{"id":204594,"date":"2019-09-06T22:21:29","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T16:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=204594"},"modified":"2019-09-10T01:48:15","modified_gmt":"2019-09-09T20:18:15","slug":"presidential-elections-tamils-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/presidential-elections-tamils-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Presidential Elections: Tamils’ Choice\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Karikalan\u00a0<\/span>S. Navaratnam<\/a> –<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Karikalan S. Navaratnam<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThere is little choice in a barrel of rotten apples.<\/em>\u201d ~ Shakespeare\u00a0 <\/span>(\u2018Taming of the Shrew\u2019<\/i>)<\/p>\n

Massive media blitz has begun in earnest with reports on the impending\u00a0<\/span>Presidential Election. Rajapaksas camp (SLPP) has announced Gotabaya<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>candidacy with much fuss and flourish. JVP-led Alliance (NPP)\u00a0<\/span>has, at an\u00a0<\/span>impressive rally, named Anura Kumara Dissanayake<\/span><\/strong><\/a> as their candidate. Even as the UNP\u00a0<\/span>leadership continues dilly-dallying, a self-proclaimed Sajith Premadasa<\/span><\/strong><\/a> has already hit the\u00a0<\/span>campaign trail.\u00a0<\/span>Media reports reveal\u00a0<\/span>there are few other aspirants of sorts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not even Hobson\u2019s choice<\/b><\/p>\n

Demonstrably, the marginalized Tamil citizenry have no one to choose from\u00a0<\/span>among the different candidates\/parties. They have no choice; not even a\u00a0<\/span>Hobson\u2019s choice.\u00a0<\/span>In fact, Tamil people are in a quandary. Whether they\u00a0<\/span>participate in or boycott the Presidential Election, ex facie<\/i>\u00a0 <\/span>they do not stand to\u00a0<\/span>gain or lose anything\u00a0 <\/span>politically.\u00a0 <\/span>Should\u00a0 <\/span>they remain silent accomplices and facilitate the return of Rajapaksas\u2019\u00a0ancien regime<\/i>? A critical question, indeed!<\/p>\n

Mahinda\u00a0 <\/span>squandered\u00a0 <\/span>opportunity<\/b><\/p>\n

Post-war Presidential Election, Jan. 2010 propelled Mahinda Rajapaks to the\u00a0<\/span>zenith of power. He could have decisively resolved the ethnic issue and stood out as an exemplary statesman at a global level. Instead, with his Mahavamsa\u00a0<\/span>mindset,\u00a0<\/span>Mahinda fancied and indulged in triumphalism and tribalism; and thus,\u00a0<\/span>after the 2015 Election defeat, he stuck out like a sore thumb. \u2018The Hindu<\/i>\u201d Editor\u00a0<\/span>N.Ram has been a bosom buddy of Rajapakes and had endorsed the military\u00a0<\/span>campaign against LTTE . Rajapaksas\u2019 antics had exasperated even their buddy:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe military victory over the LTTE, and President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s strength\u00a0<\/span><\/i>in parliament, gave the government an unprecedented opportunity to put in place\u00a0<\/span><\/i>a progressive political framework to heal the wounds of a 30-year war, and\u00a0<\/span><\/i>address Tamil grievances that predate the war. That it has taken only nominal\u00a0<\/span><\/i>steps in this direction is a matter of concern even to friends of Sri Lanka, such as\u00a0<\/span><\/i>India, which stood by its military efforts against the LTTE<\/i>.\u201d (The Hindu, Editorial-\u00a0<\/b>16 Aug. 2011 \u2013\u201cA brother out of control<\/i>\u201d<\/b>)<\/p>\n

As a matter of fact, Mahinda had not taken even nominal steps!.<\/p>\n

Few weeks before the Presidential Election, Jan. 2015, the International Crisis\u00a0<\/i>Group<\/i> (Brussels) said in its briefing, inter alia<\/i>, that:\u00a0\u201cWhoever wins in January, core questions around national identity \u2013 issues of\u00a0<\/span><\/i>devolution of power, of accountability and reconciliation, and of the equal status\u00a0<\/i>of Tamils and Muslims in a Sinhala majority state \u2013 will remain contentious. The<\/i>\u00a0<\/span>will require deft handling if greater instability is not to result<\/i>.\u201d ( ICJ Briefing\u00a0<\/span>145\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\/ Asia 9 Dec. 2014<\/b> )\u00a0Ethnic Q., a non-issue in Election, 2019 ?:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Five\u00a0 <\/span>years have elapsed since,\u00a0<\/span>the contending parties have neither the\u00a0<\/span>conviction nor the commitment to address \u201cthe core questions around national\u00a0<\/span><\/i>identity<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>The issues facing Tamils may play only a negligible \u2013 if not a zero \u2013\u00a0<\/span>role in this election. There was some perceptible level of public discourse around\u00a0<\/span>Tamil issues in the 2015 Presidential election and it did play a major role in\u00a0<\/span>securing the Tamil votes, en bloc<\/i>, in favour of Maithiripala Sirisena. Relying on the\u00a0<\/span>\u2018word of honour\u2019 given by Chandrika-Ranil- Sirisena trio promising to address the\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Tamil Issues, TNA chief Mr. Sampanthan did not even opt to sign a MoU with\u00a0<\/span>Sirisena before pledging TNA support to him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sucker punch by Maithri<\/b>:<\/p>\n

