How far can we trust a Government?

I was pondering the question of how far a Government can be held to account, after the debate around my last post.  Let's pose a practical question that should be of concern to us all:

How many people are aware that most of the Chinese-made ceramic ware for sale in the country is contaminated by lead?

The contaminated products should have been detected and stopped at import, but they were not. Clearly the Government failed in an important task.

I discovered the facts of this a few years ago after talking to a friend in the ceramic industry. The company my friend worked for had a dispute with the distributor of Noritake and as a result Noritake stopped supplying them with goods. The company had a number of outlets and it was necessary to stock them, so my friend went to China to look for alternative sources.

They found many suppliers but only a few were willing to guarantee their products lead-free. They eventually settled on one vendor. As a standard procedure, for customs clearance the products are tested for lead contamination. The first and the second shipment passed. The third shipment was lead contaminated.

The supplier was informed, he apologised and sent a replacement consignment, which also turned out to be contaminated. After much argument the local company abandoned discussions.

This left the company in a dilemma-showrooms with nothing to stock them with. As an interim solution they decided to buy products wholesale from the local market, simply to keep the shelves stocked.

They met many vendors in Pettah but when testing the products every single one was found to be contaminated with lead. These were being sold quite happily in the local market. Standard customs checks that should have detected this were bypassed, obviously because of corruption.

There are rules that exist on paper but when money and influence can bend or break them they are rendered worthless.

How do we ensure that everybody abides by the rules? The system by which the rules are enforced; the bureaucracy (in this instance customs and port officials), the police (who would normally investigate violations) and the judiciary (which ultimately rules on these matters) must be free of political influence.

This is far easier said and done. Sri Lanka and most of Britain's former colonies (including the USA) inherited traditions that evolved over centuries. They had been implemented in its colonies for over a century and half until they had become ingrained, a habit that many follow unthinkingly.

In Sri Lanka today the rule of law does not exist, yet we can still trust that the local ceramic companies comply - they do so out of tradition and habit, not out of any fear of law-enforcement. They could easily bribe officials, as the importers of ceramics have obviously done, but they do not because the testing is an established process, set up decades ago when Ceylon was a law abiding land. People who work within the industry are aware of the dangers and act with some sense of responsibility.

New businesses have no such traditions to follow and with no fear of the law can do as they please. Worse, many of these are set up by politicos and their cronies for whom no law need apply. This is also the problem in China and in many places that suffered under communism: Russia, the Eastern block- no proper system of rules prevails. Vietnam is a good example.

This is reflected in the driving in Vietnam, which is absolutely chaotic. No one sticks to a side of the road, drunken motorcyclists bump from vehicle to vehicle, without bothering stop.  I've even heard horror stories of vehicles reversing over pedestrians that they knock down-to kill them so that they do not make a complaint.  

In Sri Lanka children are taught traffic symbols and rules from an early age so as adults they have some concept of the rules of the road. The steep deterioration in behaviour on the road over the last decade reflects of the parlous state of Governance in Sri Lanka.

Given the failure of the Government, the bad situation is made worse, with the media beholden to the State: no one reports this so people carry on, unaware of the danger.
In sum; how far can we actually trust a Government? Only as far as they can be held in check.

ps. On ceramics, check the back and avoid anything made in China. Especially beware of brightly coloured or gold or silver edged products, plain white is a bit safer.

Coca Cola and Goodness; evil multinationals and a response to Raashid Riza

Raashid Riza carried a post about a campaign by Coca Cola to try and promote unity amongst the people of Pakistan and India. He then goes on about the supposed evils of capitalism and cites a fire in a textile factory in Bangladesh to support his argument.

I try to avoid junk food in general and sugary drinks in particular. I can't even remember the time I last drank a Coke but I have no particular object to them selling their products or other people consuming them.  

Coming to Coke's project; if the same act were carried out by a group of citizens would it be considered good? If so, why does it become bad or negative if Coke or a crook (say a underworld gangster) does it?

I think we should judge an act on its own merits. Something that promotes reconciliation or understanding is probably good, regardless of who does it.

On the subject of evil capitalists, lets take a look at a recent example; the collapse of Rana Plaza that killed about 900.

Lets consider the facts:

1. "The building was called Rana Plaza after its owner, Sohel Rana, a strongman of the youth wing of the ruling Awami League."

2. "Planning approval had been given for only five of the building’s eight storeys."

3. "Cracks appeared in Rana Plaza the day before its collapse."

4. "Both the police and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), a powerful lobby, told the owner his building was unsafe but he ignored them and the factories stayed open. Workers said they had been pressed to show up because orders were overdue."

Bangladesh has laws and systems that could have prevented this. They did not because the owner had influence, to bend or break the rules as he wished.

That power could have been either bought for cash (the conventional idea of corruption) or the result of political patronage-the unseen, sometimes unacknowledged component of corruption.

Who is at fault here? The Government (for being incapable of enforcing laws due to corruption), the local manufacturer (Rana) or the multinationals to placed orders with Rana?

The knee jerk reaction has been to blame the "evil multinational" but what are we really saying?

That we expect the multinational to uphold standards that both the local Government and local businesses are incapable of upholding?

Most probably the only people who will do anything at all will be the multinationals, even if whatever steps taken are dismissed as being an eyewash or not going far enough.

Who is really evil here? 

Details of the collapse sourced from here. Further reading here.


Addendum:

Letter to the Economist on the disaster in Bangladesh

SIR – How odd that foreign clothing companies are being targeted as the main culprits for the factory disaster in Bangladesh (“Disaster at Rana Plaza”, May 4th). International companies should check on their suppliers and abide by local laws and international standards, but let us not forget the simple fact that it was the building’s owners and management who chose to ignore these standards. Let us also stop pretending that they did so wholly in order to survive. Their actions were the result of a calculated bid to maximise profits, which they did on the backs of their less fortunate fellow Bangladeshis.
The owners and managers of factories in Asia, as elsewhere, have a responsibility for their workers, legally and morally. Blaming companies in the West for a disaster that happens in Asia stops local owners from taking responsibility for their business.
Matthias Eckert
Dubai

Nuga Gama - brilliantly executed concept, excellent restaurant

When people told me about Nuga Gama I dismissed it as yet another Sri Lankan themed restaurant. When someone invited us over I was not especially enamoured. I could not have been more wrong.

Walking in along a path dimly lit by kerosene lamps I wondered why they did not have more light. The pathway was not lined with lamps, just the occasional one burning here and there. When one emerges into the clearing  it becomes apparent why: the lighting is what one would find in a village.

The concept has been executed with a deft hand, great care has been taken to reproduce the buildings and surroundings as faithfully as possible without degenerating into kitsch. The open space, trees and buildings work together to capture the atmosphere and spirit of the village.

When I discovered that the food was cooked in clay pots on a wood fire (for reasons explained here) I was ecstatic. It is some of the little details, such the urn from which one must wash ones hands with the aid of cut piece of Sunlight soap, reminiscent of a scene from the village well that puts it head and shoulders over every other restaurant.

