People always ask me why I came back to Sri Lanka. Lately they ask why I stay. The first question is easy. I came back because of the CFA. Sri Lanka, with peace, has a boundless future – with more opportunity than I’d have in the US or Canada. The second question is harder. I guess I stay because I like it here. Or something. Daily life in Sri Lanka isn’t bad. The people are interesting, things are cheap. There’s achcharu on the street and if you get fed up you can drive to the beach. Still, there’s this bubbling tension under the surface and you get a sixth twitch that things can explode. Either the government or the LTTE or somebody does something crazy every single week, and it gets old. And these are structural problems. It’s like having your plumbing go screwy, or your hard drive crash. As a normal human I just want to throw up my hands and go ‘is this my problem?’. I have enough trouble growing up and finding a matching pair of socks. In Sri Lanka, however, it is my problem.
In Canada, by contrast, everything runs pretty much OK. I lived there for four years and had no idea who my MP was and only the vaguest clue as to who the Prime Minister was. I guess that displays a stunning lack of citizenship, but it’s also a good thing. The government didn’t meddle in my life, and I just sorta got on with things. The best government – like the best software, design, or service – is invisible. It just enables ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ without bothering you too much. That’s nice. I kinda miss that.
In Sri Lanka, however, government is everything. Literally. According to a recent LBO report, Sri Lanka is reported to have about one million government employees. For a country of 20 million this is ludicrous, and 54 cents out of every tax rupee goes to sustain the bloat. In Sri Lanka the government isn’t tyrannical as much as parasitic. Worse, it is also intrusive. Mahinda insists on postering the streets, funding a sketchy pet airline, a sketchy sale of SLT, and engaging in bald corruption on a grand scale. Corruption is bad enough, but under the current regime it’s just in your face. Which is why I avoid the papers. Every day it’s just like ‘WTF?’, and at some point you just can’t take it. Mahinda is launching a quasi-private airline even though he can’t secure Sri Lankan airspace. They’re cracking down on legal alcohol while Kasippu proceeds unchecked. The CMC – headed by an illegitimate mayor put there by technicality – doesn’t maintain the streets, and a woman literally gets washed down the drain. It’s endless, and it’s real, and it sometimes makes me feel so helpless. In Canada the news was literally construction in Alberta and record stores closing in Toronto. There I didn’t read the news cause it was boring. Now I don’t read cause it’s too intense. And the print quality is terrible, but I digress.
But that, in a way, is kinda why I stay in Sri Lanka. It is messed up, and so am I. I can change, and so can this country. Will change, despite itself. This country is literally defined (for the worse) by two tiny youth groups that got violent – the JVP and the LTTE. Those guys came out of nowhere to be kingmakers in elections. If you have an idea here it probably hasn’t been done, and there will be people to fund and get excited about it. And people and bureaucracies, and forces of nature, but you can. You can start a business with like $500 USD coming in and actually pay rent. I spent two years blogging, going out and doing odd jobs to keep myself in shoes. For a while I wanted to change the nation, but I don’t even entertain that dream anymore. It’s just too heartbreaking. Now I’m just trying to do work I love and take care of the people around me. I think that’s still doable.
If I was abroad now would I come back? Probably not. Without a Peace Process things are just too unstable. There’s just too much suffering, and too little hope. I could support a war, but a war executed by corrupt morons doesn’t inspire much confidence. Without that dream of a bright nation I don’t know if I would come back, but I’m glad I did. I was born in 1982 and my entire life has been defined by this war I had nothing to do with. It was just this messy inheritance. With the CFA I thought that maybe my parents generation would sort this out so I could have a normal life here, and build. That dream is rapidly slipping away for my generation, but I’m glad I had it. I still love Sri Lanka. I still feel like I’m home. I just have to do what little I can now. I still have that dream of a great Sri Lanka. It’s just one generation removed from me.
Great Post Indi.
Truly heart breaking. Im crying right now, Biatch!!!!
Hahahahaha!!!
