{"id":123694,"date":"2014-04-25T15:34:08","date_gmt":"2014-04-25T10:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=123694"},"modified":"2014-05-03T00:14:03","modified_gmt":"2014-05-02T18:44:03","slug":"beyond-impunity-the-hambantota-fracas-and-the-fall-out-from-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/beyond-impunity-the-hambantota-fracas-and-the-fall-out-from-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond Impunity: The Hambantota Fracas And The Fall-Out From It"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Emil van der Poorten<\/a><\/span>\u00a0–<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Emil<\/a>

Emil van der Poorten<\/p><\/div>\n

While the Rajapaksa Regime\u2019s response to the attempt at wholesale intimidation of the group of UNP MPs who visited<\/span><\/a> one or the other (or both?) of the Ultra-Pale Ruhunu Magampura Pachyderms recently was typical of the behaviour of the most corrupt and violent of Sri Lankan governments in its modern (or ancient) history, there was little cause for any great surprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

This mode of behaviour has been a feature of this government\u2019s conduct, steadily accelerating as the days and weeks speed by.<\/p>\n

There were, however a few little variations from the usual modus operandi.<\/p>\n

The absence from the fray, both in a physical and vocal sense, of The Hon. Mr. Weerawansa and the Hon. \u201cDr.\u201d Mervin Silva was cause for some surprise.\u00a0 After all they usually, one or both, attempt to be the \u201cStars\u201d of the UNFPA circus.\u00a0 Whatever the reason, they were conspicuous by their absence.<\/p>\n

What was also surprising was the fact that several members of the Royal Family, inclusive of its Reigning Monarch, chose to enter the fray \u2013 the print and oral one \u2013 after the opening salvo had been fired \u2013 literally \u2013 down south.<\/p>\n

\"Eraj<\/a>The man<\/span><\/a> who threatened the UNP MP\u2019s with a side-arm \u2013 now claimed by him to be a \u201ctoy\u201d \u2013 claimed that he was there as some kind of \u201cpeacemaker\u201d on the orders of Namal Rajapaksa<\/span><\/a>, patently the Heir Apparent (HA) to the Sri Lankan throne, and that he was seeking to protect the Parliamentarians.\u00a0 He subsequently chose to remove himself from the discussion of these events when the HA denied that he had issued any orders to the (very large) local politician (the Mayor of Hambantota?) to play (armed) peacemaker.\u00a0 The ensuing deafening silence from a man who appears to be the closest thing to a Sumo wrestler in Ruhuna should be obvious to all with even a smattering of knowledge of how the Monarcy operates in this country and the level of subservience displayed by those beholden to it.<\/p>\n

Then we had the Head of State himself claiming that the opposition MPs provoked the attack by making critical comments about the Ultra-Pale Ruhunu Magampura Pachyderms.\u00a0 In case any readers of this little piece needs to be reminded, this serves to reinforce the nature of our particular \u201cdemocracy\u201d where anything resembling criticism of the Miracle Works embarked upon by our rulers may be considered as adequate provocation for abuse, assault and worse.<\/p>\n

In mediaeval times there was a term for this: \u201cLese Majeste.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UNP MPs of course went bleating back to Colombo swearing to \u201cdo something<\/span><\/a>\u201d about the breach of their privileges as Members of Parliament.\u00a0 That even the more intelligent among their number choose to continue to participate in this Theatre of the Absurd \u2013 there is NO OTHER WAY<\/b> to describe this state of affairs \u2013 defies analysis of any kind.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get this straight: they are going to the brother of the man who has already pronounced criticism of His Works in pursuit of Sri Lanka\u2019s ambition to be The Miracle of Asia as being totally unacceptable in an effort to obtain \u201crelief\u201d of some kind?\u00a0 Like the man said, \u201cGive me a break!\u201d<\/p>\n

All of this violent idiocy on the national stage was somewhat relieved by statements about this and another \u201cvexed issue\u201d by three people of very different political persuasions during the same period of time.<\/p>\n

The Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha<\/span><\/a> Thero made a statement that many of us have made months and years ago.\u00a0 It was to the effect that if this government had nothing to hide with regard to war crimes and crimes against humanity, it should simply accept, support and co-operate with any United Nations inquiry into those allegations.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the man who commanded the army that crushed the LTTE expressed similar sentiments.\u00a0 He should also be lauded for resisting the temptation of offering his posterior to a non-existent UN electric chair in the event that the UN might be contemplating a \u201cframe-up\u201d of some kind in the matter of war crimes and crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n

During the same period, one of the men primarily responsible for paving the highway that led to Mahinda Rajapaksa<\/span><\/a>\u2019s first ascent to the throne (by organizing delivery of the \u201csanthosam\u201d<\/i> to Prabhakaran) made a gallery-fetching appeal to Kamalesh Sharma<\/span><\/a> to remove Mahinda Rajapaksa from the Chair of the group comprising the Commonwealth Heads of Government.\u00a0 Mr. Mangala Samaraweera<\/span><\/a> certainly can\u2019t be faulted in the matter of hitting the headlines, no matter how totally ineffectual such an appeal is going to be.\u00a0 Considering the fact that Mr. Sharma owes his position in the Commonwealth secretariat, or whatever that ineffectual body is called, to the likes of the Sri Lankan President, the likelihood of his removing anything from anywhere <\/b>near Mahinda Rajapaksa, leave alone the deity himself, is hardly worthy of anything resembling comment!<\/p>\n

Somebody really needs to resurrect something on the lines of that acerbic old British television series to cover Sri Lanka\u2019s political scene.\u00a0 Even if it means navigating one\u2019s way through all kinds of government \u201cblocking\u201d to access the material, it will certainly provide some very appropriate and timely entertainment.\u00a0 I refer here to the iconic \u201cTWTWTW\u201d (\u201cThat was the week that was.\u201d)<\/p>\n

After all, even if we are denied bread we need to seek circuses to keep our spirits alive in our pursuit of the larger and absolute need for sanity, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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