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Fiddling while the nation burns

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by Dr F E Dias

Section 365A of Sri Lanka’s Penal Code criminalises “any act of gross indecency” between persons. One would have imagined that it would be a grave and substantial challenge for a reasonable person to justify that acts of gross indecency and carnal intercourse against the order of nature, should be declared human rights, and be sanctioned, endorsed and celebrated.

UN CEDAW

On February 21, 2022, the notorious CEDAW committee of the UN, a battery of unelected radical feminists who issue recommendations to governments of the developing world as if they had the authority to mandate, decided that the sovereign nation of Sri Lanka should repeal 365A and endorse and encourage lesbianism together with other ingredients in the alphabet soup. They even decreed inter alia that the government should provide training to the nation’s law enforcement agencies regarding the normalization of homosexual activity inclusive of bisexualism, even tagging transgenderism into the melée.

On August 24, 2022, MP Premanath Dolawatta submitted a private member’s bill to parliament seeking to amend the penal code in order to legalise sodomy among youth who have reached their 16th birthday, and adults, as long as it was consensual, and between humans. A concession was provided that the provision on bestiality will remain unchanged, although the reasoning for justifiying homosexuality can be likewise applied to justify bestiality.

It was deemed that Sri Lankans have “an extremely backward notion” regarding deviant sexual behaviour – id est it is queer not to be queer. “Modern psychiatry” was said not consider sodomy to be perverted, and that the perversity of sodomy was a Victorian and colonial remnant – perhaps expecting that the populace will acquiesce to institutionalisation of queerness since they no longer desire empire. While it was activism rather than integrity that removed ego-syntonic homosexuality from the manual of mental disorders, and the mental health of the perpetrator does not determine the perversity of the act, irrelevant arguments and unsound reasoning cloak the reality that these attempts at transmogrification of Sri Lankan culture is in fact subordination to neocolonialism.

US President Biden has stated that LGBT “rights” are core to US foreign policy, and the US is the largest donor to the United Nations. Freshly returned from Davos, the president of bankrupt Sri Lanka which is on its knees before the IMF, stated that the Government will not oppose the Dolawatta bill.

UN HRC

The national report obsequiously submitted in late 2022 for review by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council’s Working Group during its 42nd session held in Geneva, indicated the Sri Lankan government’s keen desire to conform to the LGBTIQ+ ideologies, even mentioning the prevalence of a legal gender recognition certificate that could be obtained in three to five days by “transgender” persons. When men obtain this legal certification that they are, for example, women, they could with impunity enter female washrooms and shower cubicles – and compete against real women in sports. Anyone who objects, let alone resists this insanity will be accused and perhaps penalized for harassment, discrimination and all else that is whined about.

The Working Group of UN bureaucrats, some from the wealthy countries and others from Latvia, Costa Rica, Czechia and Uruguay, issued a report on February 1 resolving that the sovereign nation of Sri Lanka should repeal section 365 and 365A, and normalize not only LGB and T but also I, Q, and the even more vague “+”, that encompasses all conceivable “genders”, “gender identities” and sexual orientations – including paedophilia.

The representative from Chile required Sri Lanka to ensure the legal prevention of persons with homosexual inclinations from seeking and receiving rehabilitation or therapy, thus providing clarity to their objectives which is not the well being of individuals struggling with unnatural desires, but the propagation of a culture of vice. The directives from the UN HRC if pursued would logically lead to the position where it would be illegal for a kleptomaniac to seek remedy, and illegal for a therapist to provide treatment to cure his disordered propensities – and our government would repeal the penal codes concerning theft because the apparatchiks of a supranational organization seeking global government mandates it.

The Fifth Column

Activists such as Ambika Satkunanathan state that “progressive” values associated unnatural and obscene acts related to sodomy and gender dysphoria being put into the educational curriculum of the state’s children would be a high priority, and indicated that textbooks could be changed even prior to the sanctioning of grossly indecent carnal acts by law. She also stated honestly that the legislative proposal at hand is merely a “small step” in the journey into establishing in this nation what would be a polychromatic dystopia. While it will be commendable to treat each human being with respect and dignity since they are human beings, it does not imply that all human acts, lifestyles and lusts need likewise to be respected, since there is a distinction to be made between the sinner and the sin. Those inflicted with tuberculosis need to be loved and protected, and not made afraid or harassed, but this does not require the national repeal of the BCG.

