Manmohan Singh's CHOGM week
He's the true CHOGM champion. Uncontested. Well, not really, for Canadian PM Stephen Harper did give him a good run for quite some time. Harper jumped the gun. He objected too soon and was lampooned for longer. Singh, on the other hand, played a waiting game. Kept people guessing. In the end he didn't turn up. No one missed either of these gentlemen of course. The point is that CHOGM was about shop-talk. A platform for demagogues. Nothing concrete results, not for the members as a collective. We don't know if Singh twiddled his thumbs or soaked his feet in a tub of hot water. He saved himself from boredom. Good on him!
Patriotism: Muzammil's, Tissa's and Sajith's
Mayor Muzammil couldn't but jump on the CHOGM bandwagon. His city got much more than a cursory facelift. In fact, he must be the envy of all the mayors and chiefs of local government authorities. As mayor, he had to go through the ceremonial motions, even though his party decided to boycott the event. He said sorry -- apology is a small price to pay for getting a new-look Colombo.
Tissa Attanayake, UNP's General Secretary, on the other hand, showed that patriotism has many faces. The UNP boycotted CHOGM for some very valid reasons, although these do not justify the party's decision to turn Sirikotha into a rent-a-location facility for all kinds of agitation. And yet, Tissa said that the UNP would object to any international intervention in Sri Lanka. So did Sajith. Have these arch enemies realized, even late in the day, that political survival requires the party to show some semblance of patriotism?
Torture Commission
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka is planning to set up a Torture Commission. That's a long felt need. The problem is that there have been so many commissions appointed, so many representations made, so many reports submitted but with little or no positive results to show for the efforts and the money spent. On a lighter note, though, Prathiba Mahanamaheva and the Human Rights Commission might get something they did not anticipate. The most tortured population segment in this country might line up to articulate grievances and demand redress: the long suffering, loyal supporters of the United National Party. It would be hard to come up with any community that has suffered as much as they have or for so long!
Cameron lost track of time
David Cameron is a man in a hurry. He wants 'action'. He demands action. Almost as though he is a Viceroy. He is not. But this man in a hurry, curiously, has shown amazing sloth when it comes to the Chilcot Report. He says 'Give me 6 months!' Now this is about action that took place 10 years ago. Apparently his men and women are busy editing the document. That's British 'transparency' and 'accountability' for you!
Channel 4 can't bowl the doosra
David Cameron tried the doosra on Murali. Murali hit him for a six.
Channel 4, masters of spin though they are, tried the same delivery. Same result. There was a difference. Channel 4 didn't report; they did their usual cut-paste job and edited Murali out. The problem is that Channel 4 is a marginal media outfit in the UK and Murali's face is probably more recognizable face than Macrae's. There's a limit to what pernicious editing can do, after all.
Chandra Jayaratne's ethics
The man rants and raves about everything under the sun. Well, almost everything. He will protest casinos but says not a word about what are clearly moves to scuttle legislation on pictorial warnings on tobacco products. What's his connection with the tobacco industry? In the interest of 'transparency' and 'accountability', will Jayaratne come clean. For a change?
2 comments:
Sri Lanka has come a long way after decades of violence. Time for healing is a natural process where a Murali doctrine is the logical answer.If all mothers in Sri Lanka should lament their lost sons during the war along with those handicapped the entire Hyde Park would not be sufficient hold them! With due respect to the dead and missing (and whose fault !) what we saw in the North was a sad picture its here that compassion and help is needed!
Its the time to put our right foot forward,&keep the interest of the country in mind,have unbiased views, practical &diplomatic with bon sens .And most of all have a few Dr Chris Nonis'es in our Parliament.
I agree in most of what was said, especially regarding Murali who set the record straight, and set the right example to the young, a true son of Sri Lanka.The likes of Channel will end up where they belong in a filthy dustbin. Apart from the Chilcot Report Cameron is facing a problem of his own making selling arms to Sri Lanka.It would be ironical to say his jaundiced eyed view on human rights collide with what he preaches!Thank you Malinda for keeping us alert to the dangers facing us today!!
David Cameron banging on about alleged Sri Lankan war crimes is even more beguiling as in a recent BBC Panorama program there were British soldiers admitting to shooting unarmed IRA suspects during their own problems with Northern Ireland Catholics.
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