From the Green Corner

Dogs may bark–caravan moves on

By Virudda paakshikaya

"Attack," or so the saying goes, "is the best form of defence." That is what Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana did at the last World Cup. Any sports coach would agree this is so. This is also what Velupillai Prabhakaran did at Kilinochchi, in trying to defend Mankulam. And, more interestingly, this is what my friend Paakshikaya did last week.

So, last week, in the midst of the biggest debacle ever in the 17 year war with the LTTE, Paakshikaya tried desperately to draw a red herring with our leader's visit to America, which even his party stalwarts would have made red faced with embarrassment.

Well our leader's visit to America was no secret. Everybody knew about it. It was no big deal for us, though the state-owned Ceylon Daily News devoted a full page for the pictures of what they called the "Strippers of Los Angeles". All we can say, Paakshikaya is that any publicity is better than no publicity in politics!.

As our leader told your minister C.V. Gooneratne, "Worse (or did he say better?) things can be seen at the Royal Stag Night! And CV being the good old Royalist that he is would have no doubt seen it all,and did not disagree.

Anyway, to put the record straight, Paakshikaya, those were not "Strippers" - those were the world renowned dancers from the Brazilian dance troupe, The Carnivale, who were visiting Los Angeles at the same time.

And probably inadvertently (or, what else can one do when one is under orders?) the Ceylon Daily News has now flouted the very guidelines set by Prof. G.L. Peiris - appointed by president Kumaratunga, no less - to ensure there is no publication of material that will tend to arouse sexual feelings.

So, Paakshikaya, here is a government that blots out images of actors kissing on TV, but allows titillating pictures of show girls on a national newspaper! Here is a government that orders the police to crackdown on "Kunuharupa" magazines on the news-stands but wants revealing photographs in full colour, probably to boost the circulation of its propaganda sheets while at the same time slandering the UNP!

And this is the government that was so keen not to air Rajitha Senaratne's speech against your Minister Mangala Samaraweera at Matara recently, waiting until 10.30 p.m. so the kids went to sleep, saying the speech contained explicit language. So Paakshikaya, what do we do now? Ask the parents to hide that copy of the Ceylon Daily News of October 9, wait until the kids go to sleep and then read the newspaper after 10.30 p.m.? If we apply the same standards we must certainly do so because that newspaper contained very explicit photographs!

So Paakshikaya, when the government's own media does this type of thing to score a political point, Prof. Peiris, now the law professor turned law maker and full time politician might just as well forget about his committee and his appointment as the official guardian of our morals!

Then, Paakshikaya after all this attacking on our 'strippers' as you call them, you refer to how unsuccessful our fund raisers in Los Angeles and New York were.

That is probably why SLFP Secretary Dharmasiri Senanayake and Media Advisor Sanath Gunatillake were summoned to New York along with Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera to form your own SLFP Branch (not PA branch, mind you!) in New York, for some "damage control". Then there were the futile attempts to stop people from attending the fund raiser in New York - and despite three bomb threats - hundreds turned up. These threats were traced later to a public pay phone in a place called Queens in New York, where the SLFP meeting was in progress.

Paakshikaya also makes a big deal about our leader's ear infection. He would have said anything last week to save the embarrassment of the Kilinochchi debacle, and this is just one more example.

Well, yes, the Hippocrates Oath which doctors swear on says, among other things that "whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick remaining free of all intentional injustice.." So, there could be no consideration of party affiliations and full credit to Dr. Anura Rajapakse too.

But these things happen. Ear infections are as common as getting a chicken bone stuck in your throat, when you have dinner with a President, isn't it Paakshikaya? Ask Dr. Rajapakse what happened, he'll tell you.

I might note here that our leaders went to New York with their own monies (or party funds) but it was not government funds - not the taxpayers money. So let's set the record - the Americans say "record" straight on that too.

Then, in last week's The Sunday Times we read about the crazy games G.L. Peiris and Lakshman Kadirgamar were playing in America, at the expense of the taxpayer.

When Kadirgamar meets US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Carl Inderfurth, G.L. Peiris goes to see him. Peiris then goes to see UN envoy Olara Otunnu with whom Kadirgamar is dealing with about children in armed conflict.

Kadirgamar addresses one audience in Washington only to be followed by Peiris or vice versa. And, at the receiving end was former us Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Teresita Schaffer who was never so busy in her life, running from one reception to another involving the two ministers who however never met each other!

The only redeeming feature in this 'Premier Stakes" race was Minister Kadirgamar being good enough to meet our leader in New York and talk of a bi-partisan approach to politics in Sri Lanka and about dealing with the LTTE. And that is how it should be too.

G.L. Peiris, on the other hand, probably hurt (metaphorically) by Kadirgamar meeting Ranil Wickremesinghe and hurt (literally) by spraining his ankle trying to keep pace with his colleague, the ex- Trinity Athletics Lion, slammed our leader at a public meeting in Washington using strong words like "Vacuous" and "irrelevant" to describe Ranil Wickremesinghe's call for unconditional talks with the LTTE.