A petition was filed in April 2023 for the sake of protecting decency by Jehan Hameed, Shenali Waduge and Athula De Silva, pointing out the unconstitutionality of the proposed bill of MP Dolawatte, stressing on the scandalization of the nation’s children when their elders betray them, and the escalation of sexually transmitted disease especially involving viruses received anally from one man who passes it on anally to another.

A flurry of intervening petitions was subsequently submitted in support of decriminalising acts of gross indecency, many petitioners being ex-officio radicals already long in the tooth. Some of the persons who support the promotion of homosexuality ironically are associated with Saving Children, Child Protection and Child Rights. Less surprisingly, others are passionate promoters of abortion and have decades of experience in lobbying for the abortion of Sri Lanka’s children, often in association with foreign-funded NGOs. The local arm of the global abortion business International Planned Parenthood Association, namely the SL Family Planning Association which for years have inter alia been corrupting the nations’ youth, subtly encouraging promiscuity with the promise of the availability of abortifacient drugs and devices to flush out the consequences, is another intervening petitioner. HIV services are also in the fray, since without homosexuality, HIV services will cease to be required.

Roots and Reasoning

While it is understood that international pressure, money and pride are decisive forces driving this agenda, the reasoning put forward for propagating LGB, T and other diverse concepts collectively, and the associated assault on the virtue of self-restraint, traditional marriage and the natural family, deserves scrutiny. While proposed variously and emotionally, the underlying rationale is the alleged discrimination, harassment and fear of violence felt by persons self-identifying under one or more of the letters of the rainbow. It is of the essence to recognize that the deception occurs via conflation of genuine problems, with the justification of the lifestyle – while its raw reality, inevitable consequences and ultimate objectives are camouflaged.

Let us consider a thief, practicing or non-practicing, having an inclination to theft or devoid of it, as long as thief is her identity. Suppose she goes to a bank and is harassed by the teller, and discriminated against by the manager, and made afraid by the cashier. The fitting course of action would be first to investigate whether these were her unfounded perceptions, whether incidents occurred and if so whether they were intentional. It would subsequently be necessary to find out the causes for these incidents, and whether they were related to the black and white horizontal stripes on the thief’s top, whether she insinuated deviously that the cashier issued one note less when he didn’t, whether the manager tried to over-charge her for the cheque-book for personal gain, or if the security officer at the exit didn’t open the door for her as was expected simply because he was lazy.

Whether her wallet was forcibly examined, and whether she refrained from complaining to the GM due to self-doubt regarding receipt of fair treatment on account of her thief-like garb and demeanour or for other unrelated reasons, wrongs done need to be rectified, and the nation and its institutions already have sufficient laws and rules to deal with it. If these laws are not enforced, then non-enforcement is the problem, not the law. While it is acceptable that every citizen should be treated equally by the law, it would be ridiculous to make theft legal on account of thieves’ feelings of vulnerability. Even more ridiculous would it be, if not only theft, but also laundering, pilfering, misappropriation, burglary, smuggling, and even “+” were to be legalized, and children’s school text books were amended to portray the goodness of LPMBS+ as a “small step” in the journey towards equality.

Deceit

The reason to normalize sodomy, as a first “small step” is not for the reason of enabling homosexuals to proceed with their lifestyle – which they already are doing, nor for the protection and care of individuals suffering from various deviant sexual inclinations who may seek a safe and understanding environment to proceed with their conversion or rehabilitation. It is evident that individuals having unnatural sexual inclinations, and who choose to indulge in them, cannot be penalized as long as they commit their sins in private. The victim of any action, not only sodomic, when coerced or brought about through “threat of unlawful detention”, “fear of death or hurt”, or when consent has been obtained via the “use of force, or intimidation” has protection through law already, so stressing on the consensuality of unnatural acts as justification for legalizing gross indecency would make little difference to extant private practitioners – and is irrational as a basis for amending the code.

