Hopeless again with disappointment plus fear to write on PTA and tidbits from a Sunday paper

“The object of terrorism is terrorism. The object of oppression is oppression. … The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?” George Orwell, 1984

The hot topic of now is the PTA. Those initials to ex-teacher Cassandra stand for a totally innocuous group of usually cooperating Parents and Teachers in an Association to help parents’ kids left in charge of teachers for much of weekdays. It had both head and heart working together. The PTA discussed widely now is totally otherwise, descriptive words being draconian, against human rights and inclusive of torture; extra judicial too.

The PTA is an Act passed temporarily by J R J in 1978 and made permanent in 1982 to enable the police to search, arrest, detain suspected terrorists. “Sri Lanka’s PTA has been used for over 40 years to enable prolonged arbitrary detention, to extract false confessions through torture, and to target minority communities and civil society groups. After years of domestic and international criticism of the law, the SL government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on January 22, 2022, published a bill to amend the act.” And in this month of August it was brought back in force by President Ranil Wickremasinghe,

Cassandra is not competent to comment on it, but she listened to discussions by competent people. One excellent session of exposition and comment was Monday August 22 Face the Nation facilitated by Shameer Rasooldeen with Thyagi Ruwanpathirana – Researcher at Amnesty International; Ambika Satkunanathan of the Human Rights Commission; and Dr Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu – CPA, who spoke on all matters related to the PTA. They unanimously and roundly condemned its being brought into effect now with the signing by the President of an initial 90-day incarceration of three activists who were said to have been mostly peaceful – no terrorism shown by them.

Earlier on the Monday, Faraz Shouketaly interviewed Srinath Perera PC, who was outspoken about the PTA brought into force. More than once he said there was a hidden hand behind the move; implying the Prez was influenced/forced to act this way by …. (Your guess is correct as mine is; Kaw Kaw and all that). Cassandra disapproved strongly of those who broke police barriers and surrounded Parliament some time ago. She has said enough is enough about protest marches. She most definitely disapproved and condemned the forced entry into the President’s official residence and other most important government buildings; and horrendously using the swimming pool, eating, and sleeping on flags in President’s House. But these condemned behavioural misdemeanors did not amount to acts of terrorism.

Cass, though limited in know-how of political and law matters, wonders with genuine concern and fear what effect the brought back PTA will have on the upcoming sessions in Geneva of the Human Rights Council and the report on Sri Lanka that the Director General of UNHRC will present. Also worried about our GSP benefit; and the PTA’s shadow casting itself on the discussions with, and decisions of, the IMF. Her response is that the PTA brought into force is like killing a fly with a hammer, while a much softer and unlethal fly swatter could have done the job much more efficiently, with no repercussions to follow.

Those protest leaders taken in for an initial 90 days should have been summoned to meet the President and Ministers concerned, along with Police high ups and warned and even cajoled to stop their protest capers and help in the economic recovery of the country.

Malala Yousafzai said: “With guns you can kill terrorists, with education you can kill terrorism.”

Storm in a glass of wine Maybe it was a stronger drink, but it and partying have caused a storm of protest of prude busy bodies after a video of 36-year-old Sanna Marin, PM of Finland, went viral worldwide. She has said she “did nothing but dance, sing, hug my friends and drink alcohol.” She was partying and had every right to enjoy herself. Accusations were flung that she was high on drugs so she volunteered to undergo a test and underwent it. She was also rapped in December 2021 for going to a club where a Covid positive person was. But why fault her, when the fault lay squarely on the Covid infected person? How was Marin to know? However, she apologised for this no fault of hers too.

Finland is ranked the happiest country in the world for the fifth successive year. Partying is most definitely a happiness producing activity. Cassandra asks stridently what on earth is wrong with a young pretty Head of a country enjoying a party with friends. Have all women heads to be staid and proper like German former Chancellor Angela Merkel or sweetly sacrificial and completely non-partisan as Jacinda Arden?

In retaliation to the unjustified crit of the young PM, Finnish, Danish and English women had posted social media pictures and videos of them partying and dancing. One comment was “If letting off steam at a party is the worst thing your PM had done, they you’re a pretty lucky country” Cass says amen to that.This reminds us of the fact that the PM of Britain was faulted heavily for partying in the premises of 10 Downing Street during Covid lockdowns over there. He was deposed from the premiership, however, for lying continuously about the parties. This brings us to our own country. Please let Cass be mum as there is so much to be said of our leaders and their shenanigans. Presidents included; not gents only!

Rich statements

Made by Minister Prasanna Ranatunga and reported in the Daily Mirror of Tuesday August 23. He insisted the UDA launch legal action to recover money from activists of the Aragalaya for damage caused to the Galle Face Green which he estimates at Rs five million. The Aragalaya was a peaceful protest so how did they damage the Green? They erected tents etc but that is a temporary inserting of spikes or whatever in the ground. The damage was caused by those drunken marauders who emerged from Temple Trees instigated by just abdicated PM and his boot-licking golaya – Johnston. What about damages caused by this same acolyte and other abusive and destructive pohottuwas in Parliament? Have they paid damages for broken chairs, mikes, etc? No. They haven’t even received the slightest official reprimand for their reprehensible behaviour, leave along being punished. And where should Ranatunge really be? In Welikada for soliciting a three million bribe. He roams free with a suspended jail sentence of six years.

As reported by Don Manu in his Sunday Punch in the Sunday Times of August 21, Minister Bandula Gunawardena claims it is a statutory right that an ex-Prez’s expenses be reimbursed as per the President Entitlement Act 1986. “Each and every executive president retired and widows … enjoy benefits, privileges and special facilities and they are also paid an allowance… The government is committed to paying former President Rajapaksa’s bills.” Star hotel hideouts scrounged for with chartered planes transferring the scared former Strong Man, after fleeing the home country? NOT SO! The ex-Prez slunk away afraid to remain in the country he drove to bankruptcy and utter despair. He did not retire.

Don Manu comments succinctly on this: “The people asked for Gota to go home, not for him to flee the country. If the ex-President chose self-exile to remaining at home, shouldn’t it be his lookout? Shouldn’t expenses incurred in taking flight be his to bear from his own funds and not from the public’s pauperised purse?

We fear Prez Ranil W R will OK this expense, plus government paying compensation for the burning of mostly rogues’ mansions. Everyone of those was NOT built with earnings, bequeathment or family wealth. The exception of course is Ranil W’s home which arson bereft Royal College of a most valuable endowment.The universal comment of us Ordinaries in this Land Like No Other is: “Mr Prime Minister, shed that second surname you have been given. You are Exec Prez. Shake off puppeteers and do the best for the people of the country on your initiative, using your executive power, not serve just one family.”

Super duper statements

Rip Van Winkle in his 5th Column in the Sunday Times of August 21 addressing his weekly letter to the Prez asks: “Or is it that yours is a Udin Ranil, Yatin Basil government. Is Uncle Basil telling you who you should appoint as ministers…?”

Don Manu in his Sunday Punch in the same paper ponders thus: “Wonder why only he (Gotabaya R) must reap the whirlwind when the whole family (Rajapaksa clan of several brothers, sons, nephews, cousins, in-laws) had sown the wind.”

NOTE: What’s within parenthesis are Cassandra’s additions.

Cass ends her chat on a hopeless note: we the people may object, suggest, ask for, but Prez Ranil W R will do as The Family says. Utterly sad, no? Unnecessary too. There has to be a limit to gratitude.