Overall a great experience and a great restaurant.

Try the kurrakkan pittu with the mutton curry and coconut milk or the cuttlefish and prawn curry. Heavenly.

Arrack aged in oak casks - is it as good as the rumours claim it to be?

A friend was raving about a new arrack that he had drunk recently. He had been asked to buy it for a friend living overseas. He found it at the duty free shop  but was taken aback by the price tag - US$31 for a bottle. He bought it anyway and took it to his friend and asked him why he was paying so much for arrack.

When invited to try it he claimed it to be as good as a single malt. He can't remember what the name was, it is not available locally, but is the rage with Sri Lankans abroad. It may have been this, or one of these.

Has anyone tried it ? When one thinks about it, the casks in which spirits or wines are aged are responsible for a good part of the flavours of the finished products. Perhaps the use of oak casks, rather than Halmilla vats lends the arrack the smoothness and consistency of a good whisky?

Beautifying the capital: is it for the benefit of our lenders as well?

The streets, pavements and parks of the capital are being repaired and refurbished. Colourful stones line the pavements, walls around old buildings have been broken down and the roads have been resurfaced.

It must be said that much of the work is good. Some trees were felled unnecessarily and the size of some of the new pavements is a problem-roads that are already narrow, Jawatte Road or Darley Road for example, have lost almost a whole lane to the expanded pavement. Some of the islands and roundabouts such as the one at the end of Jawatte Road (where it meets Thimbirigasyaya Road) are far too large.

The bigger quibble is what this is costing the taxpayer and the question as to whether the money could have been better spent elsewhere. As we have absolutely no idea of this it is impossible to comment. Let us just hope that we are not walking on streets paved with gold, as in the folk tale of Dick Whittington.

There is however another crucial benefit that this exercise brings to the rulers - it helps sustain a favourable impression of the country to foreign bankers and portfolio investors. The country may curse Western Governments but they adore Western Bankers.

This particular truth dawned on me when chatting to one such an eminent individual, a charming aristocratic old Englishman with many years of experience in India. He was a director of a fund that held several investments in the country, made over a quarter of a century. While he did express deep concern at the political developments, which he said they were watching closely (this was before the recent outburst of Islamophobia), he also said that in twenty odd years of visiting the country he had never seen the airport looking better, the city looking better or heard of so many tourists visiting the country.

Presumably he attributed this to good economic management. That the Government is a master in the art of propaganda is well known locally. Rosy statistics are published periodically that seem to show the country to be in rude economic health although this is not reflected in the living standards of most people. Many analysts have pointed out the flaws in the statistics but this has been largely an academic debate that has not been carried to the wider public. In the absence of other statistics, everybody relies on what the Government produces. Although a footnote or a qualifier may be attached at the end this is either ignored or missed out.

When the unsuspecting visitor arrives in the country and witnesses the changing landscape they are suitably impressed and the Government statistics become more tangible, more believable.

To the portfolio investor or banker who spends a few days  in the city and travels around to a few luxury hotels it appears that development is happening apace.. What they do not realise is that this is facade, almost a Potemkin village that belies a grimmer reality.

A real investor, who tries to set up factory or a business is brought to earth with a bump; confusion sets in with the first outstretched greasy palm that greets any request for an official document or form. The confusion quickly turns to dismay and horror as he is sent from pillar to post, wading through a thicket of contradictory, ever changing and confusing mass of regulations. Eventually he despairs and gives up.

This is why foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows are so low. Direct investment in businesses is what creates the jobs that are necessary to lift people out of poverty. The FDI figures published by the Government are inflated by the telecom sector which is littering the countryside with unnecessary towers (due to lack of a transparent sharing regime) and by the Chinese projects, neither of which does much in the way of job creation.Strip these out and there is not a lot left. 

The banker buying Governments bonds or shares on the exchange sees none of this; the path of the portfolio investors is smooth (especially so when compared to some other emerging markets), with sensible electronic systems in place. The returns are good, especially compared to the abysmal rates in Europe and the US, the system is smooth and the facade impressive.

The cycle of borrowing for consumption cannot last forever and sooner or later the bubble will burst and many will eventually discover, as Dick Whittington did, that the streets of Colombo are not paved with gold.

Addendum  

Fitch has highlighted some of the risks to the economy in its latest rating report on the country.

"Sri Lanka’s external debt refinancing schedule, however, remains quite heavy as an average of USD1.9bn per annum in sovereign debt is projected to mature from 2013 to 2015 (versus USD1.3bn in 2012). This may not only limit Sri Lanka’s ability to rebuild foreign exchange reserves to a much higher level, but it also means that the country’s external finances will remain vulnerable to any spike in global risk aversion,"

It also warns that "the authorities remain vigilant and maintain appropriate policy settings to ensure overheating risks and renewed strains on the balance of payments do not re-emerge. Sri Lanka has continued to make limited progress on fiscal consolidation as the budget deficit fell to 6.4% of GDP in 2012 (versus 6.9% in 2011). This was, however, partially achieved through an accumulation of arrears. Sri Lanka’s general government debt-to-GDP ratio remained elevated at 79.1% in 2012, which was significantly higher than the ‘BB’ peer rating group median of 32.6%. Low fiscal revenues weigh on the credit profile. The revenue take of 13.9% of GDP in 2012 was well below the ‘BB’ range median of 26.6% and was down from 16.7% in 2008."

The Central bank is trying to force down interest rates in a bid to stimulate the economy. This may lead to the overheating that the ratings agency warns against.

  

 
 

Burma: state complicity in attacks on Muslim minority

The parallels between Sri Lanka and Burma mean that it is worth monitoring the developments there closely, to see what it leads to. The latest HRW report on the violence lays the blame squarely on the state. The violence was precluded by an organised campaign of hate:

"For months, local Arakanese political party officials and senior Buddhist monks publicly vilified the Rohingya population and described them as a threat to Arakan State."...."In many instances, calls by monks and the RNDP [Rakhine Nationalities Development Party- a nationalist party in Burma], for the ouster of Rohingya and Kaman Muslim communities were accompanied by instructions to the Buddhist population to socially and economically isolate them."

A great deal of local organizing preceded and supported October’s violence. Arakanese political parties, monks’ associations, and community groups issued numerous anti-Rohingya pamphlets and public statements. Most of the public statements and pamphlets explicitly or implicitly deny the existence of the Rohingya ethnicity, demonize them, and call for their removal from the country,..... The statements frequently were released in connection with organized meetings and in full view of local, state, and national authorities who raised no concerns.

 Could incidents such as this, or this, be the start of more serious action in Sri Lanka?


