Common Tragedy
I’m having dinner at the German Restaurant. The appetizer is mayonaisse and egg salad wrapped in a thick slice of ham and the Chicken Kiev is dripping with butter. It is druglike good. In passing I make a joke about guns and Ravana says he would seriously like one. Tell him the usual about that making you more likely to get shot but then he tells us a story. Apparently a colleague is at home, washing his car at one in the morning. The gate is open. A van pulls up with four or five men. He tries to close the gate but the men force their way in. They beat the man senseless and leave him in the driveway. The house is full of women and children. The men go inside, rob the house and rape his 13 year old niece. Thirteen year old. They steal the car and leave. His sister’s wedding is the next day. I put my fork down cause I suddenly feel like crap. Some things do make you want to get a gun.
Now, at this point in your life, the court system and police can’t do nearly enough. Quite simply, they don’t work. You have to make phone calls upstairs for anything to happen, and in that case the kind of justice you get is corrupted, even if the men are wearing uniforms. I like to think that I believe in rule of law, but when it’s your niece or daughter that’s raped I wonder if you really fucking care. Everyday people want the perpertrators of such terrible acts beaten and killed. The institutions of violence have obviously failed them, and they want immediate and brutal justice. Of course, not everyone feels that way, and I have no data on what victims do report. What I do know is that for every little thing that goes wrong I get somebody asking me if I was to have the perpetrator killed. A friend at the gym saw that someone strangled me at the RoyTho and he says he ‘knows somebody’. Sweet in its way, but wtf. It may not be you, but if something happens to a Sri Lankan family, someone will make calls to all sorts of unsavoury characters. Why?
Rule of Law
Does not exist. The justice system does not work. It is a bunch of words papered on top of a feudal system of connections and who-knows-who. Justice is meted out by strength and influence, and that makes any correlation to actual ‘justice’ purely coincidental. In a more mundane example, I was reading an interesting study of corruption in India, via Slate.
One of the groups in the Indian study was offered a cash bonus for getting a license within 30 days. These subjects had an incentive do whatever was necessary (offer bribes) to get a license quickly. If bribes work, these applicants would get their licenses faster. A second group was given driving lessons. If the licensing process accurately screens out unprepared—and therefore more likely unsafe—drivers, then these applicants should be more likely to succeed in getting a license. Both of these applicant groups were compared to a third control group who received neither lessons nor a speedy completion bonus. The authors kept track of who got a license, as well as how much time and money the applicants spent in the process. Eventually, they gave their subjects a follow-up written exam to gauge their driving skills.
More than a third (37 percent) of the control group got a license, compared to 45 percent of the subjects who took driving lessons and 65 percent of the people who got paid for getting a license quickly. Subjects in the cash bonus group were most likely to hire “agents” to help them navigate the bureaucracy, spending an average of 1,280 rupees to get a license, compared with 560 rupees for those without an agent. And applicants using agents got their licenses 15 percent faster, making an average of a quarter fewer trips to the Indian DMV (which is actually called the Road Transport Office). They spent about three hours of their own time, as opposed to five hours for those who did not hire an agent.
The agents saved applicants time by, for example, standing in line for them. But the extra cost of using an agent dwarfs the benefit of saving two hours for a typical Indian, who makes 40 rupees per hour, raising the suspicion that the agent’s fee purchased something other than time. And indeed, 88 percent of the applicants who hired an agent did not have to take the driver’s exam before getting a license, while almost all of the other applicants did.
Perhaps the aspiring drivers who hired agents were better-qualified, so that their higher licensing rates and circumvention of the exam did not put other people at risk? Dream on. The drivers who used an agent had much lower scores on the follow-up drivers exam given by the researchers.
In this example you can see you sensible individual decisions make for a communal shithouse. If I want to get a license in a reasonable amount of time I’ll pay an agent and skip the test. It’s OK for me, I know how to drive. I guess it’s OK for my friends and family too, cause I know them. However, then I end up on the street and apparently it was OK for everybody’s family and friends and suddenly I’m surrounded by idiots. The system doesn’t work so people make individual decisions to go around the system. Those decisions are reasonable in both economic and common sense terms. However, on a social level it leads to a terrible and ultimately destructive environment.
