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| Sunday, 29 February 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Defending the nation with honour by H.L.D. Mahindapala These days the British Foreign Office Minister, Mike OBrien, must be a man with oodles of time hanging on his hands. Judging by the lecture he delivered to the Sri Lankans on the coming election, it looks as if he had got tired of twiddling his thumbs for quite some time and decided to do something novel by putting his foot in his mouth. Whatever taste it has left in his mouth (perhaps a stale, rat-bitten Yorkshire pudding?) he should know by now that his decision to intervene in the electoral process of Sri Lanka is as welcome as British troops in Iraq. It reeks of neo-colonial arrogance. Yes, it is true that Westminster is credited with being the mother of parliaments. That was a long time ago. Since then Westminster this mother has spawned MPs who are prepared to ask questions in parliament on payment of a fee under the table, Ministers who bash protesters when electioneering (example: Tonys Deputy engaged in fisticuffs with a voter in the last election), sexed up documents to enforce regime changes of countries that doesn't fit into their agenda, governments that hound public servants to death for speaking to media on sensitive issues, commissions to attack the media that embarrass them, Prime Ministers (Tony Blair) who has endorsed spying on Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the UN, and other members of the Security Council who were seen as a threat to their illegal invasion of Iraq, a born-again Prime Minister who was obsessed with eliminating Satan. Tony Blair (Incidentally, Tony Blair turned into a born-again fundamentalist when he came under the influence of Rev. Thompson of Adelaide, Australia in his salad days when his father was lecturing in the Adelaide University, the Australian AGE reported February 14, 2004. This was also highlighted by Robin Cook who said that when Blair knew his evidence against Saddam was shaky and he took refuge in his fundamentalist beliefs, determined to eliminate Saddam whom he perceived as the reincarnation of Satan!) These and numerous other shenanigans and illegalities are hardly the stuff that would make Mike OBrien credible as a preacher of democracy. Besides, how competent is he to preach democratic principles when he did not resign like Robin Cook protesting against the sexed up stories of Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction even after the UN inspectors had confirmed that none existed? The British marched into Iraq without an iota of solid evidence to back up its claim against Saddam Hussein. The British marched into Iraq in violation of all known principles of democracy and international law. Since their occupation of Iraq they have murdered not only innocent Iraqis but also peace in the region. And it is this OBrien who has decided to lecture to us urging Sri Lankan leaders to ensure that they, and their supporters actions and rhetoric during the election campaign do nothing to undermine the important gains that have been made in the peace process or to make it more difficult to resume peace talks after the election. Perverted prevaricators This is spoken by a British minister whose actions and rhetoric have expanded the theatre of violence in the Middle East from Palestine to the borders of Syria. The Bush-Blair fundamentalist of the Christian Right have raised the banner of the cruel Crusades (it massacred Jews, Muslims and Christian dissidents alike en route to the Holy Land) and virtually destroyed even the semblance of peace in the Middle East. In fact, their illegal occupation of Iraq has made it difficult to restore stability and peace in the region. And the rhetoric whipped up by the Blair-Bush combination for regime change through violence has reduced them to the level of perverted prevaricators in the eyes of the world. Besides, the actions of OBriens supporters for a violent regime change through use of force have made it more difficult for the contending Iraqi parties to arrive at a peaceful settlement. In fact, Blair- and Bush are looking for an exit strategy with nothing in sight so far. Obrien, who was a part of creating this mess, adds: It is essential that, throughout Sri Lanka, these elections are free of intimidation, fair and non-violent. It is also essential that the media is allowed to play a responsible and independent role in the democratic process. It is difficult to fault the intrinsic values expressed in this rhetoric and without meaning to undermine its relevance to the coming elections it is important to evaluate the criteria laid for Sri Lankans against the violent atrocities committed by the British in Iraq. For instance, was the British invasion of Iraq free of intimidation, fair and non-violent? And when the media decided to question the veracity of the sexed up intelligence reports why did the Blair government go all out to persecute those who leaked the information and the reporter who broadcast it. Instead of the media being allowed to play a responsible and independent role in the democratic process Blair appointed a Commission to virtually white-wash the actions of the government. There are also some other obscenely contradictory aspects that question the moral high ground taken by OBrien. It is also interesting to note that he delivered his lecture, according to press communique, following a discussion in London with the State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vidar Helgesen. So did OBrien do it on his own or was Helgesen behind him to twist his arm? To find the answer one has to look at the issues raised by OBrien. He harps on (1) the independence of the media (2) the important gains that have been made in the peace process (for whom?) and (3) the use of rhetoric that would make it more difficult to resume peace talks after the election. It is common knowledge that all three of these issues have been raised by the UNF. Is it surprising, therefore, that Helgesen should get two weavers of Ranil Wickremesinghe's safety net - to echo them in his lecture? Batting on behalf of UNF These issues make it abundantly clear that OBrien is batting on behalf of the UNF and its political ally the LTTE. The intent of this statement is to protect the interest of these two parties. The hand of Helgesen, the willing agent of the UNF-LTTE alliance, makes it doubly clear that he has stepped into save his political allies in the elections. Most of all, as prospective beneficiaries of this British intervention, it is not surprising to find the UNF remaining silent. The Media Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, on the other hand, told OBrien to mind his own business without rushing into place where angels fear to tread. Kadirgamar, quite rightly, was defending the sovereign rights of the nation to conduct its own election without outsiders putting in their unwanted noses. This should be the instant and instinctive response of a national party fighting to protect the sovereignty of the people. UNP leaders committed to protect the dignity, integrity and the sovereignty of the nation have stood their ground firmly against such interference. President Ranasinghe Premadasa stands out as a leading example when he virtually kicked out David Gladstone, the then British High Commissioner, for personally interfering in the conduct of a polling booth in the south. Gladstone had no business to enter a polling booth and complain about it to the police. That was an act of imperial arrogance that no nation would tolerate. Imperial arrogance Would the British tolerate if our High Commissioner in England decided to question the conduct of polling in a Billingsgate booth? The guilty silence of the UNF leaders on this issue is indicative of their general inclination to sell out the sovereignty of the nation to any agent armed or unarmed. The days when the UNP had leaders with guts to defend the nation are over. D. S. Senanayake must be turning in his grave aghast at what is happening to the nation he fathered outwitting both the British and the Marxists. But the reality now is that his political progeny lacks the vertebral virtues that turn little podians into mature and courageous men. Tragically, the historic national landscape designed and shaped by the heroic founding fathers of the UNP is now occupied by gutless pygmies. They wear the pirith noola on one hand and sign away the sovereign rights of the people with the other. In this surrender mentality it is heartening to note that there are still some leaders (though few and far between) who are conscious of the rights of our people to remain independent. It gives pride to the nation that they are prepared to defend the honour and sovereignty of the nation. Lakshman Kadirgamar is one of them. He shines in politics above most others because he has the heart in the right place and has the courage to defend the nation against all invaders. OBrien, Helgesen and that alien mob should heed his advice and do what he says. Translated into plain language he says: Just butt out buddies! |
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