HRW concludes that:

"Burmese state involvement in the crimes appears to have been both direct and indirect. While much of the violence appears to have been carried out by mobs with weapons, various branches of the state security forces stood by and did nothing to provide security for attacked Muslims and at times participated directly in the atrocities – this includes the local police, Lon Thein riot police, the inter-agency border control force called Nasaka, and the army and navy. Human Rights Watch found no indications that the Burmese government has seriously investigated or taken legal action against those responsible for planning, organizing, or participating in the violence either in June or October. This absence of accountability lends credence to allegations that this was a government-supported campaign of ethnic cleansing in which crimes against humanity were committed. Security forces have actively impeded accountability and justice by overseeing or ordering the digging of mass graves, or by digging mass graves themselves, in some cases after killings involving state security forces."

The outcome was as dreadful, as it was predictable. We in Sri Lanka know better, or should know better. Do we?

969, Burma's neo-Nazi Buddhist movement: a splitting image of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) ?

“If you buy from Muslim shops, your money doesn’t just stop there,” “It will eventually go towards destroying your race and religion.”

Muslim merchants receive cash injections from Middle East oil state brethren and use these funds to undercut Buddhist rivals.

This Muslim alliance could outbreed Buddhists, steal away Buddhist women, overwhelm political offices and prohibit Buddhist ceremonies altogether. “We Buddhists allow them to freely practice their faith,”  “But once these evil Muslims have control, they will not let us practice our religion. We must be careful. These Muslims really hate us.

Fliers urge locals to bar Muslims from renting homes and farmlands and ominously warn Buddhists acting as Muslim families’ middlemen.

These statements come not from the Bodu Bala Sena but from 969, a movement in Burma (Myanmar) that has emerged with the avowed aim of defending Buddhist faith, Burmese race and the Buddhist nation from Burmese Muslims.

The similarities between the BBS and 969 are striking, but the links may go deeper than the message.  Dr. Maung Zarni, an outspoken Burmese activist academic has studied 969 in depth and what he reveals may throw some light on the situation here.

The success of 969 rests on a clear message of 'racial and religious purity', a false sense of Buddhist victimhood and cultural and economic nationalism -- not dissimilar to Germany's Nazism in the 1930s.They:

 effectively scapegoat the country's Muslims for the general economic hardships and cultural decay in society, portraying the Burmese as victims at the hands of organised Muslim commercial leeches and parasites; second, 969 preys on the historical and popular anti-Muslim racism among the majority Buddhists; and, last but not least, virtually all state institutions at all levels, including the police, intelligence, the army, local civil administration and even fire departments, under President Thein Sein's management have evidently offered this Buddhist neo-Nazi movement with both impunity and passive cooperation.  

As this report points out, self-victimisation seems to be a key. The majority must be made to feel threatened by an insignificant minority if the are to be made to react.

The 969's consistent theme is that it is Muslims who are doing all the harm to communities and the country. Similarly, the BBS claims that the whole halal issue in Sri Lanka was entirely the fault of the Muslims, they created a problem with this surreptitious system of labelling that was an affront to Buddhists. The calls for removal of mosques, shrines, the abaya/hijab and all the rest are also due to wrongs by the Muslims.

That they supposedly have constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of worship, association and speech are forgotten.   

The theme resonates but a neo-Nazi movement cannot work without popular support. In Burma the message is spread by through official media outlets (such as the Ministry of Defence-run Myawaddy News and President Office's spokesmen), books, pamphlets, DVD's and CD's. In Sri Lanka it is through social media, email, the internet, public meetings, door-to-door campaigns and mainstream media.

Despite a freer media (at least in comparison to Burma), the BBS generally manages to get favourable coverage. The state-controlled media gives the movement's ideology a good airing while more independent media tend to try to give it a positive slant where possible, while downplaying any negative news. There is very little by way of a counter-message in mainstream media, the only real opposing arguments are on the web.

The support of the state is also crucial. In Burma:

969 appears to work in close collaboration with Burma's security forces, the new Burmese media and the People's Relations and Psychological Warfare Division of the Ko Ministry of Defense......

...President Thein Sein's reformist government at best tolerates its categorically anti-Islam hate speeches and activities and at worst backs, if tacitly, the group and its incitement of violence against the country's Muslims.

As in Sri lanka,

his administration has not taken a single action against anyone who openly incites anti-Muslim hatred or ethnic hatred towards the Rohingya.  Nor has Thein Sein's government detained or event deterred a single Buddhist preacher of hate from any acts of spreading anti-Muslim hatred in society and inciting blatant calls for eliminating Muslims and their influence in Burmese society 'phase by phase'. 

But, why would the state do such a thing ? This is what liberals find almost incomprehensible. Apart form being downright evil it is also absolutely stupid . To quote Dr Zarni:

What does the Burmese government have to gain from this violence?

There are three goals, as far as I can tell. One is, the military leadership has swapped their generals’ uniforms for civilian clothing, but at heart, they still remain irredeemably authoritarian and dictatorial. They are security obsessed and some of them feel the reforms that are unfolding in the country are going too far. So they want to slow it down and roll back the reform process. In order to do that, they must create social instability and use volatile situations as an excuse to say, “The people can’t handle freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and freedom of organization. Therefore, we need to have a strong handle on the situation to make sure people stay in line and don’t kill each other.”

Secondly, when all these waves of violence against Rohingya Muslims started last year, the military and the proxy political party of the military was in a worrisome situation because it lost by a landslide in the elections. So within two months of their defeat, they decided to create this very powerful anti-Muslim communal sentiment around the country. And now, [activist and political leader An San] Suu Kyi is in a difficult situation because she can only speak the liberal language of human rights and democracy, which is not as powerful as the ideology that the military and these neo-Nazi monks have whipped up. When it comes to fighting this kind of abnormal religious movement, the language of human rights is never enough.

Thirdly, I think the military is not leaving anything to chance. They have another round of elections in 2015, and they want to make sure that they have a new proxy political movement that they can use to square off Suu Kyi’s party. As a result, the 969 neo-Nazi movement is the most popular movement in the country.

As Burma's junta reluctantly move towards elections, the 969 movement seems to be a campaign to ensure that they win. With elections looming in Sri Lanka and the regime losing some of its popularity could the same motive be behind the BBS? It seems to be the only explanation that makes sense. Given the cosy relationship between the two could the junta have provided some helpful advice to their counterparts across the pond?
 
Not surprisingly, the justification for the two movements is similar.

To its campaigners, 969 is about protecting race and religion by peaceful means. In practice, it is explicitly an anti-Muslim campaign, not about preaching people the Buddha-nature of all beings, as taught and practiced by Lord Buddha himself. In many townships across Burma, including capital regions, there are local 969 committees that organize events and religious sermons and distribute anti-Muslim materials such as CDs, books and leaflets.

"I’m not discriminating against race or religion. I’m not a racist. But I have the right to love my race!”

Whenever criticism builds, the movement will issue contradictory statements, which serve to dilute the message from the opposition and to deflect from the charge of racism.

