ARETHE AMERICANS ON A RESCUE MISSION?

Sri Lankans are running out of democratic air to breathe

It makes America special

A bully is someone who attacks the weak, avoids fights with the strong, and ignores any rule when it suits him. America is regarded the world’s leading bully. It is the reason why after 9/11 many people said America that had a calculated ‘habit’ of invading and bombing other countries deserved a taste of their own medicine.

America invaded, bombed and shelled far more countries than any other since World War II. It also overthrew governments around the world since they are ardent fans of regime changes where dictatorships called the tune. At the same there is room to believe that America was also involved in coups against democratically elected governments. Yes, America has a reputation of performing bully-boy stunts– attacking smaller, weaker countries frequently on excuses–mostly trumped up ones. They are only concerned about self agendas not caring a hang about who gets hurt. Crowding Iraq and cornering Saddam is just one example. But then Americans are always right and the others wrong. Yet, they are cautious of angering the strong.

America is viewed as an arrogant, selfish bully without real friends–nobody likes a bully.

Latest bully - boy stunt

In this flowery but nasty smelling background the Yanks pulled a stunt over Sri Lanka. It’s true that they huffed, puffed and sweated under their collars canvassing support to extend the Yankee broad band openly and surreptitiously on other fronts. With hunting horns blaring they chased after an illusive fox supposed to have committed fouls– ‘war crimes’ – they call them in a war against terrorists.

What the term ‘War Crimes’ means and to whom they are applicable is greatly off balance. The question blares loud as fog horns when considering the benign international eyes cast on the LTTE that maimed and slaughtered thousands of innocent people of Sri Lanka in their ethnic cleansing, border fencing terror programme. In any case going to war to kill other people is a crime in itself. And in that context, America and its cahoots are clearly answerable–their lists of skeletons in cupboards, secret dumps and warehouses being that long–and growing. So war crimes are as diffuse as the moving

Many see that Sri Lankans are in need of an outside force, even a bully, to free them of their shackles in a ‘democratic’ country. The Americans may meet that bill–others appear to be wrapped in fence-walking under a policy of non-interference

mounds of Saharan sand.

Hounding ends – for now

Finally the hectic hunt ended. The fox bought it after a UNHRC vote went in favour of the bully’s resolution 24 to 15. Eight in the rights committee avoided the games. Big brother India voting against its little brother featured high in the ‘why’ menu after the voting. Many fingers pointed at Tamil land in southern India and the political clout it wielded in the Indian Centre. Other less important allusions have been made by political maestros regarding a many-faced, multitongued neighbour and the others who went absent. Theories may sound rational, but politics is never black and white and the shades of grey in between progress from light to dark in mere fractions–even overnight at times.

Some Lankan think tanks say Sri Lanka did not suffer a defeat because the eight that abstained from voting should be considered pro- Lankan. It’s unimaginable that gurus in international affairs arrive at such puerile conclusions. But their philosophies have been flouted by the Lankan management to support its stand that the Yank victory was just by a wisp–it didn’t make even a dent in the thick Lankan hide–rather side. Such voices may soothe the bruised egos of ignorant pro-regime die-hards but to people with stable thinking boxes it’s a different message–perhaps even a dangerous one. Time will tell.

Sanctions and handcuffs; not for the people

What is to be expected in the aftermath of the mini-battle on rights? Follow up noose tightening agendas can begin with the equivalent of dropped leaflets, small gun fire, extending to missiles and cloaked invasions. (Similar scenes were enacted before the World Wars erupted.)

Sounds of sanctions are already in the air, but, many do not appear to realize that they are not being made against the people of Lanka but the current regime. All the same, most types of arm twisting of regimes fall on the heads of people. So, losing out to the American resolution on rights should not be considered as a defeat of the people. Many Sri Lankans have distanced themselves from their leaders and their government draped locally and internationally in drab colours in a rapidly deteriorating democracy–a pseudo democracy.

In such a situation, what could the people do? Examples of what people can do have been seen in some countries in the Middle- East and North Africa. Even now, the people of Syria are engaged in a struggle at great cost against a regime murdering its own people.

But why are the West and the UN who can, and should intervene in the mayhem sitting in front of their TV’S simply listening to media reports on the carnage? Is it because of Ass-ado’s claim he is fighting terrorists? But then, weren’t the LTTE terrorists as well? Why are the UN and its helmsmen ignoring the gross infringements of human rights in Syria? This is not surprising: in the international playground human rights is a joke.

The appearance of a similar uprising here is remote. The opposition forces are divided and weak and the strong arm tactics of the regime in quelling dissent deter a leaderless people in a culture enforced by a regime developing and feeding a dynasty. It is not a new phenomenon in world history: it has happened before. But how many dynasties have survived?

It is anti-regime

Many see that Sri Lankans are in need of an outside force, even a bully, to free them of their shackles in a ‘democratic’ country. The Americans may meet that bill–others appear to be wrapped in fence-walking under a policy of non-interference.

Pundits trumpet that American interests here would catalyse the Indians, Russians and the Chinese–a second stream of bullies–into protecting the leverage they have in the affairs of the region through Sri Lanka. But just as much bullies are never liked, having them poking into the country’s affairs have their advantages. As matters stand, America expects the Rajapaksa regime to kick start many democratic necessities like the LLRC recommendations, parts of the Constitution people expected to see operational and other desirable agendas conveniently left to gather cobwebs in forgotten archives. They harp sharply on the re-establishment of human rights that have disappeared in a dictatorial broth.

The people of Sri Lanka have nothing to do in parrying these international thrusts signaling an anti-regime approach–not an anti-people crunch. This means that the Rajapaksa regime has a battle in defending itself–not the country. The regime has been challenged and its existence shaken in the beginning of a tempest.

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