This is an article written for the next issue of Montage. I post it now because Independence Day is coming up on the 4th. And Bob Marley’s birthday is on the 6th.
Independence and freedom are not the same thing. You can be independent of your parents but dependent on your husband. You can be independent of the German army to be occupied by the Soviets. The independence worth celebrating isn’t independence from one particular thing, it is the act of self-discipline that makes one free from tyranny under any flag – foreign or local. In many independence struggles the word has meant freedom from the British. Some countries have used that catalyst to form constitutions that protect people against the excesses of any government. Others have simply swapped a white overlord for a brown one. Sri Lanka isn’t a tyranny by any means, but we are certainly not free.
Freedom, in a democratic context, comes from the rule of law. On a national level this means a Constitution that prince and pauper follow alike. In Sri Lanka we do not follow our constitution. Our freedoms are determined ad hoc, depending on the whims of the President and, occasionally, the Chief Justice.
For the princely class, the Constitution does not apply in the sense that they simply don’t follow it. The 13th amendment was designed to protect us from federal tyranny by devolving significant executive and judicial power to Provincial Councils. It has not been implemented. Since 1987. Recently the APRC found it behind a couch and re-presented it to the President.
The 17th amendment, also, was designed to protect against central tyranny. An executive which controls elections, police, finance, and investigation of corruption and human rights doesn’t have many checks on its power. Such concentrated power inevitably corrupts and national freedom suffers. The 17th amendment is an attempt to discipline the government by creating and staffing commissions for each of these functions under the aegis of a Constitutional Council. This council consists of the President, Opposition Leader and their nominees. This means that the vital instruments of democracy and good governance don’t depend on the whims of the people in power. This amendment, too, has not been implemented.
The situation for the paupers is a bit more dire. The Constitution gives us a few fundamental rights – among these the right to equality under the law (for any race), freedom from arbitrary detention and death, freedom of speech (including publication), and freedom of movement within Sri Lanka. Under the ongoing Emergency Regulations, these rights are effectively suspended. Tamils in Colombo are treated as suspects, especially if they have moved from the North East. People are arbitrarily rounded up and held without charges. People are tortured, they do die, and they do simply disappear. Ministers freely assault TV news directors, and the news directors get sacked. People that speak out are stabbed in the street. And the Defense Secretary brazenly calls for media censorship and punishment of dissent. These are violations of our fundamental rights, if we had those rights anymore.
So, we are left with a Constitution which doesn’t discipline our government and doesn’t protect us as citizens. The laws which regulate the government are ignored and the ones that protect us are suspended. The very constitutional checks against tyranny have been discarded and we are left with the very conditions our Constitution was designed to prevent. Ad hoc tyranny by the central government. We may have a flag, we may have an army and we may have borders but we cannot truly claim independence until we implement and follow our own Constitution to ban any tyranny from our shores. Not Dutch tyranny, Portuguese tyranny, British tyranny or Thai trannys but tyranny of any color or flag. Including our own. That would be an independence worth celebrating.
As a kid I learnt this:
Stop says the Red light,
Go says the Green
Change says the amber one,
Blinking in between
That’s what they say,
and that’s what they mean,
We all must obey them
Even the Queen
I frequently remember this when wasting my valuable time in traffic jams created by road closures so a minor VIP can travel conveniently, no matter what the traffic lights say.
Another excellent post Indi. Unfortunately, in forums like this, you are preaching to the choir. Any chance you can use your newly acquired language skills to get your stuff published in Sinhala?
Aney putha, eyi ohoma boru kiyanne?
Apita nidahasak nethda?
Freedom is not something anyone presents you in a plate. Freedom is something you should fight and win. Myself and my son now enjoy freedom because we have won it ourselves.
We are totally free to bash anyone we like any time we chose. Don’t you agree?
Tell me which country offers that kind of a freedom?
Mervin Silva
Kelaniya
Amen!
I remember it as:
Stop says the Red light,
Go says the Green
Wait says the amber one,
changing in between.
Thanks for reminding me of the second verse – had forgotten the first two lines but the last one I remember as being “even the Queen must obey” but like you, these words ring through my ears when I see a convoy on the wrong side of the road.
Good post and rajivmw – no point talking to the masses. As Lee Kuan Yew said, the average man cannot understand a complex economic or political argument. They can only learn to trust. You have to win them over with simple promises that you then keep.
Sri Lanka has always been a monarchy with a very paternalist kingship tradition. The country is the property of the king. We are his servants. He promises to look after us. if the king is good things are good. If not, well you know the deal…
The king rules with the support of the political elite (other thugs whose support must be bought with gifts). The throne is always up for grabs through assassination or war. Local thugs are always carving up the place (like VP). The king is usually the local thug who beats out all the other thugs. That’s the way it has always been. Dust off the details of history and that’s the common thread.
That’s the way it has been for thousands of years.
We are democracy by procedure, socialist due to ancient, and a republic since the monarchy is not hereditary.
The benefits of this independence and other trappings of democracy is that it keeps the blood letting for the throne contained. Sort of. At least better than Somalia.
If there’s an update to the kingship concept, its the mob – the Mafia.
Hi Indi,
I usually disagree with most of your thoughts, may be like 80% of the time, specially when you talk about Peace(war), Sri Lanka. But I must admit that you have some truth in what you write in this post (specially about that Jack Ass Mervin Silva). But I do disagree with you about your thoughts on (exaggerated, without ample proof – typical peacenick) the current state of Sri Lankan rights and it’s constitution.
You harp about governance and democracy, freedom, independence and rights, well let me refer you to a book, Chapter 3 of Practical Reason by Pierre Bourdieu. If you can find the time to read it you will understand that citizens are not free, not in Sri Lanka, not in the US or any where on earth. Freedom, Independence and rights are relative words, need to be spoken in context.
I also have to correct you on your attitude, you walk the streets of Colombo because some anonymous solider sacrificed his life to stop a terrorist from spreading his terror, you get to go out parting cause the emergency regulations gave the judiciary and the police the power to arrest a couple of terrorist who were planning on blowing up you party joint with a truck bomb (probably terrorist wont blow your joint up, since most blokes with one leg in the West and one in Sri Lanka go there to party and don’t care about what really happens to Sri Lanka as long as they can booze the night away with some tart on their lap), you get to drive around, go shopping with your girlfriend since the security checkpoints maned by solders 24 hours a day without a break in the sun and in the rain, breathing in pounds of Carbon-monoxide and other vehicle emissions (likely that they will suffer from horrendous cancers later on), stopped those suicide bombers from blowing them self up in public.
Be grateful for the freedom, rights, independence that you enjoy, since many anonymous persons paid with their blood so that you can have them, from Keppetipola Maha Adikaram in 1818 (and all his anonymous followers) to Major General Denzil Kobbakaduwa in 1992 and private “Tikiri Banda” (anonymous) in 2008.
If it makes you feel a bit less class-resentment, I don’t have a girlfriend or party much anymore.
