CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Simple counter questions for Bishop Chickera

Sisira Pereira Panadura

Having read the statement by Bishop Chickera on http://federalidea.com/focus/archives/77, I couldn't stay away from raising a few concerns of mine too. So I pen it all down here.

A Call for National Integrity-A Statement by the Rt Revd Duleep de Chickera, Bishop of Colombo
The recent escalation of the war agenda and war euphoria through special commemorative events is cause for concern.

Good to be concerned about war agendas. But whose war agenda? Did the Governments of SL, present and past started waging a war on their own against the LTTE or did they start it by killing Mr. Doraiappa through many thousands of innocent civilians and clergy and children and continuing up to now? So whose war agenda was it really to begin with? The Government's? or the LTTE 's?, which is a banned terrorist organization in the world, topping the charts at No. 2!! And No1 is Al Quaeda. Do we hear the Vatican voicing concerns on the US-led coalition forces for their war agenda, which started when a few Arab men plunged in to the two high rises and the Coalition forces started and still continue to bomb and kill thousands of innocent civillians in Iraq and Afghanistan for that? Is that a war agenda or merely legitimate retalliation by an affected government on terrorism? So who's war agenda should we be concerned about primarily and address primarily? That of the terrorists or the military effort by our legitimate governments in order to crush terrorism to protect its people, especially taking care to cause zero collateral harm to civilians?
Euphoria through special commemorative events? Concerned? Please..
In Wanni, the LTTE make enough euphoria about their commemorations garlanding suicide bombers and marching with huge placards of the LTTE terrorist leader Pirapaharan . Not just this year, for many many years now. And do they or don't they use school children for the parades there? Of course! Has nobody witnessed that at all? Was anybody ever concerned about that euphoria? The LTTE just this month held a parade in Killinochchi just to show off their military strength to cover up for the losses in the East. Isn't that enough euphoria too to cause anybody any concern?

We respond to war best by striving to end war; and we respect those who engage and die in war best, by ensuring that more lives are not lost.

Nothing better than peace. But does the LTTE want that? How many times have they walked out of negotiations and fortified their military machine to propagate terrorism until they get what they want? Respecting the dead is a high human norm. But terrorists are terrorists. One should be more concerned of the civillians and children and armed forces who pay the price for all the brutal attrocities committed by ruthless terrorist groups. So for me, all who engage in war is not alike. Like I said, a terrorist is a terrorist.

In war there are no winners and losers. All lose, including the ones who think they win.

In a war against terrorists, there should be one winner. At least it should be the goal. Generalizing facts have and will support existing and budding terrorism in a country. If a war is required to crush the No.2 terrorist organization in the world, just pen and paper will not be enough. Like the Island Newspaper Editor once said in one of his editorials, If you go with a negotiation paper to talk to a terrorist, trying to shoot at you with a gun, he will shoot through the paper and your chest. So, better shoot him back and kill him before the negotiations can begin. And that knowledge is not some overnight thought but something that the patriotic Sri Lankans have realized through 30 years of LTTE terrorism and failed negotiations. If the SL government kow tow to terrorism, sure there will be only one winner, and that is the LTTE.

Popular reporting may suggest otherwise, but the escalation of war in Sri Lanka simply requires an escalation of the deaths of Sri Lankans on all sides. These are mostly the young and the poor; lured or coerced into battle by shrewd rewards and devices by both sides.

No, not by both sides. This is a seemingly cunning argument for that it obscures the legitimate right of a majority elected government to make choices about fighting terrorism. The LTTE has been recruiting voluntarily and involuntarily thousands during the past 30 years or so, even abducting children to be the sacrificial lambs in their terrorist activities. The luring and coercing is fast happening in the LTTE, with their out-of-proportion propaganda and planted hatred against the majority Sinhalese among their younger generations. As for the gallant soldiers of the legitimate armies of Sri Lanka , the use of poor, lured and coerced into battle with rewards is a blatant attempt at disregarding the patriotism among the Sri Lankan public. In my mind, these are carefully chosen words, meticulously used to tarnish the image of the Tri Forces of Sri Lanka and the sacrifices made by them. One should realize that fighting for the pride and sovereignty of one's motherland should be regarded with utmost honour. Bishop Chikera's choice of words in my mind hints otherwise a motive.

An escalation of war correspondingly demands an escalation of destruction to the economy and environment, an escalation of human displacement and misery, an escalation of the war budget, an escalation of budgetary cuts apportioned for essential welfare services, an escalation of Government borrowing, an escalation of indebtedness of future generations and indeed an escalation of human revenge, pride and hatred.

This is true. That is essentially why the LTTE should be defeated once and for all in the shortest span of time possible. All the prior governments simply screwed this up as they didn't have any resolve to fight the demon head on. Instead they lullaby-ed the LTTE, and they (LTTE) achieved what they want at each step of negotiations and simply slipped back to war when it was prime time again to terrorize the state once more. And, thus, the country saw 30 years of destruction. I hope Bishop Chikera refers to this. If it is, it is neither new scenario nor any new knowledge. A

War can never be right.