I’m out of the counrty and I’m happy… Hehehehe
I agree. This is not going to get fixed by our generation. Let’s hope we live long enough to see the day…
I nodded in agreement reading each paragraph. Nicely put, Indi.
I am an optimist so I do see things changing for the better in the next five years. Perhaps there will come a time when people – on both sides of “the border” – are sick of the status quo and decide to take things into their own hands, for the sake of the country and their children. I really fucking wish that happens because this country, man, as it has become cliched to say, is blessed. I want to leave, but I know I will never come close to finding a place that has Sri Lanka’s mix of the exotic, the eccentric, the gorgeous and the downright strange. For better or worse, this is home.
Like all the ppl that have commented before I too was moved reading it since it was like reading my mind and what i think at the current situation and hwo I perceive the world… I love sri lanka to death… its been almost 4 years in canada and it never felt the same like I was living in lanka…lanka is special..the ppl the places everything about it..thanks for a great post…
by the way whats CFA
I am a pessimist. I think we turned the corner at the last election, there is no way but down from here on.
Hope of a negotiated settlement grows more distant because:
1. The exit of moderates on both sides (Balasingham & Kadiragamar)
2. The basis of the existing CFA (recognition of territories controlled by each party) has changed – because the territories have changed, need to go back to the drawing board again if a realistic CFA is to come about.
3. The war seems to have taken a very personal turn. MR’s filial affections are well known, and so is his unquestioned support for his friends. All the incompetents who surround him (Sajin Vaas, Asantha De Mel, etc) are either friends who jhave helped him when he was a nobody or his family.
The two turning points in the war were the attack on Sarath Fonseka, (close buddy of Gota) and the attack on Gota. The initial campaign intensified only after the attempt on SF’s life in April last year, the attackon Gota brought about a further intnsification. As Arnie said in the Terminator movie “this time its personal”.
Any hope of a settlement must only come after exhaustion by both sides (govt runs out of money, tigers run out of cadres) After that stalemate emerges, then a settlement can be realistically explored (this is what the Norwegians have also said) BUT this takes political will plus a certain amount of competence. This regime lacks both.
I think the leaders have more interest in looting the treasury than in anything else, and they will happily do it as long as they can.
We can go the way of Kenya (lots of violent crime due to income disparities & poverty + rampant corruption) , Colombia (where various militias roamed the country kidnapping, extorting and fighting for turf) and any number of African countries.
We have to endure 12 years of MR (who will hang on by hook or more likely by crook). Then a power struggle, probably betwen Basil and Namal but which may include Gota as well. After that another 12 years of whoever, provided the other party decides to give way, if not a coup is possible (conditions are now right for this – an increasingly politicised military plus rampant corruption)
The JVP wants us to be like North Korea, The JHU wants us to be like Iran, the SLFP wants to take us back to the glorious days of 1956. What models the political leadership has.
WE are in for some interesting times old boy, make no mistake.
This is heartbreaking to read. Like the other commenter’s I too can relate. I’m as clueless as you guys when it comes to what needs to be done to sort out this mess of a country.
Jack Point, grrr, you are making this even worse, but the likes of you have pretty much always been right before.
Indi, lets hope. :|
am not a pessimist…..but Jack, I like your thinking!!
I tend to agree with Jack in principle; ie that things will get a lot worse before it gets better.
I also disaagree with Indi that peace has been removed a generation. I don’t think that sort of time frame can be put on it. If it doesn’t come with our generation, it won’t with the next. Time doesn’t really heaal wounds; it just hardens stances and polarises people.
I think you’re wrong Jack, in predicting a tussle between Basil, Gota, etc. Right now they’re not politicians, and even if they do enter politics, success on that road takes time in SL.
You’re also quite wrong about military coups. The SL military will never mutiny — mostly because they’ll never unite under a single officer, or even a small group. The Army’s based on the Brit regimental structure, and all the regiments dislike the others, aand they all hate the Navy and SLAF.
