11 October, 2024

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2019 A Year Of Defeats And Darkness

By Kumar David

Prof. Kumar David

Year 2019 will go down as a black year globally for pluralism, socialism and democratic values. Nativism and sectarianism bestride the world, the toxic right-wing scores election victory upon victory. Liberal, socialist and enlightenment ideals are pushed on the back foot. The explosion of nativism is global from Trump’s anti-migrant rhetoric, to Modi’s Bill to permit new citizenship only to non-Muslim migrants, to Aung San Suu Ki prostituting her Nobel Peace Prize to justify ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, to Sri Lanka’s 72% majoritarian surge to Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The world it seems is headed down a diabolical path into a new Dark Age and the choice is made by the voting public. At times it seems civilisation is but a thin veneer over man’s primitive psyche. Many authors on the left draw attention to the nexus between the resurgence of toxic right-wing politics and nativism (racism, narrow nationalism, ‘Brexitism’, ‘Hindutvaism’ and the like) but none deliver an appreciation of the historical and material-economic processes behind the phenomenon. Is their Marxism superficial and anecdotal, not analytical? This is a topic for a thesis length project.

The progressive programme of the Labour Party was pulverised in the December 12 elections and Britain veered down the isolationist Brexit path. It is only a matter of time before Scotland secedes. Apocalyptic fearmongering reached a new level of Nazi like paranoia at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally on 11 November. The truth has no bearing on what he thunders forth. He cares not a shit for America, it’s all about himself and lies about Latino emigrants from Mexico and further south. “Thanks to Democrat immigration policies, innocent Americans in all 50 states are brutalized and murdered by illegal alien criminals” he bellows. He ramps up rhetoric and whips up fear that the US is being invaded by criminals who want to destroy American families. He proclaims Mexican illegals are involved in drugs, murders and pimping in hoopla lapped by many Americans. This is an abrasion that can turn into gangrene. 

Globally regimes are waging an assault on the separation of powers. “Truth” is what state-power wants you to believe, it has little relation to the objective. In Lanka the Attorney General’s Dept. as been linked to the President and PM, the judiciary is cowed and brave judges are an extinct species. State Intelligence Service for the first time since its inception has been placed under an ex-military officer (Suresh Sallay) and the port authority placed under a retired army chief.  According to the Daily Mirror of 14 Dec 31 State institutions have been placed under the Defence Ministry, 48 under Finance, Economic & Policy and 23 under the Buddha Sasana, Cultural & Religious Affairs. Furthermore, 17 institutions have been placed under Urban Development, Water Supply & Housing Ministry. “Accordingly, 88 institutions come under the Prime Minister”. 

As I explained two weeks ago, though few took notice, authoritarianism needs to reorganise the state – both state institutions and the influential corporate sector – electricity, petroleum, banks, and ports. In an insidious process starting at the top and filtering down loyalists are being posted in a subversive redesign of institutional structures to blend into and conform to a deadly controlling of strategy. The potential longevity of a Rajapaksa-clan-regime makes this fascistic option real and frightening.

The bad old days have returned quickly and with a vengeance. Gamini Akmeemana writes in the Daily Mirror of 13 December: “In any democratic state with law-and-order machinery, the police would be tasked to protect the abductee, and to find, arrest and charge the abductors. Precisely the opposite has happened. She seems to be undergoing harassment which has become a prolonged ordeal. So far, she has had to make statements at the CID headquarters four times and restrained by the law from leaving the country. The victim has become the hunted”.

A troubling prospect about the US is that though up to now there has been no attacks on Asian immigrants if it comes to the worst, thousands of Sri Lankans domiciled in the US will be at risk. Asians have been spared because as of now there is no political mileage in it for Trump; white-racist Trump Base hatred is focussed on Latinos. Hundreds of Indian origin scientists in Silicon Valley, however, have been sent home after visa extensions were refused. Crookedness cuts two ways; while some are suppressed others find favour. Tump is to sign an executive order declaring Judaism a nationality – not just a religion. Jewish students will then have access to university admission benefits currently available to ethnic minorities.

