Untruths; media to be muzzled; youth bring honour

Cassandra was struck by three untruths (lies if the real term needs to be used) spluttered out this last week. The Island on Thursday June 1 carried this headline on page 1:” Aragalaya group behind project to cause religious disharmony.” That is a blatant lie for the very simple reason that one feature the Aragalaya in its true form was uniquely known for was that it fostered and demonstrated spontaneous amity among ethnic and religious groups. Innumerable photographs, media pictures, videos et al were taken then and are preserved now proving the fact stated here. So, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga is uttering a falsehood when he says that the Aragalaya induced religious conflict.

The second falsehood emanating from Prasanna R is that he “alleged that those who planned to kill the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during last year’s protest campaign are behind the ongoing efforts to cause religious disharmony.” How can he possibly say this, unless of course he takes us all Sri Lankans to be idiots and ready to accept whatever a Minister or politician says. The very slogan of the Aragalaya disproves this fact. Gota Go Home meant just that – leave your post, resign and go away. There was not the slightest thought or talk of murder, leave alone the intention even in unsavoury groups within the later Aragalaya. Cassandra believes that not even the militant groups that overran the original Aragalaya and foisted their slogans and their ruthless style of protest had murder on their minds. Gotabaya opted to leave his post and country and the PM dubbed Myna saw continuing as PM not feasible, so he vacated Temple Trees and the premiership.

Politicians spew lies left, right and center but Ministers must be circumspect because what they say is recorded and preserved. This minister has absolutely no clout with the public; in fact, the truth is he is disdained, discredited and derided by most Sri Lankans and of course wholesale overseas for being convicted of having solicited a huge bribe and continues holding a high post.

The third lie was uttered by the Katunayake Airport authorities. After grossly mishandling Ven. Ajahn Brahm’s departure after his ten days of being busy leading people here on the correct path of Buddhist thought and meditation, caused a delay of 12 hours. He, speaking from Australia, did not want enquiries to the mistake made by the airport authorities. He used the word mistake, so there it is that the airport authorities made an unpardonable mistake. Why?

They were busy bending backwards, grovelling and paying pooja to Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, who was to travel in the same plane that Ajahn Brahm had a valid ticket for. The lie here was in the official statement made by the Airport and Aviation (Sri Lanka) Ltd, (AASL): “Sri Lankan Airlines would like to clarify that a story currently circulating on social media about the airline mishandling the travel of Ven Ajahn Brahm is completely false. Ven Ajahn Brahm was booked on a different airline when the unfortunate delay occurred at the BIA in the early hours of 31 May 2023.” Note the term ‘completely false.’ It is the AASL that was completely false.

Muzzling the media

The latest Bill to be presented in Parliament will be passed and made law since the majority of those seated in government comfy seats do not understand what’s what of the absolutely important issues they vote for. In the near future a vote will be taken on the government descending on broadcasting. Cass does not even want to Google and get the title of the Bill to be presented.

She is far more impressed by the symbolic portrait MTV Channel One presents when this latest issue is being reported on: a hand holding a pen tied up severely. The fingers are completely bound and immobilised. Just as apt and message-conveying are three quotes Cassandra gives below.

“When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you‘re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.” George R R Martin in A Clash of Kings.

When truth is replaced by silence, the silence is a lie.” Yevgeny Yevtushendko

“Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.

Henry Louis Gates. Jr Cassandra finds it difficult to ascribe this latest move to Prez Ranil W. Of course, he does not like a particular media outlet, or so it is said, since that outlet did hound him and promoted a rival. But everything is fair in war (is it said thus?) or love or should be in governing a country. Ranil is educated; reads much and we trusted him to be liberal and govern fair and square.

Why does the government persist in introducing controversial issues in Parliament, them being sure fire causes of social conflagration? As Ajahn Brahm advised, do all possible, without being tangentially misled by other issues, to improve the economy of the country and thus the lives of its people. Why for goodness sake censorship of the media at this stage? Expend all energies and expertise on getting maximum compensation from the company that owned the Xpress Pearl which destroyed our ocean, our resources, our fauna and flora. With it follow all clues and leads to catch the devil or the treasonous group that supposedly got an astronomical bribe to reduce the claim and rob Sri Lanka of legitimate billions as compensation.

Extra money in the kitty to spend on another white elephant?

Cassandra means here the proposed ‘Climate Change University’. It is proposed by Ranil W and is his brainchild, Cass presumes. Has he caught another infection from his friend and recently made relative – Mahinda Rajapaksa? The latter, who sure is fated to be an Ozymandias, had four or five white elephants built at huge cost and getting this poor country colossally indebted in his claimed demesne Hambantota and a garish Lotus Tower in Colombo. There are so many environmental organisations within the country and so many tappable international ones. Additionally, environment specialists are very many in the island. So why an entire university for climate change, when most of our universities have departments, maybe not faculties, for environmental study and research?

Celebration!

Let’s put aside these national worries which affect each one of us and celebrate the success of our youthful athletes now giving of their best in the Asian Junior Athletics Championships in South Korea. Ratnayake Central Walala runner Tharushi Karunaratne won back to back gold medals on day two of the contest. Others have also brought honour to our bankrupted (sic) little island. And note this is beating athletes from all Asian countries.