When I came back to SL in 2003, it was looking like there was hope, and that seems to be fading now. I think anyone with short-term goals probably won’t see much of a future here, but for those willing to ride it out, who knows?
In the words of a former US ambassador to Colombo: “Sri Lanka will never be paradise again, but it will never be another Lebanon either”.
On the point raised by David Blacker on the possibility of a coup, my fear is that if the level of corruption rises any further it may be possible. How much money will it take to unite a group of officers to topple the government?
According to estimates I have received Ranil spent between Rs.1,000-2,000m on the presidential campaign. I assume MR spent something similar. The reason 99.9% of politicians are in politics is to be able to make money, nothing else. Ferial Ashroff’s constituents had some pertinent things to say a few months back. Basicaly some children in a rural school said their ambition was to enter poltics so that they could get a lot of nice cars and other benefits.
How long will it take some politico to work out that it is possible to seize power spending only a fraction of that sum if a coup can be engineered?
In my wilder moments, I have contemplated how a coup could be arranged, David, your comments on the steps below will be welcome.
1. Wait for a degree of public frustartion to build. This is happening now, so wait a few years more.
2. Get hold of a compliant Buddhist priest. He will be the figurehead for the new leadership.
3. Get the senior officers in the army & police. I think the Navy and Airforce could be ignored since they are much smaller units but could be included if you think necessary. They may have personal grievenaces which each other but the promise of a few million dollar contracts to the leadership should buy enough unity for our purpose. To underline the benefits of being with us just show them the numbers that are dera old politicos are making.
Our line to the public will be:
a. This country has been ruined by politicians of all stripes.
b. The UNP sold the country to the foreigners. The UNP was not interested in dealing with the Tiger threat.
c. The SLFP which replaced them looted the treasury. The SLFP wanted to fight but the politicos creamed all the money into their own pockets and the war failed for lack of funds.
What we need is (in JRJ’s phrase) a Dharmishta government, a clean government, a government who will deliver to the people, etc etc etc.
Repeat ad infinitum, ad nauseum. After a bit even our armed forces chief’s (our fellow plotters) will come to believe this. They will be drawn by our Higher Purpose, not the initial grease which is needed to get the belief mechanism working.
On Parliament day, barricade the parilament, put the cabinet behind bars, get the state controlled media, announce revolution (ie follow the basic text book model) Promise the earth.
Follow up quickly by appointing the Priest as supreme leader, next appoint a clerical council as advisers to the priest (take a few leaves from the Iranian system and implement where necessary). Announce new constitution, elections in the future after clean up etc We remain carefully anonymous.
Announce, that corruption will be lowered and lead to lower taxes. cut the taxes and lull the business community into temporary compliance.
Commence looting via contracts on public procurement. Print money as and when when required.
AFter that, do a Musharaff and legitimise the revolution by holding a referendum within a few months. The Question to be voted on needs to be carefully worded. People are asked to approve a clean budhist regime. There should be no yes/no option. Just a yes. (This is what Musharraff did – vote for an islamic regime) There should be no “no” option. Therefore the only way someone can oppose is by boycotting. Thus as with Musharaff we can get a 97% “Yes” from a 4% turnout.
After two years retire to Bermuda and leave the idiots holding the reins to reap whatever turns up.
Postscript:
To salve our consciences (if we have any left by the end of the exercise) we can donate a few of our millions to charity. I’m thinking of a new wing for the British Museum or the National Gallery in London. Perhaps fund a chair in good governance at The London Business School, the LSE or Oxbridge?
Buying and restoring a historic house (a Class I listed property) in England could also be contemplated. this can serve as a summer retreat should Bermuda get boring.
Each and everyone has their own capacity to contribute to the country. The bottom line is how much you contribute and in which way. We cannot create a flawless society by our own self its a team work. Bit like a group of good officers can create a successful business.
This chap has a point there are many guys who have visions and enthusiasm to do on individual levels. But as says a country’s success reflects on how the political framework reflects around.
