Interesting...

Isn't it interesting how everyone has an opinion on how to balance the national budget, reduce poverty, and overall, make the world a better place; and yet, many nations are fighting poverty tooth and nail, and cannot get the budget to balance?

Making Deals with the Devil

"The judge is condemned when the guilty is acquitted." (original quote, in Lation -- "Judex damnatur cum nocens absolvitur." -- Publilius Syrus)

SB, SB... what a deal, huh?

You go out to the country side, sit down with the farmers... share a drink with them, take off your shirt and make quite an entertaining, yet, very valid speech. Next thing you know, you're cuffed and dragged away to prison for two years -- contempt of court they say... Two years of rigorous imprisonment.

The verdict itself was met with mixed reactions across the populace of Sri Lanka. Some were of the view that the sentence appropriate (for a varying array of reasons), while another section viewed it as political victimization. Yet another section did not give two hoots.

Excluding the latter, the other two sections has since been splitting hairs on this matter, with some even calling for a revision of the laws while others wanted to move to the ICJ (no, nothing to do with the CJ -- I mean the International Court of Justice). In related developments, all campaigns of the United National Party at some level made this matter a theme, while there were counter accusations also thrown saying the party was not doing enough.

Irrespective of who says what, and whether there was a conspiracy to get SB behind bars or not, what happened ultimately was pretty lame --he handed himself in, on a silver platter.

Would you, after years and years of hurling accusations at the highest judicial officer, when accused of contempt, walk into his domain and plead guilt? And then expect to walk away? Especially, if 90% of your accusations were based on a nexus between the respective heads of the executive & judicial branches of the country? Add to that, the executive has been vying for an opportunity for revenge? I really don't think so...

But SB unfortunately thought otherwise, and pleaded guilty.

Number one rule when you make a deal with the devil: You Don't.

True, politics does make strange bedfellows. But, who in their right mind would let him/herself be so vulnerable?

The battle of his life was in front of him. If battles were ever based on principles, this would have been it. This was the golden opportunity to take the battle right up to their doorstep and build momentum on all the rhetoric on impeachments and all that other hullabaloo. But then, he blinked -- he walked away. Made a deal with the devil and burnt his soul. Quite the opposite of the hard-talking attitude taken on late-night political talk-shows.

How can anyone fight the verdict, or find fault with the court, for punishing someone who was by his own admission -- guilty? Of course, punishment must be in proportion to the crime -- but that is purely at the discretion of the judge. I do not hear anyone finding fault with the judgment where a police constable was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment (rigorous) for a bribe of a mere Rs.20 (less than $0.20).

Perhaps RW and a few others understand this. Yet, given the attitude of the public they go along with the show, albeit not giving it a 100%. And that's perhaps what causes all the complaints about the party not doing enough to secure his release.

Will RW free SB if he is elected president?
Will he also free the police constable?
How about anyone else who feels unjustly jailed?
Will he take action against those who massacred his grassroot supporters, or are they forgotten?

"The judge is condemned when the guilty is acquitted."

Quotable Quotes

"Exhilaration is the feeling you get just after a great idea hits you, and jut before you realize what is wrong with it." (Anonymous)

Alliances... the bane of her existence (Part II)

Some very interesting developments have taken place since the posting of Part I of this particular blog. The JVP has pledged support to MR after he had accepted their twelve-point proposal, and the JHU has also pledged to throw in their weight behind MR for accepting their policies.

Some developments to reflect upon:

• Prior to brining down the UNP government, the PA-JVP combine made a huge cry about the CFA.
• Soon after coming assuming office, they continued to uphold and agreement.
• Went a step further and signed the PTOMS (a.k.a. pacha-TOMS).
• Continued playing the game by passing the ball from one court to another.
• MR walks out of the parliamentary debate on the PTOM (i.e. the Prime Minister... the leader of the Legislature is unable to make a decision or take a stand, and thus does not participate)
• Presidential race intensifies, and SC delivers verdict ending months of speculation
• MR seals a deal with the JVP, based on a 12 demands while CBK is in China
• CBK, in the convention confirming MR's nomination praises RW for the CFA and resulting development
• Quote from my wife "I'm sure she is actually, biologically two-tongued"
• MR pledges to abolish PTOMS and unilaterally change the CFA
• Other parties in the alliance disagree. Reaffirms commitment to CFA, PTOMS and federal structure...
• No policy statement from MR
• Continues to say "We should end war. Develop economy & country, etc, etc" How this would be done, or why it has not been done in the past is not addressed.

Is this a leader?

He seems so pre-occupied with obtaining the support of others, perhaps because of his own insecurity and lack of self-believe, that there is no communication coming forth from his own camp. Don't tell me who is with you, tell me what you're going to do -- and then I'll fall behind you if I agree with it.

Experience and history shows us that rather than mustering support and then looking for a vision, leaders first tend to have a policy around which support is generated. Mahatma Gandhi did not campaign door to door in India before choosing to fight the British. Martin Luther King did not look for numbers first. If we take the time to reflect back on any leader we can think of, we would realize that leaders first create the vision, and then rally the troops.

What is happening in the case of MR? We seem to be having a puppet-candidate, begging for support from whoever he could think of, agreeing to every conceivable condition put forth without considering the cause of consequences of each.

Recipe for disaster? Who knows? The Sri Lankan electorate is perhaps one of the most complex electorates to comprehend. It is difficult to fathom whether they are guided by dreams, wishful thinking, vociferous rhetoric or realistic expectations. Irrespective of which way the pendulum of the legislative and executive power has swung in Sri Lanka, it has always been a very interesting mix of all of the above.

As the Election Day nears, and the heat of campaigning intensifies, it would indeed be disappointing to observe the process from halfway across the globe, having foregone my right to franchise for the time being.

Did You Know?

Many years ago, in Scotland, a new game was invented.

It was ruled "Gentlemen Only - Ladies Forbidden" and, thus, the term Golf entered into the English language.

Oh Katrina...

The entire United States basically came to a grinding halt as everyone here hoped for the best, yet expected the worst as hurricane Katrina wound herself up in the Gulf Coast, and headed towards the states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama -- brining the worst natural disaster of the United States to its shores.

The storm surge has left water up to 30 feet (10 meters) high, with over 80% of the city of New Orleans (pop. 1.5M) under water. Nearly 80,000 people left homeless, with no reliable reports of casualties at the time of writing -- two days after the disaster.

In contrast to the immediate aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, people affected by Katrina seem to be left quite helpless. There are reports of lack of food, medicine and shelter. The government in general and FEMA in particular seem to have been caught off guard -- in spite of getting advance notice of the storm a few days before.

This is quite in contrast to the reaction experienced during the tsunami -- where our airport was clogged with planeloads of tents, canned food (including pet food), medicine, clothes and water purification systems (and even items like shampoo, conditioner, etc.).

The world community at large, and the people and government of the US held us a held us a helping hand as we struggled to rise from the tsunami disaster. The US military was in southern Sri Lanka clearing debris, constructing bridges and roads. Yet, the people of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama seem to be left helpless in the face of unprecedented disaster.

Left out in the cold by their own government? I don't think so -- at least, not intentionally.

I find it hard to believe that the world super-power, the biggest economy and technologically advanced nation in the world is unable to wrap its arms around the disaster and provide solace to her people. I hope someone would take charge and provide proper direction to the relief effort so that the effected people can get back on their feet as soon as possible.

I believe I would speak on behalf of all Sri Lankans when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is affected by this disaster.