A nation is not simply a state of not being blown up. We obviously have to aspire to more than that. Modern nations are their Constitutions – leaders swear allegiance to that, not to the country per se. If you want to defend the nation you have to defend the Constitution first. Freedom is real and it is important. To quote Ben Franklin:
“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
Part of the comment by Hakim.
…you walk the streets of Colombo because some anonymous solider sacrificed his life to stop a terrorist from spreading his terror…
This is a myth that many continue to propagate.
Yes, it is true that anonymous soldier takes an enormous risk for protecting me, but I PAY ENOUGH for that. So he is NOT doing any favours to me.
Lets us see how.
Military today are among the highest paid, in terms of salary and privileges compared to their qualifications.
Entry level salary 25k +
Special privileges that no other government employee receives.
Compensation in case of death of disability
Pension after 10 years in job.
In case of death, full salary paid to wife and children till the death of wife and children become 21 years.
Posthumous promotions
Can you tell me which other job provides this kind of return for just GCE A/L qualifications? Probably MPs, but not anyone else.
Not that I say it is wrong. That is the price we pay for our security.
Now let us see how I pay.
About 20% of my earnings goes to state through PAYE.
About 12% of my earnings goes to state through indirect TAX (VAT = 15%, just take 3% out because there are few tax free goods)
Depending upon the rate more than 20% of the earnings lost due to inflation and this gets added up at the state coppers, as indirect ‘inflationary tax’.
So how come you say that anonymous soldier does a favour for me, when I pay nearly 50% of my earnings to state? (bulk of them go for the war including salaries of the military) Nobody asked that anonymous soldier to join army. I am sure he knew the risk when he joined, but attracted by the perks of the job. Economically speaking he is just acting rational.
So I get security, he gets paid for it. No favours from any side.
If anybody does that service for me without a salary and privileges, I will be grateful. Otherwise I do not see any reason why I should be grateful for receiving services for what I pay through my nose.
Well I correct you again on a fact, I have no “class-resentment” (if you consider yourself of being higher class) if that is what you call it, since race, religion, cast, class or creed mean nothing to me. “Humanity and self-sacrifice” is my yardstick to measure a person. I can dine with kings or share with a pauper makes no difference for me.
And if I put your quote in context as to when and why Benjamin Franklin stated it (still under debate whether he did or did not say it), it is in The Papers of Benjamin Franklin v. 6, p. 242 and if you can take some time to read it you will see that it critiques your attitude more than mine.
I leave it there.
“Military today are among the highest paid, in terms of salary and privileges compared to their qualifications.”
Here is the qualifications needed for the Army:
1 Courage to undergo brutal training and physical abuse
2 Strength to spend long periods of time away from loved ones and proper shelter
3 Willingness to risk psychological damage and long-term emotional trauma
4 Ability to die or be horribly injured and permanently crippled
Should I go on?
Whatever you pay him, arsehole, it’s not enough.
It’s from ‘An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania’, there’s a scan here. He published it, though its debatable whether he wrote it.
Sentiment is much the same. And to say that people died and suffered in order for people to live without a Constitution is a great disservice to those brave peeps. To quote Lincoln:
People didn’t die so we could live with perpetual checkpoints and perpetual war under a suspended constitution that cripples our democracy. They died for freedom.
David Blacker,
Do you think everybody in this country are not ‘konde bendapu cheenas’ to buy your weak arguments?
For your kind information 99% of the guys who join military today has none of the qualifications you mention, they join simply out of desperation because with their qualifications and the serious unemployment opportunity in Sri Lanka, they can never think of getting a decent job. To junta government, these just broilers.
That is why we have such a high turn-over rate in the army. The moment they see the real battle they get so upset they run even taking the risk of getting recaptured.
They know they may die, but even so their death would help the families to come out of extreme poverty.
That is why they call a military man ‘unnath dahai-malath dahai’ at the village level.
I do not mind you paying for them, but I am seriously against government robbing more than 50% of MY earnings just to provide security. Nobody lives by security alone. Let ME decide what to do with MY money.
And this is a request, be a gentleman and control your language. Don’t express your indecency in on-line forums.
Naleendra,
First of all, let me thank you from bottom my heart for giving me this unique opportunity to be exposed to a sociopath. It is quite rare opportunity I must say.
With all due respect, my good sir, I do not agree with anything you say about various military personals and foreign nationalities, for the same reason you say such things in the first place. That happened to be my upbringing.
Yes. Seen his first-class use of English language before, I think David Blacker had somewhat poorly used his English language when he calls you an arsehole, I’m sure he could have find more eloquent word, than arsehole, when he calls you an arsehole. But I have to agree, I was greatly amused when he called you an arsehole.
Before you call our solders, broilers with no qualification that you can purchase quite cheaply and dispose as you wish, let me take liberty to request my good sir, “Go kiss a cow’s cuntâ€.
So Naleendra, basically what you’re saying is the LIFE of a soldier is bought by you for all that money you mentioned? So every time a soldier dies and a family grieves, every time a soldier loses a limb, every time a soldier is forever scarred by the horrors of a battlefield its ok because we civilians have paid for it?
May I ask what yardstick you used to calculate the monetary value of a HUMAN LIFE? A HUMAN LIFE that is willingly in the midst of lethal danger, for whatever reason, so that YOUR LIFE doesnt have to be jeopardized.
Whatever robbing the government may or may not do under whatever guise, there is absolutely no justification for you to attack the brave men and women out there risking their lives so that you can blurt out meaningless trash talk drivel. Would you go out there? I know I would.
However unlike Sam and David Blacker (Who I think are two of the best bloggers around) I will not call you names. Not because I dont wish to but because doing so will lower me to your level, and your level is lower than the blackest deepest depths of hell where the devil himself fears to tread. Also simply because I cant think of any word in any language I know to properly describe the utter loathing I feel for you right now.
[With Indi’s approval, id like to write a post on this. Mind if I copy the relevant stuff Indi?]
Great post Indi. Very thoughtful and absolutely true. A document such as the Constitution is the foundation of a country’s morals and principles. It survives generations. Governments, both decent and corrupt pass, but the Constitution stays the same.
In Sri Lanka, as in the United States, the failure to protect the Constitution is perhaps the greatest cause for the donwfall of a country. The great dynasties of the world, the Rome of old and the US of the modern day are often never destroyed from the outside, but rather from within. Inattention to the founding messages upon which the country was built and to other things (such as developing infrastructure) tears a populus apart.
Nice post (although the Thai tranny part made me laugh, it deflated the seriousness of the issue).
Forgive me; this is a video we compiled, but I am not here to promote myself.
Naleendra, you unjustly withhold your gratitude to the soldiers – poor rural youth and their families who are even more helpless and oppressed by the situation in the country than you are, whose helplessness had conscripted them in to your service – and you naively fail to question the accountability and due responsibility of the people in government who actually TAKE your hard-earned money with false and misleading promises.