AI always wonder why I hear this only when the LTTE is down and out during these 30 years of terrorist campaign. When that happens, somewhere, somebody stands up and somehow says this. I guess co-incidental.

The responsibility of democratic leadership then, is to work earnestly and urgently to end war and achieve a just and stable socio-economic order through non-violent, negotiated means.

There we go..
Is this to hint that the current president is acting irresponsibly and undemocratically? Does this remark come because the Rajapaksha government strategically outmaneuvered the LTTE at their own game and directed the valiant soldiers of the armies to chase away the LTTE from the East? Was Bishop Chickera born in this millenia? Otherwise why should anyone bring up this kind of nonsense? Haven't we seen enough for the past 30 years or so? Urgently ending war can be achieved even tomorrow, if the LTTE is given the Elam , not a wee bit shorter of that. Is that what Bishop Chikera is suggesting? Otherwise he should know better than that. My question is why this non violence preaching is not preached to the LTTE in a manner that the whole world can listen. The LTTE is the party that blocks the ending of war through negotiated, non-violent means. Why should the Commander-in-chief be blamed for that? For not giving in to Elam and ending this once and for all? Convenience and ulterior motives? I fail to understand.

If we can initiate negotiations on our own, then we must do so immediately.

Reverend Sir, it takes two to tango. It is really hard to tango with somebody when he is constantly trying to shoot you down at the first chance offered!! One cannot dance with the devil. The history of 30 years has proved that stark truth to us. You just get killed at the end of the dance, because it is only you who wants to dance, not the devil.

If we cannot we must ask for help clearly and purposefully. To claim to know the path ahead and watch the country plunge into a precipice without turning for help is perhaps the most serious breach of democratic trust.

Aha! Do I feel a dejavu? I also heard that the so-called international community and the so-called rights watch groups are constantly trying to push the UN to send a monitoring mission to Sri Lanka , so that they can lay the stepping stone to the cessation of the country. Well, now I am beginning to see some connection. Now all we hear is about democracy. Where were all these utterances when the LTTE broke loose and violated the CFA so blatantly when the Sri Lankan governments didn't fire a bullet in retaliation? Did anyone even care to go hard on the LTTE for the violations? Democracy will return once the LTTE terrorists are gone.

Equally serious is the investment of the war agenda in the lives of our children. The indoctrination of trapped school communities, through often helpless school authorities, exposed to risk, with programmes highlighting images of war and the enemy is a serious violation of the vulnerability and dignity of our children and must be condemned.

I guess this time Bishop Chickera is talking about the LTTE!! Or is he refering to something else without spelling it?A

The LTTE, with a much longer sustained record, and also the Government, which acts sporadically, are both guilty of this trend.

AI was Wrong earlier, the government is also side kicked here, I guess. Purposefully? Nah, can't be..

I urge them both to please respect the rights of our children and refrain from sowing seeds of hostility in young impressionable minds. Our children are the real wealth and potential of our Nation. They must one day soon, live in harmony together. Our religions and cultures, and mostly our love and best expectations for them leave us with no other option.
Consequently I caution and call upon all who love and care for children, specially Parents, Educationists, Teachers and Religious Leaders to counter this trend by investing the values of mutual respect and trust, co-operation, sharing and co-existence into their valuable young lives.
It is still not too late to come to our senses and turn our swords into ploughshares.

Government is not recruiting minors to go to war. It is the LTTE who does that. When the Sri Lankan forces fight against brutal terrorism and wins, don $B!G (Bt the children of our country have right to appreciate the patriotism and the sacrifices they are making.? Do we want them to grow up thinking, hey it is not my fight, I am cool the way I am, who cares if them soldiers get killed by the terrorists? Do we want them to grow up like that? May be some do, of course. Do we want our children to treat terrorism as terrorism or just kow tow to it when pressured? Are they not going to be the future leaders, presidents, commanders of the armies and guardians of this nation? Sowing hostility is one thing, which is done by the LTTE, erasing all true history of the Island and recreating one of their own to brainwash the children. And cultivating patriotism is entirely another thing which is the need of the hour. Without that, the future generations will become invertebrates as far as patriotism is concerned. We have a country and we have a proud history that we cherish. And that history is not built on terrorism but on sweat and blood of our patriotic ancestors. We need to extend that proud linearity to our children too. It is not comparable to abducting and recruiting children to fight a terrorist war as done by the LTTE. And it should not be interpreted for petty motives as sowing seeds of hostility in young impressionable minds. One should be able to find the difference and appreciate it.

We certainly don't need our children to grow up and become Don Juan Dharmapala reincarnated. We got rid of one several hundred years ago and another several years ago. Yet the damage caused by them to the Nation still vibrates in many folds. Having just two of them was a helluva lot of Don Juans to deal with as a Nation. We certainly don't need more!

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