In September last year almost all the
news media hostile to the government were busy with reports on Geneva and the
United Nations Human Rights Commission meetings with Navi Pillai heading the
headlines. In fact some electronic news media that could be called government
were also busy in telling the Sri Lankans how much they knew of Geneva and the
UNHRC. If not for the news coverage by the pundits in the local media the Sri
Lankans, especially the Sinhalas would not have known much about Navi Pillai
and her friends who are from the west as well as from Sri Lanka who have sought
political asylum in the western countries.
The stories planted in the media were
critical of the foreign policy of the government. The pundits and so called
political analysts were busy in pontificating what has to be done to “correct”
the foreign policy. Some of them who had been against the “war” were now
critical not of the war but of the foreign policy on “war”. It was mainly the
devolution of power the pundits were interested in and wanted to devolve more
powers to the Provincial Councils, though eight of the nine councils appear to
be happy with the powers that they have.
It is not easy to understand how more
devolution could have corrected the foreign policy, as the former is internal
policy. However, as has been pointed out on number of times, there was no
problem on foreign policy as it was mainly an internal problem that the west
and some others were interested in “solving” applying pressure using foreign
policy. The parties who wanted more devolution with some preaching Eelam were
the western countries led by England and ably assisted by USA with other
western countries in Europe giving whatever assistance they could give to
England and USA.
The west was interested in devolution,
as it was England that created the problem using Tamil racism they nurtured,
against the Sinhala people, mainly the Sinhala Buddhists, and since the Judaic
Christian culture considers Sinhala
Buddhist culture as a threat to their hegemony. Apart from the west and the
countries that have to follow them for economic, political and cultural reasons
there were two ladies in India who were against the Sinhalas. One was Sonia Gandhi
and the other was Jeyalailtha Jeyaram. Indira Gandhi was not anti Sinhalas as
such but anti UNP, especially anti JR Jayawardhane, though most of the UNPers
have forgotten it now.
The government of Sri Lanka most
probably understood what was happening in Geneva, unlike the pundit political
analysts and media people, and were not interested in “correcting” the foreign
policy. The government neither wanted to devolve more powers to the Provincial
Councils and the pundits were frustrated as they failed to receive the awards
and gifts they expected for their service to the “nation”. The government knew
the services rendered by these people to the “nation” and moreover the
nationalist forces were against the pundits being “rewarded”.
Camerons and others came to Sri Lanka
tried to use the CHOGM against Sri Lanka with their agents in the media, the
UNP and the western governmental organizations, but the government was not concerned, as there was no problem to
be solved. The Tamil problem is a pseudo problem created by the west and it is
the west that had to change its stance and not Sri Lanka.
In the meantime the President went round
the globe, cultivated new friendships with countries that were not with the
west as colonial countries and many leaders came to Sri Lanka to pay a visit of
goodwill. In India politicians such as Dr. Swami who understood Jeyalalitha and
her politics were critical of the “Goddess” and the Congress of Sonia Gandhi was becoming
unpopular. The BJP came to power ousting Sonia Gandhi and last week Jeyalalitha
was convicted of charges of very serious nature and as a result lost her Chief
Ministerial post.
The new CM of Thamil Nadu is not as
powerful as the previous and Karunanidhi’s Party is not in a position to
Challenge the party of Jeyalalitha. The situation is favourable to Sri Lanka
and this September was over without the news media being hysterical of Geneva.
We have always being against giving undue publicity to Geneva and UNHRC and
this year the WGOs had to eat humble pie.
Apparently twenty two countries have
said that they are against having an inquiry against Sri Lanka the way it
conducted “war”. Sri Lanka is the only country in the world to have defeated
terrorism and achieved peace. Though Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize for
peace he is killing innocent people in Asia and other places, and no peace has
been won in any country where USA is at war. As it is the western countries
that award the Nobel Prizes we cannot expect much and it is futile to suggest
that Obama is stripped of the Nobel Prize, which could be awarded to Mahinda
Rajapakse.
The new Prime Minister of India Modi,
has apparently told the President to have talks with the TNA and nobody is
against the government having a dialogue with the TNA, or TNA participating in
the Parliamentary Select Committee. The
problem as the Indian Prime Minister would understand in due course is that the
TNA is not interested in talks with words but in talks with weapons. Even the
previous talks or so called peace negotiations were used by the TNA and its
predecessors to engage the country in “war”. The ITAK (Lanka Tamil State Party)
or the so called Federal Party staged sathyagrahas and “non violent
campaigns” in order to instigate the
innocent Tamils to take part in violent activities and it is clear that the TNA
is still on the same non violent path that leads to war.
The TNA is reluctant to participate in
PSC meetings for number of reasons. They know that there is no problem to be
solved except for a pseudo problem created by the west. Secondly they are
interested in an Eelam whatever they may say in public and the pseudo problem
is being used to that end. Thirdly the TNA and the Tamil racist leaders want
“war” so that the west and India could interfere with our affairs and give them
Eelam.
However, the Indian position has changed
with the change of government and the
west alone cannot apply pressure on Sri Lanka.
Moreover Jeyalalitha factor has been taken out of Indian politics and
the “Goddess” has been sent to jail. Few people may commit suicide but soon she
will have to taste the jail life all alone.
According to the President state
secretary of USA Kerry has also changed his stance over Sri Lanka and all that
the government has to do is to stick to its policy like the proverbial
“indrakheela”. No more devolution of power to the Provincial Council, and definitely
police and land powers are out of question or the equation as they say now. It
is unlikely that the west will take drastic action against Sri Lanka and the
only action they can think of now is imposing economic sanctions on their own
without going through the UN. If they are so desperate let them do so and
become the laughing stock of the world.
Nalin De Silva
03-10-2014