By Dayan Jayatilleka –
Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka
To begin with the least of his transgressions, Mahendra De Silva, whoever he may be, obviously has a problem comprehending the language even in the very paragraph he has quoted! He alleges the following:
“My main disagreement with Dayan’s views on patriotism is that he failed to distinguish the difference between love for the country and love for the rulers of the country. He has taken the position that that defending the country and defending the rulers of country are the same.”
The paragraph he has quoted from my article contains a sentence which categorically says exactly the opposite of what he alleges. I write:
“He will not defend everything its government or state does; but defend the country, he will…”
The paragraph from my article goes on to say: “The smart patriot is constructively critical about his country but is fiercely loyal to it all the same. He will criticize it but will unconditionally defend his country from the hypocritical criticism of foreign powers and institutions responsible for or blind to far worse crimes.”
What is worse is that Mahendra de Silva also utters demonstrable inaccuracies. He writes:
“When Dayan was defending Sri Lanka at the Human rights commission in Geneva, just after the war in 2010, I believed that he was an intelligent patriot… He assured on behalf the Sri Lankan government that a proper investigation would take place regarding alleged war crimes.”
I did no such thing, as the record would show, and I would challenge Mahendra de Silva to prove it. I left Geneva in 2009, not 2010. I did no such thing because the only inquiry I approve and am still approving of is the strictly selective and limited one recommended by the LLRC. There was no LLRC when I was in Geneva. I pointed out then as I have throughout, that no country conducts, still less submits to such an inquiry when it happens to be a legitimate state that has waged a war within its internationally recognized borders against a terrorist foe and won, just recently. I also pointed out repeatedly, in Geneva and France, that the countries that have conducted inquiries have done so decades later, after the wounds have healed.
“He also assured normalcy would be restored soon. He requested more time for the work to be done.” Nonsense! When and where did I ever say this?
“I personally believe that Dayan is not a racist, and he appreciated the recommendations of LLRT commission. But he kept quiet when recommendations were not implemented.”
That again is pure piffle because even while Ambassador to France, I wrote and spoke in support of the LLRC and criticized the tardiness of implementation. Mine was perhaps the first article (initially posted on Groundviews) to defend the LLRC and argue for its full and expeditious implementation.
Now here comes an outright lie by Mahendra de Silva, who asks:
“Is it because he is a “Smart Patriotic” that he did not make a strong voice against extremist agendas of the then government including BBS?”
I was the first to call the BBS “religio-fascist” in print and marched in demonstrations and addressed public seminars against it. The BBC World Service had a story by Charlie Havilland in which I was interviewed on the street. I was also the first to criticize Gotabaya Rapajaksa in the media for his apparent endorsement of the BBS at the launch of a so-called Political Academy.
De Silva goes on to say: “I do not believe that Dayan appreciated 18th Amendment which expands the powers of executive Precedency. (sic) Yet he did not raise a voice against it.”
I made the point that while the 18th amendment can be legitimately criticized, it certainly did not turn the country into a dictatorship and that it could be reversed in parliament with a majority, just as it was endorsed. That is exactly what has been proved today!
More outright falsehoods follow, proving that this chap is not merely a dumb critic of Smart Patriotism, but also a dishonest critic:
“I am sure that Dayan did not approve the unlawful and ruthless infringement of 43rd CJ Shrani Bandaranayke or jailing of the war hero General Sarath Fonseka at an unfair military trial. But Dayan did not raise a voice on any of these occasions.”
My criticism of the incarceration of General Fonseka was in sharp contrast to some of those in the present government who were either silent or endorsed it. My criticism, listing ten points, appeared in an article prominently displayed in the Daily Mirror of Feb 15th 2010 and in an interview in the mid-page of the Lankadeepa in the same week!
As for the Shirani Bandaranaike affair, my public criticism commenced mere hours after I returned to Sri Lanka after my term as Ambassador to France, Spain, Portgual and the UNESCO, in the first days of January. Before I had reached my residence from the airport, the website Sri Lanka Mirror had carried a long interview in which I commenced my criticism of the abrupt removal and the conduct of the Government MPs – some of whom are in Cabinet today!
Snowden Edward Asange / February 9, 2015
DJ and the current Ambassador of France worshipped MR… they both need to find something to do than defend a RUTHLESS DICTATOR…
DJ why CAN’T you live upto your promise of NOT writing to an English Journal for at-least six months?
Kissing ass has been your forte? even after the KING is thrown out of power?
