Jolly-good fellowship overshadows issues knocking the door
With the general observance that there is a link between the spread of non-communicable diseases and the dietary habits of people, there is increased focus today on the importance of consuming more and more organic food items. The issue was a matter of discussion even at the last Cabinet meeting conducted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa last Friday.
The President stressed the need for having organic farming for the production of healthy food in today’s context. He referred to the recent opening of an organic food outlet at the Sambodhi Viharaya headed by eminent Buddhist monk Ven. Dharanagama Kusaladamma Thera.
Once the President made such remarks on organic farming, National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara insisted that the government should encourage farmers to opt for organic farming under a state sponsored programme instead of depending on agro-chemicals introduced under Green Revolution. Farmers overwhelmingly voted the present regime at successive elections, and therefore the fertiliser subsidy is a politically sensitive topic. Almost all the ministers were cautious not to mention anything against the fertiliser subsidy currently being given to farmers, particularly for the cultivation of paddy. However, Minister Nanayakkara was an exception.
Organic farming
“It is important to encourage farmers to undertake organic farming without using agro-chemicals. The government provides chemical fertiliser at a subsidised price to farmers. Instead, they should be given financial assistance to undertake the use of carbonic fertiliser,” he said.
But, the President had a different view on the matter. He, in fact, said the use of carbonic fertilizer could be promoted through a gradual process only, but not at once as suggested by Mr. Nanayakkara.
Most members at the Cabinet hailed Indigenous Medicine Minister Salinda Dissanayake at this point for promoting healthy foods prescribed by traditional medical practitioners. Mr. Dissanayake himself has been a successful farmer of indigenous paddy varieties. He recently collected a record harvest from the cultivation of such a paddy variety in his land in Battaramulla. The President asked Minister Dissanayake to promote it in other parts of the country as well.
In Sri Lanka, there is controversy that the use of agro chemicals has led to the spread of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology in the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) has included Sri Lanka among the ten countries with a rapid spread of this deadly disease which has taken a heavy toll on human lives. Another reason for this chronic kidney disease has been the fact that the groundwater and the soil in the agricultural areas of the dry zone are contaminated with metallic elements.
Therefore, experts in the agriculture sector now drive home the point that there should be a clear departure from green revolution under which the input of agro chemicals was encouraged to increase harvests. But white revolution is a concept encouraging the rejection of agro chemicals for organic and ecological form of agriculture.
The Ministers and MPs clapped and danced, to the lyrical tone of Minister Weerawansa. The merry making went on till midnight, and ministers who had arrived from outstations stayed in Colombo overnight.
Bandula backpedals
In addition to organic farming, the Cabinet focused on a number of other matters including the topic about the proposal by Education Minister Bandula Gunawardane to abolish the Grade 5 scholarship Examination in its present form, and to replace it with a simpler exam with a question paper to be answered by students in one hour. The minister drew flak from his colleagues, and eventually, it was decided to continue with the exam in the present form.
After the Cabinet meeting, the President had convened a meeting of his alliance partners to discuss the planned dissolution of the Western and Souther n Provincial Councils for early election this year. At the meeting, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) led by Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem announced that his party would contest the election in all three districts-Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara- of the Western Province on its own.
Electoral moves of the SLMC and CWC
In the Western Province, particularly in Colombo, there is a sizeable chunk of Muslim votes, and the SLMC is now trying to bank on this vote bank, quite disappointed with the recent state of affairs of the government as far as the Muslim community is concerned.
Likewise, Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), led by Livestock development Minister Arumugam Thondaman is elated by its success at the last provincial council election in the Central Province. CWC contested independent of the UPFA in Kandy and Matale and won three seats. Probably encouraged by this success, CWC will test the waters in the Western Province. But, again, there is a new dimension to the CWC’s decision to contest alone in the Western Province where there is a considerably large vote bank. The results of past elections suggest that the Democratic People’s Front of Mano Ganeshan holds sway in the Tamil majority areas in the province. Mr. Ganeshan is a politician aligned with the main opposition United National Party (UNP). He openly pledged support to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) at the last provincial council election in the North. In this context, the government may like the CWC, as its ally in the central government, to eat into the Tamil vote bank so far held by Mr. Ganeshan’s party.
Also, it is learnt that the government is promoting All Ceylon People’s Congress led by Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen to field its candidates in the districts of the Western Province, as a challenge to the SLMC.
Melodious Weerawansa
After this meeting last Friday, the President hosted the government members of both the Parliament and the Provincial Councils to a dinner at Temple Trees in view of the New Year.