Latest comments

  • 5
    5

    In 1948 at the time of obtaining independence, my ex-country was loved globally by the name Ceylon.
    After the polls of 1970 when the communist-socialist racist SLFP swept into power it was still gloriously carrying the same name.
    1972 saw the majestic name changed by the racist so-called socialist communists who lived the true lifestyle of the capitalists changed the name to the shit-house The Socialist Democratic [ my foot ] Republic of Sri Lanka.
    nation slogged and went downhill to become the world’s finest bogging shithouse of a sewage cesspit when the KUNUPAKSHA by bribing the leader of the then world-renowned and respected Tamil Tigers whose now deceased under war crime methodology prevented by methods of undue duress forbade the family’s from casting their scared ballot, which if they did the Kunumapashaks would still be in the kakkibakki’s licking each other’s bottoms.
    From 2005, Sri Lanka took up the name shitty Sorry Sri Lanka where corruption mayhem crime and vice of the lowest of a kind became the trends of the now modern khakkibakki island.
    Between 2015 to 2019 even though the negatives were ruling the roost a high degree of democracy was restored.
    Sadly on the 21st April 2019, the terrorist minute members of the Islamic community who were misled exploded bombs into the Catholic and a Jewish charismatics church on the holy Easter Sunday. the churchgoers who went in their hundreds were the poorest of Christians who lived in the poorest of suburbs where these much-loved places of worship were and were situated especially to bring comfort and solace to this unfortunate brethren.
    Guess whose hands masterminded the whole unsavory happenings where you and I know about the unnecessary loss of lives etc.
    this still a proud American citizen happily threw in his privates to contest for the upcoming highest position which is is the president of the khakibhakki.

    • 6
      1

      Language, language, rohan anthony johnpillai.
      .
      What school was it that taught you such disgusting language?
      .
      What a contrast with the mastery of English just above your diatribe, whose contents I have not bothered about.

  • 2
    0

    Retired Professor Kumar David depicts 2019 as a “World’s Year of Darkness”.
    There are Lankan Thinkers, Writers, Academics, Politicians, Civil Organisations and the like who say that “Year 2019 is Lanka’s worst”.
    Does Kumar David agree with them? If he does, why.
    If not why.

    • 4
      1

      The current global turbulence marks the shift of economic, political and cultural power Back to Asia and away from Euro-America.
      This is Asia’s century as all the historians have said – read Oxford Don Peter Frankopan’s boom “New Silk Roads”.

      China is now the Global Super Power and USA (with imploding UK and EU), increasingly a backwater rogue state, which has lost global hegemony, technology and economic dominance.
      Today US only relies on its Deep State-Rogue state run military business industrial complex with its 800 military and ‘lily pad’ bases, including in the US owned ISIL Caliphate in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka for which the Easter Carnage was staged- US now pretends that it is a superpower, but is a rogue state that is blaming Trump who is a clown for a much deeper malaise in the US body politic – military business industrial corruption as Tom Dispatch has chronicled for decades/

  • 9
    2

    My 35 years of research has proven sunken Tamil land, Saivam/Wishnavm alias Tamil Religion, are all very factual. All Tamil educated and intellectuals here, please don’t waste your time to educate or open minds of Sinhalese by replying to racist rants. Sinhalese are genetically coded for blood thirsty racism. Dr Brain Seneviratne types are very rare among Sinhalese. Catholic Cardinal Malcom, Oxford/Cambridge Gamini Dissanayake, Lalith Amudali, Cyril Mathew etc, come to mind for racism symbols.
    In South, Sinhalese are nicer to wealthy or educated Tamils, for personal gains. Once you are retired engineer or Doc, Sinhalese would show their true face. Rest of the Tamils are addressed Demala, Thambiya, Sakkiliya, Paraya etc, and treated as rubbish. In 1987, when monks were burning down property and rioting, a double Phd from UK, Catholic priest superior, instructed my fellow students to keep an eye on me. Means harm me. That’s how racist Sinhalese are.
    In 1983, Sinhalese mob tasted blood after butchering Tamils to death in a church in Matugama. Yes they shared and drank Tamil blood for some reason. In National Seminary, Kandy, dozens of Tamil priests were seriously beaten and harmed by fellow Sinhalese priests. The famous foreign liquor store in Pettah was looted by executives of SLPA. Navy jeeps led and protected rioters, in all of Colombo. Army jeeps pulled open locked Tamil businesses in Main Street.
    Sinhalese racism is boundless. Fictitious Mahavamsa is only one reason. Please don’t try to educate these beasts. Diplomat Ravinatha Ariyasinha’s lies in UN for last 20 years shows, Sinhalese are unable to be civilized.

