Engineered, encouraged deterioration; mangroves and Easter

Rajitha Ratwatte writing from New Zealand about both his adopted country and his home country, which he seems to be very loyal to, gives print to a profound consideration which needs everyone’s attention. To end his Friday March 28 column ‘From outside the Pearl’ he states boldly and succinctly: “…. we once (around 30 years ago) had a minister of ports who had been educated at Oxford – not a gold chain snatcher.” The Oxford mentioned is the most prestigious University in Britain and the graduate Lalith Athulathmudali. Now, please remember it is Ratwatte, safe in NZ or unpronounceable Aotearoa as he calls the land by its ancient Maori name, who says this about the present holder of the Ports post. He hits the nail sharply on its head since here is a sure-fire reason for the deterioration of the country. If legislators are not prestigious how can a government earn the people’s respect, and global respect too? If choices of Ministers are made only for votes’ sake and to say thanks for personal loyalty and favours done, how will a country prosper? From what Ceylon was and then moved to free Sri Lanka to what it is now is rapid descent on the scales of efficiency, dignity, honesty and respect. The worst is we go down in the eyes of the world and if anyone says who cares to this, that person is abject stupid. The entire globe and all its countries are interconnected. We voters bear a bigger share of the blame for the doubtful standards of our legislators.

Wise words from the AG

“’Corruption has many faces, bribery only one of them’ – AG” is the headline in The Island of Saturday 27 March. The article reports in detail what the Attorney General said at the ceremonial sitting of the Court of Appeal on March23. We loudly applaud him for he has been upright and brave and said what has to be said. It is no new news when Cassandra says that people are losing faith in the judiciary and accusing them of being politicized; influenced by powerful politicians. What a terrible accusation. The times older persons like Cass remember are when administrators were totally free of any form of corruption and judges were almost worshipped for their integrity and dispensation of true justice to both beggar and Big Man alike. During that golden period post independence, politicians were beholden to people for the position they were given, knowing full well it was temporary. And what did they do? They served their electorates fair and square. You can contrast that picture with the present. It’s almost like the comparison of an ethereal seascape of Turner or a calm temple scene painted by Stanley Kirinde to a mad devil’s scrawls of black and red. It is no exaggeration. Things are so black now.

A sublet of this talk of corruption, and the mistrust we have of some of our political leaders is the boxed item on the top of The Island of Saturday March 27. Here it is in blue with a picture of the mug too. “MS: ‘I was not warned of Easter Sunday attacks’”. Lying is within the compass of corruption, isn’t it? Cats will come out of bags, if allowed of course, and if unimpeded detection is permitted. And there is another form of statistics in both senses of the word, when the same ex-prez, as quoted in the front page of The Island Tuesday March 30, says that many are thronging to join the SLFP.

Cass includes statistics in the above as you will remember the cases – positive, comparative and superlative degrees of the good-better-best type or more appropriately bad-worse-worst category. Lies were placed on the scale as: white lies, bigger lies and statistics. That’s what Cass has in mind at the moment. You get what Cass means, don’t you?

This ex-Prez seems to be hogging the news of late. He was seen with a bigger-than-usual gift bowing to the Malwatte Mahanayake on TV. Then, The Island of March 31 carries the headline “Sirisena pledges to back Prez while strengthening SLFP.” Prez equates to SLPP doesn’t it, so M Sirisena will be straddling two parties, of course as is his wont, ready to tilt to the one that ensures his personal success/profit. Straddling two horses is dangerous; you could very well fall between the two causing yourself grave injury. Cass had a mental picture momentarily crossing her mind – the Colossus of Rhodes, which is said to straddle the seas though erected on the Grecian island of Rhodes. Of course, the substitute straddler of seas was diminutive in her mental picture.

Continued tussle to save the environment

This time mangroves and swamps. And who else but Devani spoke up though almost threatened, out shouted with bluster and pomp and hauteur too. Cass saw on TV on Tuesday 30 March the battle of words between Warnakulasuriya Antony Nimal Lanza, State Minister of Rural Roads and other Infrastructure, and Devani Jayatilake, Officer of the Forest Department, at a meeting. Minister Lanza has of late been very loud during Parliamentary sittings and outside at meetings. This Member from Gampaha was Deputy Minister of Home Affairs in the second Sirisena cabinet, resigned, and now under the new dispensation, he has emerged loud and clear, mostly in defensive tirades. There is a further niggling idea in Cass’ mind at the mention of the name Lanza, apart from the fact that once when he was in a tight corner, Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa helicoptered to his home.

Devani we know and is highly respected and admired as a fighter for the rights of fauna and flora, particularly the former, and her defense of mangroves. In this latest fracas she bravely pitted her slight self against the bulk and might of the said Minister Lanza. She was not cowed down, though she got no voice or even body language manifestation of support from others present at the meeting. We cheer you on Devani, true defender of our natural environmental resources.

Easter

You will read Cass on Good Friday when our thoughts are with Jesus Christ, who was so mercilessly crucified for claiming to be the Son of God, gathering crowds around him and proclaiming he was sent to Earth to save people. We particularly remember Mother Mary, and his devoted follower Mary Magdalene who stayed on for all the hours he suffered on the cross until he died.

“They then divided his garments among themselves and cast lots for his seamless robe, according to the Gospel of John. After Jesus’ death, one soldier (named Longinus) pierced his side with a spear to be certain that he had died… The Bible described seven statements that Jesus made while he was on the cross, as well as several supernatural events that occurred.”

Cass affectionately wishes all Christians of this land greater piety, peace, and joy to follow on Easter Sunday. They are steady, they will not forget Easter of 2019. Maybe they have forgiven those who caused the carnage and those who promoted it and those who willfully or through neglect permitted it to happen. But Christians and all of us ordinary Sri Lankans will never forget.