Gentlemen (and ladies if any), consider for a moment that Independence and Freedom, as much as they are political attributes, are also something that each individual owns and incubates within – that is beyond the identity that a colour or flag could attribute. So Indi, I do understand the point you make here, but let me assure you and everyone else that this blog and many others like it, in themselves are eloquent (though perhaps still feeble in their rarity and limited outreach) manifestations of free and independent thought that deserves to be celebrated.
Naleendra, I’m confused, what is your reasoning here? Are you saying because they come from impoverished backgrounds they won’t make good soldiers and not have the qualities that Blacker espoused? I assume you mean that if rich kids joined the army they would be made of ‘sterner stuff.’ FYI the majority of people who joined the US Army (at least pre-9/11 patriotic surge) joined for economic reasons, they couldn’t pay for college and the US army uses that carrot for the majority of their recruitments. I don’t see how economic background has anything to do with how good a soldier one is.
The army provides a service by providing security. We pay for that service. What that provider receives for his service however is paltry compared to the personal risks they take to provide the service. Just because you pay for a service doesn’t mean you can’t be appreciative and thankful. Grow up.
It is pity that none of the responds have taken my basic argument. They argue with emotions, and not with logic.
Army to a country is Abans security systems to a private firm. We pay for the services we receive. Nobody is doing favours for the other.
If we get a good service we appreciate, if not we complain.
Please see my above post. I never said paying higher salaries and providing special privileges for soldiers is bad, that is the price we pay for our security for this turbulent times. (irrespective of whose fault)
There is nothing wrong with appreciating the service we receive, that is an incentive we should give, but there is absolutely no need to worship the security personnel, as what happens here today. They are only doing their job, like anyone else.
For example a doctor works in N&E might face the same risks, but we do not appreciate that service. We do not go on worshipping doctors who work on N&E risking their lives.
As I said earlier, if anyone provides that service for free it is a different matter.
Otherwise, why should I worship Abans security systems?
But Jack Point, are you suggesting that no one in the Sinhala-speaking ‘masses’ can possibly rise above average? That therefore the not-terribly-complex arguments made here must be kept exclusive to the super-intelligent English-speaking elite? I’m sorry, but I think this kind of attitude is partly the reason we’re in such sorry shape today. I agree that not everyone will get it, and not everyone needs to, but language has nothing to do with it. Put the truth out there and it will be unstoppable.
When a country is at war, *everyone * has to do sacrifices.
However, in Sri Lanka all I see is only the people are forced to do sacrifices.
I do not see any sacrifices from the ‘leaders’ who run the country.
Does any minister of the 108 mega cabinet say, the country needs money for war so I will resign?
Does the President say it is ridiculous to run a luxury private airline for my own use at a time like this so we disband Mihin Air?
Have the President or any government minister has ever sent their sons to battle front?
Does any top government officer says the country needs money now so why not government officers too start paying tax waiving their exemption?
I understand that people have to make sacrifices, but what I do not understand is why the leaders themselves do not have to do any scarifies themselves.
Why not the President give an example to the country by sending his own son, now a trained officer, to Kilinochchi?
there is a difference between a professional soldier, a volunteer (unpaid) and a forcefully conscribed one. which one would you feel sorry for most in the event of death, injury etc? ask yourselves that instead of hurling gratuitous insults…yes they are all humans of course, just like so many others who risk their lives (doctors- in- the- north- east style) all over the world.
there should be some sort of gratitude, but there isn’t that much of it coz it’s not as if the whole nation is behind this war (unless you believe the propaganda), a lot of ppl are pissed off at the price hikes or hasn’t anyone noticed or talked to the poorer classes? it’s the political authorities who are sending their children to die (only metaphorically of course!). hte cannon fodder is unemployed youths who don’t have chances of jobs in a crippled economy. loads of them desert when they get a sample of the battlefield.
so all in all i don’t think naleendra is off his rocker or anything, he’s just cheesed off maybe at having to bear the costs of a war i presume he doesn’t support. what’s wrong with that? i think he’s entitled to his opinion.
btw, astonishingly all the above currently applies to western societies and their soldiers (british, us soldiers etc). how sorry do we feel when one of these soldiers dies in iraq for example? do we get the same feelings as when we think about the fallen members of the allied forces and volunteers who fought (and beat) the nazis? i don’t think so. i don’t at any rate. my gratitude goes to that kind of soldier, rather than a professional soldier. (barring the enola gay crew and who sent them; that was a disgrace to mankind).
Most of the “50%” of your earning the govt takes goes into the pockets of the ministers and other big wigs. Also for their security. Not much for yours
Naleendra, most of your post reflects the utter rubbish that comes out of abject ignorance of the subject you’re trying to talk about.
“For your kind information 99% of the guys who join military today has none of the qualifications you mention, they join simply out of desperation because with their qualifications and the serious unemployment opportunity in Sri Lanka, they can never think of getting a decent job.”
Really? And who told you that? The government. Don’t be a fool. I’m ex-Army and I know exactly what sort of guys join the Army. The vast majority join out of a sense of adventure. The next biggest segment joins out of patriotism. After that comes job opportunity and stability. The next largest segment (above ‘misc’) is those who want to kill Tigers or Tamils. When you finish basic training, you have to fill a form for your insurance. This form has a section which asks ‘reason for joining’. The Army insists you answer ‘unemployed’. Figure out for yourself why this ‘Sinhala/Buddhist’ Army insists on that.
“That is why we have such a high turn-over rate in the army. The moment they see the real battle they get so upset they run even taking the risk of getting recaptured.”
Again you excel in ignorance and uninformed bullshit. The largest segment of deserters are from non-combat support arms units. Why do you thing this is, smart arse, if they’re running from battle? The primary reason for desertion in the SL Army is lack of leave and/or personal/family issues. Try and figure out what you’re talking about, look up the facts and figures, and grow a brain, my friend, before you talk nonsense in a public forum.
“Let ME decide what to do with MY money.”
Then look after yourself. Leave Sri Lankan society and its government-controlled areas. Build your own infrastructure and protect it and your loved ones yourself. Good luck with that. Drop us a postcard when you can.
“And this is a request, be a gentleman and control your language”
Did I say I was a gentleman? Go fuck yourself. Please.
“Otherwise, why should I worship Abans security systems?”
Because it doesn’t matter whether Abans exists or not. If there were no Abans, you’d hire somebody else.
If your tiny mind cannot grasp the difference between fighting a war and guarding a car park, you should drop it right now. While both are services, they are vast in difference.
“They are only doing their job, like anyone else.”
When the job is to go out and kill or be killed, the job is different to all others. I understand that for you this is impossible to grasp as you’ve no clue what a war is like, so I urge you to please shut the fuck up before you look dumber than you already do.
GB, have a dekko at my response to Naleendra on unemployed recruits and desertion. I’m afraid you’re both victims of government propoganda.
If Naleendra is cheesed off at the war he should vent his anger on those who plan, continue, and profit from it, not on those who fight it. Heaping scorn on soldiers because you’re unhappy with your finances is a bit juvenile.