Security Vacuums
Now, in terms of violence, what this means is even more pernicious. It reminds me of the first scene in The Godfather,
I believe in America. America has made my fortune. And I raised my daughter in the American fashion. I gave her freedom, but — I taught her never to dishonor her family. She found a boyfriend; not an Italian. She went to the movies with him; she stayed out late. I didn’t protest. Two months ago, he took her for a drive, with another boyfriend. They made her drink whiskey. And then they tried to take advantage of her. She resisted. She kept her honor. So they beat her, like an animal. When I went to the hospital, her nose was a’broken. Her jaw was a’shattered, held together by wire. She couldn’t even weep because of the pain. But I wept. Why did I weep? She was the light of my life — beautiful girl. Now she will never be beautiful again.
[Bonasera breaks down. The Don gestures to Sonny to give Bonasera a drink]
Sorry…
[Bonasera, taking the drink, sips from the shot glass]
I — I went to the police, like a good American. These two boys were brought to trial. The judge sentenced them to three years in prison — suspended sentence. Suspended sentence! They went free that very day! I stood in the courtroom like a fool. And those two bastard, they smiled at me. Then I said to my wife, “for justice, we must go to Don Corleone.”
Now, what Bonasera is asking makes sense to any father or brother on an individual level. However, what it does is enable a monster and ultimately corrupt the whole community. If the system doesn’t work then individuals will do what they have to do to get by. Mafias, black markets, terrorism, whatever. On an individual level these organizations can mete out ‘justice’, but their focus on results rather than due process means that the country gets shortcut to pieces.
The Rise of the LTTE
No one was ever prosecuted for the 1983 riots. The government didn’t even issue a statement until four days in. In 2004 CBK issued an apology and US $700,000 in compensation. Which is too little too late. There was no justice for the Tamil people. The system obviously didn’t work, and they don’t have the benefits to take the same shortcuts Sinhala people do. In a Sinhala dominated government and police force, you’re not likely to be related or chummy with anyone, so there are few ‘phone calls’ you can make. They can go to the police like ‘good Americans’ but in this case among others, there is no redress. The Tamil never received justice for 1983. Some of them chose to go to Don Corleone. The results have been vile and destructive for everyone but on an individual level, the decision makes sense.
The LTTE provides institutionalized violence to a people who are served neither by the state nor state corruption. In the process, they trample over the rights of every Sri Lankan on this island in their focus on results, but on an individual level the LTTE does deliver results. People do honor their checks and if Tamils are attacked (by someone else) the LTTE can respond. Does it make life shittier for everybody, yes. Is it insane, no.
Until the Sri Lankan state provides real security for Tamil people, there will always be a security vacuum. Eliminating the LTTE, as blanket awful as they are, won’t fix that. Someone worse will always step in to fill it, because it serves an individual human need. The LTTE is destructive to the common good of Tamils and Sinhalese and Muslims alike, but at the moment of individual need and injustice, the LTTE was there. Like Don Corleone or any street thug can be there. In the end they’ll extort and terrorize you, but when your daughter is shamed and you have nowhere to go, they’ll be there. I couldn’t understand why a person would want a gun, or why they would support the LTTE, but now I see a context where it makes sense. The LTTE doesn’t make sense as a macrolevel decision, cause it’s made everyone poorer and less safe. However, this was not a macrolevel decision. As Aristotle said, ‘For that which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it. Every one thinks chiefly of his own, hardly at all of the common interest; and only when he is himself concerned as an individual.’