Then, in New York, Minister Peiris had a dinner 'date' with diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala, and it looked as if both did it specifically to spite Minister Kadirgamar- the public perception being that the latter blocked Mr. Dhanapala's path to the post of UN Secretary-General.

Though being a green, Paakshikaya I concede this latter as something furthest from the realms of possibility, though indeed it was President Kumaratunga and Minister Kadirgamar who did not give Dhanapala the 'green light' to contest for the top post at the Vienna- based Atomic Energy Authority.

This decision I gather, was based on twin grounds that atomic energy was of no concern to Sri Lanka and that Dhanapala was preferred as our Ambassador in Washington. (How can one get angry with anyone when he's asked to continue as Ambassador Paakshikaya?"). But then I heard that an advisor on "international affairs" had told President Kumaratunga that Dhanapala (Quote) "Went beyond the call of duty" (unquote) to serve A.C.S. Hameed and the UNP. So, Paakshikaya, too many cooks have spoilt your government's foreign affairs soup and Minister Peiris has now contributed his bit to the issue.

Thereafter, I heard that Minister Peiris followed Minister Kadirgamar to England. There though the latter stayed in London, G.L. Peiris went to meet his 'professor club' at Cambridge and obviously paid a call on young Yasodhara Kumaratunga, the Cambridge medical student.

Now, I don't mind all of this. In fact, the more you fight among yourselves, the better it is for us. But what does Minister Peiris say about TULF Vice President R. Sampanthan's speech in Parliament on October 9 about negotiations with the LTTE echoing the sentiments of our leader.

Sampanthan was very critical of Operation 'Jaya Sikurui' as well. This is what he said:"When you go and raise a flag on some desolate land in the belief that you are celebrating a victory, that victory has not merely been a pyrrhic victory but it could also be quite ephemeral. I think Sir, there is an urgent and dire need for a re- appraisal of the government's strategy."

Now, given the fact that this comes from the TULF, an ally of the PA government, what does Anuruddha Ratwatte - who loves raising flags when he is not riding horses - have to say? And even more so, what does G.L. Peiris have to say?

Because Paakshikaya Sampanthan goes on to say that this re-appraisal ought to be for the government and the UNP, to talk to the LTTE. Is that "vacuous" or 'irrelevant', Mr. Peiris?

President Kumaratunga on Saturday had called those who downplay the security forces victories and highlight the defeats as "dogs."She used the word "ballo" when she said, "Dogs may bark". What she didn't say of course was Dogs may bark, but the caravan moves on....!"

It was amusing to note that though the President used the word "ballo"humble journalists like those at Lankadeepa used the more refined word for a dog: " Sunakayin". Maybe with the censorship on they didn't want to take any chances.

Now who are these dogs? It could be anyone, for she said some of them are Sri Lankans. So, who couldn't it be? The media? or Ranil Wickremesinghe who lashed out at the emergency debate 24 hours earlier? or even people like Sampanthan?

Yes, Paakshikaya, what can we expect from this government? Dogs may bark but the PA caravan will move on bringing the country to a total disaster as every SLFP-led coalition has done in the past. And as history has always proved it will be the UNP that will have to retain power and save this country again!

It may be the President is angry with Sampanthan because he let out a secret - and now that it is in Hansard - that in December 1997 he had urged President Kumaratunga not to hold local government elections in Jaffna, citing the poor ground situation in the region. The President over-ruled him and as a result the TULF had lost two mayors within a year.

For Sri Lanka's sake Paakshikaya, don't worry about our Shadow Cabinet and who will be the UNP's Defence Minister the day we take over. You seem to be afraid now of your own shadow or is it our shadow? - about a definite UNP victory in whatever elections comes next - Provincial or Presidential.

You are already panicking. You have descended to the depths of physically attacking female politicians in our party. You did it in Eppawala and now in Attanagalla, from where comes the world's first woman Prime Minister. You say the UNP indulged in gutter politics. Well then, Paakshikaya, PA politics is sewer politics.

Paakshikaya concludes last week by saying the fall of Kilinochchi was not a defeat for the SLFP or the PA but a defeat for the whole country which includes the UNP, its branches in New York and Los Angeles notwithstanding.

Well, good for you, Paakshikaya. You accept that Kilinochchi was a defeat for the whole country. That is something your leaders haven't got the stomach or the guts to admit. All you can do is bash up a UNP rally at Attanagalla which is organised by a lady from Attanagalla. who has decamped from the SLFP and joined the UNP.

I should think the whole country under the PA government has gone to the dogs, - or "sunakayin" - as the case may be. Something indeed is rotten in the state of Sri Lanka.

More News/Comments  *  Censorship: What more remains to be said  *  When AG and judge differ

Return to News/Comment Contents