Shame on YOU…
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Supun Jayawardhana / February 9, 2015
That confirms DJ is not in normal state. Either the person is mentally sick or indulged in attacking the RW-MS for his personal gains. Many who read his archives descending from now to last 6 months will get an idea what limited topics he has all along been focusing on his articles. Back and forth – finely formulated attacked to defeat RW not adequatedly arguing as to why MR himself failed to perform in the post war sessions. Never ever he would utter a word directly at MR while even healthy 10 year olds did it becoming more and more to nearing the last election. So, there should be two things based on his writing. Either he is overflown by his over estimations of on him as a veteran political analyst or as mentioned above most likely to have been suffering from psychological problems of rare nature.
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2015
Supun Jayawardhana
“That confirms DJ is not in normal state.”
Did you mean Dayan’s alter ego is K.A Sumanasekera?
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Thiru / February 9, 2015
Why don’t you guys leave Dayan alone with his writings of sophisticated academic jargon: They are just academic, and not of any practical consequence.
After all he is a retired 3rd world academic who was in the habit of writing weekend papers to boost his curriculum vitae.
smart patriot, dumb critic, dated socialist, self righteous – who wants all these bull crap?
Just in simple English: I, Dayan is smart, you dumb fellows better listen to my great wisdom in politics. Amen.
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2015
Thiru
“They are just academic, and not of any practical consequence.”
If they are academic, we should read them, critique them with reverence, circulate them to wider readership.
If they a recycled garbage we should chuck them in the bin, rightly so.
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Samuel Bandara / February 9, 2015
third world or third grade or both ?
That what I felt having overread his aritcles praising MR as if DJ could better be DR (Dayan Rajapakshe):
TOday the MR visting Tissa added to Press for no reasons the other had been remanded ? That is the sick mentality the man even after being defeated bear… anyway, only wayout would be to rise up all victims of murderes to corner MR and GR so that all other can see what their real faces are like. MR and GR are born murderers. Latter should be proved by them in power even if they would be dismissed soon.
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Siriyalatha / February 9, 2015
Yes, what is seen not ” right” by many from that day on – was seen right to MR and his oligarchs. Yet today, he finds nothing wrong Mayor or anyone to keep a pistol or playing with it… that is the cutlure the bugger mentality introduced to the folks.
Now with a week to go with dissolution, these many may be making every effort to paint things seen in favour of them. I wish all non-abusive men and women should go on protests asking AUTHOTRITIES to arrest MR, GR and the like SHARKS.
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Siriyalatha / February 9, 2015
DJ is only person who can comprehend good English. OMG.. this we did not know before
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Ansar / February 9, 2015
I have said it many a times, YOU CAN ONLY TAKE THE DONKEY TO THE WATER, YOU CANNOT MAKE IT DRINK.
I am not calling the renowned DOCTOR A DONKEY, that will be an insult to the donkey.
I have nothing more to say.
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Ranjan / February 9, 2015
Dayan once wrote
‘The armed actions in the North are not terroristic and alien to Marxism-Leninism but are in fact typical of an early stage of a protracted peoples war of national liberation. what does surprise one is that the Left movement, succumbing to the ideological psychological warfare of the bourgeois state should also join this consensus and denounce Tamil ‘terrorism’ or ‘individual terrorism’
Yeah so much so for “smart patrotism”
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Simon / February 9, 2015
Dayan,
Anton Balasingham was not a racist. He did not say anything bad about the Sinhalese. He just supported their massacre in large numbers in the name of Tamil Nationalism. I’d doing so he spew out some Marxist Lennist garbage just like what you do.
He provided the intellectual lubrication for the petty Tamil expat professional class that suffered under Sinhalese Hegomany , Some thing you do so badly for the Sinhalese. Anton was not a racist. You are not a racist either.
You’ll are just morons that Tamil and Sinhalese society threw up on its March towards civilization causing much grief and death along the way. You’ll are the most perverse type of racist far more insidious and damaging than the goons that take to the street for you wear a coat and suite giving you a smug presence that readers here clearly see through.
You are out of buisness now, you need to wait patiently for the next Sinhalese goon to show up. The Sinhalese need an Anton too.
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Pot Shot / February 9, 2015
Well said simon.
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Justice & Fairplay / February 9, 2015
It is true, that never did DJ EVER utter a word in criticism of MR – certainly not in the same (dismissive) manner in which he rubbished CBK and Ranil. Even if he did, the censure was mild in the extreme, and always softened by an addendum which would explain that MR was the poor victim of a set of undesirables around him and sadly didn’t know it!!
Through that tactic he did his utmost to put MR off guard, as much as the other sycophantic types around MR at the time; meaning, they did much to destroy MR in the end.
Whilst discrediting others around MR, DJ also ignored the fact that the buck must stop with the Head of State for indiscretions of others (even if we were to believe that MR was called upon to pay for the omissions and commissions of others).
DJ’s partiality towards MR was so obvious, he could never be considered a serious, reliable, pragmatic, truthful and accurate political scientist who could cater to a discerning & intelligent readership and win their respect.