Sri Lanka is a great country with great people, there is no point in cussing the country, but to work for the betterment of the country in our best possible manner! Only if you work hard and contribute to the society’s betterment you can be happy of what you do.
Jack, while all of what you say may be true in regard to gathering together a high-level group of officers, what you don’t get is that this will not affect the field-grade officers and the rank and file. Their loyalty is to their regiments (not Army HQ) and that loyalty is only superseded by loyalty to the state. There is no loyaaltty to brigades or divisions the waay you would see it in the US Army. Therefore, while you might inspire a group of officers to act out a coup, they will get no support from the ranks outside their own regiments.
It’s probably difficult for a civilian to understand this, since we see all soldiers as part of this green machine. But in reality the military is a world as colourful and diverse as our own, each regiment with its own clothes, culture, music, traditions, and even language. It’s part of the Brit strategy to keep its armed forces always loyal only to the crown. In the words of Francis Bacon, “It is a world within a world.”
If you look at nations that have staged military coups, the Army has always been structured on the American or Soviet models (Thailand, Burma, Argentina, etc) or have had a fundaamentalist religion that united them all (Pakistan, Egypt), or tribal loyalties that superseded regimental ones (Uganda, Congo, etc).
There will not be a militaary coup in SL for the foreseeable future, and there would have to be a drastic change in the very web of our society before such a scenario could come about.
That’s a little suspect. The Pakistani army is known, if not for its penchant for grabbing power from time to time, for its secularism. Same with Turkey where the military ruled for many years and still exerts its influence on national policy(the head scarves controversy for instance) Of course there may have been other unifying factors among the army(secularism maybe).
To put the country right the first thing is to eliminate the money from the political system. The root of the problem is in the constitution, which esures, some would say enshrines corruption. The main weaknesses are:
1. No spending limits on election campaigns
2. No transparency in election funding.
3. Too many elections (Presidential & Parliamentary. Within the parliamentary elections each and every candidate needs to run his own campaign – against his fellow candidates within the party AND against rival parties, because of the stupid Manape (preferential voting system).
4. Proportionla representation means that no clear winner emerges. After the election much horse trading as parties jostle to get a working majority. MP’s are basically bribed in order to join the ruling party. This is why we have a jumbo cabinet.
The above results in:
1. Huge volumes of spending, with no questions asked as to where the money comes from.
2. Huge manpower requirements in order to organise and run the campaigns for each candidate.
What happens is the bulk of the financing for political parties comes from the underworld. I will not mention names but if one sits back and thinks of the many in public office or are associated with those in public office and the frequent connections that they seem to have with gangsters the link becomes clear.
Conversely no legitimate business can afford to cough up the sums required to run a campaign. One prominent UNP candidate for parliament is thought to have spent Rs.50m (I got this from a source within the UNP) Estimates for presidential campaigns range from Rs.1-2bn or US$10-20m. To put this in context Hillary Clinton has only managed to raise US$26m – from the world’s largest economy.
With the politicians in hock to the underworld, the police are afraid to act and law and order breaks down. We then experience the crime wave that we see today. The police concentrate on petty crime, drunk driving etc mostly as an eyewash. The big fish go free and often have the police in cahoots as well.
Apart from this, the overarching power of the Executive Presidency and the weakening of the checks & balances (principally the judiciary and the legislature) also contribute to long term deteriaration. For example under the Westminster system the Executive is formed by the PM and the Cabinet. People who comprise the Executive are answerabel to Parliament. More importantly the Executive cannot vote in Parliament as MP’s. Imagine MR’s position if members from his jumbo cabinet were excluded from voting in the house?
Getting back to a Westminster type constitution 1948 or 1972 would be a big step forward.
Next strengthen the Bribery commission. Living beyond ones declared means (declared to the inland revenue) may be taken as evidence of corruption. Impose low spending limits on election campaigns and order that funds raised must disclose all sources and be audited, They must be open to srutiny by the public and by rival parties.