I find your use of conscript vs professional soldiers (there are no unpaid volunteers in the modern context — soldiers in the SL Army’s Volunteer Force are paid salaries but don’t get pensions) as the criteria for whether you are grateful to them or not to be a bit dishonest. Do you therefore (following your logic) feel gratitude or admiration for the thousands of draftees who fought the Vietnam War? Sadly, many Americans didn’t share this gratitude for the sacrifice of those unwilling teenagers who fought and died while all-volunteer Reserve and National Guard units sat Stateside.
Conscript vs volunteer armies is a long debate, and has nothing to do with the cause. The Russian troops that raped their way through eastern Germany at the end of WW2, and fought in Afghanistan and Chechnya were mostly conscripts, while the Americans and Brits who liberated Kuwait were volunteers. Conscription is merely a tool. In WW1 and 2 the Allies conscripted because they needed the numbers, as do the Israelis today. In Vietnam the US conscripted more teenagers in spite of the fact that they had sufficient Reserve & NG troops to fight the war, because conscripts were under the age of 21 and couldn’t vote (against the war), while reservists and guardsmen could. Today the US uses its reservists and guardsmen because the war is largely supported by the US public. Also, conscription has largely been a 20th century phenomenon, neccessitated by world wars.
Galleblogger and Naleendra. The fact is that most young men who do sign up come from the most socially depressed, poverty stricken demographies. This is not only documented and studied, it is also appreciated by military recruiters who target the most poverty stricken areas and sections of the public where you find the most number of people with the least opportunities of moving up the social ladder. Blacker’s assertion that they join for the fun of it is a little naiive. Unless he can show a link between a sense of excitement and poverty, he’s wrong. It’s probably not fashionable to admit to your barrack buddies that you joined the fight only because you didn’t have money- which explains the failure of David’s survey. The point however is that when poor people enlist, they do so because they have been exploited by poverty and so are forced to risk their lives in order to eke out a living. Ditto Sri Lankan housemaids going the the ME, prostitutes etc. It’s a sad truth. In the US for instance, most recruiting is done among poor Black and Latino communities. If the kids who enlist had job opportunities, the prospect of further education and if their families were richer, you’d have much less of them putting themselves in harms way. This is why you don’t have many kids from affluent Colombo schools signing up, regardless of their desire for excitement or political views. When you’re rich, you’ll take a round the world trip and climb Everest for excitement, or rant on a blog about the terrorists who should be evicted from lodges or the peacenik menace to vent your racism. Alternatively you’ll go to Dartmouth and return as an officer.
So coming to my point, it’s not a case of feeling grateful and venerating the soldiers, but acknowledging that poverty has forced them to make choices they wouldn’t have made otherwise, putting them in the kinds of situation no human should be put in. I feel a hell of a lot of sympathy for those kids, you should too.
Granted. Naleendra’s point was badly made, but still a valid one in the face of Hakim’s ‘anonymous soldier’ argument. It seems that Hakim (who started the rot) has been forgotten in this wave of vitriole against Naleendra. It seems that he is the one spewing the government propoganda in valourising the fallen soldier who wanted to die for his country just as much as you and I do.
Blacker…to argue that the forces is not a solution for unemployment is unsound. Many do join as a means of salaried employment. Not to question that there are those who join for the ‘sense of adventure’ and ‘patriotism’. To use Naleendra’s argument of a security firm, if you pay Abans to provide security and the guards scuttle off at the sight of an armed robber, I think you’re entitled to complain. You’re paying for security and not getting any. The army (and thereby the GOSL) has a monopoly on security services in Sri Lanka, and as tax paying citizens we are entitled to expect some security. Just ask the mothers of the DSS baseball team that met the suicide bomber in Fort Railway Station. Similarly, just as Naleendra has, we can be a bit pissed off if the Abans guy frisked us and groped our balls on the way to work in my Duplication Road office everyday, the tax paying public is entitled to be a bit aggrieved at their fundamental freedoms being abrogated.
Fundamental rights can be abrogated via the constitution in the name of national security, however, given the amount of bombs going off in the last few days there doesn’t seem to be much security to abrogate for. So Naleendra, and some others like him are a bit pissed off.
Hakim, the MCNS is actually quite back patty of the forces and don’t hesitate to tell us everytime the Air Force blows up an ant hill that Prabhakaran took a piss at, but I don’t remember a gamut of news articles revealing the amount of suicide bombers that have been nabbed in the nick of time at the Kirimandala checkpoint. Perhaps the one who nearly got Douggie came through on a Sunday or while it was raining.
Somehow, cordoning off pieces of country doesn’t strike me as very ‘intelligent’. So forgive Naleendra, and others like him, for losing faith in the system, and being cheesed off for contributing to a futile cause.
Oh…and before anyone calls me names and questions my parentage, my father only served in the Volunteer Force in Matara, Komari, Welioya and Palaly for 19 years. He got his State bank salary all those years and left the bank before being eligible for pension. He works hard and pays taxes now.
db, sadly only you seem to know everything with your cheap wikipedia knowledge, the rest of us who post anything different from your views are dishonest,arseholes, gullible victims of gvmnt propaganda, , juvenile , brainless, smart asses, tiny-minded, clueless and dumb, and we can fuck off etc (check ur replies)…. wow. one of the best bloggers around (according to dili’s post). highly intellectual, i must say. can bloggers of this high caliber be taken seriously? oh, that’s another debate…. yes, going on at the moment at the fish market, that’s the appropriate level it seems….
“If Naleendra is cheesed off at the war he should vent his anger on those who plan, continue, and profit from it, not on those who fight it. Heaping scorn on soldiers because you’re unhappy with your finances is a bit juvenile”
maybe he does vent his anger in other directions too, how do you know he doesn’t?
“Do you therefore (following your logic) feel gratitude or admiration for the thousands of draftees who fought the Vietnam War? ” yes i do in a way. not admiration tho’, you must have plucked that out of the sky, as u often do. my admiration goes to a srilankan father who can raise a couple of kids (or more) working as a bas, under the mahinda chintanaya, which has to pay for the war. hey, you actually read what i wrote!
“Sadly, many Americans didn’t share this gratitude for the sacrifice of those unwilling teenagers who fought and died while all-volunteer Reserve and National Guard units sat Stateside. ”
how unfortunate, but what has that got to do with anything? btw, many americans were grateful too. so waht? more to the point, u may recall the protests at the vietnam war, right? some anger was vented towards the troops, some towards who sent them, does it ring a bell? doesn’t it sound familiar?
