[cat’S eye]

Criticism of one sort and another

It was rich, ironically so rich to read in a daily newspaper on Thursday, October 1, the comment and complaint made by MP Namal Rajapaksa. It is reported that he, Namal R, wrote on his blog that the police are unprepared to control growing lawlessness. He also mentioned, with probable sympathy and concern, the adolescent who was wrongly arrested for the murder of that little girl Seya.

This feline with her hair bristling and whiskers quivering (read rising indignation) wants to analyse what the heir to the fortunes of the Rajapaksas of Medamulana pronounced. The police have proven they are active and able to proceed with catching murderers, rapists and even druggies.

How many days elapsed between the brutal murder of the five-year-old girl and the ten-year-old boy and the apprehending of the two murderers? Not even five in each case. The police work fast now since they are unhampered by politicians of all levels and colours looking over their shoulders and even guiding them by misguiding them to cover up evidence or destroy it and cook up stories. So how does Namal Rajapaksa justify his complaint and accusation against the police?

The very concerned MP cum attorney-at-law is justified in faulting the police for arresting the wrong adolescent but these things do happen. Though a fuss is being made by people waiting to complain that his school career is blighted, that should not be the case.

True, he was in remand for a day or two but everyone knows he is innocent. The police would not have arrested him if there had not been doubt planted by his behaviour or whereabouts on the night of the crime. There are much severer cases of injustice meted out deserving the MP’s sympathy and expression of it. He should very rightly have expressed sympathy and felt gravely sorry for a co-rugby player who was murdered brutally. We cannot remember any such condolences or criticism of the police emanating from him. We suppose they were praised then.

It transpires now that Wasim Thajudeen was tortured, teeth broken and bones battered and then a faked car accident was said to be the cause of his death. That was the time this very concerned MP should have said the police were not only unprepared but blinkered their eyes and forgot their training and work ethos and accepted the set up accident as the cause of death of a so promising young man.

Politically instigated crimes

MP Namal Rajapaksa castigates the police to indirectly criticize and bring down the new government and how matters are dealt with. Crime is increasing he says. Yes, but a different type of crime from those perpetrated when his entire family was in power. Those were politically instigated crimes and morally worse than murders and rape committed by psychopaths.

The majority of people are satisfied that a presidential jackboot has been removed; that the rule of law has been reinstated to a considerable degree; and transparency is evident in how most government servants work, the police included.

May this cat remind this nearly crowned prince that murders and rape were rampant during his father’s rule of the country. Lasantha Wickrematunge – murdered in broad daylight and murderers not caught, even though (Dr) Mervyn Silva pointed out very publicly and to the authorities concerned. A VVVIP he said ordered the murder.

Former Tangalla Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Sampath Vidanapathirana was finally found guilty and given a sentence of 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment for the murder of Khuram Sheik who defended his girlfriend who the said UPFA politico wanted to dance with. He killed the British aid worker and raped the girl. We saw on news how concerned Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was over the girl - getting her parents down to Sri Lanka at government expense. Rumour was that after murdering and raping, Vidanapathirana sought refuge in a UPFA VVIP’s house.

This cat wags her paw in the face of this young and seemingly bleeding-heart MP and others like him that they must not throw stones while still resident in safe but glass houses.

A hilarious bit of news came our way on Wednesday, September 30. Susil Premajayantha as the ex-UPFA General Secretary was questioned by the Presidential Commission at the BMICH for non-payment of a staggering bill for advertisements of then Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa to the ITN before the presidential elections in January.

Emerging from being questioned consequent to the buck being passed by Mahinda Rajapaksa that the Party must pay his bill, Premajayantha whines that with a paltry sum of money to the credit of the UPFA how were they expected to pay a bill running into millions.

This is a mere cat commenting, but they should have cut their electioneering coat according to the cloth in hand. Also if you spend on tic, you have to honour the debt and pay back. If Rajapaksa won the presidency, the bill would have been forgotten on both sides and the public totally unaware of the amounts spent on electioneering.

A complaint from this cat. Why are people making such a to-do about Maithripala Sirisena’s son accompanying him to New York, even sitting beside him in the UN General Assembly? The President in stark contrast to the previous extravagant Head of State had only a handful of really necessary officials accompanying him and travelled by commercial flight. His wife did not accompany him so he was completely justified in taking his son.

After all you need a close person to advise on dress et al. The only point to critique is that the son’s name was not included in the announced list of those who went with the Prez to New York. This one individual extra is poles apart from the retinue taken on earlier presidential jaunts to the Big Apple.

Advice: Don’t criticize just for the sake of using your mouth or bitter pen. Look at the larger picture.

Menika