Next tackle the deserters 70,000+ (compared to an army of 140,000 I think) who are in the underworld and contribute to the unhealthy cocktail.
For the optimists I would ask:
How many of the politicians today can understand (never mind find solutions to) the fundamental problems facing the country?
The buggers are part of the problem, not a part of the solution.
Given the continued migration of anyone with even half a brain, I doubt if we can ever throw up a politician who can get things right.
Ranil was fairly ok, the best of the lot I would say, but sadly unelectable. The others in the UNP, especially the effective strongmen like SB are barely better than the SLFP. Sajith Premadasa might be a possibility but he is a dark horse at the moment – have heard a few good reports of him though.
In the meantime, MR continues to dig the hole ever deeper. Just look around at what is happening. Armed militias killing and abducting people, the press cowed, civil society group’s under attack, human rights abuses of all sorts, rising levels of violent crimes, widening income disparities (one cause for the increase in crime), roads closed , checkpoints everywhere.
WOW,how heart breaking,dont just blame Mahinda for corruption.Anyone who comes to that position does the same,Premadasa,Chandrika,Ranil……..all of them were corrupted,its the system,we guys should change it ,we need a total change in this system, a revolution
And will prevent the revolutionary leader Poojitha’s name being added to the above list?
One had to work with variations of the existing political system. And one cannot equate the level of greed exhibited by the present leader and his coterie of confidants to that of previous leaders. This argument basically absolves all leaders of responsibility: I couldn’t help it: the system made me do it!
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True. I agree with a lot of this.
There is a possibility of peace talks in the future. That will probably come about with the signing of another ceasefire. I am sure more people in the South will try to make it work next time but they have to first be brought into that mindset.
If the Tigers can’t or don’t want to retake the east by force then they will stand on the 2002 Ceasefire being implemented. That means that the govt will have to abandon all the gains it made in the east in order to pursue peace. It is unlikely that the govt will do this as it will loose support from the war mongering masses (JVP, JHU, SLFP supporters). The Tigers can now prove that the govt and SLA are the true aggressors as any fool can see that occupying territory militarily is a clear violation of any ceasefire. The Tigers operations so far have only been of a defensive nature and they have not captured any new territory like the govt has. Nevertheless the Tigers have asked the international community to show their (IC) clout by making the govt withdraw its forces from the east and to make it (govt) comply with the full 2002 Ceasefire Agreement, which is an internationally recognised document that recognises two states with frontlines. If at the behest of the Tigers the IC can’t make the SL govt comply with the 2002 ceasefire then the Tigers can then ask what guarantee the IC will be in any future negotiated settlements. Any future settlement can easily be broken by a newly elected hardline Sinhala government and the IC will stand by while genocide of Tamils and occupation of Tamil lands continue. This is the current reality the Tigers want to prove.
So far the IC has been toothless and is only charging Mahinda’s govt with human rights abuses rather than making the govt go back to the 2002 ceasefire lines. The IC is also failing to warn the govt not to follow the military path. Stopping a couple of million dollars worth of aid money to try and bring the Mahinda govt inline while providing 60 million in military aid is the stupidest move possible. Which dumb cluck thought of that idea I don’t know. That’s only going to adversely affect those hundreds of thousands of Tamils displaced by the current offensives in the east.
Anyway my opinion is that the Tigers will only begin their offensives when they are ready and when they feel that they have proved their point clearly.
My suggestion if there is a another ceasfire is that it has to be implemented and monitored on the ground at the frontlines by European forces from the UN. All paramilitaries working with the SL army must be disarmed. Even if we Tamils declare independence this needs to be done in order to create a true sense of normalcy for people to pursue their social and economic dreams throughout the whole of the island. Based on the appalling responses in the past by the international community to genocide and violations of agreements (Rwanda, Dafur), the LTTE can not be expected to disarm for atleast the next 50 years following a settlement. To allay any fears by neighbours the LTTE like Japan can be bound by an agreement to only engage in the defense of the Tamil homeland. The agreement with Sri Lanka can be that after 50 years the Tamils can hold a referendum to decide if they need the armed protection of the LTTE any more. This will all depend on how amicable future Sinhalese govts are to the Tamils and the level of international prtection availbale to the Tamils.
