Features
News, Views and Obits
Post National Day
Plenty of articles about independence, nationality et al. Most were disheartening. A bleak future is seen for this little Indian Ocean State. It is hoped India is not too piqued by the unilateral decision to not award them the Colombo Port’s East Terminal.
Cass makes mention of one article: Celebrating ‘Independence’ Day again – hopefully last! By Prof Susirith Mendis in the Mid Week Review of The Island on Wednesday February 10. The Prof starts his argument not to celebrate independence from the British as it was only “self rule under the tutelage of the Queen of England” we received on February 4, 1948. He says we should instead, mark with celebration Republic Day on May 22. Cass’ brief rejoinder is that we do not now celebrate Independence day from the British but February 4 is celebrated and marked as National Day. This means and connotes much more than independence or republic victory and status.
One day’s news items
News culled from Tuesday, February 9 The Island is commented on forthwith:
‘SLPP Chairman pushes for consensus with Tamil Community’. Cheers Prof G L Peiris! He went to Jaffna recently wearing his ministerial hat – that of Minister of Education and, donning his other – that of Chairman of the ruling SLPP declaimed ‘the need to remove artificial barriers that separated communities’. Well spoken but aren’t the SLPPers the greatest promoters of Sinhala Buddhists and greatest patron of the out-spoken saffron robed ones?
‘Wimal, SLPP General Secretary cross swords’. Of course, anything to stay in the news is Wimal Wee’s main aim in life, and in the rush cause dissention. He hogged the limelight first by lying on a mattress in front of the UN compound down Baudhaloka Mawata threatening to fast unto death. Wicked people said he had lemon puff under his pillow!! But he lay supine until the Prez of the time, Mahinda Rajapakse, solicitously fed him Tambili water. How it pulled the heartstrings of the stupid. Now he turns against this same life saver and says he should not be the leader of the SLPP. Then who should according to Wimal Wee the pundit and prophet? Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Thus, the taking up of cudgels by SLPP Gen Secy, Sagara Kariyawasam. We care not much. Of course, there are wheels within wheels and labyrinths of interpretation. What is said is often not what is meant.
‘UN report says ISIL has followers in Sri Lanka’. It surely had to be. We actually did not need the UN to identify this problem. We witnessed the influence in action on Easter Sunday 2019 with the merciless slaughter of hundreds of innocent churchgoers and star-hotel breakfasters. A commission report is complete; the then Prez and PM are threatened with severe punishment along with the police chief and a security high-up. But who actually planned, instigated and pushed to action the suicide bombers? Not Zahran. Who is the terrorist leader, even radical leader who joins a suicide squad and blows himself to smithereens? The evil hand is still around, we presume, here among us or overseas.
VVIP Visitor
Handsome, ex-UK playboy and more significantly, excellent cricketer and reformer Imran Khan, will arrive in SL on February 22 on a two day visit. We suppose he too remembers Sri Lanka’s generous act in allowing West Pakistani planes to refuel at Katunayake during the breakaway battle of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in 1971, when Sirimavo Bandranaike was PM. Pakistan has remained an ally during many of Sri Lanka’s splats with Big Brother India and within itself. The Japanese have remembered with gratitude and given favours in return all these long years since 1945 when war-defeated Japan’s future lay in the hands of the Allied Forces commanders backed by Heads of US, UK and Russia. JRJ’s plea that evil is not overcome by evil, but by generosity and mercy (Cass’ interpretation of the great saying of the compassionate Buddha) was described thus: “The voice of free Asia, eloquent, melancholy and still strong with the tilt of an Oxford accent, dominated the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference today.” The conference was held in San Francisco and on April 28, 1952, 48 nations signed the Treaty giving Japan a new life.
Obits
Many in SL would have been sad to hear of the death of Dr Neville Fernando, (1931 –February 4, 2021) and more so by his contracting Covid-s19, rumoured to be from his infected driver. He was outstanding in his medical career and also as an educator-entrepreneur, plus philanthropist. Elected a member of Parliament in 1977, he would have served two terms. He inaugurated the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) by Act No 4 of 1978 and had to have the SAITM Medical Faculty abolished as ordered by a Special Provisions Act in 2018 after the hue and cry raised against it, principally by the GMOA. The huge teaching hospital he built in Malabe with 1002 beds and an excellent emergency service, he gifted to the government. His death is mourned.
Christopher Plummer, Canadian actor born in 1929 died on February 5, 2021. His death is noted by the older persons in this land, who were suitably stunned by the film Sound of Music, judged the best musical of all time. He played Captain Von Trapp opposite Julie Andrews. Cass remembers local women who fell for this tall, very handsome, and very grandiose actor. Thrice married, he was nominated for Oscars but won it as Best Supporting Actor in the Beginners in 2010. He was also nominated for the Oscar in 2018 for his role as Paul J Getty in All the Money in the World, which role he was given when Kevin Spacey, the first choice to play the part, was embroiled in a sex scandal following the #Me Too uproar. Winning the Oscar he said: “My long-suffering wife Elaine deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for coming to my rescue every day of my life.” He was a heavy drinker but lived to age of 91.