The grand old party (better known as the advocating power sharing at the centre. That is almost a mind boggling swing in positions, and would have been particularly shocking to pro-devolution liberals, who were flocking to the UNP, thinking that the party has gone even father than the PA in devolving power to the periphery..
At a time when the British parliament is advocating the abolition of the House of Lords, the upper chamber, the UNP’s idea of establishing a second chamber may sound grating to most pro devolutionists. What’s driven home however is the fluidity of political change in this country. But the UNP seems to have bought the idea that there is no ethnic problem, or that there is no problem that needs solving at the periphery.
But, the timing couldn’t have been better. Mahanayake’s are never known to be in cahoot with political parties, but the UNP and the Mahanayake’s have rejected the political package of the government almost in tandem , this time unequivocally, saying that the unitary nature of the country should be preserved.
What tilted the balance, no one can say - and whether the UNP went with the Mahanayake’s or whether the Mahanayake’s went with the UNP will only be of academic interest. But all that can be said about the UNP’s about turn is that it leaves a lot of people looking funny in the face. It has never been clearer that there is no bipartisan consensus whatsoever on the package. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be correct to say that the package does not exist, as of last week, as a solution to this country’s problems?
With the UNP and the Mahanayake’s throwing the package out of the window, the package effectively becomes a dead letter until the next elections. Now, its true that a non binding referendum on the package can change all of that, if that goes the way of the PA. But, the less said about that the better, because with the considerable weight of the Mahanayake’s thrown together with the weight of the UNP, the PA’s chance of winning a non binding referendum is zilch.
The long and the short of all of this is that the PA cannot effectively advance the package as a solution anymore - at least not until the next elections where the PA can ask for a greater majority from the electorate. But the package will continue to float as a political idea. It has always been floating as a political idea. With the speed with the UNP changes, the PA can now ask the UNP to go back to the idea of devolution. But this is on the other hand definitely the UNP’s final solution. When the positions of the two parties differ significantly from each other, then those are the two positions which will stay. That’s this country’s politics.
Two languages, one country
Was the Prince of Wales referring to Mme Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga when he said that some Sri "Lankan’s speak better English than I do?’’ If he did, the President deserved the consolation. She probably wanted to nix the sangha, who had already had her feeling small on account of the damage done to the dalada maligawa. But this independence celebration would have been the stuff for Carl Muller. Even a writer of farce could not have predicted some of the events that surrounded the event. But no matter. Nobody can envy the President for what she had to go through last week and the week before.
As far as language of her address goes, there is no doubt that President Kumaratunga thinks in English. She can’t help it. It may not be her mother tongue, but it is her mother’s tongue, even though her mother did not speak a word of it to Prince Charles who was seated next to her.
The Kumaranatunga world view is undoubtedly cosmopolitan, Besides, She does not generally make a pretence of being steeped in the local idiom. So, when she spoke in English, it was not out of character. So, why be hypocritical and expect the President to jump out of her skin, just for our sakes?
Clarke and the satellite
Satellite media can investigate and disseminate fast, but there is something to be said about satellite media’s instant newsmaking. The news services bombard the satellite channels with the news that’s most credible and dramatic at the given moment. Instant news is akin in this way to instance justice. Reputations can be made or unmade at the speed of light, and in this way, the reputation of the paparazzi took a nosedive when it was thought that a high speed motorcycle chase by pressmen caused Princess Diana’s death. It turned out later that the driver of the vehicle was drunk, and that Dodi Al Fayed’s reckless spirit and his choice of bohemian driver caused the accident that killed the Princess.
When a TWA jet crashed sometime before the Olympic games in Atlanta, the media sprung the terrorist theory, which was not only quite sassy and saleable, but plausible as well. But, in a prosaic way, the crash turned out to have been caused by a combustible fuel tank. Also, though one Mr Jewel was blamed for the bombing at the Olympics location, later the authorities tendered an unqualified apology to this security guard with right wing affiliations.
Marshal Mac Luhan may not have stated the moral of the story: its that breaking news is definitely not gospel in the satellite age.
So when Arthur Clarke was embroiled in a controversy beamed to all parts of the world via satellite, in a way, he was being stung by the power of his own innovation. So, was Clarke the villain?. So PEACE seems to think, but there is nothing quite so placid about that conclusion. Given the nature of how stories change in the satellite age (Clinton seems to be safe now, though two weeks ago his Presidency seemed to be hobbling on the brink.) Clarke could be the victim of a monstrous satellite hyperbole exercise, originating from one false story.
This man cannot be investigated like some common criminal, and if it is being said that he has to be given special treatment yes, he has to be given special treatment. He cannot be subject to summary character assassination and treated like some common dirty old man from Sweden, or someplace, because, he is a man who deserves to be treated with an extraordinary degree of respect, period.
Though obviously this is not to say that he should not face any consequences if he has had sex with juveniles under the age of consent, it is important to let the news sink in soberly before anybody launches a witch-hunt, particularly (this is not said with irony) because this is the satellite age The best is to ensure that Clarke steers clear of juveniles, and be done with it. An old man deserves peace.
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