Until Tamil individuals can obtain real security, the LTTE fills a necessary void. Same as the Mafia did for ethnic Italians, or Hamas does for Palestinians, or warlords in Somalia. If you call them they get stuff done. Unfortunately everyone calls them and all of a sudden you get all kinds of horrible stuff done with no how or why. Plus they’re run by bloodthirsty and corrupt assholes with their own agenda. However, in your moment of individual pain, nobody cares. That’s the tragedy of the commons.
good post, it’s been a while between
food still good at the German restaurant in galle face?
Good post Indi. Very good. Just please don’t by implication liken Uncle P to Marlon Brando…:)
Good example from the Godfather, but the movie scene that has stuck in my head the most regarding this topic is the one in CRASH where the shop owner takes the law into his own hands in front of the locksmith’s house and almost makes a mess of things but doesn’t . The truth is that i will never know what i will do if a loved one is hurt or killed, I’d probably go on a rampage fueled by the fact that no one else will ever care about my circumstance. I’m on the fence on this one, hoping to never have to cross it at any stage in my life. I’m leaning toward the rampage though, scary thought…
Maybe it is time for us to take action into our own hands. Get a gun and blow all these fools away. There is absolutely no law or protection despite the amount of taxes we pay to the government, the police are there only to irritate and be a pain in the arse. And with the reinactment of the State regulated media law god knows how many crimes commited by ministers and their sons will be swept under the carpet, away from public eyes. So yeah lets get a gun and go on a community cleansing spree.
Flag gun….
I believe Mi6 will be around soon enough… your ability to hide your identity is amazing…
BTW are you in SL or Aussie?
[...] Indi has a brilliant post that sums up the situation in this country (and elsewhere) really well: Until Tamil individuals can obtain real security, the LTTE fills a necessary void. Same as the Mafia did for ethnic Italians, or Hamas does for Palestinians, or warlords in Somalia. If you call them they get stuff done. Unfortunately everyone calls them and all of a sudden you get all kinds of horrible stuff done with no how or why. Plus they’re run by bloodthirsty and corrupt assholes with their own agenda. However, in your moment of individual pain, nobody cares. That’s the tragedy of the commons. [...]
“…but on an individual level the LTTE do deliver results. People do honor their checks and if Tamils are attacked (by someone else) the LTTE can respond.”
I was unaware that the LTTE sort out cheques, and they will respond to the grievance of even an individual Tamil. Are you sure about this, or were you being metaphorical?
The LTTE is like the Mafia in the fact that it relies on Italian civilians for it’s own protection the way that the LTTE do. However, unlike the Mafia, they don’t end up getting their own people killed as result of this action.
And, just like the Mafia’s protection money racket, they extort money from their own people, and terrorize them. Here is a very Mafia-story-like account from the Human Rights Watch’s report which was published recently (which subsequently led to the EU ban).
Full report avalaible at:
http://hrw.org/reports/2006/ltte0306/ltte0306web.pdf
PRIYA’S STORY.
Priya (not her real name) left Sri Lanka in the early 1990s and now lives in the Toronto area. In mid-2005, she made her first visit back to Sri Lanka in more than ten years, traveling by road from Colombo to visit a parent and siblings in the North. She told Human Rights Watch:
At the checkpoint, they told me that each family had to get a pass and pay 1,000 rupees. I was told that was the rule. Then once you get to [town], within three days you have to go to the LTTE office and give all your details there. I paid the 1,000 rupees and gave my name and passport number.
On the second day, I went to the [LTTE] office. They asked how long I had been living abroad and if I had contributed any money while abroad. I said I hadn’t. I told them I was living on welfare and had children. I said it was very difficult, so I didn’t give money.
The LTTE told me, “When you go back, you should give money. You should help our struggle. It is your obligation to help us.†I agreed that when I got back I would give money month to month. I felt I had to agree, because I was in their territory. I was afraid that if I refused, they would demand the money then. They asked for $50 per month. I said I couldn’t afford $50, but would pay $30. They finally agreed on $40 a month and said I should pay it to the World Tamil Movement.
