CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

PETER HILL'S ARROGANCE

ASOKA S.

Mahinda Rajapaksha is the elected executive President of Sri Lanka. The power his carries has been directly bestowed upon him by the people of Sri Lanka. Peter Hill is a senior employee of Emirates Airlines who is also the chief executive office of Sri Lankan Airlines. He is also a guest worker in Sri Lanka. His immigration status make it very relevant that he extends curtesy and respect to his host country head of state.

Peter Hill is very likely driven by his usual British arrogance in the eyes of a Leader of a 3rd world country which the once mighty British Empire once ruled. He very likely want to impress upon the Lankan Leader that rules are rules and the rules that apply to all passengers apply to Mr. Rajapaksha too. But he missed a key point. The majority share holder of SLA is the government of SL as well as that President Rajapaksha is the sovereign Head of our Nation where he is a guest immigrant worker.

When the President wants to travel on his National Carrier, Hill had several options. He could have offered alternate seats in a different carrier at any cost and make it possible for the Lankan President to travel. All airlines overbook the flights as there are always cancellations and airlines don't want to lose revenue. The cost of such an expense would be quite justified compared to the per diem Hill gets when he travels for business himself at the cost of Lankan people. Also Hill is a very insignificant entity when compared to the head of a state and he, I am sure realized it too well when he woke up the next day to find he has no right to legally be in Sri Lanka. The third and the most important element is that people extend curtesy to heads of state no matter what shade of leaders. Hill never thought of that either. His British arrogance was way above that.

I have personally witnessed CEO's of even billion dollar US companies go out of their way to accommodate the needs of the company owners. To many who do not know inner workings in US corporations this may be a surprise but this is actually true. Hill too was nurtured in a similar corporate culture. I am sure he knows full well about this aspect of his job. Lankan President's needs should have viewed in the same light by him.

So now his job is on the line. He played with the wrong man and had to swallow a bitter pill.

It is also time that our President display a similar outlook to the International Clerks of the UN agencies who come to teach us things while their closets are full of it. President Rajapaksha's biggest challenge is to destroy the LTTE and anybody who helps in that process is most welcome. Those glorified clerks who come to advise us on Human Rights should be shown the door. We are a troubled nation at war with a maniac and everything else emanate from that.

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