I was just now, May 8th 2008, informed of the British citizen, Principal of Trinity College, Kandy given a week’s notice to leave the country on some allegation. Whatever the allegation, be it true or false, one has a right to justice in the matter especially if it is trumped up or done by people with ulterior motives, using the allegation as an excuse.
This blog, Kalpanakaranna is an effort to maintain the Serendipity of the country Sri Lanka from which that name originated, by asking the reader to stop and think awhile the consequences of such actions. “KALPANAKARANNA” yako karanna issella (devil, think before you act)
I would advise the sleepy Board of Governors of the school to take hasty action to request a stay order on the deportation, and use the services of an old boy, Faiz Mustapha who has offered his services pro bono who is an excellent lawyer on such matters.
This action by the government has been taken at the behest of people pretending to act patriotically and in the national interest, as otherwise you would not deport someone. Look at the possible consequences of this action. Internationally Sri Lanka will increasingly become known as a place that does not tolerate anyone who does not subscribe to the government views. This act will be viewed more as a means of suppressing freedom of expression rather than a justifiable act of a stable and sane country.
Nationally we have lost the services of an excellent educator, who has proved his worth in India and has begun to show results in Sri Lanka, despite the odds against him doing so from people bent on ridding him from the school. Trinity will not be able to replace him with a better person, so that is a loss in itself. The people love to hate people who do not subscribe to their views, but why not put a more constructive tone, to present a better alternative when taking someone to task. In this respect the nation suffers.
Without going into further detail it is self apparent that this action taken against this individual is therefore an unpatriotic act, and therefore against the national self interest and those rabid protagonists cant see this.
On a related issue therefore, if he was accused of say being an LTTE sympathizer, lets define an LTTE sympathizer.
He is one who enables the LTTE to do their job better. Their job being to harm this country from within and without, putting forward the separate state agenda as pursued by them, and finding justification for this cause.
Now take the Colonel in charge of purchasing rations for a particular camp in Minneriya. If he so much as takes a rupee from the pol mudalali who sells the Coconuts to the camp at Rs 50 per nut, then he deprives the army of funds to fight the war, and is a de facto LTTE sympathizer. The same is true for the big boys who sell faulty and outdated arms to the forces and make commissions and the list goes on and on. If one actually delves into the personal records of the accusers of this person one would be able to prove more conclusively of the accusers credentials as an LTTE sympathizer than this person, so the adage, those without sin cast the first stone applies here.
What is it with people who cannot be single minded in defeating an enemy, who instead divert this energy and present the enemy with more ammunition with which to fight? This is the mentality that has prolonged the war, which could have been won with much less casualties if there was a will to win and not pad the coffers of everyone who has a stake in the war mongering business. Without a war, consider the amount of people making money off the war, that will lose out! That is the tragedy of the war with our innocent boys from every village in the country paying the price of the mistakes of the privileged who make the laws, break the laws and play with the laws.
No one doubts that the LTTE is a fearsome terrorist organization that needs to be completely eliminated. Merely winning the war, is a matter of time. This will not eliminate the LTTE or an off-shoot of them. To clearly eliminate a future threat to national sovereignty one has to ensure that the reasons behind one wanting to take arms against the state has also to be eliminated. This has to be done conterminously with wining the hearts and minds of all the ethnic communities who are under threat from very rabid and racist elements, who have a voice, but no basis for their beliefs in a country that throughout its history been multiethnic and multi religious where no one can claim exclusivity or rights over another.
Once these simple facts are accepted, and accommodation made to address grievances, we as a nation of Sri Lankans first can proudly face the world as an example of a harmonious multi ethnic society, proud of the present just as much as its past, to face the very real future challenges of environment and sustainability with a proper sense of values and justice.
This blog, Kalpanakaranna is an effort to maintain the Serendipity of the country Sri Lanka from which that name originated, by asking the reader to stop and think awhile the consequences of such actions. “KALPANAKARANNA” yako karanna issella (devil, think before you act)
I would advise the sleepy Board of Governors of the school to take hasty action to request a stay order on the deportation, and use the services of an old boy, Faiz Mustapha who has offered his services pro bono who is an excellent lawyer on such matters.
This action by the government has been taken at the behest of people pretending to act patriotically and in the national interest, as otherwise you would not deport someone. Look at the possible consequences of this action. Internationally Sri Lanka will increasingly become known as a place that does not tolerate anyone who does not subscribe to the government views. This act will be viewed more as a means of suppressing freedom of expression rather than a justifiable act of a stable and sane country.
Nationally we have lost the services of an excellent educator, who has proved his worth in India and has begun to show results in Sri Lanka, despite the odds against him doing so from people bent on ridding him from the school. Trinity will not be able to replace him with a better person, so that is a loss in itself. The people love to hate people who do not subscribe to their views, but why not put a more constructive tone, to present a better alternative when taking someone to task. In this respect the nation suffers.
Without going into further detail it is self apparent that this action taken against this individual is therefore an unpatriotic act, and therefore against the national self interest and those rabid protagonists cant see this.
On a related issue therefore, if he was accused of say being an LTTE sympathizer, lets define an LTTE sympathizer.
He is one who enables the LTTE to do their job better. Their job being to harm this country from within and without, putting forward the separate state agenda as pursued by them, and finding justification for this cause.
Now take the Colonel in charge of purchasing rations for a particular camp in Minneriya. If he so much as takes a rupee from the pol mudalali who sells the Coconuts to the camp at Rs 50 per nut, then he deprives the army of funds to fight the war, and is a de facto LTTE sympathizer. The same is true for the big boys who sell faulty and outdated arms to the forces and make commissions and the list goes on and on. If one actually delves into the personal records of the accusers of this person one would be able to prove more conclusively of the accusers credentials as an LTTE sympathizer than this person, so the adage, those without sin cast the first stone applies here.
What is it with people who cannot be single minded in defeating an enemy, who instead divert this energy and present the enemy with more ammunition with which to fight? This is the mentality that has prolonged the war, which could have been won with much less casualties if there was a will to win and not pad the coffers of everyone who has a stake in the war mongering business. Without a war, consider the amount of people making money off the war, that will lose out! That is the tragedy of the war with our innocent boys from every village in the country paying the price of the mistakes of the privileged who make the laws, break the laws and play with the laws.
No one doubts that the LTTE is a fearsome terrorist organization that needs to be completely eliminated. Merely winning the war, is a matter of time. This will not eliminate the LTTE or an off-shoot of them. To clearly eliminate a future threat to national sovereignty one has to ensure that the reasons behind one wanting to take arms against the state has also to be eliminated. This has to be done conterminously with wining the hearts and minds of all the ethnic communities who are under threat from very rabid and racist elements, who have a voice, but no basis for their beliefs in a country that throughout its history been multiethnic and multi religious where no one can claim exclusivity or rights over another.
Once these simple facts are accepted, and accommodation made to address grievances, we as a nation of Sri Lankans first can proudly face the world as an example of a harmonious multi ethnic society, proud of the present just as much as its past, to face the very real future challenges of environment and sustainability with a proper sense of values and justice.
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