Probably Sampanthan was conscious of our bygone leaders\u2019 nasty experiences\u00a0<\/span>vis-\u00e0-vis successive Sinhala leaders \u2013 coping with broken promises, breach of\u00a0<\/span>trust, betrayals\u00a0 <\/span>and treachery. True to tradition, His Excellency the President has\u00a0<\/span>even excelled his predecessors in exhibiting these traits. He has been dragging his\u00a0<\/span>feet over outstanding issues for almost five years, while deliberately ignoring\u00a0<\/span>existential threats posed afresh to Tamils in North-East by Sinhala-Buddhist\u00a0<\/span>zealots, military and the monks. In the twilight of his tenure in office, perhaps,\u00a0<\/span>remembering the solid Tamil support which enabled his ascendency in 2015,\u00a0<\/span>His\u00a0<\/span>Excellency has ex gratia,<\/i> delivered a sucker punch to our\u00a0 <\/span>people- Yes, he has\u00a0<\/span>appointed as Army Chief\u00a0 <\/span>Shavendra Silva<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, who is accused of war crimes \u2013 the 58\u00a0<\/span>Division which he commanded was, putatively, responsible for the slaughter of\u00a0<\/span>tens of thousands of Tamils\u00a0 <\/span>in the final blitzkrieg at Wanni – on the orders of the\u00a0<\/span>wannabe<\/i>\u00a0<\/span>President !<\/p>\n

Has Gotabaya mended his ways?<\/b><\/p>\n

In a recent story, a noted BBC journalist recalls his meetings with Gotabaya on\u00a0<\/span>two different occasions- few days before he was named as a candidate and,\u00a0<\/span>previously, 10 years ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI first met Mr Rajapaksa 10 years ago in Colombo during the final stages of the\u00a0<\/span><\/i>civil war. He was known for his volatile temper, and many journalists were too\u00a0<\/span><\/i>scared to ask him tough questions, especially questions about alleged rights\u00a0<\/span><\/i>abuses committed by Sri Lankan security forces.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cBut during our most recent meeting, even before he was officially nominated as a\u00a0<\/span><\/i>candidate, Mr Rajapaksa sounded like a different man. Sitting in his study,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>surrounded by books, he answered difficult questions calmly.\u201d (<\/i>BBC News, 12 Aug.\u00a0<\/span><\/b>2019<\/b> \u2013 \u201c<\/i>Gothabhaya Rajapaksa: Sri Lanka’s controversial ex-defence chief eyes\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>power<\/i><\/b>\u201d <\/i>By Anbarasan Ethirajan ).<\/b><\/p>\n

Leopard does not change its spots<\/b><\/p>\n

Either Gotabaya represents a double-faced\/split personality or he has mended his\u00a0<\/span>manners and abandoned his bloodlust and aggression. Can the honcho and his\u00a0<\/span>henchmen in uniform be ever wholly humanized ? Lest we may forget the truism:<\/p>\n

\u201dA leopard doesn’t change his spots just because you bring him in from the jungle\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and try to housebreak him and turn him into a pet. He may learn to sheathe his\u00a0<\/span><\/i>claws in order to beg a few scraps off the dinner table, and you may teach him to\u00a0<\/span><\/i>be a beast of burden, but it doesn’t pay to forget that he’ll always be what he was\u00a0<\/span><\/i>born: a wild animal.\u201d<\/i> (George Lincoln Rockwell, (1918-1967), An American\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>politician ; Founder of the American Nazi Party \u2013 1959<\/i><\/b>).<\/p>\n

