Even now can’t we unite
Lsast Thursday’s high noon horror at Maradana was the fifteenth devas
tating LTTE bomb attack on the city since 1983 and the seventh in the past
three years alone.
We seem to be getting immuned to this kind of barbaric violence perpetrated
by a fascist organisation and the world’s most ruthless terrorist group
with which some people still think they can talk peace while others think
they can ‘marginalise’ the terrorists through a devolution package.
It is increasingly clear that the LTTE is bringing this war to Colombo
as it gets cornered in the north.
Colombo today is known to be infested with Tiger cadres, bombs, and
suicide kits.
The police, as we have said this before, are more often busy guarding
themselves and their stations than in pursuing the LTTE and raiding suspected
LTTE ‘safe houses.’ Allegations of corruption and bribery in the police
service from top to bottom are rampant and in this vicious circle it is
quite possible the LTTE also could oil some palms for them to see no evil
or hear no evil.
While the National Intelligence Bureau is often made to look like an
ass, the CID is often used by politicians to harass political enemies,
including journalists.
Politicians will never learn. The former President Premadasa used the
NIB and the CID to track down his political enemies, but they forgot to
look for his assassin in his own kitchen.
Tamil political parties and the bleeding heart lobbies scream when raids
are conducted to flush out LTTE suspects. But when Tiger suicide bombers
act like brutes and kill little school children, these groups are often
slow or mild in their condemnation. The LTTE has shown that it won’t give
in one bit and won’t deviate from its path of terror.
The terrorists bombed the Maligawa and on Thursday they showed they
are even prepared to murder school children but still major political parties
are divided on how to respond to this terrorist challenge.
Instead of fighting the common enemy, the major parties are still at
each other’s throat.
What a mockery of democracy !
While we condemn any Govern ment for disallowing or disrupt ing legitimate
political opposition - especially the PA Government because it came riding
on the platform against Dooshanaya and Beeshanaya- we cannot agree with
the UNP’s decision to boycott Parliament for a month and possibly longer.
The people elect MPs to be in Parliament to air the views of the common
masses and to give a balanced perspective to issues. If the MPs cannot
do their basic duty by the people then they must forego their perks as
well- not eat the subsidised lunches, travel in their Pajeros, or luxury
cars nor take a pay packet during the boycott.
While we deplore the UNP’s boycott and urge the party to continue its
public agitation while being inside Parliament, we condemn the Government
for taking advantage of the UNP’s absence to push through a record 21 bills
and other motions in 23 minutes.
These included a bill with potentially widespread implications to impose
some Government control on non governmental organisations- people who helped
this very Government ride into high office.
The conduct of these two parties makes Parliamentary democracy a mockery,
and isn’t any reasonable person entitled to ask whether this is what our
country and her people deserve from our political leaders.