We can make it work people. Think positive!!!
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True. I agree with a lot of Jacks initial comment.
There is a possibility of peace talks in the future. That will probably come about with the signing of another ceasefire. I am sure more people in the South will try to make it work next time but they have to first be brought into that mindset.
If the Tigers can’t or don’t want to retake the east by force then they will stand on the 2002 Ceasefire being implemented. That means that the govt will have to abandon all the gains it made in the east in order to pursue peace. It is unlikely that the govt will do this as it will loose support from the war mongering masses (JVP, JHU, SLFP supporters). The Tigers can now prove that the govt and SLA are the true aggressors as any fool can see that occupying territory militarily is a clear violation of any ceasefire. The Tigers operations so far have only been of a defensive nature and they have not captured any new territory like the govt has. Nevertheless the Tigers have asked the international community to show their (IC) clout by making the govt withdraw its forces from the east and to make it (govt) comply with the full 2002 Ceasefire Agreement, which is an internationally recognised document that recognises two states with frontlines. If at the behest of the Tigers the IC can’t make the SL govt comply with the 2002 ceasefire then the Tigers can then ask what guarantee the IC will be in any future negotiated settlements. Any future settlement can easily be broken by a newly elected hardline Sinhala government and the IC will stand by while genocide of Tamils and occupation of Tamil lands continue. This is the current reality the Tigers want to prove.
So far the IC has been toothless and is only charging Mahinda’s govt with human rights abuses rather than making the govt go back to the 2002 ceasefire lines. The IC is also failing to warn the govt not to follow the military path. Stopping a couple of million dollars worth of aid money to try and bring the Mahinda govt inline while providing 60 million in military aid is the stupidest move possible. Which dumb cluck thought of that idea I don’t know. That’s only going to adversely affect those hundreds of thousands of Tamils displaced by the current offensives in the east.
Anyway my opinion is that the Tigers will only begin their offensives when they are ready and when they feel that they have proved their point clearly.
My suggestion if there is a another ceasfire is that it has to be implemented and monitored on the ground at the frontlines by European forces from the UN. All paramilitaries working with the SL army must be disarmed. Even if we Tamils declare independence this needs to be done in order to create a true sense of normalcy for people to pursue their social and economic dreams throughout the whole of the island. Based on the appalling responses in the past by the international community to genocide and violations of agreements (Rwanda, Dafur), the LTTE can not be expected to disarm for atleast the next 50 years following a settlement. To allay any fears by neighbours the LTTE like Japan can be bound by an agreement to only engage in the defense of the Tamil homeland. The agreement with Sri Lanka can be that after 50 years the Tamils can hold a referendum to decide if they need the armed protection of the LTTE any more. This will all depend on how amicable future Sinhalese govts are to the Tamils and the level of international prtection availbale to the Tamils.
We can make it work people. Think positive!!!
Aadhavan, I don’t think you can say the Pakistani Army is secular anymore (though it might’ve been in the ’70s and ’80s). Certain units within the defence establishment (not all Army) like the ISI and the SSG are hard-core Islamic fundamentalist in their outlook, and this was evidenced in their connection with the Taliban. Also, remember Musharraf came into power with the call to overthrow a secular and corrupt government, so you can loosely say that the unifying force was fundamentalist religion.
Turkey’s forces maybe inspired by secularism, but they are also structured on a non-Brit model.
I’m not trying to prove the reasons for coups all over the world, but merely to point out why a coup will not happen here.
Jack, while an alleged figure of 70,000 deserters seem a lot from an Army of 140,000, that’s a misleading equation. If the figure for deserters is from the early ’80s to the present, you need to factor in the rest of the Armed Forces, and then equate the deserters against the total number of personnel who have served in the Armed Forces from the early ’80s to the present (currently serving, retired, discharged, KIA, MIA, and deserters).
