Come
January and sometimes even late December, we notice an outpouring of
‘concern’ for Sri Lanka. There are countries which was to help Sri
Lanka. There is much noise and much of it comes in the form of threats,
sometimes veiled and sometimes not. Sometimes with a smirk and sometimes
sugar-coated. And there’s also nauseating condescension. The year 2021
is not an exception.
Not untypical, it comes from the UK and USA,
nations which compete for the unenviable top spot among nations with
the worst human rights records in history. Well, not just the past, but
in the here and now, considering involvement and the nature of
involvement in wars around the globe as well as treatment of their own
citizens. We could add handbooks on interrogation and legislation to
protect violators of human rights. We could also add the protection of
despots and despotic governments. We could add, moreover, the funding,
arming and training of insurgents to topple democratically elected
governments that do not toe the US-UK line.
Let’s start with the
United Kingdom. The UK High Commissioner Sarah Hulton has tweeted ‘UK
raising human rights concerns with Sri Lanka, including forced cremation
of #COVID19 victims. UN report to be published next week, will inform
the approach to @UN_HRC.’
Now it’s a pity that her Sri Lanka
counterpart, like all those who held that post before, has never once
raised ‘human rights concerns with the UK’ including crimes against
humanity (in the long ago, ‘short ago’ and now), but then again we know
the earth is not flat and slant is the order of the day.
The
lady is concerned with the dead or rather disposal of dead bodies. This
is good. We too are concerned with the dead, theft and absolute silence
on the matter of returning loot and other relevant compensation. We like
the words recompense and reconciliation for you see, ma’am, we have
waited long and can hardly bring ourselves to reconcile with what your
country has done and does.
Anyway. We are also concerned about
‘forced cremation’ (as well as forced dispatch to the hereafter by those
who swore by Allah, Prophet Muhammed and the Quran, prayed in mosques
before affirming their faith on Easter Sunday 2019). The government, in
its wisdom and in circumstances generated by a pandemic, no less, has
decided that burial is risky. The risk of infection is greater in, say,
Parliament or a supermarket, and if the government is loath to shut down
such facilities, it should permit burial of the covid-19 dead.
Now
is this the most urgent matter at hand? Muslims may say so, not
forgetting that no Muslim community has stood up to say ‘come, bury the
dead in our village/township’). It is a serious matter, for non-Muslims
as well. No community should feel marginalized or its religious
sensitivities pooh-poohed, even those communities that have birthed
members who don’t give a hoot about the sensitivities of other religious
communities. On the other hand, isn’t Ms Hulton livid about sections of
Sri Lanka’s constitution that are an affront to the basic tenets of
equal citizenship, freedoms of expression, association etc? Why has she
(and her Government) not read our the Riot Act to the Sri Lankan
Government for doing zilch about the horrendous legislature pertaining
to Muslim marriage and divorce? Aren’t the rights of Muslim women not a
matter of concern? Isn’t the slant in favor of a particular community
(the Muslims) on a number of counts not worthy of mention? Will the UK
raise such issues with Sri Lanka and inform UNHRC of UK’s approaches
with regard to the same? Or is it just the humbuggery of selectivity at
work, same-old, same-old? Ms Hulton would know but she won’t tweet,
that’s a safe bet.
It’s the season of condescension
That’s what Washington’s sidekick nation
has to say. How about the USA? The US Ambassador Alaina B Teplitz, in a
virtual round-table discussion with some journalists, has regurgitated a
tired lecture. The Daily Mirror has captured the essence. Ms Teplitz,
the paper reports, a) asks Govt to come up with a meaningful plan at
UNHRC, b) urges to implement what it promised, c) reiterates need to
reverse mandatory cremation policy. With respect to ‘c’ the observations
penned above are applicable to Ms Teplitz as well.
What’s
interesting is her comments on the East Container Terminal of the
Colombo Port. Now Ms Teplitz, who appears to have appointed herself as
THE EXPERT on what’s best for Sri Lanka claims that offering it to an
Indian company is essential ‘for Sri Lanka’s maritime future.’
Interestingly, she admits ‘India [is] the beneficiary of Sri Lanka’s
port facilities or rather transshipment activities.’ So, Sri Lanka’s
maritime future is a matter of India benefitting from Sri Lanka’s ports?
Sounds a lot like submission, surely?
She’s
ok with India benefitting. She’s ok, obviously, with the absence of
‘mutual benefit’ with respect to the East Terminal, but insists that
partnership with China should be ‘mutually beneficial’ which, she says,
is what the US encouraged as far as Sino-Lanka relations are concerned.
The
‘why’ of it is easy to figure out. India is the US’s proxy in the
region, especially considering the recently signed Basic Exchange and
Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation (BECA) and the
operations of the Quadrilateral Security Dialog (Quad). The USA is
compelled to cheer India even when India does the down and dirty. The
USA is compelled to say ‘it’s good for Sri Lanka that India benefits,
never mind Sri Lanka compromising her maritime future or being
arm-twisted into deferring such to Indian interests.
What
does Ms Teplitz mean when she says ‘Sri Lanka should come up with a
meaningful plan’? Let’s de-code. It simply means, ‘we want you to
inhabit our version of your reality.’ It means, ‘we know what’s best for
you.’ It means ‘you are clueless, we are clued-in, so do what we say.’
It means, ‘you are a bunch of newborn kittens and as such, blind,
therefore let’s show you the way.’
How very condescending! And how livid
would Ms Teplitz be if, for example, Sri Lanka lectured her and her
government about articles of the US constitution that are affirmed only
in their breach, institutionalized racism, rampant brutality targeting
non-white peoples etc!
Who is this
‘everyone’ she speaks about? Would she elaborate? And is she saying that
somehow Sri Lanka cannot ‘realize’ on her own accord what’s good for
the people? Referring to Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena’s statement
that there would be a comprehensive reconciliation strategy through a
domestic process, she says ‘I would like to see some follow-through on
that!’
Wow! Wow! Wow! Is she the overseer
on Sri Lankan affairs? Has she been appointed as the giver of
certificates, good or bad? ‘Follow-through’ eh? Well, the only
follow-through that will make her stand up and cheer would be the
furtherance of what SHE believes is good for Sri Lanka (to hell with
what Sri Lankans believe is good for them)!
We
know what ‘US concern’ is all about and what it is not about. We know
the script and the score. Condescension over and above all this is a bit
much, but that’s to be expected. Just another version of ‘White Man’s
Burden!’ We are probably required to cheer. I cannot. I laugh, instead.
So, Ms Teplitz and of course, you, Ms Hulton, thanks.
This article was first published in the DAILY MIRROR [January 28, 2021]
1 comments:
Fantastic! Well said Malinda,
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