“Conscript vs volunteer armies is a long debate, and has nothing to do with the cause”
i don’t know which cause u r referring to, but my point WAS about the differeence between a conscripted soldire (to whom my PERSONAL sympathy goes, i don’t expect the whole world to do the same) and a paid pro (to whom it doesn’t). my concept wasn’t that long.
your last paragraph doesn’t demonstrate anything at all, it’s just the description of soldiers’ behaviour all the world round, regardless of the fact whether they are pros or conscripted, and their quotas, so what?
anyway, i could do away with both, to me if there were no borders, countries, motherlands (!), armies etc, the world would be a better place. to me a soldier is someone who is paid to kill another human being, just like a professional killer of the mafia. i dont have much respect for them, u may have noticed, most would be drop outs and losers in society anyway. overgrown infants, if u ask me.
you may think i’m a dreamer, but i’m not the only one…oh sorry, i’m gullible!
p.s. i was a conscripted soldier when i was 18. luckily they didn’t send me to lebanon to go die for some fucking stupid reason like motherlands, holylands, oil, etc, the pros went. they could/should have stayed home. sod them, they’re still killing each other, so waht’s the use anyway? it’s only politics that can stop wars, especially civil wars, not bullets, ltte bombs and price hikes.
sorry indi, really off topic. hope u dont mind!
while i was sending the previous post, sophist and aadhavan appeared!
aadhavan: ok, your reasoning has softened my heart a bit because of unemployment and it is very sad really. it’s not that i didn’t realize (it’s in one of my replies too) , it’s that the freedom of being able to find a job in sl is not there (hey indi, getting back to your topic, see?) because of the political (war included) choices. that’s waht pisses me off and having to pay for it as you say. to get what in exchange? nothing. it all goes down the drain and to the cemetery. anyway, tx for being civilised!
In spite of the rather condescending (but trademark) tone of your post, Aadhavan, let me point out where you’re wrong. I’m sorry if the real facts don’t fit conveniently into your view of the world, but that’s life. The day you understand that Dad isn’t Superman and Santa Clause isn’t real, you become an adult. You may think it naive of me to believe my fellow soldiers when we discussed our reasons for joining, but I think I’ll take their version of their lives over your second-hand and uncorroborated view.
“Unless he can show a link between a sense of excitement and poverty, he’s wrong.”
Pretty easy, my friend. When you’re poor you can’t afford fast bikes, women, parties, travel, and all the other things that many of us consider excitement (as you yourself point out), so if your point is that the poor can’t afford excitement, so the Army gives them cheap thrills, you’re spot on. If that’s then your logical line between the Army and unemployment, it’s obviously a very tenuous one. Having acknowledged that everyone is seeking excitement, you then contradict yourself by claiming that my friends were lying when they said that they were looking for excitement and adventure. I think you need to rethink your line of argument, counsel.
Also, in Sri Lanka’s context, you have to understand what the parallel is. You’re assuming that the parallel is between excitement and poverty. What if the parallel is between excitement and rural life? Think about it before you jump to conclusions. Of my 40-man training platoon, 30-odd were from rural areas (though not necessarily poor), a couple from Colombo, and a few from big towns like Galle, etc. One-third of them had been holding steady jobs before the Army. Almost all of the others were straight outta school. A few were unemployeed. Many were better educated than I was (though not in English) and some had been accepted for university.
I knew and trusted the ten guys I went into combat with better and more than I have anyone I have worked with since, but I suppose guys like Galleblogger and you will insist that they were lying to me, or that I’m lying to you. So be it. None of you know much about the Army or its world, or the people that inhabit it, or even the way this conflict that dominates our nation is conducted. You prefer to read the papers, the novels, watch the movies, and draw your assumptions from there. It matters nothing to me to have it confirmed that you’re wrong.
“It’s probably not fashionable to admit to your barrack buddies that you joined the fight only because you didn’t have money- which explains the failure of David’s survey”
I’m afraid you’ve assumed again, Aadhavan — firstly that there was a survey, and second that it was a failure! Lol. I just told you my firsthand experience. If you wish to discount it in favour of the “fashionable” dick-measuring debates you have in law college, go for it. You probably won’t learn anything new in the world, but hey, when were we here to learn?
“Blacker…to argue that the forces is not a solution for unemployment is unsound”
Where did I say it wasn’t? Advertising’s a source of employment, but that doesn’t mean I’m here just for the money. I AM here for the money, but not JUST for the money. I hope all of you guys get that nuance. To put it into perspective — most soldiers join the Army for a multitude of reasons, from the extreme of wanting to know what it’s like to kill someone and get away with it, to those who think that the chicks dig the uniform. They also want to be paid well and pensioned for killing people and getting chicks. So to say they join the Army for the money is wrong. They wouldn’t do it for free, but they’d do it for a lot less.
“You’re paying for security and not getting any. ”
Sure, I pay for good roads, and don’t get any, I pay for honest politicians, and don’t get any, hell, I pay for private insurance, but it’s not guaranteed. I could go on. It’s life, and it’s sometimes unfair. Blaming soldiers for it, or thinking of hem as goods you’ve paid for won’t change that. Just makes one look like an arsehole. Which WAS my point btw, that Naleendra is an arsehole.
“Similarly, just as Naleendra has, we can be a bit pissed off if the Abans guy frisked us and groped our balls on the way to work in my Duplication Road office everyday”
But I heard that’s the best part of your day, Sophist.
Ah, another alittle rant, GB? Dear oh dear. Let’s see whether we can make head or tail of this one.
“the rest of us who post anything different from your views are dishonest,arseholes, gullible victims of gvmnt propaganda, , juvenile , brainless, smart asses, tiny-minded, clueless and dumb, and we can fuck off etc ”
Hmm, I didn’t say any of that, but if the hat fits, pull it down over your ears, my friend.
“can bloggers of this high caliber be taken seriously? oh, that’s another debate….”
Still carrying that chip around, GB? Tsk tsk.
“maybe he does vent his anger in other directions too, how do you know he doesn’t?”
Perhaps he does, and when I develop omnipotence I’ll comment on those directions, but til then I’ll comment on the direction he’s vented in this thread. Hope that’s OK with you down in the fish market.
“my admiration goes to a srilankan father who can raise a couple of kids (or more) working as a bas, under the mahinda chintanaya, which has to pay for the war.”
Good for you, but what’s that got to do with the subject? They got the Chinthanaya they voted for.
“how unfortunate, but what has that got to do with anything?”
Ok, I got the impression that you were equating whether a cause was right or wrong according to whether people were forced to fight for it or not, and that similarly support for said cause was also linked to draftees vs volunteers. If I was wrong in that impression, and if your only gratitude to conscripts comes out of sympathy because you yourself were drafted, then I take it back. I thought you actually had a point.
“anyway, i could do away with both, to me if there were no borders, countries, motherlands (!)”
Yeah, yeah, no heaven above us etc. John Lennon already wrote that stuff decades ago. We know.
“to me a soldier is someone who is paid to kill another human being, just like a professional killer of the mafia.”
Yes, and it’s a great way to make a living if you’re good at it. The difference is that the soldier kills to preserve the policies of governments that guys like you vote in. And not all soldiers are killers; most are RAMFs who support the killers — just like all you civilians do with your taxes.
“i dont have much respect for them, u may have noticed, most would be drop outs and losers in society anyway. overgrown infants, if u ask me.”
You mean like you, hiding away from your own country and criticizing mine? It’s so much easier isn’t it, GB, when you’re not responsible?
I’m sorry if you took offence at my tone David. Apologies, but you’re incredibly sensitive for an ex army type.
