{"id":48464,"date":"2012-07-15T06:46:05","date_gmt":"2012-07-15T06:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=48464"},"modified":"2012-07-17T01:18:09","modified_gmt":"2012-07-17T01:18:09","slug":"a-note-on-a-comedy-of-rants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/a-note-on-a-comedy-of-rants\/","title":{"rendered":"A Note On A Comedy Of Rants"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/strong>\u00a0Malinda Seneviratne<\/a><\/span>\u00a0–<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Malinda Seneviratne<\/p><\/div>\n

When a journalist calls someone to obtain opinion about a non-issue, i.e. something that did not happen but is said to have been about to happen, it is not illegitimate, except of course that one would think that there are happened-things that ought to be focused on.\u00a0\u00a0When it is done (and this is pretty clear in the case at hand, i.e. regarding a conversation with the Defence Secretary) with a view to provoke and the non-issue is dropped while the outcome of provocation is highlighted, it is still legitimate.\u00a0\u00a0It is also pathetic.<\/p>\n

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa<\/a><\/span> can import a puppy.\u00a0\u00a0He can import and elephant if he wants to.\u00a0\u00a0If it is legal and if he has the money, that is.\u00a0\u00a0There is an element of extravagance here that will not be applauded, but that\u2019s his baby.\u00a0\u00a0When pinched to the point of exasperation, he blinked and that\u2019s sad, especially one who did not flinch at the invective leveled against him when he took on the LTTE.<\/p>\n

It is now clear that he had nothing to do with any of the plans (which did not materialize) that the said journalist referred to.\u00a0\u00a0He was therefore hounded in a manner unbecoming of a senior journalist and he blew his top, in a manner unbecoming of a senior official.<\/p>\n

Naturally the exchange has provoked a lot of response, including expressions of horror about media personnel being threatened.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The \u2018horrified\u2019 are the usual suspects, many whose sensibilities were tough enough to take in horror-creation by the LTTE.\u00a0\u00a0Among them, the most amusing in fact, is Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0The man is upset by the use of foul language.\u00a0\u00a0Fair enough. He says he has called for Gotabhaya\u2019s resignation on three occasions<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0Laughable.\u00a0\u00a0Saravanamuttu, a known apologist for the LTTE and a happy receiver of stolen goods<\/a><\/span> (robbed from his outfit by fellow LTTE-whitewasher Sunanda Deshapriya<\/a><\/span>), can\u2019t afford to talk.\u00a0\u00a0His hand-in-glove operations with LTTE supporters abroad is well documented.\u00a0\u00a0So when this anti Sri Lankan \u2018Sri Lankan\u2019 seeks to speak on behalf of the public, saying that we should not pay Gotabhaya\u2019s salary, it is funny.<\/p>\n

He goes<\/a><\/span> on to say \u2018Ms Jansz\u2019s<\/a><\/span> fellow editors have yet to rise to her support and in condemnation of this chilling exchange\u2019.\u00a0 Well, sorry Ms. Jansz.\u00a0\u00a0And Mr. Defence Secretary, this was uncalled for; you should know better than to waste your breath and if you do decide to breathe this is not the way, not because Ms. Jansz is a journalist but because she is a citizen, regardless of history, political loyalties and complicity in projects that have facilitated the principal enemy of the people, the LTTE.\u00a0\u00a0You are out of order, Mr. Defence Secretary and \u2018heat of the moment\u2019 is not excuse enough, \u2018I was provoked\u2019 is not enough although we do understand and sympathize.\u00a0\u00a0We know you are made of sterner stuff; it is beneath you, anyway, to even bother to respond to each and every pipsqueak who wants to chit-chat with you over nothing. And sorry also, Ms. Jansz, very sorry, I can\u2019t say \u2018hurray\u2019 about the \u2018professionalism\u2019 displayed by you.\u00a0\u00a0Happy, Sara?<\/p>\n

If people are \u2018upset\u2019 by my reluctance to pat Jansz on her back and howl with her or on her behalf, here\u2019s some background.<\/p>\n

When the\u00a0Athurugiriya\u00a0safe house used by the Sri Lanka Army Military Intelligence Corps was exposed on January 2, 2002, she quickly moved into action. Although the then Commander of the Army clearly stating that the military intelligence team in question was engaged in covert operations and the Director of Military Intelligence confirming the fact, she went right ahead and exposed all the members engaged in the operations. Neither those \u2018exposed\u2019 nor their families whined and screamed that their lives were in danger.\u00a0\u00a0They did not seek protection in Western embassies.\u00a0\u00a0The LTTE hit squads eliminated almost all of them.\u00a0\u00a0Now that\u2019s the outcome of \u2018responsible journalism\u2019 I suppose.\u00a0\u00a0Frankly, it is sickening.<\/p>\n

Back to Saravanamuttu.\u00a0\u00a0Towards the end of his rant, he loses it totally (well, it\u2019s not that he has not lost it all a long time ago, I admit).\u00a0\u00a0He begs the people to stand up and condemn and get Gotabhaya to resign.\u00a0He\u2019s saying \u2018I really don\u2019t know why on earth you people are not getting it!\u2019\u00a0\u00a0He begs for \u2018a groundswell of public opinion calling for his resignation or removal\u2019 Mr. Know-All is preaching to the \u2018ignorant\u2019 now.<\/p>\n

His friends abroad and in Colombo\u2019s little clubs where non Sri Lankans actually think Saravanamuttu knows anything about anything ought to read this particular missive (in the Daily Mirror) again and again.\u00a0It proves one thing: He doesn\u2019t have a clue about how Sri Lankans think and act.<\/p>\n

He has strutted around as though he is actually a representation of a sizable segment of the public, simply by tagging himself \u2018civil society\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A bunch of party-goers in Colombo cannot speak for the rest of us.\u00a0They speak for themselves, even as they assume to speak for us.\u00a0\u00a0This is why there is dismay and not horror about Gotabhaya blasting Jansz.\u00a0\u00a0It will not generate groundswell.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0And the more the likes of Saravanamuttu demand \u2018groundswell\u2019 the less likely that it will materialize, simply because objectors are pretty circumspect about what kind of fellow-objectors they will stand with.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Saravanamuttu\u2019s parting shot: \u2018Even if we cannot transform the ugly and nasty in our midst, we must surely recognise it for such\u2019.\u00a0 I think Saravanamuttu wrote the piece sitting in front of a mirror.\u00a0\u00a0Now that certainly deserves a \u2018hurrah!\u2019<\/p>\n

Related posts;<\/p>\n

Gotabhaya Rajapaksha: Too Drunk With Power To Exercise It?<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":44732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[3000,1220,3001],"class_list":["post-48464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial","tag-frederica-jansz-and-gotabhaya-dog","tag-gotabhaya-rajapaksa","tag-malinda-seneviratne-on-paikiasothy-saravanamuttu"],"yoast_head":"\nA Note On A Comedy Of Rants - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/a-note-on-a-comedy-of-rants\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Note On A Comedy Of Rants - 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