Rather, decriminalization and subsequent efforts at “equality” for the entire ideological LGBTIQ+ spectrum is to enable propagation permeation proliferation empowerment and inculturation of its philosophy and lifestyle, that would even eventually legally enable the penalization of efforts to protect natural marriage, to affirm the natural family and to prevent scandal in society so that civilizational demise may proceed unhindered. The abortion mongers, the geriatric feminists and anti-life and anti-family NGOs and activists backed by their international patrons seek to change the law in order to change culture, and with culture to change our children, and thereby change the nation’s future.

Dystopia

Apart from homosexuality becoming more evident in society and homosexual displays becoming commonplace consequent to its approbation, sodomic marriages will be sought, since it would not be equality if a man may marry a woman, but not a another man, and vice versa. It will be harassment and violation of alleged human rights if three or four may not be wedded together, if two could, and the possibility of a dog being thrown into this communion is not remote or unrealistic. Caterers or hospitality providers who do not wish to provide services on such occasions on matters of principle will face litigation and a threat to their business since they would need to treat all customers equally, especially those categorized as oppressed.

Further when all colours of the rainbow are legal and equal, it will be necessary to extend the already fashionable and irrational gender equality practices to more than women. Presently companies are bending over backwards with diversity-hiring and -promoting in order to have parities in positions of power, and currently women are breaking ceilings and making news, and quotas are being legislated for them.

To ensure equality and to break the bias against all “genders” there will consequently arise requirements to eliminate under-representation of homosexuals and other “genders” on the boards and in the leadership of all institutions, since that would be “gender equality”. Naturally, a significant proportion of the population will be inclined to identify into these expanded privileged categories to obtain status, positions, and scholarships that they could not have achieved were they grounded on competency, and the beta males can transition into women to fill the women’s quotas in power positions.

The legal transgender certificate will enable a woman certified as a legal man to pray among the men in a mosque, and “mother” and “father” could be words found to be offensive and replaceable by parent 1, parent 2, and even 3, 4, 5 as the case may be, since equality requires that “throuples” may have children, even if they cannot beget them. These are but the tip of the “decriminalize homosexuality” and “LGBTQI+ equality” project. And what is mentioned is not the outpouring of a deluded imagination but examples of actualities in nations that followed the rainbow and found a can of worms at the end of it.

Silence is Assent

What the United Nations Organisation, its committees, the NGOs, and the local activists and special rapporteurs have been working on for decades, sustained by the billions of dollars from their patrons, is a redefinition of values. Chastity among the young, and life-long marriage between a man and a woman who are open to fruitfulness and are faithful to each other, are the essence of strong natural families – which are the fundamental units of society and the bedrock of a stable and thriving culture. The demeaning of marriage, the corruption of youth, and the destruction of the natural family are the means through which nations are weakened and made vulnerable to control.

Uganda, under similar attack from activists in NGOs and Western governments pushing the LGBT agenda, has taken a courageous stand. President Museveni says he has “rejected the pressure from the imperialists”. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the State of the Nation address on February 18th declared that gender propaganda is the greatest threat stalking a nation’s children. In April 2023, at the UN’s Commission on Population and Development conference, 22 nations resisted their colleagues from the Western countries and defeated the Biden administration’s attempt to include LBGT education for children, under the far broader scope of the euphemistic “comprehensive sexuality education” in the resolution document of the 56th session. And yet, will Sri Lanka sing and dance as society and culture takes the next leap headlong and happily into self-disintegration? This is the conflagration of civilisation, albeit in a kaleidoscopic inferno.



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Features

US’ drastic aid cut to UN poses moral challenge to world

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An UN humanitarian mission in the Gaza. [File: Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency]

‘Adapt, shrink or die’ – thus runs the warning issued by the Trump administration to UN humanitarian agencies with brute insensitivity in the wake of its recent decision to drastically reduce to $2bn its humanitarian aid to the UN system. This is a substantial climb down from the $17bn the US usually provided to the UN for its humanitarian operations.

Considering that the US has hitherto been the UN’s biggest aid provider, it need hardly be said that the US decision would pose a daunting challenge to the UN’s humanitarian operations around the world. This would indeed mean that, among other things, people living in poverty and stifling material hardships, in particularly the Southern hemisphere, could dramatically increase. Coming on top of the US decision to bring to an end USAID operations, the poor of the world could be said to have been left to their devices as a consequence of these morally insensitive policy rethinks of the Trump administration.