Re the link between poverty, excitement and exploitation- it’s probably true that a FEW do join partly because they want a few thrills. Everyone wants a job that isn’t boring. But it ain’t cheap thrills and that’s my point. Because of the exploitation of those in poverty, you’re forced into a job that could kill you or maim you if you want the thrills that others get in relative safety. I think the large majority of people in the world who are poor look for jobs based on the renumeration they will potentially receive so the same principle applies- poverty forces you into a dangerous job because you don’t have other options of making money. It’s a fairly simple point related to the exploitative nature of poverty. No need to get all upset over it. There’s no contradiction either because poverty is ultimately the cause for enlistment whether you want a job that pays (what most people consider the primary motivation for a job) or a job with thrills(for those who select career based on excitement quotient) or both.
Also your earlier post implies that there’s a mutual exclusivity between joining for fun and thrills, joining for stability and joining out of patriotism/racism. This is what you said :
“I’m ex-Army and I know exactly what sort of guys join the Army. The vast majority join out of a sense of adventure. The next biggest segment joins out of patriotism. After that comes job opportunity and stability. The next largest segment (above ‘misc’) is those who want to kill Tigers or Tamils.”
My point is that there’s no mutual exclusivity. You can want to join because you’re poor and your folks need dough, but also consider the thrills as part of the package that makes it even more enticing. (Classic exploitation at work) So when your mates told you they joined you for excitement and you assume that’s a mutually exclusive reason- you were wrong. I didn’t say they lied- but it’s perhaps not cool to explain the whole complicated thing and I wouldn’t expect them to. It’s when you invoke this unreal “one reason” why each “segment” joined – you don’t appreciate that poverty and the lack of opportunity is behind most of the enlisting to armed forces or groups.
Also, having a look at your group proves my point. Very few from the richest area in the country. Very few with university opportunities. Most were school leavers, most of whom(besides those who are rich or very bright)don’t see a job market full of exciting job prospects. You should look to India also, where because of the economic boon among the middle class, the Economist reports a severe shortage of recruits with the qualifications to jump straight to officer position within the army.
Not sure who your lawyer is Blacker, but if that’s what he told you he did at Law College it’s cause for concern.
David Blacker,
Man, no matter how much insults you throw in, and how much emotions you arouse, the fact remains that you have not come up with a single logical response to my argument. You throw the same emotions.
Nobody argues soldiers do not do anything, but the point is they do they job and get paid for it through the excessive money we throw at government than we would in any peace time.
I have already answered all points you riased. If thats not enough, aadhavan has replied you.
So I do not have to waste any more time on you.
I tend to disagree with you Naleendra. Like I said, most poor soldiers are exploited due to poverty and lack of choice and hence they put their lives in danger for a job that they wouldn’t do if they were richer. I don’t know who’s doing whom a favour, but they have my sympathy and I don’t think the Abans security guard analogy does justice to what society does to these young men forced to fight for a living. Of course, Blacker’s position completely supports your own position. If these guys are in it primarily for the kicks, we shouldn’t give two hoots about their personal safety should we, nor feel gratitude towards them. They want dangerous fun, let them have it at their own risk. Like Blacker suggests, we could pay them less and they’d still do it….but he’s wrong and so are you if you don’t recognize that society has an obligation to provide these people with better choices and not force the poor into making sacrifices just to subsidize the lives of the rich.
“Hmm, I didn’t say any of that, but if the hat fits, pull it down over your ears, my friend”
if anyone wants to bother, coz u haven’t, and it’s useless anyway coz u evidently can’t read or can’t be bothered to read being so arrogant and full of yourself, it’s all in your previous replies (to naleendra and to me) . deny it if u like. or maybe one post is written by david and another by blacker? is that why?
“Ok, I got the impression that you were equating whether a cause was right or wrong according to whether people were forced to fight for it or not, and that similarly support for said cause was also linked to draftees vs volunteers. ”
read properly, a whole world might open in front of your (closed) eyes/
“If I was wrong in that impression, and if your only gratitude to conscripts comes out of sympathy because you yourself were drafted, then I take it back. I thought you actually had a point.”
you were wrong, plus my gratitude to conscripts has nothing to do with my forced conscription. the link is yet another fantsy of yours (erm, which one, david or blacker?)
“Yeah, yeah, no heaven above us etc. John Lennon already wrote that stuff decades ago. We know.”
thought you liked culture, i was wrong. you can’t understand it. old does not always equate with rubbish. but there again u seem to be used to rubbishing op’s opinions….
“the soldier kills to preserve the policies of governments”
yes, but not all ppl agree with what any given gvnmt might decide, there is opposition too in democracy, you savvy? just like there are ppl not affiliated to the mafia.
“You mean like you, hiding away from your own country and criticizing mine? It’s so much easier isn’t it, GB, when you’re not responsible”
yes, barracks talk. your level evidently. an officer (i doubt that, they have psychological exams for that) and a gentleman (evidently not), hu?
you know jack shit about me and your conclusions are pathetic.
roger that? do you copy? over and out! oh, u won’t understand that either, more like “clean the latrines malli!” is what u were used to in the army for sure….
aadhavan,
You take me out of the topic, but let me give a brief reply.
I believe the mess we face today (whatever we call it, be it an ethnic issue, a terrorist issue or a mix) is a joint conspiracy of the Sinhalese and Tamil middle classes against the poor of both Sinhalese and Tamil.
The separate or unitary states are the dreams of the so called Petit-bourgeoisie Colombo elites. Ironically, those who die (from both sides) are almost always from the poor – who have been used as cats paws by the elite. (except few sporadic cases) So I have all my sympathies not just for Sinhalese rural youth, but also for Tamil youth who have become the victims of this vicious conspiracy. What most people do not realise is this is NOT a war against another country, but more a Home vs. Home battle – which does not bring any benefit to anyone in the long term.
So I totally agree with you when we say we should provide rural youth better opportunities, more constructive jobs so they could do a productive contribution to the society instead of blindly killing each other. I would love to see the day these youth are working with computers, rather than with guns. But for that the war has to be over, and that will not be over till we reach a political solution which now is only a distant dream.
However, please note the point we discussed is NOT that.
Somebody told the security forces are doing a favour for us. In the same spirit I could have argued in fact we are doing a favour for them as we now pay MORE THAN DOUBLE the amount we normally pay as direct, indirect and indirect tax to govt to provide decent employment to these rural youth otherwise will not be able to find a job better than perhaps an office assistant.
I did NOT say that. I said the higher salary and perks for military is the premium we as a society pays to them (please note over and above normal) for our security. So nobody does a favour. Its a win-win.
Also note, not every soldier necessarily die. Instead they take a risk of life. For that matter they are not the only ones who take that risk. Even you and me face that risk today. But the risk soldier pays is high and that is why he is paid a much higher premium. If a soldier dies govt will continue to pay his salary (with a posthumous promotion) to his wife, but if you or I die, govt will wash its hands of paying Rs. 100,000 to our next of kin. Fair enough.
As for Blacker, he only knows to throw emotions and insults, not logical arguments. He might succeed in the literary world, but not anywhere else.
