Unnecessary clash

Tuesday 23rd March, 2021

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has struck back at those who accuse the government of destroying forests. Recalling his efforts to make Colombo a green city, when he was the Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development, under the previous Rajapaksa government, he has asked environmentalists not to level false allegations against him.

President Rajapaksa deserves praise for what he did in the past; he was instrumental in having the Colombo city and its suburbs rid of garbage, and opening many parks complete with jogging tracks, etc. He also had some tumbledown colonial piles renovated and turned into plush shopping malls. But urban yuppification and environmental conservation are not synonymous. Many urban spaces now boast greenery, but tree planting in cities and suburbs is no substitute for forest conservation, however commendable it may be. The fast-disappearing forest cover has to be protected at any cost.

President Rajapaksa is drawing heavy flak from environmentalists because his government has given free rein to some racketeers responsible for illicit felling, illegal sand mining, grabbing forests and wetlands. He has also made some unguarded remarks critical of environmentalists and issued orders which are being abused by racketeers to encroach on forests on the pretext of engaging in traditional agriculture. Worse, some ministers have openly encouraged their supporters to clear mangroves, reclaim wetlands and encroach on wildlife sanctuaries and forest reserves. These grandees, intoxicated with power, go out of their way to bash environmentalists, calling the latter a hindrance to what they call their development efforts. State Minister Nimal Lanza was seen on television, the other day, berating senior Forest Officer Devani Jayathilake, who is one of the few upright public officers who have the courage to stand up to politicians responsible for environmental degradation. He went to the extent of issuing a veiled threat to her. (Where is the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, which takes up the cudgels on behalf of women in distress?) These SLPP politicians have given the public the impression that they are at war with the campaigners for environmental protection. No wonder the President, as the head of government, is under fire.

Meanwhile, not all those who are protesting against environmental degradation are driven by a genuine desire to protect the environment. Among these protesters are some political elements who are advancing their political agendas. There are some others who are flogging environmental issues for pecuniary benefits; they are working for foreign organisations. But the fact remains that the vast majority of protesters who are decrying the destruction of forests and wetlands are genuine environmentalists. Sadly, the government has, in its wisdom, sought to tar all protesters with the same brush in a bid to mislead the public into believing that they are a bunch of hypocrites, whose protests should not be taken seriously.

The genuine environmentalists should not make the mistake of allowing themselves to be used by politically- motivated elements in the garb of anti-ecocide campaigners. They should learn from the manner in which the Catholic Church prevented its recent protest campaign being politicised. All it takes to spoil a protest is the presence of a single crook.

The President has sought to justify the removal of a billboard put up by some environmental groups at the Viharamahadevi Park, the other day, in protest against environmental degradation. That piece of art created by a group of youth should have been spared. There is nothing wrong with young activists giving expression to their emotions through the medium of art. One may recall that after the 2019 regime change, thousands of young artists embarked on a wall-painting campaign and turned the country into a huge open-air art gallery. Subsequently, their enthusiasm petered out as they became disillusioned with the government. The youth are known for such cathartic releases, which should be permitted.

Environmentalists ought to prevent certain elements with hidden agendas from abusing their noble cause to gain political mileage, and it behoves the President to engage with the genuine campaigners for environmental protection and heed their views while reining in government politicians and their supporters involved in destroying the environment.