Hear this, all you investors

Read our front-page lead story of today. It is a bad reflection on the LTTE, but it is probably a worse reflection on the UNP.

Perhaps, we refer to far too many freewheeling entities these days as UNPers. But this broad and across the board description is not entirely misplaced. Assorted politically depressed folks and common or garden pessimists could often be brought under the broad umbrella of those who have visions of the UNP being in power. (Someday, that is.) A group of Malaysian investors are quoted in a heavy-circulation credible Malaysian newspaper as saying, in effect, "who is afraid of the LTTE." Their story is succinct.

Malaysian businessmen would invest in Sri Lanka, precisely based on the advantage that Sri Lanka is a country that some over-anxious and almost catatonic investors would avoid.

Who wants catatonic investors? Who wants investors that do not take risks? Certainly it is not this country.

We here in Colombo have not forgotten the rudiments of business which has it that 'he who takes risks thrives.' Risks, are of two general categories, and Malaysian investors in Sri Lanka are taking a calculated minimal risk.

What's connoted by the words "we are not afraid of the Tigers" is that the security risk in Colombo which is perceived by the UNP power-cabals to be vast and unsparing, is in reality vast but imagined. So is the chaos that is created by sporadic strikes, intermittent price hikes, and a certain level of insecurity that underpins city life in the time of low intensity conflict.

In simpler terms, what we say here roughly translates as this: Any developing country is almost as a routine, subject now to sporadic terror strikes, periodic work stoppages, go-slows and work-to-rule labour unrest. This kind of agitation generally acts as depressants for disgruntled opposition, but in larger macro economic terms, it does not translate to be crippling for a country that has investment, development and a high quality of life as its long-term objectives.

The only problem that's in the concrete and not in the abstract would be the perceptions that the UNP led vocal analyst groups attempt to inject into the public discourse. But, on a general assessment it would seem that chattering class perceptions rarely become risk analysis assessments for future investment. The chattering classes wear themselves out talking, and are probably bewildered that their worst fears keep from happening.

To ignore this chattering class backchat, there are sets of social rules that need to be evolved, and the first would be to eschew the chattering class media.

Rarely are this media taken as gospel, and even when they are, that's generally by the UNP-Association of the depressed and hyper anxious. But there could be an insidious amount of uncalled for angst that this cabal of chattering class media practitioners pour into the cocktail of insecurity that's concocted by Colombo's incurable saboteurs and pessimists.

Any doctor's prescription for anxiety therefore should be to take this media with a pinch of salt, and a daily-dose nod of dismissive contempt.

Federalism down the river

Cauvery tactics used by the LTTE to strangle the water supply that reaches villages such as those in Serunuwara in Trincomalle are an example of the type of brazenness that a bandit group can get into, not so far off from where the Cauvery dispute took place. This was between the villagers of Tamil Nadu, upstream on the Cauvery river and Karnataka, which lies downstream.

But, this is regional politics repeating itself as farce. On the Mavilaru issue, no latitude could be afforded to the LTTE as the forced closure of the Mavilaru anicut is an act that smacks first of insensitivity, and then of ungratefulness.

The Sri Lankan state supplies food and water to stricken areas and so - called LTTE areas, even in times of war. It's probably the only country of its kind that feeds the enemy while battling it. It's a burlesque mimicry of big bother Tamil Nadu therefore, to attempt a Cauveruy Basin tactic here in this island.

The LTTE is giving new meaning to the term civilian casualties. It's also making the worst fears of those who oppose a federal settlement come true.

In a federated state, would the LTTE use these tactics to cripple the other member of the federation?

These desperado moves confirm the worst fears that LTTE led Tamil separatism is not mature enough for the federal experiment. The Tamils will have to thank the LTTE for confirming everybody's anxieties about a federated Sri Lankan state.