Some government members arrived with their spouses and children. Housing and Engineering Services Minister Wimal Weerawansa entertained the participants with songs of late singer Gunadasa Kapuge. The Ministers and MPs, alike, clapped and danced, to the lyrical tone of Mr. Weerawansa. The merrymaking went even till midnight, and ministers who had arrived from outstations stayed in Colombo overnight.
UNP LC shifting gears
The main opposition United National Party(UNP), battered by a series of electoral defeats since 1994 , barring a brief period between 2002 and 2004, is hard at work to position itself ahead of planned provincial council elections and an anticipated national election later this year or early next year.
The party, in its first attempt to gear up action, appointed the Leadership Council (LC) headed by MP Karu Jayasuriya. The LC met on January 6 for the New Year. It decided to start a grassroots level cam-
Despite such merrymaking and political preparations for local elections, internationally, things seem to be brewing up against Sri Lanka. The arrival of Ambassador - at - Large Stephen J. Rapp in Sri Lanka is a serious development
paign trail and to sustain it in view of a national election. Besides, the LC will meet at a stretch for three days from today till Saturday to discuss campaign strategies, and the preparation of nomination lists for the upcoming provincial council elections.
Prior to the LC meeting on January 6, there was a one to one chat for one hour between LC member Kandy district MP Lakshman Kiriella and UNP dissident Maithri Gunaratne. Mr. Gunaratne has been at loggerheads with the party hierarchy for a long time. He now asks for him to be appointed as chief candidate for the Southern Province. Mr. Kiriella on behalf of the LC, communicated to Mr. Gunaratne that he should recognise the LC as a legal entity of the party structure. Also, he was asked to accept the four resolutions adopted at the annual UNP Convention.
“If you agree with these conditions, you can have a formal dialogue with the LC,” Mr. Kiriella told Mr. Gunaratne.
Chandrika - and Mangala dine at Mount Lavinia Hotel
Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga hosted a dinner for a few selected friends at Mount Lavinia hotel last Monday. It was attended by her erstwhile friend and colleague Mangala Samaraweera, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A.Sumanthiran , UNP provincial councilor Harshana Rajakaruna and two diplomats from the Canadian and Pakistani High Commissions in Sri Lanka. The burglary of Mr. Samaraweera’s Panadura house was discussed among them. One inquired about it. Mr. Samaraweera said a laptop and a few bottles of liquor had been stolen by someone known to him. “A worker I had hired from time to time had stolen these things,” he said.
Then, another remarked, “You always get into trouble because of people known to you.” Also, there were remarks that Mr. Samaraweera would rather have the liquor bottles back than the laptop.
Rapp’s mission
Despite such merrymaking and political preparations for local elections, internationally, things seem to be brewing up against Sri Lanka. The arrival of Ambassador-at-Large Stephen J. Rapp in Sri Lanka was a serious development. He arrived in the country on a fact finding mission on January 6, and will leave on January 11.
His mission has to be undertaken in the following context. First, Mr. Rapp heads the Office of Global Criminal Justice, and advises the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights on issues related to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. In particular, the office helps to formulate the US policy on the prevention of, responses to, and accountability for mass atrocities. To this end, the office advises the U.S. Government and foreign governments on the appropriate use of a wide range of transitional justice mechanisms, including truth and reconciliation commissions, Illustrations, and reparations in addition to judicial processes.
In a statement posted on his website says, “the office also coordinates U.S. Government positions relating to the international and hybrid courts currently prosecuting persons responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity – not only for such crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia – but also in Kenya, Libya, Côte d’Ivoire, Guatemala, and elsewhere in the world. The office works closely with other governments, international institutions, and non-governmental organisations to establish and assist international and domestic commissions of inquiry, fact-finding missions, and tribunals to investigate, document, and prosecute atrocities in every region of the globe.
The Ambassador-at-Large coordinates the deployment of a range of diplomatic, legal, economic, military, and intelligence tools to help expose the truth, judge those responsible, protect and assist victims, enable reconciliation, deter atrocities, and build the rule of law.
Ground work for Geneva
When his visit is analysed in the light of such a background, it is understandable that he came here to lay the groundwork for action against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March in Geneva.
Mr. Rapp had talks with the Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives Dr. Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu and inquired about the census conducted into the number of persons killed or disappeared during the last stage of the war. Dr. Saravanamuttu said he briefed the ambassador about the implementation of recommendations by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).