Sharing sentiments...

by Vickramabahu Karunaratne

(January 23, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Mahinda regime is a virtual dictatorship with all powers concentrated in the executive presidency. The 18th amendment cleared all obstacles. It is in the tradition of The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon. In that “Eighteenth Brumaire”, on December 2, 1851, followers of President Louis Bonaparte (Napoleon’s nephew) broke up the Legislative Assembly and established a dictatorship. A year later, Louis Bonaparte proclaimed himself Emperor Napoleon III. Of course Mahinda did not break up parliament. Why should he, when money and position could bring a massive exodus from the ranks of the UNP? Also he did not proclaim himself the king of Lanka; artistes without elementary decency were there to do the needful. Thus a populist kingship was bestowed on him. His state was bound together by the ideology of ‘Sinhala Buddhist’ chauvinism. Nevertheless, this all powerful set up showed its true colours when Rahul Gandhi made a critical remark on the Tamil national problem. It came at a time when the UN Secretary General was trying to do something to disturb the Mahinda’s adjutants. Apparently Ban Ki-moon has taken human rights violations seriously! Rahul Gandhi voiced his concern over the Lankan government “not doing enough” for the Tamils here and said he would ensure that they would get justice. This was a tornado that hit Colombo and many writers came forward to defend the master. One such writer said under the banner RAHUL GANDHI SHALL MIND HIS OWN BUSINESS IN INDIA AND LEAVE SRI LANKA ALONE - “Rahul should first learn Indian history properly. He should be able to access the reports of the Tamil Nadu political plots which took place in the early nineteen twenties in India to gain independency from India, subsequently the Indian government under British rule imposing a countrywide ban of any kind of secession in India thereafter. Following this ban the independency plot was temporarily exported to neighbouring Sri Lanka, as the majority Sri Lankans possess a soft and kind heart and overwhelmingly friendly with everybody.”

But Mahinda knew better. He is only a vassal of the Delhi empress Sonia Gandhi. When the Arya Brahmins of Delhi twist their little finger, the Colombo rulers will get heart attacks. These Hanumans wanted nothing but the blood of the Lankan Dravidians in the last few years.

Dependency

Mahinda obliged mercilessly. Such is the dependency to the master. India represents the power of the global capital in this region. When one considers this in relation to world powers, it is clear that Mahinda is only a puppet. His state terror is only for those who are in this little island, a tear drop in the Indian Ocean. He can terrorize political opponents, trade union leaders and media people. But the hunter gets hunted when Rahul Gandhi says that he will seek justice for the Tamils in Lanka. It is very similar to what happened to President J.R. Jayewardena in 1987. Brigadier Denzil Kobbekaduwa and Colonel Vijaya Wimalaratne were the two key military personnel who committed themselves to gain victory for the government troops. Former President Jayewardena and minister of National Security Lalith Athulathmudali gave political leadership for the operation, until the government of India violated Sri Lankan air space, using the air force to drop food over Jaffna, (Operation Poomalai) on June 4, 1987, which forced JR to accept Indo- Lankan Accord. That is what happens to tin pot dictators who rule with handouts from global powers. Suddenly, Mahinda is pleading for national amity. He pleads to media bosses not to allow Sinhala racists to mislead the masses! In the meantime military leaders of India, visit one by one, to give military might to the words of Rahul. These Lankan leaders who failed to look into the just demands of the Tamil people brought misery and humiliation to this beloved land of Lanka. Foreign powers get the space to interfere because of the chauvinist sectarian fools that run this country. Again the Hanumans of India with its military might is dictating terms to Lanka. Do we need the hammer of India to do justice to the Tamil people?

One writer has jumped the gun to declare that “Sharing sentiments are on the rise in Sri Lanka. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has once again reiterated his policy to share power with the minority, and has rightly urged Tamil politicians to come up with a united negotiating position. This is incredibly a new leaf in the checkered history of the island-nation state that has seen three decades of bloodshed. Only creating more political space for the minorities and providing them with greater representation at the national parliament as well as in a proposed upper house can overcome this vacuum. Tamils and the majority Sinhalese population are in need of a new social contract, whereby not only their socio-economic issues are addressed but they come to share a commonality of mindset thereby burying the bad blood of the past for good. Rajapaksa’s vision of devolving powers is appreciated and should serve to bolster nationalism rather than consolidate the ethnic divide. The indispensable initiative is in need of implementation.” Even with the hammer of Rahul behind his head, can this man of terror deliver something to the oppressed Tamil speaking people of Lanka?

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