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Siriyalatha / February 9, 2015
You are right. Many would agree with you here. At least now, people should tend to get this kind of PERSONS can only create new problems rather than bringing solutions or nearing to find soltuions to the country’s most alarming issue – tamil problem. People would see no difference these pundits have been there or not.
Can anybody add anything what DJ had done to the nation since 2009 ?
For some reasons he has been covering any wrong doings being carried out by MR directly. That is clear to everyone with a bird brain to this day. This man s analysis ended up to the very same manner astrologers s did. So how can he be a senior political analayst ?
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Burning Issue / February 9, 2015
What DR DJ exhibits in abundance is his intellectual dishonesty. He plays with semantics and cleverly disguises his inability to criticise MR. He said that the majority of the majority did not vote for MS; hence, by default, it was not a victory of the Sinhala, the true owners of the island! Isn’t this chauvinistic and an utter irresponsible position to take for an intellectual?
He has been trying to project a situation that, India, the TN in particular pose a threat for the Sinhala nation! How can this be true? Even at the height of the final stages of the war, TN let alone any other indian state could not do a thing in support of the Tamils! It has been proved time and again that, it is not in the interest of India to separate SL. Why is DR DJ then harps on about this perceived impending danger? The only answer I can come up with is that, he is a Sinhala Chauvinist with a bitterly twisted mind!
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Navin / February 9, 2015
“He will not defend everything its government or state does; but defend the country, he will…”
So Dayan, you expect CT readers to believe what you have written as gospel.
Go F yourself.
Fkr.
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dcn / February 9, 2015
No doubt DJ is a MR crony and naturally he will have to justify all actions of the previous regime whilst looking for small holes in the MS/RW administration. From all his articles, he will go round the bush and finally arrive at a point to bring in Chandrika/Maithree/Ranil with some criticism.
Until nominations date he was very keen in promoting Sajith as candidate of the UNP as his expectation was if Sajith wins he can get a top position which did not materialise. Now, he is jobless
and with no hope of any offer from the new administration, he has to cling onto MR with dreams them coming back to power in the near future.
He would be best advised to keep up to his promise not to write in the English media including CT.
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MJA / February 9, 2015
Well said Mahendra. But this is like pouring water on a duck’s back. Anti Tamil sentiments are ingrained in the system and I think more than 90% of the Sinhala Buddhists are racists and unsympathetic to Tamils. Men like Dayan, Nalin de Silva and Gunadasa Amarasekara thrive on this mentality. Dayan is not a “donkey”- the so called patriot knows that his comments have an audience among the Sinhala Buddhists. Dayan is ambitious and wants go better places than his father (who stuck to being a very good journalist). Dayan is sucking big time to politicians and the Sinhala Buddist mindset- hoping he can win a very high position. Offer him a good deal like a prestigious UN Posting or something of that ilk. All this shit and crap that he writes shamelessly will stop then. He has no dignity or shame- MJA
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Burning Issue / February 9, 2015
MJA
“….I think more than 90% of the Sinhala Buddhists are racists and unsympathetic to Tamils.”
I am a Tamil and I do not agree with the above statement of yours. The Sinhalese are just like the Tamils and susceptible to being badly led! If the GOSL were to embark on an educational programme about reconciliation, nation-building, and fruits of power devolution, I am sure the Sinhala will respond kindly to the ideas. What you expect from the laypeople when they hear conflicting information? DR DJ has been writing blatant defamatary garbage about giving anything beyond 13A. There needs to be an honest discussion about diversity and power-sharing in SL that will cut into the arguments that people like DR DJ puts forward.
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Patriot / February 9, 2015
To me, “smart” patriotism is a patriotism that is not bound by a fleeting human construct such as a “state”, but is based on love for the land. The good citizens of Crimea, who pledged allegiance to Ukraine 5 years ago, are no less patriotic today when they recite the Russian national anthem. What matters is their love for Crimea. Similarly, the citizens of the east coast will be no less patriotic when the flag of a free nation is raised over the NE for the first time. They will remain patriots as long as they love the land; are committed to protecting its pristine beauty; and work hard to build infrastructure and to create jobs and industries to improve the lives and provide modern comforts for themselves and for their compatriots.
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Murugan / February 9, 2015
Dayan,
It appears that Ranil has already adopted a balanced policy, shown by the port city project being adopted.
Luckily he was not corrupted by any deal with the American CIA, as Sirisena was.
In conclusion, both Tamils and Sinhalese will have to cope with a strong Colombo as Sinhalese will positively come back from the fall of Rajapaksa.
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kumu / February 9, 2015
Dear All,
let him write . I do not read what he writes, but enjoy what you guys write against him. same goes to Maheepala
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roger / February 9, 2015
“I am a Sri Lankan patriot who recognizes that you cannot be a Sri Lankan patriot while being opposed to Sinhala nationalism” -DJ
The question is simple DJ – can you be a Sri Lankan patriot while being opposed to Tamil nationalism.