In his Burmese language Facebook pages, Wirathu has been posting rather irreconcilable messages; in the morning he would post messages of religious tolerance and compassion and in the afternoon his message would be provocatively anti-Muslim, crying foul of 'forced conversion of Burmese women who marry into Muslim families' or change their Burmese names to Muslim and Indian names.

Like the 969, the worst of BBS's messages are not posted in English which limits their scrutiny by the world at large.

Dr Zarni concludes that

969 movement cannot be understood  outside the interface between Thein Sein's Government and the racist society at large, nor can be explained without examining the respective roles of a) the State which in effect offers Burma's neo-Nazi Buddhists impunity, b) President Thein Sein's inactions, and c) the Burmese opposition leadership's moral bankruptcy.

The 969 movement has resulted in violence across Burma, the most serious taking place a few weeks ago. Unless something is done now, Sri Lanka will end up following in Burma's footsteps.

Sources: Global Post, irrawady.org, maungzarni.com. 

Changing lifestyles - the evolution of bottled water in Sri Lanka

Sbarrkum had written something on bottled water and reading it set off a train of thought.

There was a time, when we were very small, when the standard advice given was that water should always be boiled. Tourists and rare visitors from overseas were repeatedly cautioned as to the dangers of unboiled water.

When traveling, the only safe thing to drink (or so we were told) were the bottled soft drinks; Elephant House or the odd Pure Beverages bottle.Vendors on trains would cry "Barrley Barrrley", a short form for the popular Orange Barley and which, in practice meant any carbonated soft drink. In the worst of situations, tea could be considered an option; although it usually came out of grimy kettles or a metal cup, at least the water should have been boiled.

Fruit juice was unknown, but king coconut could sometimes be found. People did not travel widely so there was no market catering for travelers as such, one had to try ones luck at the small shops (called 'boutiques') that served the people of the area.

Wayside taps were a plenty, but were supposed to be only for washing or topping up the radiator of a car, which tended to boil on long trips.

If someone said that we had to pay for water we would have thought them quite mad. Water was always free. Now bottled water, even in small homes is common. I think, on a per litre basis, bottled water almost as expensive as petrol.

How times have changed.

Is Sri Lanka heading for another round of ethnic violence?

There is a strong undercurrent of anti-Muslim sentiment that has come to the surface of late. It is primarily anti-Muslim, but secondarily anti-minority.  Can this lead to another round of violence?

To reduce the factors to an equation; the critical ones are:

a) The spread of rumours, falsities and  horror stories that play on the fears of the majority. The Muslim population has become a lot more visible than in the past. The difference in dress and manner which, left alone, might have remained a matter of the passing snide remark or relatively harmless ridicule have been transformed into a bridgehead for venomous propaganda.   

Stories that the Muslim population is growing too fast, that they will take over. That this is a calculated strategy, aided by the distribution of sweets, sanitary napkins that cause infertility. In collusion with NGO's, that favourite bogeyman, the propagation of permanent family planning measures that is reducing the Sinhalese population. That Muslims are turning their workplaces in harems, luring innocent Sinhala maidens and turning them into concubines, that the boys in employment are being converted to Islam and other falsehoods.

b) The fact these rumours are not being effectively countered in the media. Much of the media seems largely in favour of the campaign with the exception of a few isolated voices. Lenin said that a lie, if repeated often enough, becomes the truth and I see this taking place today. (In logic this is referred to as proof by assertion)

People who never had a second thought about these manifestly absurd allegation are taking these seriously. The few voices speaking out against the campaign are demonised as "foreign funded", "NGO types", "biased foreign media" or sneered at as being a part of the "English speaking elite", whose views do not matter.

The demonisation of the NGO's and the elite is itself the result a of a very effective campaign of repeated assertion that took place post 2005 and is still on-going. The only critical voices are thus not taken seriously or are viewed as proof of the vast conspiracy that is underway.

c)  The complicity of the law-enforcement agencies in attacks on minorities. No action is ever taken, no punishment ever meted out to the culprits of violence. The message eventually sinks in that it is possible to get away with random acts of violence; that such acts may indeed be appropriate behaviour, in the face of threats.    

These factors are the dry tinder for a conflagration. All actions seemed designed to add further fuel, except for some efforts by the already discredited actors. Thus the stage is set for another eruption.

As the message being preached gathers momentum a seemingly minor incident, especially one where a Muslim reacts will provide the necessary spark. An argument in a shop degenerates to name calling and fisticuffs. Passers by of both communities enter the fray. Rumours spread that Muslims are attacking Singhalese and gang sets out to protect the Singhalese. While the law enforcement agencies stand by the gang turns into a mob and the violence spirals out of control.

Is this too far fetched? Well exactly this happened a month a ago in Burma. The foundation for this was laid by an extensive campaign by a movement called 969, which mirrors the actions of the BBS.

The 969 movement is thought to have been set up by the Junta in Burma, possibly to help it win an election. Given the extensive cooperation between Burma and Sri Lanka of late ( see links here, here and here) there must have been much cross-fertilisation of ideas. 

Unless there is a concerted effort to pull back from the brink events will follow the same course as in Burma, as indeed they did in Sri Lanka; in 1958, 1983 and a few other times, plus ça change.
  

To the @#%Q^!! morons who run small hotels and guest houses

Now look, you are supposed to be trying to sell your stupid guest house/bungalow/hotel, right?

Why can't you have a website with your contact numbers? Surely you know that there are no telephone directories around now, how are people to know how to contact you? If you don't want to spend money, have a blog site, its free.

Ok, you are listed on a booking site, but why not take what traffic you can direct? Especially when the damn booking site does not answer the phone either?

Its very frustrating, one has to trawl the web looking for numbers, hoping that some past visitor put the number somewhere on the web. With older places there is a fair chance of picking up a number, with new ones its hopeless.

A few places do have websites with phone numbers. On more than one occasion I have found the number is listed incorrectly.

Having tracked down the number with difficulty, when calling I tell them that the number is wrong. The standard response I get is: oh we only changed the number a month/couple of months ago so the website is not updated.....or a variant: we don't update the website very often.

Another friend related a story where he had bumped into the owner of a place he had tried to contact unsuccessfully. The phone was not working. When he mentioned this the owner said "oh I don't use that number anymore. Lots of people kept calling and it was such a hassle I switched it off"!!! Can you beat that for customer service? 

As far as the upcoming weekend is concerned I gave up trying after a few desultory efforts. There is hardly any time anyway so I've decided to visit friend's estate for a night, enjoy some traditional cooking and spend the rest of the time at home.



 

The Fashion Bug incident: postlude to the amicable settlement

The attack on Fashion Bug was settled amicably, out of court. Can we now consider the case to be closed and return to our normal lives?

Not quite, because of some of the troubling questions that, as far as we know, have not yet been resolved.

The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has sworn to protect the Dhamma and the nation; worthy goals indeed. They condemned the attack on Fashion Bug and called for culprits to be punished. While the legal process has ended, there is no doubt that the BBS will be inquiring into the conduct of the monks who have brought disgrace to the Dhamma; and by association, disrepute to the BBS.