\u201cPatriotic\u201d media\u00a0 <\/span>pining for Gota<\/b><\/p>\n

Most of the media moghuls, commentators and columnists are fiercely \u2018patriotic\u2019- Rajapaksa\/Weerawansa brand . They fall head over heels for Gotabaya and feel\u00a0<\/span>gung-ho about his candidacy and campaign. Why? Rajapaksas are the neo-avatars<\/i>of Dutugemunu. They defeated the Tamils, saved the nation and religion, restored\u00a0Sinhala-Buddhist hegemony and refused to address or even acknowledge Tamil\u00a0<\/span>grievances. For a moment, forget about the scores of Tamil journalists who were\u00a0<\/span>abducted and\u00a0 <\/span>killed during Rajapaksas\u2019 raj ; even their names have faded into oblivion, “unwept, unhonored, and unsung . After all they were \u201cexpendables\u201d\u00a0<\/span>by\u00a0<\/span>Rajapaksas reckoning !\u00a0<\/span>But, didn\u2019t\u00a0<\/span>\u201cpure Sinhala-Buddhist\u201d media persons,\u00a0<\/span>except for few mercenaries,\u00a0<\/span>live in a climate of fear and terror under Rajapaksas\u00a0<\/span>reign?\u00a0<\/span>Many of them were abducted and murdered or maimed. Fearing for their\u00a0<\/span>lives, a horde of journalists, \u201cSBs\u201d, fled the country and obtained sanctuary in\u00a0<\/span>Western countries. I have personally represented some of them before\u00a0<\/span>Immigration Tribunals and the Federal Court.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018White vans\u2019 syndrome<\/b><\/p>\n

The denizens of this country have known the fate of Lasantha,\u00a0 <\/span>Ekneligoda,\u00a0<\/span>Keith Noyahr, Poddala Jayantha\u00a0 <\/span>et al\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>and about Gotabaya\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>alleged complicity. The\u00a0<\/span>pain and anguish of living with the loss of their loved ones and grief\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span>emotionally traumatized and devastated the families and friends of the victims.\u00a0<\/span>Believe me or not ; to the Rajapakse acolytes from the media the pathetic pleas\u00a0<\/span><\/b>of families tenaciously seeking justice for the victims sound quite boring<\/b> !<\/p>\n

Columnist Malinda Seneviratne has been the beneficiary of a donatio inter vivos<\/i> \u2013<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>a laptop gifted by Mahinda Rajapakse, paid for by taxpayers.(\u00a0Colombo\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Telegraph, 21 Dec. 2013: \u201cExpose: Full List Of The Free Laptop Journos; Media\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/i><\/b>Minister Lied To Parliament<\/a><\/span>\u201d)\u00a0 <\/span><\/i><\/b>Malinda\u2019s musings, probably churned out from\u00a0<\/span>the same \u2018loyal\u2019\u00a0<\/span>laptop, reflect \u201cMahinda Chinthana<\/i>\u201d. (EXCERPTS)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDear Gotabaya Rajapaksa, what do you have to say about the murder of\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Lasantha Wickrematunge \u2026\u2026.? \u2026\u2026..about white vans? Ekneligoda?\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Thajudeen? And how about the mausoleum built for your late parents? If\u00a0<\/span><\/i>these are the questions you were waiting for me to ask, sorry \u2026…….\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not about regurgitating the questions that Colombots, Kolombians,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Rented Voices, Born Again Democrats, Candle Light Ladies put to the Sri\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential candidate.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cGotabaya Rajapaksa is yet to be elected. It is quite possible that he will be\u00a0<\/span><\/i>the next President, the way things stand. <\/i>This is why he can ignore all these\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>questions.<\/i><\/b> He would do well, however, to respond\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>(to other facilitative\u00a0<\/span>leading Qs Malinda has framed, on Geneva Resolution etc.) and make his\u00a0<\/span><\/i>responses the basis of the thrust of his campaign speeches. Better still, his\u00a0<\/span><\/i>political opponents can do the same\u2026\u2026 <\/i>As opposed to regurgitating\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>invective that\u2019s selective and therefore, frankly, boring<\/i><\/b>.\u201d (<\/i>Daily Mirror, 15\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Aug.2019<\/b> \u2013 \u201cA questionnaire for\u00a0 <\/span>Gotabaya Rajapaksa<\/i> \u201d)\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Last fugitive<\/b><\/p>\n

I believe, Ms. Frederica Jansz, <\/i>Editor of Sunday Leader<\/i>, has been the last\u00a0fugitive to flee from Gotabaya\u2019s wrath. She has since sought refuge in USA.\u00a0The consummate telephone conversation between Frederica and Gotabaya on\u00a0<\/span>5th<\/sup> and 6th<\/sup> of\u00a0 <\/span>July 2012 \u00a0 <\/span>would bear testimony to the sense of civility, sobriety\u00a0<\/span>and equanimity of the Presidential hopeful. Details of the exchange given in CT(Colombo Telegraph, 7 July 2012 \u2013 <\/i>Vide: Link below <\/b>) would eminently capture\u00a0<\/span>the spirit and soul of the conversation. Apparently,\u00a0 <\/span>Gotabaya has gained a\u00a0mastery of the mafia lingo !. CT Headlines may give a foretaste and Illustrate the\u00a0<\/span>point:-\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThey Will Kill You – You\u00a0 <\/span>Dirty Fucking\u00a0 <\/span>Shit\u00a0 <\/span>Journalist\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/a><\/b>\u201c You Are Pigs Who Eat Shit \u201d\u2013 Gota Threatened Again.<\/i><\/span>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Indeed, they strike terror!<\/p>\n

