Demands, Threats and Action

This past week has seen these three loud, clear and magnified. The demands unreasonable; threats worse; and retaliation, the worst.

This cat finds the demands of the so-called Joint Opposition (JO) silly and laughable, but like black humour, laughter here is not of the real ha ha kind but overlaid with malice, threat and danger.

The JO have been making demands throughout the nearly nine months they have been in Parliament, and most of them set in motion on behalf of the ex-president who is often absent from Parliament, press briefings and JO gatherings. Their demands are for him, not for the poor, the workers or the ordinary Sri Lankan. First, they wanted to be recognised as an opposition party and the main opposition too. Then they demanded that taxes were not to be increased. They wanted the increase in VAT from 11% to 15% rescinded; even though assurances were given that the poor man would not be hit.

Unreasonable

Their latest demand, the loudest and most incendiary, has been that security given to Mahinda Rajapaksa must not be reduced and changed from a 200-strong army group to a lesser number of police persons, albeit inclusive of the elite STF.

The truth is, this cat is sick to the pits of her innards with these demands which to her are unreasonable, untenable, totally irrelevant and a waste of time when so much needs to be done.

Consider the case of the ex-president’s security. If the present President and Prime Minister feel safe enough with police escorts, why are the likes of Gammanpila and Weerawansa shouting their heads off that MR, their leader, needs crack army security.

I am certain that both the Prez and PM would prefer to ride along minus escorts, whether large or small, but they have to bow to the dictates of the security people. This cat knows for certain that until very recently, Ranil Wickremesinghe was driven out of his home at Fifth Lane and back with only two vehicles, one ahead and one behind. Now he has a reinforced band of men and vehicles, but mark you, causing minimum disruption to vehicles and movement of people in the vicinity. The two present Heads need heavy security because no one can be trusted in this land of ours.

This feline doubts very much whether the ex-prez is in danger of a sniper or bomb flinger or even a stone thrower. He is no target now. He and his golayas must realise and acknowledge the fact he is just an ordinary MP. The shouting and demands for this and that of course have an ulterior motive, this suspicious cat surmises.

Create mayhem, rouse the people and then turn the government upside down. And why? For the sake of the oppressed citizenry? Not on your life! The citizenry is much freer with democracy restored. The moves are to save threatened skins for crimes ranging from using two passports to palming off new houses to kith and kin, money laundering, corruption in its various guises and even murder.

Rock bottom behaviour

We have witnessed MPs behaving like karachchal children, even like hoodlums (some of them are that), but the JO let itself descend to the pits when it hooted and flung vulgar comments at Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka when he spoke on the ex-prez’s security issue at the request of the Prime Minister.

This was protested against. Any MP has, this cat assumes, the right to address the House if and when the Speaker permits it. So what was wrong with the PM asking one on his side to speak on a matter he knows best? The JO accuses the government of preparing this tactic earlier. So what? People watching news on Tuesday,

May 3 felt the JO had pre-planned their protest and invasion of the space between sides with fists raised, causing injury to some and disgrace to the nation as a whole.

Another common trait now exhibited by those in Parliament and without, is their apparent lack of humour which leads them to be boors and dullards. Menika and her ilk enjoyed Ranil W’s repartee to the accusation that security of Mahinda R was reduced to endanger him.

The PM very wittily commented that he and his side would not be in power if MR had not been protected. We laughed outright. Not the JO, not their followers. This repartee to us was good humour and a clever ruse to subdue inflamed passions.

Laugh it off, shake hands and let’s get on to more important business, sort of. Is it only those who have had liberal education in good schools, many of them starting off as Christian missionary schools, who enjoy wit and clever cross comment? Looks like it, since many from the JO, some minus the most basic of secondary education certificates (OL), accuse our Prime Minister of not being serious about matters in hand.

Wit of words

There is no one more serious about the condition of our country, parlous at the moment as regards the economy and integrity of politicians and ethics and morality of those in Parliament.

The Sinhalese particularly, are known for their inherent humour, the ability to turn a couple of words around and produce laughter. They are noted not for humour but for clever wit of words and controlled action. Ranil W has this ability to perceive fun in situations and comment with wit. And we admire him for this.

Those who deride him for this incorrectly perceived levity at serious moments have not experienced or heard good British humour. It’s somewhat like Sir John Kotelawala facilitating important discussions and making major policy decisions over breakfasts of hoppers at Kandawela.

Our people, most of them, and certainly those of the JO know not the intricacies of political discourse and subtle political manoeuvring.

Laughable in a black humour sort of way is the threat broadcast by Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera (see no venerable preceding the name) of the Abhayarama Viharaya now aka Mahindaramaya.

He said if Mahinda R’s full security is not restored he will bring loads of bhikkhus and men in protest on the streets. How up to the mark he is, doing what those who have nothing better to do are doing: causing mayhem on already crowded streets and so inconveniencing people who are going to work or returning home after a hard day’s sweat and toil. We hope the police will stop the militant bhikkhu, his band of yellow robed men and rabble rousing protestors.

- Menika