They will also be devising some suitable punishment for the monks. More than any tattoo sported by a tourist or Buddha statues placed in hotels, this incident has caused great harm to Buddhism. Tolerance is central to the Guatama's teachings, these willful acts strike at the very heart of Buddhism, so the punishment meted must be equally strong.

Since this unfortunate incident took place in the full glare of the media, purely from the point of view of repairing their reputation the BBS should publicise the steps taken to correct the errant monks.

Perhaps they have already tendered their apologies to Fashion Bug, as part of the settlement; perhaps they should also do so publicly. Perhaps they should be assigned to meditate in the forest for some months to reflect on their wrongs. Perhaps they should assist in the cleaning and repair of damaged shop. Perhaps they should be banished from the clergy.

The punishments are entirely up to the BBS and the Mahanayake's to decide; we have full confidence that action is already underway, but it should be made public, in the interest of all concerned.

    

English: grammar, logic and the kaduwa (sword)

Grammar is related to logic: it is about expressing ideas coherently. Words do not mean much unless someone can string them together in a coherent form to express an idea. Logic is about forming valid arguments, an understanding of the subject enables clarity in thought.

A lack of thought and an abundance of irrationality is one of the problems that is plaguing Sri Lankan society today, nothing illustrates this better than this article.

There are few comments claiming that the fascination with proper English betrays some colonial or western mindset, the very mindset that is preventing the masses from progressing. It is a popular argument that naturally appeals to Id rather than Ego.

The argument however is false, the article on the airport is so garbled as to be completely meaningless.  It is not a question of a few spelling mistakes or a few errors in grammar or a lack of style. If there was some real substance these could be overlooked. Ploughing through Nandasena Ratnapala's Beggar in Sri Lanka is undoubtedly painful but he does have an interesting methodology and his findings are revealing.

The airport article however would make little sense, I suspect, in any language. It says a lot about the state of the nation, not to mention the airport itself.        

Fighting the growing tide of racism

Racism, which breeds on ignorance and fear, seems to be spreading with a rapidity that is leaving ordinary citizens bewildered and overwhelmed.

In incident after incident, the authorities stand idle, while the hatred breeds further hatred. The poison is everywhere and seems to be rising towards a horrible crescendo. Fighting it seems an almost impossible task, the hydra keeps growing new heads.

If the state is idle, action needs to be taken at the community level, the Norwegian campaign to fight racism, with a cup of tea offers some good ideas. (watch the video clip here)

The root cause of racism is a lack of understanding; the inability to see the 'Other' as an ordinary human. The 'Other' looks funny, acts funny and talks funny. When people spread false or exaggerated stories the word 'dangerous' is imprinted in peoples minds, substituting for 'funny'. These odd fellows are no longer funny, they become threatening, intimidating, dangerous people. 

The solution is to promote informal dialogue; talking leads to understanding, with understanding, hatred begins to seem absurd. Here, we can try to start this on a community level; the approaching holiday season affords a good opportunity.

Small community gatherings, where people can talk and perhaps understand that they are not so different from one another would be worth trying. This Avurudu season, lets invite a few neighbours from other communities over for tea.

Attack on Fashion Bug: what does the reaction tell us?

-With three updates to the original post, on the latest developments-

The attack on the Fashion Bug shop should, in any civilised society have drawn condemnation from all quarters and, at a minimum, promises of an investigation from the authorities.

In Sri Lanka, the reaction was strangely muted. No minister, apart from a couple of Muslim MP's, of the hundred plus cabinet issued a statement. With so many ministries around surely somebody must be responsible for law and order, religious discrimination or even trade and investment; all areas that will be affected? Judging by the stony silence, apparently nobody was responsible. Perhaps they were simply not interested.

There was a vague statement issued by the Government Information Department talking of local and international conspiracies "to ignite ethnic clashes and religious disputes to destroy the prevailing atmosphere of freedom in Sri Lanka."  That has certainly happened, but what are the authorities doing about it?

The Sunday Times political column has more details of the tussle within the Government with Rauf Hakeem wanting to call an emergency cabinet meeting but the president refusing to do so, promising instead to call a meeting of the Government Parliamentary Group. A statement was finally issued by the SLFP. Why should the party issue the statement, not the Government? Perhaps the Government does not want to distance itself from the BBS?

The complete apathy and relative inaction seems to point to either complicity or approval. Probably secure in the knowledge that nothing will happen, the BBS has called for the culprits to be brought to book. The BBS might need to ring up the minister in charge, whoever it may be and remind him of his duties, since they all seem to be fast asleep. (Update: Groundviews has an excellent piece on this. Update 2: In a more positive development, three monks involved in the attack have surrendered. Whether it was motivated by the flurry of online activity, external pressure or good sense we do not know as yet, but this is the best news so far. If they are prosecuted it will send a firm signal that the Government is distancing themselves from the movement).

As DBS Jeyaraj points out, there seems to be concerted effort to cover up the attack.

There has however been considerable effort spent to take the incident off the news. Most newspapers carry reports only on the inner pages and seem to have subscribed to the official line that this was some minor personal dispute that blew up a little bit. DBS Jeyaraj disagrees with the received wisdom.

As far as the propaganda angle was concerned the Government seems to be acted, judging by the short lived blocks on some internet news sites and the success in kicking the story to the back pages.

Although they don't say so, the Rulers realise that this is negative publicity. Not that this seems to invoke any interest in solving the problem, the solution is to "manage" the news.

Naturally we do not want foreign lenders, on whom we are dependent or the deal makers to be put off? Those guys are valuable, they have lots of cash, no?   We worship any hand with sufficient cash, so no point putting them off is there? Especially over such an insignificant thing? Citizens be damned, only the money matters.

Update 3: It has been announced that the matter was amicably settled by the parties concerned. Given the pattern of past activity it does not take a great leap in imagination to suppose that pressure was brought to bear, to force the "amicable" settlement, the objective being to sweep the whole sordid affair under the carpet. For the umpteenth time, the perpetrators of another crime are allowed to walk away while the victims are left to carry on, as best they can. As if to underline this, another man walked free yesterday. 

In the meantime deep rifts have emerged in society. Last week's Sunday Observer carried an advertisement for the sale of a house. The advertisement specified that the buyers should only be Sinhala Buddhists. 

I wonder how much more time and space for reconciliation the Government will ask for at the next UNHCR meeting?


-Updated: New GV link on BBS
-Update 2 : Monks surrender to police. 
-Update 3: Parties come to an amicable settlement.
 

So, the violence returns

The first stone has been cast, an attack on the Fashion Bug warehouse in Pepiliyana.

Well, not quite the first stone, there were smaller ones before. A mosque in Matara, some shops in Kuruvikotuwe Pahamune, stones thrown at a Mosque in Kurunegala (Asian Tribune has a list of some of the recent ones) but this looks like the biggest so far. 