Sadomachochism:<\/b><\/p>\n

Sadomasochism is an interaction, especially sexual activity, in which one person\u00a0<\/span>enjoys inflicting physical or mental suffering on another person, who derives\u00a0<\/span>pleasure from experiencing pain. In other words, it is gratification gained through\u00a0<\/span>inflicting or receiving pain. Maybe, media persons \u2013 print media, electronic and\u00a0<\/span>visual \u2013 who crave the return of the ancien regime<\/i> of Rajapakses suffer from a\u00a0<\/span>pathological condition \u2013 pining for pain and persecution \u2013 having nostalgia for the\u00a0<\/span>dark days of white terror !<\/p>\n

Prof. Kumar David<\/i> has, in his CT presentation, plainly stated the obvious: \u201c Tamils\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and Muslims will avoid\u00a0 <\/span>Gota like the plague<\/i> and on the other side of the same\u00a0<\/span><\/i>coin hardcore racists and monks are pledged to<\/i> back him to the hilt.<\/i>\u201d (Colombo\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>Telegraph, 14 Aug.2019<\/i><\/b>) He has also mused: \u201c the post presidential election\u00a0<\/span><\/i>period could be dangerous for democracy. I mean the possible election of Gota as\u00a0<\/span><\/i>president, but I do not consider a Sajith presidency as free of apprehension. The\u00a0<\/span><\/i>difference is that Sajith does not have marauding racists, extremist monks and\u00a0<\/i>military brass, all hounds of hell baying to be unleashed, waiting in the wings<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0(CT, 25 Aug. 2019<\/i><\/b> ).\u2018Democracy\u2019, to the extent it connotes a SB majoritarian number game, it has been our nemesis \u2013 the fountainhead of all fatal attacks on\u00a0<\/span>Tamils\u2019 rights in Sri Lanka.\u00a0 <\/span>Again, Sajith\u2019s credentials are not squeaky clean either,\u00a0<\/span>though not as wretched or wicked as those of an evil incarnate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gotabaya\u2019s\u00a0 <\/span>offer to North-East<\/b><\/p>\n

During his speech at SLPP National Convention Gotabaya was quite sparing andavoided specifics in his offer to address Tamil\/Muslim grievances<\/i>: \u00a0<\/span>\u201cVowing that he wouldn\u2019t allow extremism to take root, Gotabaya Rajapaksa said\u00a0<\/span><\/i>that swift action would be taken to address the grievances of those living in the\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Northern and Eastern regions<\/i>.\u201d (The Island, 11 Aug.2019<\/b>-\u201cNational security top\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>priority<\/i><\/b>\u201d)<\/p>\n

It is amusing to hear Gotabaya now talking about the \u201cgrievances\u201d of the North-East people. Because he had always baulked at \u201cthe political solution talk<\/i>\u201d and\u00a0<\/span>harped on the theme that it was irrelevant after the decimation of the LTTE.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Editorially criticizing Gotabaya\u2019s remarks, made in the course of an Indian TV\u00a0<\/span>interview, the Hindu (Indian daily)<\/b> said:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s comments <\/i>\u2026\u2026\u2026. reveal a troubling contempt for the Tamil minority.<\/i><\/b> He has trashed \u201cthe political solution talk,\u201d asserting, among other things, that <\/i>it was \u201csimply irrelevant\u201d because \u201cwe have ended this terrorism in Sri Lanka<\/i><\/b>,\u201d making the egregious assertion that when the 13th Amendment was being drafted, \u201cthe government of Sri Lanka was not involved,\u201d and proposing that with the LTTE \u201cgone,\u201d there was no further need to amend the Constitution. <\/i>President Rajapaksa would be well advised to distance himself swiftly from his brother’s stream-of-consciousness on sensitive issues that are not his business.\u201d <\/i>( The Hindu, Editorial-16 Aug.2011 \u2013\u201cA brother out of control\u201d)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Let alone addressing our grievances ;\u00a0 <\/span>does Gotabaya understand the gravamen of our grievances? What are the track records of Sajith \/ Ranil ? And, what has Anura Kumara got to offer the Tamil people \u00a0 <\/span>?<\/p>\n

To be continued..<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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