The enemy at the gate could be a blessing

Ranjan Ramanayake is an outspoken UNP parliamentarian. He is so outspoken that sometimes he gets into hot water. Occasionally, though, he is spot on. Just the other day, he was at his blunt best when he took on Mahamood Hizbullah and other Muslim politicians who are all of a sudden playing ‘Representatives of the Victimized Community’ and worse, issuing threats to one and all non-Muslims. Here’s a gist (in translation): “They say they are in fear…aren’t we scared? The attackers didn’t say ‘Buduhaamuduruwane’ or ‘Jesune’…they said ‘Allahu Akbar.’” That’s ‘God (as per the Islamic faith) is greater (or ‘the greatest’). The Muslim politicians have not shown any remorse or humility about what was done in the name of Muslims by a tiny minority of that community.’   

Make no mistake, the terrorism unleashed on Easter Sunday was planned and executed by those who were (in their minds and in their convictions) of the Islamic faith. They deliberately targeted churches. They also targeted hotels. The majority of the dead and wounded were of the Christian faith and in the Batticaloa blasts, the victims were mostly Tamils. Sinhalese died. Buddhists died. Muslims also died. Given the rhetoric of the terrorists, given the well-planned and executed nature of the attacks, given the fact that successive governments have turned a blind eye to their operations for well over a decade and that they’ve indoctrinated and recruited hundreds to their cause, it would be folly indeed to assume that they are done and dusted. They, first and foremost, were instrumental in regenerating a nation-wide fear psychosis.   

Ironically and tragically but not necessarily surprisingly, their operations particularly instilled fear among the very community they belong to and in whose name they act(ed), never mind the fact that, arguably, a significant section would not identify with them. Indeed, many Muslims have openly condemned the attack and have named the attackers as the primary source of the anxieties that the Muslims suffered and continue to suffer on account of their actions. I said ‘not surprising’ because following the example of the LTTE, any fear that is generated could, theoretically, facilitate recruitment. Also, given that the ISIS is a global operation, even the decimation of a community could be seen as a worthy sacrifice in terms of the possible broader objective of enhanced recruitment elsewhere.   

It is precisely because of this that regardless of the shameless communalism of Muslim politicians, everyone in other religious and ethnic communities should do everything possible to a) ensure the safety of Muslims and b) to allay all fears they may harbour. It does not matter what their political affiliations are. It does not matter whether or not they were opposed to NTJ, vocally or otherwise. It does not matter whether or not they identify with the Wahhabism that gave rise to the Jihadists.   

This is precisely why the statement of the Chief Prelate of the Asgiriya Chapter is unfortunate. Indeed, the call for attacking Muslims should be roundly condemned, even as we must treat with suspicion the chapter-verse quotes of the ICCPR by those who selectively do so. Any statement that generalizes about any community can only aggravate anxieties. They can only agitate the worst DNA strains of the human being. They can only empower the extremists. They can only dis-empower the peaceful. Fear begets fear. Communalism feeds off communalism. Affirmation of identity does not necessarily mean you have to attack or say anything negative about any other identity based community. We can do without all that.   

And yet, we need to understand that we will have ‘all that’. We have to work keeping in mind that ‘all that’ is and will be part of the story. Even a cursory read of human history will teach you this uncomfortable truth. This is why we have laws and they are amended from time to time. This is why the business of national security has to be handled by professionals and not politicians. This is why no one should a) take the law into his/her hands, and b) push others to do so.   

More seriously, when we have a government that is ever ready to welcome with open arms such operators, the causes for concern are that much more serious and more dangerous than anything that Samaraweera can do; he is but a cat’s paw. Cats, ladies and gentlemen, abound.   

For example, just the other day, the European Union mission in Colombo issued a statement of ‘concern’. They are concerned ‘by political and religious pressure being directed at Sri Lanka’s Muslim community which is undermining peace and reconciliation in the country’. They add, ‘prejudiced and unsubstantiated allegations repeatedly published by media serve only to fuel intolerance.’ These views, the EU claims, were shared at a meeting with the Prime Minister. They have urged the President, Prime Minister and all political leaders ‘to reassert the state’s commitment to mutual respect, tolerance, and equal treatment under the law for all, irrespective of faith or ethnicity.’   

Now the last seems above board, even though the word ‘urge’ is distasteful. This comes, one notes, from a group of nations that are the mothers and fathers of intolerance, racism and religious fundamentalism in roughly equal standing to the worst in that category among any other nation. Interestingly, they’ve taken a leaf from the Hizbullah strategy: ‘everyone is to blame but all Muslims are innocent!’ Nothing of the rank intolerance, brutality and savagery of those who started all this. Instead, the media is targeted!   

Nevertheless, the EU is only ‘Malli’ in the business of ‘boradiye maalu baema’ (roughly, ‘striking while the iron is hot’). The ‘Aiya’ in all this is the Grandmother of Meddling. The USA. In the midst of all this, made worse by the fact that this country is being run by a most incompetent government in post-Independence history, there are matters that can wreck the nation in ways that the Jihadists cannot even dream of.   

Here are questions that perhaps Eran Wickramaratne and Harsha De Silva (I expect) would answer, since they are ‘the economists’ in this government.   

Has the Government entered into one, and is it in the process of finalizing two other agreements with the USA? If there has been or is any discussion in this regard, does Cabinet know of it? Is the Government planning to introduce several laws and is at least one of them already in place? What is the final version of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)? Does it or does it now award diplomatic immunity to US armed forces and civilian employees of the US department of Defence and will they be permitted to wear uniforms and carry arms while performing official duties? Will the agreement become binding the moment “a minister” of the SL Government signs a letter of willingness. What is the status of and the full text of the Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA)? What is the status of the full text of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact (MCC Compact)?   

These are grave matters. They ought to generate fear and would certainly do so if these agreements come into effect. We can retire all our favourite definitions of ‘Sri Lanka’ and ‘Sri Lankans’ (Sinhala Buddhist, Part of the IS Caliphate, Multi-Ethnic and Multi-Religion with the Sinhala Buddhists ‘Rabble’ as Servants of the Kolombians or Colombots). Vassals we would be. For a long time to come. And the pot shots that extreme elements of various communities take at each other would seem like pebble-throws compared to the multiple violations and deprivations we would have to suffer. Remember the Chagos Island and the Chagossians. Haven’t heard of them? Well, that might be our fate too.   

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