It will only be followed by more, gradually increasing in intensity, the only thing is we do not know where, when or how big it will become. Its a bit like waiting for the other shoe to drop, the suspense is; well, killing.

Four years after the last round of fighting end we start a new round. Thus is the isle of Serendip cursed.

Odd things in the news

I noticed two unusual stories in the news today, the Ceylon Today report that a special police squad is being trained, amidst great secrecy to deal with mass protests and riots.

The Government must be expecting trouble, but from where? Certainly not from the BBS, which has been rabble rousing quite imperviously. Could a series of tax hikes be on the way? Something so bad that they fear it could trigger a mass uprising? Fuel went up and an electricity hike is on the way, is there a lot more to come? Or is it the formation of the joint opposition that has spooked them? Perhaps something like a referendum to extend the life of the presidency or parliament? Something is definitely up, I wonder what?

I don't know how many people read the Ceylon Today but they carry some interesting titbits, the paper is worth checking more regularly.

The second bit of news was tucked away on page 2 of the Sunday Times; a little story (not available online) that stated that Defence Authorities have identified the man who provided the battlefield photographs to pro-Tiger groups abroad. The man had, who had been attached to one of the "lesser known television stations"  had been at the front lines in 2009. He has since fled abroad with his family and sleuths are apparently busy tracking his past activities. Update: The Colombo Gazette carries a detailed story.

Hmm and more hmm. I will leave it to others to work out the implications but this is the strangest story I have come across. According to rumours that circulated at the time only the state media were given access to the battle front.

Wikileaks is now old news but the story on Sri Lanka's kidnapping saga of 2007/8 is explosive. Why did the spate of kidnappings die down  after the UNP named him in parliament in 2007? Five years on, what has become of him? Have we all forgotten?

-Updated with a link to the journalist story-   

Grinling Gibbons, master carver

I came across the name of Grinling Gibbons, generally supposed to be amongst the greatest of wood carvers, this afternoon. Writer David Esterly who abandoned literature for carving after seeing some of Gibbons' work has just published a book on his experience.

More details on the man and his art here, also check the Wikipedia entry.

David Esterly's work is also very impressive.

Just thought it was worth sharing.

Tickle me please, need some stimulation...

Intellectual stimulation, that is, although I would not necessarily object to being tickled in a more conventional sense.

Seriously, though I tend to feed on ideas and there are not enough around. The company I work for has subscribed to an online education system from Harvard, which fairly good. Just finished the session on creativity and it made me realise what I am missing. A quote from the session stuck in my mind

When all men think alike, no one thinks
very much. 

–Walter Lippmann

I read The Economist (which I have persuaded my employer to subscribe to) religiously, every week, primarily for stimulation - for new ideas or different ways of looking at things. It has a fairly well-rounded approach - apart from the politics, economics and business there is a small but interesting section on science and the arts-which, incidentally, are my favourite sections.

I used to get a lot of ideas from blogs and some of the debate was pretty good but that died years ago. Too many friends have migrated and there only a very limited set of people that one can have a conversation with in Colombo. After a while, one finds oneself going stale, the same ideas, the same people going around and around.

I need some new company, a little tickling, so to speak. 

 

The Marie biscuit

One of my favourite types of biscuit and the foundation of the chocolate biscuit pudding, I'd always thought that they were a local biscuit, probably invented by Maliban.

Apparently they were created by an English bakery Peek Freans in London in 1874 to commemorate the marriage of the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia to the Duke of Edinburgh.

Who would have thought that this simple biscuit had such a great pedigree?

Anyway, chocolate biscuit pudding is supposed to be a genuine, authentic, Ceylonese pudding. We may have got the biscuit from overseas but what we did with it was our own. I wonder who invented it?

Whoever it was, they, and the pudding are something that we can be justly proud.

Airports, infrastructure and development

The new airport in Mattala opened this week, to a fairly lukewarm response (if I'm any judge of sentiment) by the public. There are a few obvious issues with the airport that I will write about later, but first lets try to get the broader picture right. What makes infrastructure work and how should a Government go about prioritising its investment?

Infrastructure: roads, rail and transport systems, power, telecommunications, ports and airports are all important and investment should take place where it is needed; but how should we decide on need?

1. Clearing bottlenecks in existing infrastructure would be the obvious first step.
2. Forecasting future bottlenecks, based on a realistic study of demand patterns would be another step.  

There needs to be demand for services, which means that it should be sited where there are people. If not many people live in a location and few people visit then there seems to be little point in building anything. So far, so obvious.

How about the argument that "if we build it, people will come", which seems to be the basis of the Mattala airport and the adjoining port? For example, since we have an airport and port close by, why not start some export industry there? Garments or something sexy like silicon chips? Port and airport at hand, there should be land, voila, the perfect place to create jobs.

Things are not quite so easy, there are some fundamental policies that are more important than the infrastructure and which we need to get right first; before people will even look at investing. In a word, a favourable investment climate. What should this comprise?

1. A simple, clear and above all, workable legal and tax system. The spectacle of having a CJ ejected through a dubious process on the whims of the Government, expropriation of land, abrupt changes on the status of foreign ownership of land and a tax code that changes overnight do not contribute towards this.

2. Availability of basic infrastructure - power, water, waste disposal/sewage, telecommunications, etc. Some basics have just been built but are the telecommunications, water and waste disposal available? I don't know, but fixing these should not be a huge issue.

3.  Some competitive advantage in the location: cheap labour, raw, materials, proximity to supplies or markets. Favourable tax treaties, free trade agreements, highly skilled labour or preferred access to markets (via concessions like GSP+) would count towards a competitive advantage. This is the trickiest question and most of these are not location specific to Hambantota. If investment is already pouring in then we know that we have some advantage to offer; it is then merely a question of tilting the attraction towards Hambantota.  Is this happening? 

4. Availability of labour and ancillary support services, as required (depending on industry).

5. A general perception, formed in part through consistent policy, that the Government is interested in encouraging investment. When the "cost of doing business" includes corruption to a level that makes most businesses unviable, the perception will be negative.

In truth, there is a lot that needs to go right in policy, before infrastructure will work; except in cases where is it eases existing bottlenecks. An interesting essay on third world development notes the biggest obstacle was the "dirigiste dogma". Ghana is a good example.


When it became independent in 1957, Ghana was the richest country in the region, with the best-educated population. Kwame Nkrumah, the country's leader at independence, was a spokesman for the newly independent Africa. He said the region needed to develop its own style of government, suited to its special circumstances. According to this analysis, the problem started with the philosophy

A major legacy and burden of tribal and feudalistic societies is the notion that leaders have the power to solve problems and bring justice. The village chieftain takes resources from the villagers and to the powerless villagers the chieftain seems like a potential foundation of wealth and luxury.

