Tamilselvan's Insolence
and the Hela Response
In previous posts I had analyzed the statements of GOSL and LTTE
at Geneva II. While the GOSL Chief Negotiator was talking irrelevancies
like Democracy, Human Rights and Economic Development, Tamilselvan
(TS) lost no time reiterating his insolent demands. There was absolutely
no negotiation and TS even refused to have further talks unless GOSL
complied with his diktat. After the failed talks the GOSL team made
a quiet exit while TS issued a statement and held a Press Conference
(a report on which is given below) to keep his promise to use the
occasion to make further propaganda against GOSL.
This short report looks at the response of the Helas, both the Government
and its supporters and devotees. As far as GOSL is concerned there
has been no official post-mortem, so it is safe to assume that it
will be business as usual. The central plank of GOSL will still be
the "Peace Process" to which bipartisan support has been
assured through the SLFP-UNP agreement. As we saw this was trumpeted
at Geneva II as a great achievement, and even Tamilselvan gave it
his blessing as he knew its real significance: the de facto Eelam
is safe.
GOSL Response
When TS and Co returned to Katunayaka GOSL whom they had called "Sinhala
chauvinist leaders" and "racists" immediately flew
them to Kilinochchi in an Air Force helicopter. The Norwegian ambassador
too accompanied them as an insurance policy. So despite the taunts
of TS GOSL was keeping its part of the bargain to its "colleagues".
After they got to Kilinochchi no doubt the LTTE and the Norwegians
would have celebrated what they regard as the "victory"
of the Tamils at Geneva II.
While they may not have got the A9 opened they would have scored
points by charging GOSL with trying to starve the Jaffna Tamils. The
reason GOSL gave at Geneva II for closing the A9 road was that people
taking that route was not safe from LTTE attacks. The real and valid
reason is that this runs through LTTE territory. But to admit that
would be humiliating for GOSL as it was an admission that it was not
sovereign in part of its own country. Previously traffic passing thorough
the LTTE checkpoint had to pay a tax to the LTTE and provided they
did this the vehicles were allowed to continue on their journey. TS
also had his own catalogue of Human Rights wrongs of GOSL — it
is not difficult to guess which version the "international community"
would have believed.
The failure of GOSL at Geneva II was that it had painted itself into
a corner by renouncing the military option and relying exclusively
on the Peace Process. By taking the UNP, which is even more committed
to the Peace Process, into its fold it has ensured that it will never
be able to break out of its corner. This is giving victory to the
enemy.
Response of Hela supporters
The GOSL supporters and devotees of the MR cult lost no time in taking
cue from GOSL. Not only was there little criticism of GOSL performance
but there was even less criticism of the LTTE. I have already pointed
out some wrong interpretations given by some journalists. As for the
rank-and-file their thinking is best expressed by "Bodhi"
Dhanapala (BD), who is emerging as the High Priest of the MR cult,
in recent posts in this forum. Here are a few of his classic statements:
"The Sri Lankan leaders are no more corrupt or no more incompetent
than other leaders. In fact, utterly less so." If they are more
competent than everybody else can BD quote any country which has given
away part of its territory to a terrorist to prepare his outrages
undisturbed? How would he explain why SL is sliding to the bottom
of Asian countries in terms of economic progress? What BD says will
only encourage SL politicos to carry on in their corrupt and incompetent
ways. Examples are legion, and many have been aired in this very forum.
"Today the most corrupt nation is Switzerland ..." If
SL is that much cleaner than Switzerland why it is begging from Switzerland,
and from a dozen other countries? Is it good to receive corrupt money
in one's begging bowl? This Hela tactic of saying 'we are better than
someone else' is another way of encouraging the politicos to sink
even deeper into corruption. What BD does not say is that US, Canada,
Switzerland etc. may have corruption but they have tough anti-corruption
laws and many highly place offenders are in prison. What has SL done
to people who had transferred public Tsunami money into private accounts
and kept it there until the Attorney had to ferret it out?
"The Geneva-II talks were also very useful to the strategy of
the government.". What is the strategy involved? Does BD think
that anyone is going to get lessons on Democracy, Human Rights and
Economic Development from what many regard as a failed state both
politically and economically? Is this simply to paint the GOSL Chief
Negotiator as a great diplomat when he sees the SL conflict as an
ethnic problem?
" GLPeries and others are mad that RW has AGREED to unconditonally
supporting the Budget, " So supporting the Budget over-rides
such acts of treachery as the CFA! The other arguments for the SLFP-UNo
MOU advanced by BD are no better. I think the consensus in this forum
is that the MOU is a disaster for SL.
"the propaganda of prophets of Doom (e.g, BICS-VG). " BD
seems to think that saying that pointing out the consequences of incorrect
policy is a prophesy of doom. Does he think that his praise of a failed
policy is a prophesy of victory? In fact he is aiding the LTTE by
encouraging GOSL to stick to its failed. Neither BD or GOSL has any
clue as to what the correct policy should be. GOSL seems to think
that the APC and the "Committee of Experts" will come up
with a solution. These bodies have deliberated for several months
while thousands have died and they have no clue as to what the policy
should be. This is because these bodies are made up of fools like
BD. Unlike BD I have given my solution to the problem. If this is
followed is it is still possible to liquidate the LTTE, but not the
"Peace Policy" of SLFP-UNP or the mindless ranting of DB.
We know BD's fear of bulls, but it is not his porcelain that has to
be thrashed but his foolish thinking.
I do not think it is necessary to give more examples of BD's warped
thinking. I am fully that aware that he represents the worst of the
Hela mindset. The average Hela is less of a moron than BD and is quite
aware that the country is going on the wrong path, especially after
the marriage of the rogues (the SLFP-UNP alliance), but even they
cannot suggest anything else. Responding to BD is a real waste of
time. All he is only capable is unsubstantiated personal jibes. There
is not a single matter of fact that I had said that he refers to.
In future I shall monitor only those who have something coherent to
say however wrong what they say may be.
I think the above is fair summary of the response of GOSL and the
Helas to the tactics of the LTTE. This is the real path of doom.
