Proem to An Independent Celebration in Sri Lanka

'So the "Achcharu" politics, of what many see as a "Kalakanni" society, goes on. Almost every party is divided into several cliques and clans, with most of the politicians giving priority to personal gain, privileges and glory, while national interests and the common good come far behind.'

(January 23, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) We prepare for the diamond jubilee of Sri Lanka’s independence but with the multiple crisis situations looking more like a cold hard stone.

As the Eelam war 4 rages into the bloodiest of all battles, the generals, the hawks and the boru part Bonaparte are expressing confidence that the war could be finished within months. A pro government newspaper even gave figures worked out by Army, and according to them there are only about 3,000 LTTE cadres left. If an average of 13 are killed every day, the war should be over within months and, according to that table, the number being eliminated now is an average of 17 or more. On that basis total victory could be achieved before the target date. But sceptics are wondering how such counts are made and whether the dead LTTE cadres are raising their hands to facilitate the counting. Sri Lanka had been admired for its intelligence rate of more than 80%, but some cynics wonder whether the gullibility rate is going up now. Some military analysts say the security forces launched a three-pronged attack on LTTE strongholds in the Wanni, but there are contradictory reports on the progress made and the number of casualties on each side. But other analysts paint a different picture. They say that last week’s massacres in the Moneragala district are evident that the LTTE has decided to expand its operations outside the normal theatres of war and hit civilian targets.

The LTTE is telling the world, through their web site and other sources that attacks on civilians are in retaliation for the regular strikes by the Sri Lanka Air Force. The SLAF says identified LTTE in military targets are being attacked but Tamilnet last week showed pictures of injured children when bombs fell near a school. After the ceasefire agreement was officially abrogated last Wednesday, at least 42 civilians have been killed in massacres carried out by suspected LTTE cadres, causing panic in the Moneragala district and compelling the security forces to divert hundreds of troops there.

Fear and panic have gripped not only the Moneragala district but the whole country. Observers have noted that traffic on Colombo City and suburban streets does much less these days, apparently because people are afraid to venture out, not know what will happen when and where.

On the political front, the crisis within crisis, the division within division and the contradictions within contradictions are continuing, to the extent that even some of the best brains, like Einstein, might not be able to piece it together. Incidentally, a veteran journalist and former editor writing in a Sunday newspaper sarcastically referred to the President being a great believer or follower of Einstein Theory of Relativity. Of course it was a turn of phrase, and a reference to the three brothers who are alleged to be running the country, along with other relatives. The Theory of Relativity is also being applied to links with other parties such as the JVP, with connections being made and broken in cases of crass political opportunism. The calamity or catastrophe in the political scene is compounded by the unexpectedly tough international reaction to the abrogation of the ceasefire agreement, the breakdown in law and order and what many see as degeneration into an ungovernable or failed state.

Japan’s special peace envoy Yashushi Akashi was here on a vital mission last week, and government leaders were clearly hopeful, Sri Lanka’s biggest aid donor would take a soft line. Mr. Akashi is known to have come with some political proposals in one pocket and a huge check book in the other. After meetings with various parties, including opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mr. Akashi is reported to have said Japan would have to seriously review the situation before giving further aid. The United States, the 25-member European Union and other countries are also taking a tough line, demanding that a political solution be worked out to meet the legitimate grievances of the minority communities.

According to analysts, the President’s house or the ruling troika, believe that Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogellagama, Deputy Hussain Baila and Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona have made a diplomatic mess and muddle in presenting Sri Lanka’s case to the world after the abrogation of the ceasefire agreement. Reports say the powerful presidential advisor and trouble shooter, Basil Rajapaksa, has now been called in for a salvage operation. He met heads of several diplomatic missions recently, but how much trouble he shot down is a troublesome question. In an apparently desperate bid to placate the international community, reports say the President has told the All Party Representative Committee that he wants some kind of package by today. It will be based on the 13th Amendment which means going back 20 years to a system which most people are rejecting and ridiculing as mountains which laboured and busted up billions but could not move even some muck and are fit for the garbage dumps of history. The LTTE, and some other Tamil parties, have described the 13th Amendment, as a mockery of devolution and most analysts believe such a package would be a born loser or suffer an abortion.

At the other extreme, the JVP, which is going here, there and everywhere, is demanding that the war must be completed and the LTTE eliminated, before any political proposals are worked out. Some reports say a UNP dissident minister as worked out a deal with the JVP to support a package based on the 13th Amendment. But other reports say the JVP is badly split on this issue ,so much so that JVP hardliner Wimal Weerawansa, speaking on behalf of the National Patriotic Movement on Saturday, warned there might be a public revolt against the United Nations offices and officers here, if the world body continued to interfere in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs.

So the achcharu politics, of what many see as a kalakanni society, goes on. Almost every party is divided into several cliques and clans, with most of the politicians giving priority to personal gain, privileges and glory, while national interests and the common good come far behind. Thus it is not surprising that pseudo-patriotism has become the favorite refuge of the scoundrels. Nightmares of Einstein’s atom bombs would not surprise psychoanalysts.