To those who aspire to be chieftain it seems that if only they could achieve that status they could not have a pleasant living but could do good for the villagers. In the American idiom they could be fairy godmothers, solving all problems with the waive of a magic wand. So the possibility of becoming a fairy godmother is a powerful motivation for those who seek leadership. On the other hand, for the powerless who have no hope of becoming a leader the notion of there being fairy godmothers who can solve all problems is likewise a powerful influence.

But of course there are no fairy godmothers and can be no fairy godmothers. The resources that the village chieftain dispenses come only from the productive efforts of the people themselves. If the people neglect their own productive efforts in seeking benefits from the chieftain then soon even the chieftain has no resources.

The romance of Third World leaders with socialism is just an attempt to create the status of the village chieftain on a larger scale. Socialism's main function ideologically is to provide a rationale for having all power concentrated in the hands of the central government.

 Following this line of thinking:

He spent vast sums on megaprojects. As economic troubles mounted, he nationalized companies and followed with capital repression. Under his regime capital flew abroad, and people with skills and money did the same. The kleptocrats (government officials who steal large amounts) ran the country into the ground.  

Does all of this sound rather familiar? We are just setting off on the journey that Ghana embarked on in the 1960's, we may dream of miracles but all we chase is a mirage.

Digging yet another grave

The politicians are busy, digging yet another grave in which they intend to bury more consumers. Changes are afoot, to pull the teeth of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, rendering the requirement to run a proper budget unnecessary.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act was passed by the UNP Government in 2003 and was designed:

a) to increase transparency by publishing regular statements on public finances;
b) to limit the size of Government debt.

The proposed amendments are to allow further borrowing and (probably) reduce the frequency of disclosure.

This means that the Government can continue its unsustainable spiral of spending, borrowing from commercial sources to do so. Why does the Government love to spend? Because the spending results in purchasing, on the most favourable terms, of goods and services supplied by politicians and their cronies. Most favourable for the suppliers that is, not the public.

This is extremely lucrative for the cronies who are seen running around in the most expensive luxury vehicles and jetting off on exotic holidays. No wonder BMW sales are up 280%, even while small car sales are down 84%.

The debt does need to be repaid, and this is where the public come in. At the moment there is a proposal that will increase electricity tariffs by between 58%-126%. This is the inevitable result of the policies followed. How else are the public supposed  to pay for the armies of unemployed graduates and the colossal waste that takes place at this institution? As I noted before, producers of private power (more cronies) are laughing all the way to the bank, while we must stump up so that they can party.

In the latest absurdity, even while we are contemplating yet another attack on our wallets, the poor, long suffering casino owners are to be given a tax break.  This is not just wrong headed policy, its positively evil.

Deyata Kirula - a front for clearing forest reserves?

The Sunday Leader reported that

More than 10 acres in the Buddhangala sanctuary and over four acres of forest lands situated opposite the sanctuary have already been bulldozed to use as a vehicle park for the exhibition.

When I checked with a friend whose company was involved in the exhibition last year, he said that 500 acres was cleared from the Wilpattu reserve for the exhibition last year.

The modus operandi  appears to be to site the exhibition in some area close to the forest. Then, under the guise of preparing for the exhibition, clear all the trees, using state funds and equipment. The timber, being cleared at 'no cost' (ie with state funds) is then sold at 100% profit by the organisers.

Since the exhibition is being organised by the military the concerns of wildlife rangers and others can be overridden in the interests of "national security". 

Looks like what we have going is a free-for-all smash-and-grab operation.

Then they came for the Christians....

The Sinhala Ravaya, another shadowy Buddhist supremacist organisation that works with the BBS has reportedly carried out a "raid" on a house in Nawala.

Meanwhile, the Ceylon Today newspaper reported that two raids took place on catholic religious centres in Nawala and Galle, in addition to the raid on the house in Nawala. 

The Centre for Policy Alternatives has recorded 65 instances of attacks on places religious worship since May 2009, the vast majority being Christian. Skimming that report, my impression was that most of the attacks were small and concerned localised disputes.

With the involvement of the Sinhala Ravaya and the BBS, I think we are moving in the direction of a centralised, organised, campaign against all things deemed to be non-buddhist and non-Sinhala.


Update: A pastor threatened by a mob in Weeraketiya.

We have had 7 years of jobless growth, apparently.

A research firm, Verité Research, has published a new report which claims that:

Excluding the Northern and Eastern Provinces the labour force and employment statistics data for Sri Lanka recorded the existence of 7,105,322 jobs (number employed) in the country, in 2006. Since then, despite the real GDP growing in excess of 40%, job growth was less than 1%. (The number of jobs recorded in the second quarter of 2012 was 7,120,518).

The lack of job creation in the domestic market explains why there is so much pressure for jobs in the Middle East. Those who propose to ban the export of labour should first consider how jobs can be found for the hundreds of thousands that leave school every year.

It is also worth noting that the net job growth of 1% is after the state created 179,675 new jobs in the public sector, between 2006 and 2012.  This means that the number of jobs actually shrank. (Public sector employment stood at 1,134,561 in the second quarter of 2012, compared to 954,886 in 2006.)

So what does growth, sans jobs, mean? Not as much as it should, I'm afraid.

GDP is simply a measure of output (see calculation here) so it may mean that the level of activity has increased. Even if no new jobs were created, if there is a general increase in activity it will translate into higher profits, salaries, rents etc which means that the people should be better off. Are we? Do we feel that we can lead a much better lifestyle, save more or invest than we could in 2006?

I would bet that except for a small band of cronies, the answer would be in the negative. One reason is that the GDP figure looks good is because of the enormous government investment and expenditure that takes place. The Norochcholai coal plant, the Mattala airport and similar infrastructure projects help boost the GDP figure. Infrastructure brings long term benefits in the way of improved productivity, but if it is badly designed, the potential benefit will be small. 

The second reason the GDP looks good is because of an incorrect measure of inflation. GDP is reported net of inflation (ie nominal growth minus inflation). Therefore the lower the inflation figure, the higher the GDP.  According to official statistics inflation was 9.8% last year but how accurate is that figure? Private estimates put the figure at double that.

Therefore, despite some impressive statistics, we may conclude that the real benefits to the people have been small.  Anyway, read the published excerpts, there are some interesting points that have been discussed. 

The path we tread

It is almost four years since the fighting ended in May 2009, perhaps it is a good time to pause and to ask if the country is headed in the right direction.

The future is never easy to foretell, but reflecting on recent events should tell us if the path ahead is rocky.

On the Governance front, in October 2010 we had the 18th amendment, in November 2011 the expropriation act, and in January 2013 the impeachment of the CJ. Three very significant moves that have altered the politico-economic landscape radically, for the worse.

There were other events, mysterious, unsolved events that people have all but forgotten. The killing of beggars in 2010/11 for instance. The PM is reported to have claimed that the beggars were from the LTTE, whether this was true or if it was part of the Colombo beautification project we will never know, but thankfully it stopped, after an outcry.