They asked me to fill out a form and sign it. It included my home address, name, and the amount I had agreed to pay. When I was there [at the office], for most people, they were demanding money right then, but in my case, they said paying later would be okay. Maybe it was the way I was talking to them.103
Priya said that at the time, she felt she had little choice but to report to the LTTE office and sign the pledge. “If I didn’t go to the office, they would have come to look for me. At the checkpoint they asked me where I would stay. If I had argued with them and refused to give the money, I might have had problems.â€
After signing the pledge, the LTTE office put a seal on the pass she had received at the border checkpoint and instructed her to present it when she left LTTE-controlled territory to return to Colombo.
After returning to Toronto, Priya said that representatives from the World Tamil Movement started calling her within a week. “They left three or four messages, but I didn’t pick up the phone. If my children answered, they told them I was at work.â€
Shortly afterward, a man came to Priya’s home. Priya said, “He had all the information, including my passport number. He said, ‘I’m from the World Tamil Movement. You said in Sri Lanka that you would give money. I am here to collect it.’ He had a printout and I could see other peoples’ names. It had my name and children’s names, my passport number, and my address.â€
Priya told the man that she had managed to make the trip to Sri Lanka by taking out a loan, and that she could not afford to pay any more. “He said, ‘People who only make $6 or $7 an hour are giving, so you have to give the money.’ I tried to argue with him and ask him to come back after a few months. I told him I couldn’t afford it. He said, ‘All these people who are much worse off than you are giving, so you have to give.’â€
Eventually, Priya agreed to pay the amount she had pledged. When she spoke to Human Rights Watch several months later, she indicated that she was thinking of stopping the payments, but was afraid that if she stopped paying, “they would probably come and harass me, and come and constantly knock on my door.†She was also concerned that if she did not keep up the payments, she would not be able to return again to Sri Lanka to see her family. “If I don’t pay the money, next time I go, they will demand the entire [accumulated] amount. I can’t afford to pay that much.â€
When speaking to Human Rights Watch, Priya became visibly upset. She indicated that one of the reasons why she did not want to give money to the LTTE was because of their practice of recruiting children as soldiers.
My brother’s children are in the Vanni. The LTTE is collecting money here and using the money to train children to fight and die with the [Tiger] army. The people who collect the money here are living a very good life and drive a nice car. They don’t seem to care that it is the children there who are forced to fight and die. My children are here. I will never let them join or fight or die. Nor would any other Tamils in Canada let their children fight and die. But there are children there who are being used as fighters. How can they accept that? I worry about my nephews and nieces.104″
Priya’s experience is not unique.
Full report avalaible at:
http://hrw.org/reports/2006/ltte0306/ltte0306web.pdf
Rationalise that one Aadhavan. How does the Tamil community respond unofficially to this sort of extortion? Is Priya in the minority…or is Priya a majority?
Ya, I’ve read that report and the subsequent statement issued by Human Rights Watch where they watered down some of the claims they made in the initial report. In the instant case of Priya, I fail to see anything blatantly illegal about the requests for money. No threats, no force. However, I know the LTTE do resort to what you would call extortion, thugh not overseas. My own family members (grandparents) went through immense difficulty, far greater than Priya, because they refused to pay the LTTE’s taxes. I asked my relatives overseas about this Human Rights Watch Report. Some of them actively contribute to the LTTE, some grudgingly contribute to avoid the nuisance of having people pester you to give money and others flatly refuse. All of them said that those who don’t give are visited often and reminded of their ‘obligations’. All of them said that they hadn’t heard of threats of violence or force used to extort money. So there is subtle coercion going on. That’s for sure.
That’s a horrible story on Ravana’s colleague. However its sad to note that realistically, even if one owned a gun, half the time it won’t be useful for actual defence or for preventing the original offence from happening unless they carry it around ALL the time. For instance this collegue; its highly possible that even if he owned a gun, he wouldn’t have it strapped on when he’s out washing the car. The other sad reality is that its almost impossible to have complete security regardless of what country you are in, who governs you or how efficient the law enforcement is.
Vices of a community will eat up its members whether they like it or not, as long as they choose/are forced to be part of it.
