Whither JVP? – A Reply

I am very grateful to The Island editor for allocating some space for me in his highly readable newspaper. It’s the paper I read 24/365 first thing in the morning. (Thee Sunday Island on Sundays). Not given to abusing kindness, I shall not waste time and space on trifling matters, trying to explain to retired Dr Upul Wijayawardhana (UW) who or what “nabob” is.

UW says he found it difficult to “comprehend” what I meant in my piece “AKD’s visit to India,” except that I was attacking naybobs. The rest had been too much for his intellect.

I referred to the horrific wars that were waged – World War I and World War II – in which millions of lives were lost, in fact more than twice the entire population of Sri Lanka. The US nuked Japan, the one and only country to be attacked with nuclear weapons. Yet today, they are great friends. There is no more enmity between the Allies (the US, the UK and France) and the Axis powers (Germany and Japan.) They were ready to put the past behind them and look forward to the future for the sake of their countries and their people and move forward together. That is why these are the most developed and wealthiest countries today.

They even helped China to rise as an economic power even though China was a Communist country then in league with Communist Russia. They were the new enemies of the capitalist west; but that did not deter the west from extending a hand to develop especially China’s economy by transferring technology. As a result, China is the second strongest economic power today. I cannot believe thought leaders of the west did not know this would be a strong possibility when they set off to help China.

These great developments which have benefited all of humanity whatever the country, would not be real today if they had to wait for apologies. Does UW apologise each time one of his patients dies? Or, did he cure all the patients who came to him without exception? If some died and he did not apologise, would he accept the epithet that he is a no good surgeon?

Closer home, India was with Russia once; and Pakistan pro-US. But they have changed places today: India is with the US and Pakistan is no more with the US but more aligned with China. This is how the macro picture is changing in a dynamic world. No apologies for changing partners.

Sadly, UW fails to see the bright side of AKD’s India visit; its positive side for Sri Lanka’s future and the future of the Sri Lankan people battered, bruised and killed by all parties even though UW can see only the killings of one party. Unable to bear the pain, he migrated to the UK forsaking the people he claims to love so much. He would prefer wounds to remain in his own beloved country, and wittingly or unwittingly, open the door once again to those who plundered the country to come back and continue plundering. Among them is the party of his uncle whom he misses very much; killed as he says, by the JVP. The tone and tenor of his writings betray who the beneficiary is of his writings.

He says more than 60,000 were killed and implies the JVP is responsible for all of them. He is silent about the killings by the UNP and the party of his beloved uncle. Are they also included in the 60,000? If not, why doesn’t he give those figures also to show his writings are fair and balanced; and not biased?

If thinking such as UW’s prevails, Sri Lanka will never be able to learn from the mistakes made during the past 76 years and start anew to rebuild her economy and a better future for its people.

Please note: The main issue I have dealt with here is AKD’s visit to India and its potential benefits to Sri Lanka, thinking positive. As for the reasons why AKD has not acceded to the demand for an apology so far, I am unable to reply, not being a politbureau member nor even an ordinary member of the JVP or NPP.

Brigadier Ranjan de Silva
rpcdesilva@gmail.com