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My dear Mahinda Aiya,
Ayubowan, vanakkam, assalamu alaikkum and best wishes as the country faces the double-barrelled crisis on the political and war fronts with the outcome as dangerously unpredictable as so many other issues.
The big and most decisive story was the Friday dawn killing of LTTE political wing leader and chief negotiator Suppiah Param Thamilcelvan. Most analysts see it as a devastating blow not only for the LTTE but also to the prospects of resuming the peace process. Sections of the Sinhala hard-liners demonstrated maliciously over the killing of Mr. Thamilselvan and five other top rankers when SLAF jets hit a Kilinochchi building where they were holding a meeting. A state-owned Sinhala newspaper captured the mood of the hard-liners when it ran a banner headline saying, “Smiling butcher slain”. The JVP also hailed the killing with its pro-government propaganda secretary Wimal Weerawansa expressing joy that the, “Smiling cobra has been removed from the scene”. The Buddhist monks’ party the JHU also condoned or welcomed the killing, apparently unconcerned or insensitive to the immortal principles as expressed by John Donne when he said, “Every person’s death diminishes me because I belong to humanity”. The hard-headed and narrow-minded racisits apparently do not know or do not care for whom the bells toll.
The government itself did not issue an official statement but the tough-talking or pistol-packing defence secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa boasted that they knew where Mr. Thamilcelvan was and he was the first of the LTTE leaders who would be eliminated one by one. But questions remain as to who is targeting whom and who will eliminate whom in the coming days and weeks before the Mahaveera’s Day on November 27.
The LTTE leadership issued an official statement on Saturday night saying the peace dove of the rebel group had been eliminated and the international community would clearly see the military agenda of the government. Between the lines, the statement carries warnings of dire consequences, spreading fear and tension, amid jubilation in the south. For the Sri Lanka Air Force, the elimination of Thamilcelvan in a precision bombing raid was seen by many as a restoration of its prestige in the aftermath of the October 29 LTTE attack on the Anuradhapura airbase where as many as 24 aircraft were destroyed or damaged. It was also seen as a restoration of prestige for Gothabaya Rajapaksa, who also plunged himself into the other big story or non story of the week. This involved a draconian gazette notification imposing severe curbs on media freedom with provisions to seal any media that violated the regulations.
According to most reports, the gazette notification was largely drafted by the Defence Ministry with Attorney General C.R. de Silva or presidential secretary Lalith Weeratunga knowing little or nothing about this drastic move to muzzle the media. When the controversial gazette notification leaked to the media and international news agencies reported the story, Mr. Weeratunga added to the confusion and contradictions by claiming there was no such notification. But as the local and international response appeared to be turning into a thunderball against the government, who did what became known but the mess and the muddle continued. The Media Centre for National Security said there was no need for such regulations and the government hoped the media would impose self censorship on war reporting and related matters. The president’s office, continuing the comedy of contradictions within contradictions issued a statement admitting that such a gazette notification had been issued but pledging to withdraw it. Yet by Saturday evening the second notification withdrawing the first notification had not yet been signed because the president was away in Tangalle. Anyway ,the media muzzling regulations are not being imposed. But what happens in the coming days and weeks is only as clear as what is between the lines or behind the nice words of government leaders.
The other big story is the Budget to be represented in parliament today. Major price hikes of wheat flour, bread and milk powder were announced before the Budget, and other shocking increases like bigger electricity bills and another increase in fuel prices are likely to come after the Budget. So today’s Budget is not likely to contain any bombshells and that is why the revenue proposals are likely to be presented early in the day unlike in previous years ,when they were announced after the markets closed at 5 pm. More interesting and significant than the Budget itself is who will vote for whom and whether the Budget will be passed in a crucial vote on November 19. The government and the main opposition parties have instructed all their MPs to be present on the decisive voting date, while most analysts believe the make or break factor will be the vote of the JVP.
After the killing of Mr. Thamilcelvan on Friday, JVP propaganda secretary Wimal Weerawansa indicated, at a news conference the following day that the party was reviewing its position on the Budget. Most analysts believe the JVP is divided on this issue, with leaders such as Somawansa Amarasinghe, Tilvin silva and K.D. Lal Kantha pushing for a hard line or a vote against or a vote to topple the government, while the Weerawansa group want a compromise if the government launches a full-scale offensive against the LTTE in the north.
Thus the next three weeks, which will also mark the third year of the current presidency, might be the long-awaited moment of truth when the destiny or the fate of the country is decided. Tragically a key roles on both the military and political fronts appears to have gone to two extremist parties – the JVP on one side and the LTTE on the other. It underlines the tragedy or catastrophe facing Sri Lanka because the country has plunged away from the middle path of pluralism, accommodation and the richness of multi racial and multi religious unity in diversity. The signs of the time were perhaps seen in the shades of hades, the image from the disgrace of our troops in Haiti.
Yours sincerely,
Koththamalli
Daily Mirror
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