Another gun story (not trying to prove a point or anything, but just to mention that owning and using are two different things):
I was back from the NE and at the regimental base, waiting for my medical leave to come through. Guy in my battalion got back from Colombo and told us a story. He was a senior sergeant at the time, had just completed an extended tour with SF, and was now on the CO’s bodyguard, so he was allowed to carry a pistol at all times. Said he was in the White Horse (the old one, on Chatham Street), having a drink on a Friday. There were a bunch of twenty-somethings in a cubicle (six or seven, men and women), being noisy. One of the guys pulls out some sort of little revolver and starts showing it around and trying to impress the chicks. Sarge has been well into the Mendis and pulls, walks over, and shoots revolverhead. Cops and MPs pile in, but sarge says the victim was waving a gun around and he thought he was going to shoot. Bartender backs him up. They let him go, don’t even confiscate the pistol. Bar manager gives him a bottle of JW Black and tells him never to come back.
Dude, that’s a fantastic story. What’s a revolverhead? Is it a part of the gun, or the guy that was brandishing it? If the latter, how badly did he hurt him?
A revolverhead is a gun nut, or someone who thinks a gun compensates for other deficiencies. Sarge shot him twice in the head, killing him. Everyone with the victim was drunk and/or stoned, and the cops found drugs in their possession (probably grass). Cops were going to arrest them if they made a fuss about the shooting.
Oh, my god.
Um, that’s terrible
How long ago was this? JVP-era?
Early ’90s. Eelam War 2. Just remember that having a gun takes everything up a notch. Rape becomes murder. A punch up becomes a killing. So if you are going to carry, be ready to use and take the consequences, because if you don’t it could be worse.
Er… thanks. I think I’ll buy a Rottweiler instead.
‘nice’ little attempt at justification (or may be only rationalization ) of ltte.
first, i for one cannot see how disproportionate and intentional killing of wrong ppl, mostly innocents can be rationalized as ‘justice’ by anyone but the most blinkered. may be that is just me ( even the godfather was proportionate he says after the quotation cited to one of his underlings giving the job to carry out the ‘justice’,
“i want reliable people; people that aren’t gonna be carried away. i’m mean, we’re not murderers, despite of what this undertaker says.” )
second, such rationalizations cut both ways. can you imagine what happens if some sinhaleses chauvinists try to mete out supposed ‘justice’ (and as usually with with ltte to innocents) under the perception that government does not. but ordinary sinhalese have learned it is not tamils but the ltte. a realization some ltte appeasers have yet to learn.
third, reality demonstrates this rationalization as false.
in reality vast majority of ppl do operate within the system and are satisfied enough to work with in it. they do not go around taking law in to their own hand, killing ppl etc.. when a horrific crime happens it is front page news it is not routine.
in reality tamils do not live in constant fear of being lynched, as past 20 + years have shown sinhalese are not chauvinists ready at any moment to kill tamils (vast majority of ppl killed on those years in the south were sinhalese) in return for ltte horrors.( this is what ltte counts on when killing civilians or military. it hasn’t worked nor will it work) . that assumption is wrong factually and morally.
it also ignore the reality that other minorities work within the system and they will continue to do so. so will tamils if given the chance. to accuse them of seeking ltte for ‘justice’ is wrong. it is not different from janpathi’s claim that tamils support terrorists. that assumption is also wrong factually and morally
it is however correct that ppl (not just tamils) live in fear. same fear that prevented tamils from voting, same fear that makes ppl hesitate when traveling to colombo. same fear that grips tamils when stopped at a necessary military checkpoint. fear created by terrorism.
sooner we get rid of the actual and very real cause of it the better (through negotiations or by force as the case and resources and circumstances allow ).
what we should not do is appease terrorism. or even justify or rationalize it. that kind of thing may help some ppl sleep better thinking that they are doing the right thing by appeasing it, but it does not help those who live in fear of it in the real world.
