A campaign warped by hypocrisy

One day President Bush is all intent on declaring the third world war and blowing whoever it is to smithereens. The next day he is like an aged sheriff from some one-horse town in the wild west nailing notices outside his office: 'Wanted Dead or Alive — Osama bin Laden'.

Dutifully, like a ventriloquist's dummy, British Prime Minister Blair blares forth the same message — "we are at war with terrorism." Not to be outdone by the transatlantic leadership, Don McKinnon from way Down Under but now heading the Commonwealth, pays pooja to the might of the United States and says the Commonwealth has always denounced terrorism.

"We in the Commonwealth have always condemned and opposed terrorism and will continue to do so," he said in Colombo recently after hearing about the terrorist attack on the US.

But his biennial report to the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Brisbane next month, somewhat bombastically called "Continuity and Renewal in the New Millennium", does not even mention the word terrorism. So much for continuity. Shows how seriously the Commonwealth under his two- year stewardship has taken terrorism.

"Aah, but had the report not been published a week or so before the attack on the United States, terrorism would certainly have figured," Don McKinnon told me last Wednesday at the launch of his report. 

So there must be a major terrorist attack on a non-member of the Commonwealth such as the United States to earn even a passing mention in the secretary-general's report, although a number of member countries have been subject to terrorist attacks and threats.

In February this year, Britain, the headquarters of the 50-odd nation Commonwealth, brought into operation its new law — Terrorism Act 2000 — under which it banned 21 organisations considered terrorist groups.

Even such a move did not awaken the Commonwealth's secretary-general to the dangers of terrorism sufficiently to declare that it remains a scourge that could undermine the very core values of democracy, good governance and the rule of law the Commonwealth wants every member to pursue and promote.

But it is not only the Commonwealth that suffers from memory lapse. The Blair government is awakened from its supine slumber only when its patron on the other side of the Atlantic suffers — not just a massive blow but an ignominious one too.

Any sane person would be shocked and saddened at the deaths of civilians, innocent people who have no part in the deadly game of power politics that is being played out somewhere at any given moment.

I have seen too many such deaths of innocents in Sri Lanka itself to realise how senseless and tragic it all is.

But what does one say to governments that have at some time or other armed, trained, harboured or encouraged terrorists? These governments bleat only when terrorism strikes nearer home or when their own people become the victims of a terrorism they encouraged and fostered in the past.

"Whatever the technical or legal issues about the declaration of war, the fact is that we are at war with terrorism," Tony Blair said a few days ago. Is he being really serious or is this a sick joke?

To start with, had a developing country without military or economic power made such a declaration, the entire pack of NGOs that take the temperature of world democracy, human rights, rule of law and what not, would have been baying at the heels of that country.

Today when the United States and Britain say that some human rights may have to be sacrificed in the war against terrorism, most of those NGOs maintain a deafening silence because it is from countries such as the US and Britain and from foundations and institutions in those countries that the NGOs get their funding.

Are we to assume that the Blair government has only now declared war on terrorism?

Let Mr. Blair and his cronies take their collective mind, such as it is, back to last year when the Terrorism Act was being discussed and debated. Was it not to fight terrorism that such a law was introduced in the first place?

Being a signatory to the UN conventions on anti-terrorism, Britain had to bring the terms of conventions into domestic law. Was this not to fight terrorism?

If not, was the banning of the 21 groups including the LTTE a bit of play acting by the Blair government.

Remember, when Britain was asked whether some of these groups were banned under pressure from foreign governments, the Blair administration said no. It said the ban was imposed on the advice of British security agencies that considered them a threat to the country. Then for heaven's sake why are members of such organisations still allowed to make public statements?

The Home Office keeps dodging questions on these banned organisations while the Metropolitan Police show total ignorance even of their existence. If the British government is serious about fighting terrorism how is it that Anton Balasingham, the acknowledged spokesman of the LTTE in London and its chief negotiator, is regularly quoted in London-based media including the BBC?

When I asked the Home Office, it said the implementation of the Terrorism Act is in the hands of the Metropolitan Police. The Police Press Office is manned by aliens from another planet. They haven't heard of the LTTE or even that 21 organisations have been banned. Their arrogance is only surpassed by their ignorance.

If these people represent the frontline in the fight against terrorism, then this country is in deep trouble. God's help is not enough. It needs all the deities it can muster.

From the highest in the government to what is more appropriately called the 'Mutt'-ropolitan Police there is a marked lack of interest, information and intelligence. They remain cocooned in misplaced self-confidence.

Already many of these institutions have been identified as basically racist. It won't be long before Asian minorities in particular are hunted down in the name of fighting terrorism while the real terrorists and their agents remain sanctified by this government.

Tower of strength for sportsmen and scribes

M.E. Marikkar 

He began the role of a scribe at the now defunct Times group, reporting to the then Daily Mirror and Times. After the Times Group wound up, he contributed articles to The Sunday Times. 

He had a knack for building friendships. 

In the field of sports, everybody loved him. Even in politics, he had many admirers. He loved to do social work and travelling was his ambition. 

Mariks studied at St. Sylvester's College, Kandy, and represented the college at cricket, soccer, hockey, athletics and boxing, not to mention his career in the Cadet Corps. 

He was the first Sylvesterian to play premier cricket when he represented the Moors' Sports Club as an opening batsman. Later, he continued his cricketing career in the army, where he stood out with his swing bowling. He also played for the upcountry, Central Province and Lake Club teams. 

He played soccer for Greenlands Sports Club, Young Stars, Saunders, Up-country and Govt. Services teams. Retirement and old age could not stop his attachment to sports and he continued as an umpire and later as a referee in the sports that kept his spirits alive. 

His physique added to his popularity as he stood tall and could be spotted in any crowd without difficulty. 

Mariks was a tower of strength to fellow journalists and was always willing to help anyone who went to Kandy, not only on assignment but even for other purposes. 

He helped anyone on any occasion. He was in the volunteer service when the Queen arrived in Ceylon.

Once the late President J. R. Jayewardene did him proud by requesting his driver to bring Marikkar when was on his way to witness a Test match in Kandy. Only Marikkar could boast of such an adventure as a President stopping to pick him up.

May Allah bless his soul!

M. Ismeth

A golden voice has been stilled

Meenakshy Ponnuduray 

Her demise was a shock to the staff of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation where she had served as the Telugu announcer since 1975. She had a multi-faceted personality. 

As a producer of English programmes in the English Service, she came across as a person with a wide knowledge. Whether it was the Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, The Bible, Al-Quran, Illiad, Odyssey or Shakespeare texts, her explanation was unique and enjoyable. The power of her words made her a celebrity. That was why she was awarded the "Sollatchy Vithaky". 

She leaves behind two sons and two daughters. 

She was a mother to me and I was proud to be her adopted daughter.

Lethika

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