“A minority or minority bloc cannot be turned into a majority, nor can a majority be turned into a minority. A majority cannot be cowed into behaving as if it were a minority in its own country” -DJ
DJ you are clearly hurt about how democracy worked in the last election, probably you expected that majority is always the winner in democracy, so sad. Democracy treats all people equally, though it goes with the majority view, it is assumed that individuals are equal as in the “kingdom of ends”. But in reality it is not so. So the majority community is always satisfied as majoritarianism prevails. Unfortunately when there are two candidates from the majority, the minority is turned in to majority. If you cannot stomach it, its your problem.
you are nothing but a political DJ!
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Jango / February 10, 2015
You guys still don’t ‘get it’!
DJ loves being abused, why else would he keep encouraging this readership to ‘read’ his posts and inundate him with insults and serious abuse? Hardly anyone ever condones his views or agrees with his questionable logic, so possibly the best reaction to his junk would be not to respond(?).
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Eds / February 10, 2015
People criticizing Dr. DJ fail to see the crux of the matter. The man answered his accuser/critique to the point with facts. Now you may not agree with him for whatever reason but that should not be grounds to devalue his writings just because one doesn’t agree with him!
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roshan / February 10, 2015
Forget this rubbish article and the author, he was one in the same group of MR. He thought of reappointment by supporting to MR. Dayan -plsl stay away from writing -instead start meditating to prevent scelerosis.
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kali / February 10, 2015
Dyan the Tongue Twister:
I am not sure what to make of Mahendra De Silva. At least we know that you are a born racist, Liar, Thug ( MR) lover. Even after MR Gotha and Basil have been implicted in Corruption, Looting and Murder you are still prepared to lick the culprits and that shows your intellctual and social standing which is very LOW indeed.
As for some of the things in your article I am horrified that despite electing MS there are foces within Sinhala Lanka who will never make it possible to Account and Reconcile. Sinhala Lanka is on probation.
1) “My main disagreement with Dayan’s views on patriotism is that he failed to distinguish the difference between love for the country and love for the rulers of the country. He has taken the position that that defending the country and defending the rulers of country are the same.”
*** If the above is true very soon you will be visting Wellikade and the HAGUE to take lunch for the Criminals.
2) “He will not defend everything its government or state does; but defend the country, he will…”.
*** There was a time MR was the Country and Country was MR so therefore Country had nothing to defend.
3) The paragraph from my article goes on to say: “The smart patriot is constructively critical about his country but is fiercely loyal to it all the same. He will criticize it but will unconditionally defend his country from the hypocritical criticism of foreign powers and institutions responsible for or blind to far worse crimes.”
*** You really are an illiterate. If the Country had no values to defend then blind loyalty is meaningless. Any patriot will do everything to change it for the better. But not you as you couldnt seperate MR from Country.
4) “When Dayan was defending Sri Lanka at the Human rights commission in Geneva, just after the war in 2010, I believed that he was an intelligent patriot… He assured on behalf the Sri Lankan government that a proper investigation would take place regarding alleged war crimes.”
*** We know your track record at UN. Dont worry you will be found GUILTY.
5) There was no LLRC when I was in Geneva. I pointed out then as I have throughout, that no country conducts, still less submits to such an inquiry when it happens to be a legitimate state that has waged a war within its internationally recognized borders against a terrorist foe and won, just recently.
*** Just remember what happened to Serbia under Milosevic. You dont pull the strings.
6) “I personally believe that Dayan is not a racist, and he appreciated the recommendations of LLRT commission. But he kept quiet when recommendations were not implemented.”
*** He hasnt checked your GENES.
7 “Is it because he is a “Smart Patriotic” that he did not make a strong voice against extremist agendas of the then government including BBS?”
*** THe word Mahendra is looking for is Dyan is a Smart a.s
8)I was the first to call the BBS “religio-fascist” in print and marched in demonstrations and addressed public seminars against it.
*** You are lucky Gotha never heard you or saw you otherwise he would sent the White van to pick you up.
9) More outright falsehoods follow, proving that this chap is not merely a dumb critic of Smart Patriotism, but also a dishonest critic:
*** When it comes to dishonesty you top the list by miles.
10) As for the Shirani Bandaranaike affair, my public criticism commenced mere hours after I returned to Sri Lanka after my term as Ambassador to France, Spain, Portgual and the UNESCO, in the first days of January. Before I had reached my residence from the airport, the website Sri Lanka Mirror had carried a long interview in which I commenced my criticism of the abrupt removal and the conduct of the Government MPs – some of whom are in Cabinet today!
*** That was shedding Crocodile tears.
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