Earlier, the UN had warned that it would be compelled to reduce its aid programs in the face of ‘the deepest funding cuts ever.’ In fact the UN is on record as requesting the world for $23bn for its 2026 aid operations.

If this UN appeal happens to go unheeded, the possibilities are that the UN would not be in a position to uphold the status it has hitherto held as the world’s foremost humanitarian aid provider. It would not be incorrect to state that a substantial part of the rationale for the UN’s existence could come in for questioning if its humanitarian identity is thus eroded.

Inherent in these developments is a challenge for those sections of the international community that wish to stand up and be counted as humanists and the ‘Conscience of the World.’ A responsibility is cast on them to not only keep the UN system going but to also ensure its increased efficiency as a humanitarian aid provider to particularly the poorest of the poor.

It is unfortunate that the US is increasingly opting for a position of international isolation. Such a policy position was adopted by it in the decades leading to World War Two and the consequences for the world as a result for this policy posture were most disquieting. For instance, it opened the door to the flourishing of dictatorial regimes in the West, such as that led by Adolph Hitler in Germany, which nearly paved the way for the subjugation of a good part of Europe by the Nazis.

If the US had not intervened militarily in the war on the side of the Allies, the West would have faced the distressing prospect of coming under the sway of the Nazis and as a result earned indefinite political and military repression. By entering World War Two the US helped to ward off these bleak outcomes and indeed helped the major democracies of Western Europe to hold their own and thrive against fascism and dictatorial rule.

Republican administrations in the US in particular have not proved the greatest defenders of democratic rule the world over, but by helping to keep the international power balance in favour of democracy and fundamental human rights they could keep under a tight leash fascism and linked anti-democratic forces even in contemporary times. Russia’s invasion and continued occupation of parts of Ukraine reminds us starkly that the democracy versus fascism battle is far from over.

Right now, the US needs to remain on the side of the rest of the West very firmly, lest fascism enjoys another unfettered lease of life through the absence of countervailing and substantial military and political power.

However, by reducing its financial support for the UN and backing away from sustaining its humanitarian programs the world over the US could be laying the ground work for an aggravation of poverty in the South in particular and its accompaniments, such as, political repression, runaway social discontent and anarchy.

What should not go unnoticed by the US is the fact that peace and social stability in the South and the flourishing of the same conditions in the global North are symbiotically linked, although not so apparent at first blush. For instance, if illegal migration from the South to the US is a major problem for the US today, it is because poor countries are not receiving development assistance from the UN system to the required degree. Such deprivation on the part of the South leads to aggravating social discontent in the latter and consequences such as illegal migratory movements from South to North.

Accordingly, it will be in the North’s best interests to ensure that the South is not deprived of sustained development assistance since the latter is an essential condition for social contentment and stable governance, which factors in turn would guard against the emergence of phenomena such as illegal migration.

Meanwhile, democratic sections of the rest of the world in particular need to consider it a matter of conscience to ensure the sustenance and flourishing of the UN system. To be sure, the UN system is considerably flawed but at present it could be called the most equitable and fair among international development organizations and the most far-flung one. Without it world poverty would have proved unmanageable along with the ills that come along with it.

Dehumanizing poverty is an indictment on humanity. It stands to reason that the world community should rally round the UN and ensure its survival lest the abomination which is poverty flourishes. In this undertaking the world needs to stand united. Ambiguities on this score could be self-defeating for the world community.

For example, all groupings of countries that could demonstrate economic muscle need to figure prominently in this initiative. One such grouping is BRICS. Inasmuch as the US and the West should shrug aside Realpolitik considerations in this enterprise, the same goes for organizations such as BRICS.

The arrival at the above international consensus would be greatly facilitated by stepped up dialogue among states on the continued importance of the UN system. Fresh efforts to speed-up UN reform would prove major catalysts in bringing about these positive changes as well. Also requiring to be shunned is the blind pursuit of narrow national interests.

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Egg white scene …

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Hi! Great to be back after my Christmas break.

Thought of starting this week with egg white.

Yes, eggs are brimming with nutrients beneficial for your overall health and wellness, but did you know that eggs, especially the whites, are excellent for your complexion?