    • 2
      0

      Dr Brain Seneviratne still lives, you know, Tam Selva.

    • 2
      3

      Tam Selva

      “My 35 years of research has proven sunken Tamil land, Saivam/Wishnavm alias Tamil Religion, are all very factual. “

      Please cite reference to support your extraordinary claims.
      Yeah, yeah, yeah the first ape also spoke Tamil and practiced Tamil saiva.

      “In South, Sinhalese are nicer to wealthy or educated Tamils, for personal gains”

      So are the Tamils, example Douglas, Thondaman, …. Angajan Ramanathan. What is the point?

      “Rest of the Tamils are addressed Demala, Thambiya, Sakkiliya, Paraya etc, and treated as rubbish”

      Should it bother you or your fellow Tamils?
      Don’t your fellow Tamils address Muslims as Soni, Thoppy Piratty, Mukkal (3/4), ………….. Sinhalese as Moda Sinhalam, …. don’t you address your own Tamils speaking people Pallan, Parayan, Thottakkaattan, …………………?

      You are descendants of Kallathonies. You should return to your mother country in Tamil Nadu. When you go please take your brethren fellow kallathonie Sinhala descendants with you.

  • 4
    4

    Tamils have to see, how Ranil W makes things happen for Sinhalese by cheating West and Tamils. Current leadership is totally a Ranil made. Sirisena’s 5 years of cheating and LTTE demise all made by Ranil. Myanmar in Hague for 300 odd Rohingya death but 148,000 Tamil death has no perpetrator or at least not in news cycle. Ranil’s govt had all racist in key positions, so no solution for Tamil issue possible.
    Tamils repeatedly fail in diplomacy and politics thus World Tamils suffer. Japan had a interest crushing LTTE, so World Tamils become powerless. Then Japan can bury the 50 year old case of 200 000 Myanmar Tamils death in “death railway” project. Japan intentionally let 200 000 Tamils to die no food, snake and insect bites in the jungles of Burma. Japan avoided any court challenge for now, by destroying LTTE. So came Yakushi Akashi to help peace talks. Tamils failed to see through Diplomacy and Politics.
    New Delhi a total wrecking ball in the region. Worst internal oppressor today with a farce democracy. New Delhi is a Demon-Crazy. Tamils should court challenge laws and get a referendum for separation. So World Tamils will have a better tomorrow for our future generations to come. Until Tamil Nadu is free, world Tamils will suffer.
    All Tamil parties, and groups should get under one umbrella and create a united effort to uplift our future.

  • 1
    0

    To put a long story short, my understanding is that the Prof wants to describe the year 2019 as “Annus Horribilis”, a phrase used by Queen Elizabeth to describe a particular year really bad for the British Royalty.. In life, we can’t have everything what we want and their can be curious coincidences to look as if the whole world is turning against particular people.

    • 1
      1

      Yes, and the Prof. has substantiated what he has said. True, there’s nothing original in what he’s said. Then don’t read it.
      .
      You might ask your grandchildren to read it, though, to improve their English.

  • 1
    0

    Yes, Professor, 2019 was a bad year for you because you supported losing causes. Hong Kong protests, JVP candidate AKD, Burmese resistance, militant Islam in India, etc. Perhaps you will reconsider your positions in 2020.

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