Jey, since the IC’s reluctance to take the GoSL to task on ceasefire violations can hardly be termed “dumb”, as you put it, it has to be seen as design. And that comes out of the IC’s perception (aparent by its banning of the LTTE in thhe EU and other parts) that the Tigers are the aggressors and the chief engineers of the CFA’s failure. So I think it’s unlikely that the IC (represented by the UN and EU) is likely to try and reinstall the old CFA. It’s far more likely that they’ll push for a new one; which the southern populace will eventually accept with Mahinda’s guarantees of “honour”. If the LTTE asks the IC for guarantees, those will be suggested to be long-term EU peacekeepers on the ground. Noth sides will have to agree to this, of course, and they’ve both refused in the past.
The disarming of the LTTE splinter groups (Karuna and Pilliyan) will never happen unless the GoSL agrees to it wholeheartedly. And they will do that only once they are guaranteed of no further LTTE aggression in the newly captured/liberated areas. If not, the GoSL will pay lip service to the disarmament, refuse to do it themselves, saying it has no control over areas outside its control, and suggest that the peacekeepers and the LTTE taake care of the prob. Meantime, they continue to harbour these auxiliaries and fund, arm, and train them for as long as they wish.
The latest news is not very enouraging, the country seems to be sliding backwards even as we speak.
Kidnappers have started targetting muslim businessmen as well, red cross workers killed, supposedly by the police, lodging houses in Pettah emptied of Tamils, the Vice Chancellor of the Esatern University who disappeared some time back now thought to have died in custody, big battles raging on the warfront with boh sides claiming victory….
There have been fundamentalist factions in the Pakistan military but there certainly has been no question of Islam being the uniting factor. More likely that it has been the bone of contention within the military, though of course the Islamisation of the military was taken care of by Musharraf, who by far has been one of the more secular of the military leaders in Pakistan. His personal life and his policies have revealed a person who is only nominally Islamic and his alliance with the US has got him into a lot of trouble with the Islamic radicals.
Also, you’re completely wrong to suggest that Musharraf came to power with the call to replace Sharif with a more Islamic minded leader. Sharif was undoubtedly one of the more fundamentalist leaders in recent times. He saw through the passing of the Shariat Bill and was flirting with the idea of having Sharia courts installed all over Pakistan. I think it was the judiciary, who along with the military are considered the secular influences on Pakistan who stalled this move. Many secular Pakistanis thought there was a danger of Pakistan sliding towards a theocracy and a lot of these people were thrilled when Musharraf pulled his stunt. Of course there were those fundamentalists who thought Sharif was not fundamentalist enough, but none of them would have preferred the dog pet owning, whisky drinking, friend of the West, Pervez Musharaf over the Islamic leaders they already had.
I know you don’t have to explain every coup, but Pakistan can be explained by looking at their political culture. The military has long been one of the most trusted institutions and with most of their post independence existence being governed by the military, it’s just second nature to them.
Even in SL there was a coup attempt that I’m sure you know about that flopped because some guy talked too much after a drink or two(at least that was the rumour) I knew one gentleman from the police who was locked up for his part in the whole affair and it seemed like that group was some kind of Old Boys network of Thomians, Royalists and Trinitians. The Royal Thomian and the Bradby along with countless bottles of arrack I’m sure being the unifying factor!
Mahinda & his brothers corruption may be a huge amount overall ,but do you think if you give each ministry to different ministers will save the corruption ? dud they will do the same thing, 10% commission from all the projects thats what i hear,what ever the face over there we are the ultimate looser, remember Premadasa,Chandrika,Gamini how did they become rich suddenly
Parthi,
They say you have to be patient and give it at least 5 years.
One thing I find difficult is to overcome the guilt of millions of people being much worse off than me in the same country I live. Here, I can share a drink with my garbage collector, or plumber and not feel guilty about the job they have to do.
