Sampur Maha Vidyalayam stage invaded

Much has been written about the so-called Sampur incident: reports, comments, letters to the editors of newspapers and even fun articles.

A newspaper carried a columnist’s parody on the incident where a film script was being crafted. The chief protagonist and star of the show was to be a chief minister and his one-word one-liner was ‘Idiot’, the mouthing of which had to be diligently practiced before a mirror.

Pertinent quotes

Reading about the misadventure that occurred on May 20, this feline bristled, then seeing the actual incident over TV news had her bristling more, even growling. She needs to give vent to her indignation, nay horror.

This bristling cat needs to pass on some quotes she garnered while googling. She directs them to the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, Z. A. Nazeer Ahamed.

“You have a speech impediment . . . your foot!” Sure this Chief Minister will not understand the essence of that accusation.

“Obnoxious, arrogant and in the end so foolish!” He, the Chief Minister thought he was cutting a fine figure, barging on stage and raging against a navy high-up who admirably maintained his dignity.

The navy person ignored the snorting and that was the worst insult to the enraged bull and the best remedy to show everyone how coarse and stupid the politician was, and is.

‘Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength’.

For this cat the Chief Minister is “contemptuous, crude, obstreperous, rambunctious and rude.” For him to get the impact of the compliments I hand him, we will have to gift him a dictionary.

Does he know the order of the letters in the English alphabet, pray?

The worst of the incident

It was a most vicious attack and showed the Chief Minister for what he is inside the cloak of authority and political clout he garbs himself in. For this cat, however, the worst of it was that it occurred in a school at a prize distribution.

The picture carried by newspapers had a girl-child’s head in the foreground - which denotes she was going up to receive her award from either the Governor of the Eastern Province or the American Embassy official. I would have loved to have seen the expression on the child’s face when an enraged human rushes in and prevents her from receiving her prize.

Couldn’t the simple fact that he was in the Sampur Maha Vidyalayam rein in the CM’s indignation that he was not invited on stage and as he said, ‘protocol was not followed.’

We complain of children visiting Parliament being privy to ugly words bandied and MPs making violent gestures, even descending to the well to assault opponents. But this incident is worse since it occurred in the premises of a school with probably a hundred students in the audience.

To this cat the real villain of the piece of hot drama was not the angered CM whose pride was pricked but the VVIP present at the occasion - Governor Austin Fernando. TV footage showed him grinning and very lightly trying to restrain the enraged CM, not even reprimanding him and allowing the navy officer to be grossly insulted and belittled.

Mr. A. Fernando may have been a very senior government official, (of the old much respected CCS or of the later CAS?) and now one of nine governors of provinces, but his action and reaction on the day of the Sampur fiasco was pitiable. What this cat saw was him smiling helplessly and seeming to condone the enraged CM’s ill-mannered intrusion.

Captain I. R. Premaratne of the Sri Lanka Navy was admirable in his restraint and dignified behaviour. Here he was being grossly insulted by a mere politician, and through no fault of his, and though ordered to get out and insulted, he kept his cool.

I would have boiled over and really would not have been surprised if the Navy Captain at least shoved or pushed or glared at the rampaging man. No, he was all dignity and discipline; such a credit to the armed forces.

Rich aftershocks

Our ex-President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, condemned the Chief Minister and included among other gems falling from his lips (did they fall in the premises of some temple where he is wont to make his declarations?) “Deliberate insults directed in this manner by the political authorities at the armed forces that rid the country of the scourge of terrorism, should stop.”

OK stop now, acting on orders from the highest, General Fonseka who led the armed forces to victory and the man who actually won the war for Sri Lanka, was dragged away from his office by junior army officers and jammed in jail stripped of honours, title, even pension. Mahinda Rajapakse’s comment and advice are so rich!

Rich again it is: ‘Decision to shun EP CM Ahamed countermanded’ as reported in newspapers on Tuesday, May 31. The armed forces are not to keep him off any of their events as decided by them: such a mild retaliation to the gross insult the Navy suffered.

No disciplinary action against Z. A. Nazeer Ahamed; his apology sent to the President and PM seemingly accepted, though reading the text of it, this cat got the definite impression it was a tongue in cheek saying sorry with the distinct addition “I did no wrong.”

We, the thinking nationals who lay store on decent behaviour and restraint when in public, preventing children as far as possible from witnessing the crazy antics of politicians, are disappointed. We expected at least the Prime Minister to tick off the conceited Chief Minster and land a punishment on his head.

If a student, suffering an injustice (unlike the CM) was to be rude to a teacher or principal of his school, he would be dealt with severely – caning, gating for a period or even expulsion. Politicians who carry votes in their pockets have to be treated with gloved hands, is the message we get here.

Ah well! That’s Paradise for you!

- Menika