Winding back the clock a bit, the kidnapping of Tamil and Muslim businessmen was all the rage in 2007/8 (see wikileaks for some titbits on this). Many millions were paid as ransom, fortunately that too seems to have died down. At the time, analysts pointed out that there were two types of kidnappings: the political and the commercial. The commercial kidnappings were thought to be 'freelance operations' by the same teams that carried out the political kidnappings. No one knows for sure, but that too seems to have died down, although the occasional political kidnapping still seems to take place. The political kidnapping died down after a botched attempt on a minor political figure, seemingly exposed some of their links.

The strange thing is that these mysterious events generally cease after an outcry in the media, locally and overseas. It is never a case of the police investigating or the system of justice working to eliminate the problem. An outcry takes place and then the culprits go back into the wood work. The problem of course is that since the root cause is not addressed, the worms only await a suitable opportunity to return.

Sometimes I think it is good to just sit back and join the dots, the incidents I've picked out are just some of the bigger ones. There are a myriad others that could be cited.

Any way one looks at it, the picture that emerges is not an encouraging one.

 

Protests and protests

The powers-that-be treat protests differently, depending on who is protesting about what. Usually the subject of the protest determines the treatment. For instance, protesting against the evil colonialists, the UN and the West usually accords the protesters the red carpet treatment including a visit from the Head of State.

On the other hand, protests about the cost of living, wages or similar things generally accords the protesters tear gas and a baton charge.

In the latest development, protests that are ostensibly about the same thing have attracted different treatment.

The morbidly named Dead and Missing Persons front has held a protest requesting the UN carry out an investigation of the LTTE's role in disappearances and killings. They held their protest and handed over their petition.

On the same day, another group of protesters were prevented from coming to Colombo. They were on their way to "hand over a petition about their loved ones who had disappeared". To whom they were protesting is not certain but it appears even the dead and the disappeared are not accorded equal treatment.

The police apparently took this decision "for the purpose of maintaining law and order in the area". Instead of handing over their petition, they spent their time in Vavuniya Urban Council Grounds, guarded by riot police armed with water canons.


Update:
The Government has now said that there were no formal complaints for over 60% of disappearances.

Should artefacts in museums overseas be returned?

The Sri Lankan Government has apparently made a fresh request that artefacts in British Museums be returned. This request has been made before but Britain has not responded.

Given the fact that Sri Lanka's politicos were almost certainly complicit in the robbery of the Colombo Museum, I think there is a very good case for leaving them where they are. Why should they be returned, if they are only to be stolen and either sold or used to decorate the houses of the politikka's who are now competing with one another to build palatial houses in Colombo 7?

Better that they be kept safe and secure in museums overseas, where they can be studied and enjoyed by humanity at large. 

The role of hate media in fanning the flames of communal violence

My last post referred to an article by Dayan Jayatilleka (DJ). There is another aspect that he mentions that I see taking shape. He says:

"I refer to the years from ‘77 to ‘83, a period covered by the Sansoni Commission, the violence of ‘77, ‘79, ‘81 and finally the massive explosion of 1983. The road to July ‘83 was paved, prepared, though perhaps not intended in that form, by anti-Tamil propaganda. At the time, it came from within the Government. You had anti-Tamil propaganda with illustrations being sent out in envelopes with a stamp of the then Minister of Industry, Mr. Cyril Mathew. It is the same kind of toxic waste material that is being put out today against the Muslim community, though not officially, not from within the government."

I see this happening today. People who never looked at a product to see what markings it has are now raising questions about the halal certification. These claims have the same validity as the Kosher conspiracy theories - indeed they repeat the Kosher claims almost word to word,  but are difficult to dispel easily in a short conversation, so the BBS rhetoric carries the day.

Ordinary, reasonable people are saying doesn't the BBS have a point? The Muslims seem to be everywhere these days, of course we don't support this violence but still......

This is the effect of the relentless propaganda. It is effective because it plays on subconscious fears.

It is true, the culture amongst the Moors has changed over time, the hijab and the abaya have become more common, more men seem to wear long beards. All communities now enjoy leisure more, so since people spend more time outside their homes, their visibility increases and gives the impression of a large increase in numbers. It may not be true, but people may think it is true, especially if someone puts false ideas about.

I don't think the pious Muslims differ very much in mindset from, say, evangelical Christians, another fast-growing sect but the crucial difference with evangelical Christians is that they do not look any different from the rest of us, so are easy to ignore.      

What the propaganda is doing is heightening awareness of differences and creating fears about those differences.  DJ's point that the violence against Tamils between 1977 and 1983 was enabled by the anti-Tamil propaganda must be taken seriously. The question he rightly poses is whether the anti-Muslim propaganda will set the stage for a violent reaction against that community.

It is worth noting that the propaganda of Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines played a significant role on the Rwandan genocide of 1994. To quote Wikipedia:

"The station is considered to have preyed upon deep animosities and prejudices between the Hutu and Tutsi populations. The hateful rhetoric was placed alongside the sophisticated use of humor and popular Zairean music". 

After the plane crash killed the Rwandan President, the station joined the chorus of voices blaming Tutsi rebels, and began calling for a "final war" to "exterminate" the Tutsi. What followed was the worst genocide in recent times. The UNHCR states:

The Rwandan genocide resulted from the conscious choice of the elite to promote hatred and fear to keep itself in power. This small, privileged group first set the majority against the minority to counter a growing political opposition within Rwanda.

Isn't this the the same reason why the Government supports this campaign?  The danger is that unless the hate media is countered effectively, the probability of another round of violence will surely grow and everybody will pay the price.


 -Updated -
 

Bodu Bala Sena's house to house campaign

Was chatting to a friend of mine. He had received a visit from a party lead by the Buddhist monk from his nearby temple. The monk had my friend's name and address, which they had obtained from the Grama Sevaka's office.

They had explained to him the danger that the Sinhala Buddhists faced from the rapid expansion of the Muslim population. He was given a written invitation attend to a meeting that will be held at the temple tomorrow, where the there would be a further discussion on this.

The campaign is being carried on in secrecy: only those invited or their nominees could attend. The temple would know who was attending and the identity of anyone who sent a nominee. 

The cloak-and-dagger approach and the focus on population is menacing, as Dayan Jayatilleka, notes in an illuminating article :

I am particularly worried, anxious, that the current wave of the anti-Muslim propaganda is on population growth rates. Why this makes me worry is that violence in such a context would not be preeminently anti-property but anti-persons, because if the name of the game is numbers, and rates of population growth, and the number of children that the Other has, then any violence is bound to seek to address that particular problem. In other words, the solution would be seen as one of an ethnic cleansing or ethno-religious cleansing.  

Another worrying aspect about this visit is the fact that they had my friend's name and address. It was no random visit, they had a list of all the Sinhalese households and were visiting them in turn.

Householders lists are supposed to be confidential, how were they obtained? People may recall that during the anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983, many of the gangs were armed with voters lists: they knew exactly where the Tamil houses were, and these were systematically attacked.

Such lists are once again in circulation, amongst dangerous hands.