Another national trait; UN journo; other snippets

Cassandra often disparages Sri Lankans’ apparently inherent traits which are not so good, sometimes even derogatory. One such is closing the door once the horse has fled and then flapping around merely screeching. Another is belated reaction and too late action which Cass’ belly aches about today.

That endangered tree

After that intrepid fauna and flora saver Devanee Jayathilake brought to the notice of highway constructors the fact they were about to destroy a fast disappearing species of endemic tree – Curdia zelanica – environmentalists rallied forth to swell her cry of Stop Cutting Down! These true national-minded folk interested in saving our fauna and flora in the face of ever increasing grabbing of forests and wetlands and rape of trees, have proved themselves to be genuine and ready to face powerful politicians or their favoured sidekicks and patrons. (I do not include among these dedicated environmentalists ex-Prez Sirisena, who is now very interested in saving that tree which I shall call Devinee’s Discovery and marched forth, with cameras of course, to save it. Is the gesture an attempt to boost his almost rock bottom deprivation of clout and brake his fast descent to a has-been?)

We wonder how the tree will be saved? The planned highway to slightly detour to accommodate the living tree or as suggested by some ‘transplanting’ it? I asked an expert botanist and his opinion was the tree is far too grown to undergo that operation. We heard recently that the Botanical Gardens Peradeniya had grown many seedlings and planted some in the Hingurakgoda Gardens, so though first reported as being the only standing tree of this genus/family, that is not the case. It is endangered but the genus will not be extinct if this particular tree – Devinee’s Discovery – has to be reduced to logs and timber.

I said this demonstrated another national trait: rise up almost after the event or awaken to a danger when it is imminent. This tree has been standing there for a century perhaps; the highway was planned with all studies done. It’s only when the new road comes right up against the tree that the hullabaloo starts. In this case it points to authorities being negligent until Devini and others converged to save the tree.

Consider also the East Terminal fiasco (term used deliberately). The plan to give over 49 % to India and Japan was initiated long ago and the port workers must have known about it then. Why the uprising only when work by Indians, Japanese and Sri Lankan engineers were just about to commence? Monks also seem to display this trait: wake up to national or provincial/district dangers when the danger is right at the door.

The national trait has developed to slumber as regards Covid-19. No stats given except total numbers, not daily; no info at all on how vaccination of the common or garden citizen is to be after health workers, the armed forces; those in high level working spots; all MPs and Parliamentary staff are done. We older languish with diminishing hope, hearing from friends and relatives in the UK and the USA they were vaccinated as second priority. The lives of the retired are valued and considered high risk and already vaccinated. We here don’t even know when and where and which vaccine will be given us. Talk was the govt was getting 20 million of the Oxford vaccine. Superb! One person told me 100% immunization is aimed at. Stuff and nonsense! A Prez Task Force for Vaccination was constituted. Cass sneakily thinks the older may even be considered expendable, not contributing but now a drain on the economy.

Kudos

Good to write about another Sri Lankan who has made a name in the Big Apple of all places and continues to identify himself with his birth country. Interest was evoked by the article in the Sunday Island of February 14 written by Roderic Grigson and titled A Book Focusing on the Hilarious Side of the UN. The said book is by long working journalist – former UN Bureau Chief and Regional Director of Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency – Thalif Deen. The book is on Amazon.com and carries the long and explicit title No Comment and Don’t Quote Me on that with the longer subtitle: From the sublime to the ridiculous: over 40 years of reporting from the United Nations. The book is still to be procured and read but the author is known to many I spoke to. A long ago staff member of Lake House remembers Thalif Deen well, although memories are of the 1960s when Thalif was a cub reporter just out of school, probably. A friend in New York emailed he was very much with the Sri Lankans over there and was a film buff who loved to talk films; about the home country too. He contributes weekly to The Sunday Times.

The review of the book by Grigson, reinforced Cass’ lament that talent of the gentleman politician or diplomat has fast faded away. Grigson retells two anecdotes of Thalif with Dr Gamini Corea and Ambassador H M G S Palihakkara. Apart from an excellent journalist like Thalif, Sri Lanka/Ceylon boasted diplomats on the world stage highly recognised and valued by the UN. We know of Lakshman Kadirgamar, Jayantha Dhanapala, Radhika Coomaraswamy and others. Locally, we had MPs who could argue as arguing had to be done – N M Perera, Keuneman, Anura B. We now have only one among a rabble of government MPs – Dinesh G.

Deen was educated at Zahira College Colombo, University of Peradeniya and then his MSc at Columbia University. He was a Fulbright scholar too and worked in countries other than SL and USA. To quote Grigson: “No Comment … is part memoir, part discourse on international reporting reality from a third world perspective.” Go back to last Sunday’s Island and read the article if you missed it. We can swell out with legitimate pride in these dark times of sham and shame. The fact that enamoured Cass most after learning about Thalif Deen was that we had persons who comfortably straddled the world stage. In sharp stark contrast what we suffer in SL are the likes of pontificating monks who love a mike in hand, Gaman and Weera.

Colonised by India, this time

What a hue and cry and warnings reported in the news broadcast by MTV Channel I on Monday 15 night. There were two monks and others who made it out as if the BJP had invaded Free Sri Lanka and we were already an official colony of India. All over “Biplab Deb jokes about BJP expanding base to Nepal, Sri Lanka; Tripura unit comes out in support” (The Island of Tuesday 16). It was a political rally and a jocular statement that was picked up and ballyhooed by our true blue national blood veined yellow robed and those who see aggression from all countries.

Paddy/Rice Mafia

Cass asked a person who lives quiet but keeps his eyes and ears intelligently open and gets plenty input off the intellectual grapevine, about the shortage of rice in the market and high cost of what is available. “It’s the rapacious middleman and the millers’ associations who are to blame. They are wealthy and have clout with the government. Paddy Marketing Board gets lax. The poor farmer suffers.” And then he literally spat out in sheer disgust. “Everyone, top to bottom, is rotten with corruption. Mafias even in the medical profession.”

Cass asks dismally: Any hope of cleansing Sri Lanka of dishonesty, self-seeking greed and corruption?