Aadhavan. Have you changed your phone number you elusive bugger? Naleendra’s point I stress again, is badly made but like he says you’ve taken it out of context. I don’t think he’s for a moment condemning the eutopian ideals you say we should strive for as a society. That is all well and good. However, in times that people – middle class people – like you and I are struggling to make ends meet and maintain our sanity, those ideals are perhaps a bit ambitious.
Naleendra was responding to Hakim’s argument that we are eternally indebted to the brave soldier who ‘sacrifices’ his life so that we can party. As much as I resent that assumption on Hakim’s part, Naleendra has given us his point of view on why the forces don’t warrant as much gratitude as the government will have us believe.
I think it’s a valid point. My apologies for echoing Naleendra as I understand him, but some decorum must prevail in the midst of all these personal insults.
AADHAVAN:”Apologies, but you’re incredibly sensitive for an ex army type”
Machang, you really need to stop making these false assumptions and stop following the Hollywood (or Daily News) image of soldiers. My annoyance is that you guys presume to know and hold forth on a segment of the population on which there is almost no accurate statistics; and when you’re given firsthand evidence you scoff at it in favour of your preconceived notions. I think I’m justified in my annoyance.
While your second post clarifies your stand, I’m afraid you’re still wrong. You say that it’s not cheap thrills that induce someone into the
Army, even though you earlier acknowledge that young people are looking for thrills. You say that the poor are looking for a living, and are willing to risk death and serious injury for it. However, young men (and the recruits are very young — 17-18 years old) never think it’ll happen to them. I remember my father telling me that I could lose a leg to a mine on my first day of combat, and he was right, but I knew it wouldn’t happen to me. When I was in the Army hospital recovering, there were a lot of guys in my ward who’d been hit for the first time, and to man they all were just shocked that it had happened to them. There was a Gemunu Watch guy who’d been shot through the lung by a sniper, and instead of going down, lugged his GPMG out and returned fire for almost half an hour before telling anyone he was hit. He said he couldn’t believe it was that serious! Recruits aren’t risking death and disability in their minds. Nor are they really in it for the money. I remember standing in line for my first Army paycheck, and none of us new guys even knew how much our salary was. No one had bothered to check before signing up! If soldiers were joining in spite of the danger, why did recruitment drop off in the late ’90s when we were losing? The danger didn’t increase, did it?
“poverty forces you into a dangerous job because you don’t have other options of making money”
Again, wrong. I told you 30% of my training platoon had left steady jobs to join the Army. Except for a few, the rest were all out of school, and hadn’t even looked for a job — they’d been planning to join the Army as soon as they were old enough, or had been doing parttime jobs til they were accepted. If soldiers were joining primarily for a livelihood, why were there kilometre-long queues with recruits standing in line for days ONLY after the MoD started it’s patriotism-based recruiting campaign in 1990? There were no queues before that, though there were plenty of poor.
“Also your earlier post implies that there’s a mutual exclusivity between joining for fun and thrills, joining for stability and joining out of patriotism/racism.”
I didn’t say that it was mutually exclusive, you’re assuming I did. I said adventure was the main reason (not the only one), the deciding factor. I didn’t say they’d do it for free, in fact I specifically said they wouldn’t. But they’d do it for a lot less. They’d do it if there was no pension (as the Volunteer Force does).
“you don’t appreciate that poverty and the lack of opportunity is behind most of the enlisting to armed forces or groups.”
Of course I do. I never said I didn’t. It’s a historical fact that the middle and poor classes fight our wars. What I disagreed with was Naleendra’s idiotic comment that the soldiers are just doing a job, and are doing that job because they have no other job. That’s not true. They always had choices (admittedly fewer than the upper class). Sure, there were some who joined ‘cos they had no choice, there were a few of those, as I already admitted, but they were a minority.
“Also, having a look at your group proves my point. Very few from the richest area in the country. Very few with university opportunities. Most were school leavers, most of whom(besides those who are rich or very bright)don’t see a job market full of exciting job prospects. ”
All that proves, Aadhavan, is that the Army reflects the population. If you take the 18-22 year old segment of Sri Lanka, very few are from the richest area of the country, very few have uni opportunities, most are school leavers who don’t see a lot of exciting jobs. We live in a poor and disenfranchised country, so the government service will reflect that. If therefore you want to conclude that the soldiers join up cos they are poor, go ahead, but you’d still be wrong.
You suggest that if soldiers do it for fun, then we should pay ’em no special respect or give them an adequate wage. Why do you grudge them the fact that they enjoy their jobs? Jumping out of planes and killing people IS fun. Blowing up stuff and handling cool machines ARE fun for teenagers. Would you pay a priest less, or a teacher less, because they enjoy their work, and don’t just do it for the money? Would you treat a teacher the same as an Abans security guard ‘cos she or he enjoys teaching?
GALLEBLOGGER,
“I thought you actually had a point.â€
“you were wrong”
Yes, GB, I kinda figured out you had no point to make sometime ago. You seem to have a very big chip on your shoulder, and spoiling for a fight at every opportunity, be it attacking the Galle Lit (http://blacklightarrow.wordpress.com/2008/01/21/snapshots-of-the-galle-lit-1-bloggers-take-themselves-way-too-seriously/) or SL soldiers. What’s up with that, man? You need to sort out some issues, or get laid, or something.
“old does not always equate with rubbish”
Did I say Lennon was rubbish? I said YOU were rubbish. You don’t seem to have an original thought in your head — everything’s just regurgitated ’60s free love bollocks that you pluck from the air. And culture? Didn’t you once say that pop culture was trash culture?
“yes, but not all ppl agree with what any given gvnmt might decide,”
Then oppose those policies if you want change (please tell me that at least THAT is your point), not the soldiers who carry them out.
“yes, barracks talk. your level evidently. an officer (i doubt that, they have psychological exams for that) and a gentleman (evidently not), hu?”
Did I ever say I was an officer and/or a gentleman? More assumptions, and more mistakes, GB. You should’ve stuck to shooting Palestinian kids. Isn’t that what they use conscripts for over there? They send the pro’s to fight the real killers like Hizbollah, and send the whores into Gaza.
“oh, u won’t understand that either, more like “clean the latrines malli!†is what u were used to in the army for sure….”
Of course I’ve cleaned latrines. Why should I be ashamed of that? Do you think menial labour is somehow beneath you? I’ve known hunger and fear and deprivation, and I’ve seen incredible courage and endurance, which is why I know both sides of the coin, unlike you suddhas and your crocodile tears for the basses of SL.
NALEENDRAN: “Man, no matter how much insults you throw in, and how much emotions you arouse, the fact remains that you have not come up with a single logical response to my argument.”
You had an argument?
“but the point is they do they job and get paid for it through the excessive money we throw at government than we would in any peace time”
But you’re wrong. Soldiers don’t get paid extra in wartime (not in SL anyway). They get paid the same salary whether they kill Tigers or clean latrines. YOU pay more during wartime, and that money goes into corrupt defense deals, luxury Pajeros, and to buy lots of ammo. So there’s no point putting down soldiers. You should be attacking the people who started and continue this war. THEY are the ones taking our money.
