ministers told a media conference that the violence was caused by “political extremists” hinting at JVP involvement but without courageously naming them if they were so certain.

But within a short time this claim by the three musketeers was refuted by the Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera who was quoted as saying “I don’t think they were extremist elements. It was only an act of sabotage.”

Just the other day in parliament the highways minister Johnston Fernando was on his feet throwing accusations all round particularly at the JVP. One must admit his argument was sound. I mean it was pure sound.

That comes as no surprise for he has played Rottweiler for the ruling Rajapaksas even under the previous “Yahapalana” government when cantankerous outbursts in parliament and rumbustious performances with chairs and chilli powder thrown with abandon were not rare occasions.

Perhaps to embolden Minister Fernando for more bravura cameos, the mayor of Kurunegala was reported to have said he will not allow anyone to touch a hair on the minister’s head.

Why on earth would anybody want to do that? Can there be anything of value under that crop of hair except perhaps for the Kurunegala mayor?

Not to be outdone foreign Minister GL Peiris addressing Colombo’s diplomatic community claimed that “the demonstrations were not directly against the Government, a political party or the ruling party but against the entire political establishment of the country and that the very foundation of the system was under criticism.”

Does Minister Peiris seriously and honestly think the protests were not against the Government or the ruling party? Why does he think the protests started in the first place? Does he believe the farmers got onto the streets because they wanted to change the political system or because they wanted their share of chemical fertiliser?

If anybody calls for a system change it is because those like Prof Peiris robbed parliament and independent institutions of their powers and handed over those powers and more to an executive president under the 20th amendment.

Minister Peiris is being disingenuous. Surely with eyes to see and ears to hear he must know that the most striking and common slogan is “Gota go home” while others are built round it.

If his diplomatic missions have not been able to keep him briefed on the unprecedented demonstrations held in many countries and foreign cities he should call for some of the videos and pictures that have been in wide circulation. That should blow his misconceptions apart.

Here in London, the capital of the colonial power that gave us universal franchise and introduced parliamentary democracy, hundreds of persons of diverse ethnicities and religions demonstrated outside our High Commission in a show of solidarity with their relatives and friends in Sri Lanka.

What does he think was placed on the bonnet and windows of 1 SL — the high commissioner’s car that was parked under the mission’s porch — slogan’s saying “Gota go home”?

The March 31 demonstration at Mirihana that spread people power across the country and across the seas will go down in Sri Lanka’s history as unique for  achieving something that the country has long been striving for — uniting the country across class and creed. Hopefully that would stay long above the din of politicians and their lackeys who thrive on racial and religious bigotry.

Just two weeks ago Lord Naseby known to us in his pre-political days as Michael Morris when he was stationed in Colombo and has been a steadfast crusader for Sri Lanka, was in Colombo to launch his book titled “SRI LANKA Paradise Lost Paradise Regained”.

Had he stayed a few days more he might have wished to extend the title of his book that combines the titles of two of John Milton’s epic poems and added “and Lost Once More” to capture the dramatic outburst of street protests across the country including the Rajapaksa heartland in the deep south.

How could the Lord have anticipated pockets of middle class residents displaying their frustrations at the political insouciance and seeming unconcern of the ruling circles would suddenly explode into mass anti- leadership protests joining hands with mounting working class and peasant street demonstrations.

How indeed could the Lord have seen so far when even that highly publicised soothsayer better known as Gnana Akka, did not appear to see it coming and forewarn Sri Lanka’s rulers as the soothsayer in Shakespeare’s drama warned Julius Caesar.

Maybe her extra sensory perception has turned from politicking to hoteleering

(Neville de Silva is a veteran Sri Lankan journalist who was Assistant Editor of the Hong Kong Standard and worked for Gemini News Service in London. Later he was Deputy Chief-of-Mission in Bangkok and Deputy High Commissioner in London)