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UNDP official demands written apology from
Rama Mani
SCOPP SG continues to expose
Dirty Tricks
Secretary General
Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP)
20th February 2008
The appalling situation at ICES continues to reverberate, with yet more
articles claiming that it is essentially an internal dispute that has
spilled over into the public domain. It is even argued that those who
had for many months tried to bring honesty into the system were somehow
traitors. One writer introduced the metaphor of civil society activists
being trees that should stick together to survive, disaster occurring
when a woodcutter has an axe with a wooden handle, i.e. one of the trees
has betrayed the group to government.
But what happens when trees get diseased? Surely they have to be cut
down, before the disease spreads and kills off every tree. In such a
situation, the axe has in fact saved the species.
The question is, was ICES so deeply diseased that culling was essential?
The answer can be seen in a letter sent recently by Omar Noman, Chief
of Policies and Programmes at the UNDP Regional Centre in Colombo. His
name had appeared second in the list of those who had signed a petition
protesting at the removal of Rama Mani. It was sandwiched between the
names of Sithie Tiruchelvam of the Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust and Paikiasothy
Saravanamuttu of the Centre of Policy Alternatives. Mr. Noman's affiliation
too was given, as though to suggest that these three worthy institutions,
including the UN, stood together in this brave struggle.
But Mr. Noman had been deceived, and he said so in no uncertain terms
to Rama Mani. His letter is attached. Rama Mani's attempt to involve
the Resident Coordinator of the UN, along with ambassadors of countries
who had research projects with ICES, is symptomatic of the low methods
employed by those who have rallied to her defence and presented the
issue as a battle between 'authoritarian tyranny and individual liberty'.
As far as ICES was concerned, the truth was that this was a battle between
honesty and dishonesty, accountability and irresponsibility, due procedure
and culpable carelessness.
It involved differences between those who thought that a contract had
to be honoured and those who cared not a damn for whose money they were
using for what. It involved a contrast between those who do not tell
lies and those who lie, deceive and cheat.
Bradman Weerakoon has claimed that 'An appeal by me to the President's
office involved a small relief of 5 days more' and that he and Sunil
Bastian would deal with remaining issues including 'liaising with the
President's office re inquiries commencing there on events leading to
the security decision to remove Rama immediately from the country.'
Radhika Coomaraswamy has claimed that the Foreign Ministry assured her
Rama Mani would be granted her visa. It is inconceivable that such claims
could be true, in view of the categorical assertion regarding the matter
by the Prime Minister on the floor of the house.
But those who, as the UNDP Regional Centre Chief puts it, care nothing
about any 'awkward and embarrassing position' they put others into through
deceit and deception, need to be guarded against through forthright
language such as Mr. Noman uses, to ensure that such tricks are not
repeated.
Prof Rajiva Wijesinha
Secretary General
Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP)
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