Thank you for the time you spent with us listening and arguing which was very helpful for us to gauge the opinion of a Labour MP most concerned withƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri LankanƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ affairs.

As I told you I was pleased to learn from you that there has been a 75% improvement in the Sri Lankan situation since the end of the futile war on May 18, 2009.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I believe (and I told this to you too) our task is to improve the balance 25%.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You will no doubt agree that 75% improvement within the short span (from May 18, 2009 to March 4, 2011) is a remarkable achievement by any standards.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If we are genuinely concerned about improving the welfare of all communities our actions should be directed at healing and not exacerbating by scratching old wounds.
However, I must mention that I was taken aback by the rating you gaveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You said thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka ranksƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ belowƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Bangladesh.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In addition to being the Editor of the Observer ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the oldest English newspaper inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ South AsiaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” I was also the Secretary-General ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ South Asia MediaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Association and I had the chance of traveling quite a bit in the region.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  No analyst that I know would rate Sri Lanka below that of Bangladesh.
Please consider the following facts:

• Sri Lanka is the oldest democracy in the Asia-Pacific rim.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If you consider the fact that universal franchise came to Australia in 1967 (after the Aborigines were given the right to vote) then it is fair to say that Sri Lanka was in the democratic circle exercising universal franchise from 1931.
• Sri Lanka faced right-wing military coups, two uprisings ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” one in the south from theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  JVP, the lumpen Marxists, and the longest running war in Asia initiated by the Jaffna Tamils when they officially passed the Vadukoddai Resolution seeking a military solution ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” and yet did not go under aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ military dictatorship.
• Other developing countries in the Afro-Asian region have been taken over by military dictators rising out pressures far less than that in Sri Lanka.
• Bangladesh has been underƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ military dictatorshipƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ from time to time as you know.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri Lanka always maintained its democratic institutions ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” however flawed they may have been.
• Sri Lanka is smaller than Tasmania with the entire population of Australia packed into it.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Without the abundant resources of AustraliaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri LankaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ runs a free education system from kinder to uni, free health services, subsidized transport, food, medicine etc.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to all communities. Please ask the Tamil doctors, lawyers, academics who come crying about ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-discriminationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ whether they did not enjoy the same facilities of the other communities who benefited from free education, free health, and other social benefits distributed without any discrimination.
• To quote you, we donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t live in a perfect world.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ButƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lankans, despite all infirmities, have a free press, free elections, free institutions like any other democracy.
• Bangladesh, being a Muslim country, is noted for the persecution of minorities ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” particularly Christians.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s tolerance of other religions is legendary.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  At the time when France and the West are banning the head gear for Muslims Sri Lanka is offering free textile for the Muslims to wear it freely.
• The poverty level of Bangladesh is below that of Sri Lanka.
• Bangladesh is a quasi-religious state whereas Sri Lanka is essentially secular.
• TheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lankan flagƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ carries two stripes ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” one for the Tamils and the other for the Muslim ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” as a means of granting the highest respect and status to the minorities.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  How much space is given to the minorities in the Bangladesh flag or for that matter the minorities in the so-called modeled democracies of the West?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Incidentally, there are over 70 million Tamils in the world including the 60 million inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil Nadu.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The only flag that respects the identity of Tamils among the 192 flags flying at the UN is that of the Sri Lankan flag.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Is this discrimination?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  TheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil languageƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is also given the highest place by being inscribed in currencies, stamps and all official documents.
• The space open for all communities to be treated equally is exemplified by the presence of Murali in the cricket team.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If he was with the Tamil separatists he would have been throwing hand grenades instead of his fascinating ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-dooshraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and in the process even lost his flexible arm.

I shall stop at this as I do not want to appear as a Bangladeshi-basher.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But, before I end I wish to raise another point with you.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You were quite sympathetic to the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-imperfectionsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of the others except Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I gathered from our discussion that you were demanding perfection from Sri Lanka while dismissing the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-imperfectionsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of others as a part of the unavoidable world order.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Could this be a case of Biblical proportions where one prefers to see the mote in the eyes of Sri Lanka and not the beam in the eyes of oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s fellow-travelers?
Example: An independent inquiry into the way Sri Lanka ended the 33-year-old war is demanded by you and your fellow-travelers.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  By the same yardstick which human rights activist has ever initiated inquiries into the way the Americans ended theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ World War IIƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ by dropping atom bombs in Hiroshima (140,000 civilians dead) and Nagasaki (80,000 dead)?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Or on Churchill for his calculated plan to bring the boys back home early by bombing the hell out of Dresden (300,000 dead)?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If you think itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s far away, why not ask for an inquiry on the ethnic cleansing ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Diego GarciaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ by the British to clear the place for the American to build a base in the Indian Ocean?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The thousands of Chargosssians evicted by force by the British from their only homeland only recently are wandering like nomads.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They are without jobs, without homes and without a future . How come Sri Lanka is on the radar of concerned Australians and not the Chargossians?
IsnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t there something rotten in the state of morality dispensed by the human rights activists who cry from roof tops only for the agents of the Tamils Tigers?
If you happen to be in Melbourne I would be delighted to have dinner or lunch to carry on the dialogue.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Please be in touch.

Best

Mahinda

H. L. D. Mahindapala
Editor, Observer (1990- 1994)
President, Sri Lanka Working JournalistsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Association (1991- 1993)
General Secretary, South Asia Media Association (1993 – 1994)

PS: By the way, when we told the Foreign Office that Labour MPs have to get their resolutions tabled in Parliament vetted by the censors at DFAT they denied it totally. They said that they do not influence MPs in any way on the text of the resolution.