CFA=Ceasefire agreement
Moroccan family barred from toilet
By Richard Hamilton
BBC News, Sale
A family living in a public toilet in Morocco have spent seven years requesting more hygienic accommodation.
‘Hundreds of thousands of Moroccans live in abject poverty in slums and shanty towns.
Some of those slums have produced the recent waves of suicide bombers.
It reflects the huge gap between rich and poor in Morocco: some people live in luxury, others live literally in a toilet.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6718249.stm
:) Yeah, that’s about as far as a coup would go in SL. That was my point. There maybe a few Old Boys willing to get together and “do a coup, you bugger”, but they won’t really get much support.
You maybe correct about Pakistan, and if their armed forces are similarly motivated as the Turks, then yes, it’s an unifying factor; and one which isn’t aparent here.
Remember, this is the Army that quite cheerfully killed off thousands of their fellow Sinhalese Buddhists in two successive decades on the say-so of the state.
The sky is falling by Toutatis.
Actually this coup attempt was way back in Sirimavo’s time and there may have been a fair chance of success given that all the Service Commanders and many others including the police chief were in on the deal. There is an interesting conclusion to that story. All these guys were convicted of treason or something of that sort and when the case went to the House of Lords in appeal, the Law Lords, most of them Oxbridge types, summarily overturned the conviction on a technicality. Apparently the members of the Old Boys network were also members of the Oxbridge alumni network and the guys were let off scot free. Some of them went on to coach their respective alma maters at rugby and cricket!! The luckiest unsuccessful plotters of a coup ever!!
Yeah, I know, I’ve heard about some of it. One of the guys was forever known after that as “Coup” Fernando, or Perera, or whatever.
The only other time there was even a sniff of a coup was when Cecil Waidyaratne was Army Commander, but he was got rid of poste haste.
Think Sri Lanka may not still be like this? Hope it doesn’t end up like this.
David, would you be able to enlighten us on Fiji? Thought they have a British Heritage.
Yeah, they do, but then so does Pakistan. A Brit heritage isn’t the only thing preventing coups. If that was the case, we wouldn’t have all the chaos in Africa. There are other things, like tribal loyalties and religion. I’m not too familiar with the Fijian coup, frankly.
Also, in really small countries, it’s more possible for a faction within the Army to sieze power. In SL, you’d need unanimous support throughout the armed forces for success. If not, you’d have a couple of battalions of Gajabas or whatever trying to fight their waayy from Trinco to Colombo past the STF and the Sinha Rifles, while the SLAF bombed the shit out of them.
You can probably throw counter arguments at each of my coup “necessities”, but in reality a coup d’etat is a rarity, and is the result of extraordinary circumstances.
Ok…thanks…just curious. Know about politics but clueless about structures and army culture of both.
These days more is written about the LTTE than views and culture of the Sri Lankan army itself.
heh heh
Hey Indi, any comments on this discussion?
Teutates? hmmm… I see the wars but where’s the prosperity and growth? Is it hiding or something or am I just at the receiving end of the wars and don’t realize it yet?
Damit Jacko, your pessimism is contagious. :(
The prosperity comes to those who surround the corrupt political elite. They use their position to transfer wealth to themselves and their clique through patronage.
Note that there is little if any new wealth being generated, only transfers from the public at large to the pockets of the priviledged.
Don’t be tiresome, Jack. You sound like a bad translation of Somawansa. I know lots of fairly prosperous folks who are nowhere near corrupt, elite, or even near the corrupt elite.
There are lots of hard-working people with the ingenuity and inspiration to prosper. Don’t kill that by saying “umpire hora”.
Why is it that every frikkin single blog post has religion and politics dragged into it?
Sorry David.
There are plenty of people who have, upto now been able to amass wealth fairly and I have no problem with private wealth.
However in time to come, it will be ever more difficult for people to continue to do this: rocketing inflation and interest rates, an unstable political situation, a rapidly depreciating currency, a growing tax burden, creaking infrastructure (power, roads, transport to name a few) will sap investor confidence and make growth difficult.