It’s true, no matter where you live, everyone is only looking out for themselves and any decisions made are only for the benefit of that person. We are all ultimately selfish in that we only do what’s in our own best interest.
Aadhavan seems to think that although the LTTE engage in “subtle coercion” of their own community, they use no physical violence against Tamils. This is absolutely untrue.
The following is from a post is by The Benevolent Dictator on Indi’s previous post.
“Aadhvan, the LTTE is no longer a freedom fighting outfit fighting for the rights of tamils. You have to be delusional to believe they care about anyone more than themselves. Please go on the A9 route to Jaffna and experience the mindboggling service you get from the LTTE cadres, the sheer arrogance of 13-15 year olds with guns who bully and intimidate the very people they’re supposed to fighting for. My aunt returned in a different van to which she went to Jaffna in due to an emergency. She was told to get down and wait for the next bus at 5 AM at the LTTE checkpoint just before Omanthai. An old gentleman who protested at this was slapped and was asked that since he only had a few more years to live, whether he wanted to speed his exit. Some bloody freedom fighters. The LTTE has morphed into a criminal organisation.”
In case you missed it, The Benevolent Dictator is a Sri Lankan and a Tamil. “Subtle coercion”, my ass.
Have to agree with Ravana. ‘Subtle coercion’ my hairy black ass.
See Aadhavan – this is the problem. Despite not for a moment doubting your bona fides with regard to reaching a negotiated settlement, your stubborn refusal to acknowledge the atrocities of the LTTE is worrying. It is symptomatic of the majority of Tamils. It’s as if they can’t choose between the devil and the deep blue sea. Get pushed around physically and mentally by the LTTE or suffer the discriminatory practices of a non – representative government.
Wouldn’t the latter be greatly appeased if the former were denounced unequivocally?
i was saying that subtle coercionwas being exerted on Tamils in the diaspora who don’t give money. Your question related to extortion among diaspora no? Remember Priya in Toronto. You may not agree with what I’m saying, but at least read the post to figure out the context in which I’m using words. Please.
there is a devil and there is a deep blue sea and I don’t think we should be stuck with only those two choices. I’ve articulated a strategy I believe will get us out of this mess. I’ve always said that the killing of innocents is wrong. I have denouncd and will denounce any unnecessary spilling of civilian blood. When the LTTE does it, shame on them. Whenthe government kills civilians, shame on them as well. I don’t think there’s any responsibility on me to convey my disgust of LTTE atrocities any more than a Sinhalese is bound to condemn the government. We can acknowledge the facts and move on. When I meet a Sinhalese who agrees that the government has committed atrocities, I don’t force him to condemn the government. It’s pointless. I wonder why you are so keen to hear me condemn the LTTE. I’ve acknowledged the shit. Let’s move on.
Because mate…you never really condemned them ‘unequivocally’ previously. Just needed firm confirmation because if your feet show the dexterity of your words you should be playing on the wing.
I admit – the devil is not much of an option to the deep blue see – but we’re trying to find a happy medium here.
HP – where do you find your weed? Obviously its very good.
:) That’s always been one of my (pipe) dreams.
How does the LTTE sort out cheques asks Ravana.
What I was told in 2004 by a Sinhala businessman in Anuradhapura who traded along the A9 at that time.
From Sinhala retailers in government controlled areas he takes cash, never cheques. Can’t trust them he says. But one exception is Eelam Bank (EB; could be Thamileelam Bank, I cannot recall precisely; but I have seen the branches with my own eyes) cheques.
If an EB cheque is dishonored he tells EB. A cadre will travel in his vehicle to the source of the bad cheque. Discussion will ensue between cadre and bad cheque writer. The cadre will close the shop and give the wronged party the money. The cadre will not get in the vehicle after this, but will make his own way back to base.
The offending shop will remain closed until satisfactory arrangements are made with EB.
BTW, there are EB branches in Vavuniya, a govt controlled area.
Interesting to see you use that photo, in a complete different context, thus redefining it’s meaning.