Tell Wiggie to go,fly a kite!
 This cat still cannot believe that ex Supreme Court Judge,
Canagasabapathy Viswalingam Wigneswaran, (b. 23 October, 1939), PC,
formerly of Cambridge Place, Colombo 7, Royal College and, University of
Ceylon; much admired when he emerged in politics with his prominent red
pottu, ash marks on forehead and green-and-orange bordered shawl slung
over shoulder; and now Chief Minister of the Northern Province with both
sons married to politically connected Sinhalese girls; could rouse
communal and religious dissension in this country that is limping to
pre-civil-war amity.
The CM seemingly attempted to launch an uprising of Tamils in Jaffna
with his ‘Eluha Thamil’ (Rise Tamils) call and statement addressing all
Tamils to “oppose the erection of a single Buddha Statue in Tamil
designated areas”.
Now, the said C V Wigneswaran denies he spoke against Buddhism, tries
retracting his fiery words of dissent and, even goes to the extent of
saying he has received death threats from the South of the country. This
is to be expected in this land of ours in which, of late, murder has
become such an easy commodity, crimes being unearthed that point fingers
of accusation or at least of complicity at the high-ups of the previous
regime while demented persons in remote areas murder children after
raping them.
The said Wigneswaran, deservedly referred to by some as ‘Wiggie’,
showed his true colours by first going against the TNA’s R Sampanthan
and N A Sumathiran, the former having been subservient to Prabhakaran
but, realizing the Boys were actually doing harm to the Tamil people,
changed his stance once the Tigers were annihilated.
True, Wigneswaran belonged to a different political party – Illankai
Tamil Arasu Kachchi – but to openly incite racial and religious
dissension is going too far. Wiggie is ‘too much’, as we used to say
when we disapproved of a forward stepping school mate.
Vasudeva Nanayakkara, matching him beard-wise, says the recently held
Eluha Tamil demonstration in Jaffna led by his daughter’s father-in-law
(the CM) was a result of internal competition among the TNA leadership
led by Opposition Leader R Sampanthan. What a puerile and laughable
reason! This feline cattishly wonders whether he, Vasu, and his JO
associates, are gleeful about the even slight raising of ethnic and
religious issues as they await any reason to destabilize the elected
government. Any mishap or misstep is grist to their mill of pointing
sharp fingers at yahapalanaya. Let’s admit it – a stupid move by the
Jaffna Chief Minister is manna from hell for those waiting to create
problems.
One can think of the BBS, along with the loud-mouths of the JO. But
ordinary people are much more sensible, much more able to see things for
what they are. The Sinhalese, overall, are not going to be unduly roused
by the Chief Minister’s pronouncement.
Anathema
This cat’s sympathies are with Dr Rajitha Senaratne since he is being
pilloried for saying in August: “Building Buddhist temples and placing
Buddha statues under Bo trees had not done any good other than to negate
the government’s reconciliation efforts”.
I suppose he meant temples and statues in the North. This cat fully
agrees with him and people in general should be unafraid to echo the
Minister. We have three major Buddhist temples over there – the Nagadipa
island temple, supposed to have been a place visited by the Buddha;
Dambukola Patuna, which consecrates the place where Sanghamitha Theri
landed with the Bo sapling; and, there is another temple, Kadurugoda,
where a large number of enlightened monks lived and died leaving a
distinct aura of calm in the tree-shrouded vihara premises, strangely
cooler too.
These places of Buddhist worship are really quite enough. We don’t
need any move that could be misunderstood during this crucial period of
reconciliation and peace building. But we also most definitely do not
want a Tamil politician rousing the Tamil Hindu people against the
Sinhalese Buddhist people just as the new government is showing tangibly
positive results of its reconciliation and peace moves in the face of
much criticism from the Southern diehards.
This cat sees how, over and over again, it is the politician that
causes strife among races and religions. The now subdued Bodu Bala Sena
stalwarts are in robes worn by Buddhist monks but they are politicians
first and last, the robe apparently a very convenient symbol if not a
disguise.
Grassroots
Menika remembers meeting some people from the threatened villages
during the height of the civil war when marauding Tigers and Tigresses
descended on the defenseless peasants and left murder most foul in their
trail. The villagers were brought to Colombo by the Dharma Vijaya
Foundation and other groups, after rudimentary medical first-aid until
the police or army turned up to help the villagers.
Home Guards were also being trained in the use of firearms and other
tactics to keep the Tigers at bay. The men in this group of displaced
villagers were adamant that, in their home area, all three ethnic
communities had lived in harmony.
“We help them in harvesting paddy and they help us. We live in
harmony. It is the politicians who cause trouble among the races,” was
what they said.
So it looks as if C V Wigneswaran is politician much more than just
Chief Minister of the Northern Province. He should be concerned about
the people, not rousing them to aggression. He should do his job of
promoting economic well-being within his Province, instead of promoting
himself politically among the Tamils. What does he want next - the
presidency of the island?
Go; fly a kite, if not in Galle Face, then on Casuarina beach.
- Menika
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