Stoning the Sinner and ‘Desherpaalener Thakerdi’

President quotes Nehru and Johnson on divisive politicians

Because politics is both interesting and more learned now, even though it is based on public opinion, the discourse on TV is sometimes memorable. President Sirisena made an impassioned plea to abandon divisive politics quoting Pandit Nehru’s reference to “deshapaalener thakkerdi” as the Sinhala meaning of Nehru’s reference to divisive politicians. Nehru was quoting or referring to Samuel Johnson’s aphorism, “Politics is the last refuge of the scoundrel.” So by using an authority outside our Sri Lankan context President Sirisena raised the level of discourse to a universal level, back to Nehru and through him to Samuel Johnson, the compiler of the first English dictionary, who was famous for his definitions and aphorisms. It revives a taste of what political discourse was like in the Ceylon parliament when it was located at Galle Face and when English was available.

Again, talking of stoning a Sri Lankan Muslim woman to death in Saudi Arabia the TNA parliamentrian M.A. Sumanthiran asked whether that’s allowed under Sharia law. He referred to the story in the New Testament or the life of Christ in the Bible. Stoning to death was a practice under Jewish law. A woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus by the Jewish religious authorities and he was asked whether it was right to stone her to death. Jesus said, “Let him who has no sin cast the first stone.” And he bent down and began to write with his finger in the sand. One by one the men began to go away and when Jesus looked up only the woman remained. “Has no one condemned you?” he asked. “No one, sir” she replied. “Neither do I,” he said, “Go and sin no more.” Presumably the practice of stoning the sinner ceased among the Jews. But continued in ......?

Martin Wickremesinghe wrote a very popular story “Paw Kaareyarter Gal Gaseemer” (Stoning the Sinner) using the same metaphor of forgiveness and unjust laws. It is perhaps a sign of our freedom after January 8th that our frame of reference has become so much broader and deeper.