OK, if you have no idea about how to use egg whites for your face, read on.

Egg White, Lemon, Honey:

Separate the yolk from the egg white and add about a teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and about one and a half teaspoons of organic honey. Whisk all the ingredients together until they are mixed well.

Apply this mixture to your face and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes before cleansing your face with a gentle face wash.

Don’t forget to apply your favourite moisturiser, after using this face mask, to help seal in all the goodness.

Egg White, Avocado:

In a clean mixing bowl, start by mashing the avocado, until it turns into a soft, lump-free paste, and then add the whites of one egg, a teaspoon of yoghurt and mix everything together until it looks like a creamy paste.

Apply this mixture all over your face and neck area, and leave it on for about 20 to 30 minutes before washing it off with cold water and a gentle face wash.

Egg White, Cucumber, Yoghurt:

In a bowl, add one egg white, one teaspoon each of yoghurt, fresh cucumber juice and organic honey. Mix all the ingredients together until it forms a thick paste.

Apply this paste all over your face and neck area and leave it on for at least 20 minutes and then gently rinse off this face mask with lukewarm water and immediately follow it up with a gentle and nourishing moisturiser.

Egg White, Aloe Vera, Castor Oil:

To the egg white, add about a teaspoon each of aloe vera gel and castor oil and then mix all the ingredients together and apply it all over your face and neck area in a thin, even layer.

Leave it on for about 20 minutes and wash it off with a gentle face wash and some cold water. Follow it up with your favourite moisturiser.

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Confusion cropping up with Ne-Yo in the spotlight

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Ne-Yo: His management should clarify the last-minute cancellation

Superlatives galore were used, especially on social media, to highlight R&B singer Ne-Yo’s trip to Sri Lanka: Global superstar Ne-Yo to perform live in Colombo this December; Ne-Yo concert puts Sri Lanka back on the global entertainment map; A global music sensation is coming to Sri Lanka … and there were lots more!

At an official press conference, held at a five-star venue, in Colombo, it was indicated that the gathering marked a defining moment for Sri Lanka’s entertainment industry as international R&B powerhouse and three-time Grammy Award winner Ne-Yo prepares to take the stage in Colombo this December.

What’s more, the occasion was graced by the presence of Sunil Kumara Gamage, Minister of Sports & Youth Affairs of Sri Lanka, and Professor Ruwan Ranasinghe, Deputy Minister of Tourism, alongside distinguished dignitaries, sponsors, and members of the media.

Shah Rukh Khan: Disappointed his fans in Sri Lanka

According to reports, the concert had received the official endorsement of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, recognising it as a flagship initiative in developing the country’s concert economy by attracting fans, and media, from all over South Asia.

Nick Carter: His concert, too, was cancelled due to “Unforeseen circumstances

However, I had that strange feeling that this concert would not become a reality, keeping in mind what happened to Nick Carter’s Colombo concert – cancelled at the very last moment.

Carter issued a video message announcing he had to return to the USA due to “unforeseen circumstances” and a “family emergency”.

Though “unforeseen circumstances” was the official reason provided by Carter and the local organisers, there was speculation that low ticket sales may also have been a factor in the cancellation.

Well, “Unforeseen Circumstances” has cropped up again!

In a brief statement, via social media, the organisers of the Ne-Yo concert said the decision was taken due to “unforeseen circumstances and factors beyond their control.”

Ne-Yo, too, subsequently made an announcement, citing “Unforeseen circumstances.”

The public has a right to know what these “unforeseen circumstances” are, and who is to be blamed – the organisers or Ne-Yo!

Ne-Yo’s management certainly need to come out with the truth.

However, those who are aware of some of the happenings in the setup here put it down to poor ticket sales, mentioning that the tickets for the concert, and a meet-and-greet event, were exorbitantly high, considering that Ne-Yo is not a current mega star.

We also had a cancellation coming our way from Shah Rukh Khan, who was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka for the City of Dreams resort launch, and then this was received: “Unfortunately due to unforeseen personal reasons beyond his control, Mr. Khan is no longer able to attend.”

Referring to this kind of mess up, a leading showbiz personality said that it will only make people reluctant to buy their tickets, online.

“Tickets will go mostly at the gate and it will be very bad for the industry,” he added.

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