“He might succeed in the literary world, but not anywhere else. ”
Again, you prove my point, that ignorance is bliss. I’ve been in my present career for the last 17 years and have been more successful at it than most, thank you.
Ask yourselves again, why it is that the Army doesn’t want Gamini de Public to know that the our young men out there ‘cos they like killing people and blowing up shit.
The salary and benefits of a soldier, as itemized by Naleendra, certainly do not seem to me like adequate compensation for being blown up, riddled with bullets or losing vital parts of one’s anatomy–still less for the loss of one’s life. I certainly would not deliberately put my own skin in danger for that amount of dosh–or, for that matter, a hundred times that amount. My skin is precious to me.
On the other hand, the thought of all the billions of rupees being forked out by the citizens of Sri Lanka for ‘protection against terrorism’ does not make me feel secure for an instant. Neither, I must confess, does the sight of a uniformed man with a gun–these days it has rather the opposite effect, I fear.
David Blacker is right: it is unfair to value a soldier’s contribution, his fortitude and his valour, in rupees and cents.
But Naleendra is also right: the massive investment made by the authorities in ‘security’ does not seem to be making anyone very secure.
Frankly, it looks to me like a bad bargain coming and going.
And just to add a comment on topic, Indi, perhaps what we are independent from is the frivolous and exhausting need to enjoy our freedoms for ourselves; we have elected representatives to do that on our behalf. And don’t they do it well!
While our Sri Lankan lions are fighting hard to free the country of terrorist tigers, you go around kissing tiger ass with Ranil.
“Ranil is the True Path to Independance”
“Mahinda sucks because he is working against the terrorits”
These are not what you openly say but what are likely to be in your mind.
As far as I know Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese (and all others) are being treated equally in the South and East so far. In the North the armed forces are working hard to free the people from the terrorists’ grip and let them live in peace as well.
Roadblocks
Big rich people who love the UNP go around filing court cases against stopping vehicles and checking them and their passengers. Are you people happy that the courts were forced to remove all permanent roadblocks? Well, the common people (not including UNP supporters) don’t like it at all. They lost much sense of security in the country. It is proven that roadblocks serve a certain purpose.
But rich people (mainly UNP supporters) don’t like being asked their name and details. They are too bloody lazy to take out their identity cards. Instead they blame the police for not knowing that they are the blah blah of blah blah Corporation.
That is why proper roadblocks cannot be created, and LTTE is less afraid to pile Colombo with explosives and kill our children.
At least there are certain security checks and roadblocks which are still there under the temporary label.
DO YOU UNP SUPPORTERS WANT A LAND SAFE FOR OUR CHILDREN? The way things are going, seemingly not.
The Useless Ceasefire
Ranil, as Prime Minister (a.k.a. Prime Asshole) initiated the great, glorious Ceasefire. And Colombo residents rejoiced. The international community rejoiced. Yet only those in the North and East knew the truth.
Whilst the ceasefire was active, the LTTE piled up stocks of ammunition, aeroplane parts, weapons and much more. They built super-bunkers to hide the great Fat Pig. Then they also began to attack our armed forces mercilessly in those areas. The armed forces were banned from attacking back because of the ceasefire.
The ceasefire gave maximum advantage to the LTTE. Thanks to the ceasefire now we have to suffer really badly. If not for the ceasefire, the LTTE would not be able to import so many weapons and other war machines to the country.
Enter the Rajapakse Family
True: Every politician is a bastard within
True: Mahinda Rajapakse brings his brothers to the top
False: Mahinda bringing his brothers to high places has been a total waste for the country
From the bad devil and the worse devil, which should we choose? Obviously the bad devil, because it is at least a little better than the other devil.
Thanks to Gotabe’s hard work in motivating the armed forces, we have liberated the East and soon the North as well.
UNP Supporters are mostly LLTE Supporters. They are brainwashed by Ranil and friends. The UNP, but non-LTTE supporters are actually supporting the current government and its war stratergies at this very moment.
Nevermind. THE ARMED FORCES WILL NEVER LOSE MORAL BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE INDI WHO WANT A ONE SIDED CEASEFIRE. We are far past that stage.
MAY THE TRIPLE GEM BLESS OUR ARMED FORCES, AND MAY WE DESTROY TERRORISM IN OUR MOTHERLAND!
And I also hope for a pay raise for the Guardians of our Motherland (the armed forces, not politicians)
I don’t care if you guess who I am and remove my blog from Kottu.org for this. But I know what I say is true, and don’t forget “Media Freedom” in Kottu.
Blacker -a point by point rebuttal will take too long. Cheers.
Naleendra – sorry for misunderstanding you if I did. If you appreciate the reality of exploitation (given your use of Marxist lingo I’m assuming you do), I have no disagreement with you.
Sophist – My numbers has remained the same. Flattered that you think I’m elusive – I’ve never been called that. From fat, slow and lazy to elusive is a nice step up. Will call you tomorrow. Meet you Saturday anyway at the holiest of holies?
“Are you people happy that the courts were forced to remove all permanent roadblocks? ”
Definitely YGMN, they are a collosal waste of time, money and have never served up any tangible results. To think that any terrorist worth his salt will use a route with permamnent roadblocks when there are so many alternative unchecked routes is to severly underestimate them and that can only end badly for the general public and their much valued sense of security.
When they were operating, permanent roadblocks were run inefficiently and manned with junior personnel who have obviously not been trained in this sort of operation. Basically the checking of cars were based primarily through racial profiling which again underestimates the LTTE.
Inmy opinion permanent check points were in themselves a security hazard as they congested roads trapping hundreds of civilians in one place, thus affording an oppurtunity to exact civilian casualties.
“Well, the common people (not including UNP supporters) don’t like it at all. They lost much sense of security in the country”
That’s coz most common people are idiots (including UNP supporters), and whether they like it or not is neither here. Permanent roadblocks wasted our military personnel when they could be have been better utilised elsewhere and all for the cosmetic purpose making common people ‘feel’ secure.
“It is proven that roadblocks serve a certain purpose”
True.. it’s proven they make idiots feel better without actually having to do anything tangible and yield any results.
Once upon a time there were soldiers who were identified as “mercenaries”. In the past there was also a category identified as “pirates”. Presently we have people known as “thugs” again undertake killing both “armed” and “unarmed”. All these people are paid employees of some master and they did not engage in any noble cause other than serving the master for a wage. But all risked their lives and faced danger. I am at a loss in understanding how we could differentiate a “true” patriot from a wage earner “soldier”. I also know that there are many in the battle field LTTE, Pilliyan, EPDP, etc who carry arms and even if they are terrorist in the eyes of the South surely some of them might be patriots in the eyes of the North; at least those who blast themselves off. And problem is all these people show bravery, face danger and risk life, which you and I cannot do. So should we appreciate them too. Could some one tell me how I can deal with this complexity.