Will we never ever change?

Unchanging and apparently unchangeable Siri Lanka; but good people shine among the rogues and thugs

I despair. The original aragalaya consisting of all sorts of people, mostly youth, advocating and demonstrating the possibility of living in this wonderful bounteous land with no racial, religious, gender, status bias and conflict, achieved much. They showed us living in harmony is possible. They continued their protest aginst rising costs, corruption, nepotism etc; and finally succeeded in having the Prime Minister resign and with him two brothers, a son and nephew abd the rest of the Cabinet. Then a month after this momentious act and the absolutely low down vice perpetrated by father and son and a couple of sycophants of releasing drunk thugs on Gotagama, the President slunk away to Male and elsewhere. We got a green PM, acting Prez and then elected by Parliament President with forty odd years of experience in politics and five times PM. Hopes ran high, though many were the Doubting Thomas-s.

Were the hopes fulfilled? Were dreams of stability; correction of the economic plunge; complete wiping out of nepotism and corruption; and justice and rule by law set in place? NO to all these. We are where we were, with however shorter or no fuel queues. More people still keep tumbling below the poverty line. Despair, disappointment and a staring into a country not being improved is the status quo. And then a huge scam is exposed: corruption over the import of coal. (Headline in The Island of Tuesday August 30: Sajith tears into govt over mega coruption). This import of coal should not be for two main reasons: pollution by use of coal and the larger issue of non-use of a renewable resource. We are warmed by eternal sunshine, sometimes scorched, but that abundant energy supply goes unutilized. Cass has heard its due to a mafia of those in charge of power generation who sabotaged the setting up of solar panels. Generation of solar power is of course initially expensive, but we pay nothing for the source of energy and it is eternal, the sun will always shine on this tropical isle (literally, not metaphorically). We inhabitants should make the best of its benevolence and persons concerned with power should promote the tapping of the sun’s power as much as possible. However, devious, self seeking high officials who are a dime a dozen in our ministries thwart what’s better, cheaper and of benefit to the country for, you know …, the reason.

Ruminating on these dismal thoughts and lamenting that hopelessness continues, I see a WhatsApp message sent by a friend. A cartoon by Wijesoma with heading Thought for the day. It shows Sri Lanka’s Everyman (or Punchi Singho) seated under an umbrella with placards strewn around him. The labels carried are multitudinous including ‘corruption’, ‘thuggery’, ‘nepotism’, ‘pollution’, ‘COL’, ‘debt’ and such like. All vices present today and perhaps magnified from the day the cartoon was drawn. Below the cartoon is a short paragraph: “Nothing will ever change in Sri Lanka now or in a hundred years. So do not fret too much! This cartoon is from May18, 1984. The cartoonist died almost 20 years ago but what he drew 40 years ago is applicable even today.”

So very true! So very devastating! We have brainy people, able bodied, lovely most of them to look at and kind hearts but the few scoundrels in society suppress them, subjugate them and thrive on bloodsucking. Even an educated, experienced, well-bred Prez like Ranil W does not seem able to bring even a mite of change in this scourge-ravaged, dragged down country. It is down to the depths and kept there in a stranglehold of all the evils mentioned in the cartoon. Last Friday Cass appealed to the Prez to shed the second surname he is made to carry and to shake off evil influences and make a change to the country. At least he speaks well and can hold his own with the IMF’s strong and censorious officials. So why cannot he chase away puppeteers like a dictating Kaputa?

Good people

Then almost as if to counteract my opinion and also bring me some solace, on the 25th when I took the early morning dané to the Narada Dharmayathana as I do each month, Ven Mettavihari who resides in this aranya, asked me to sit for a minute and listen to what he had to say.

“I am a monk who has always travelled by bus: public transport. Earlier I had to be accompanied by a kepa karuwa as my bus fare had to be paid; I don’t carry money. Now this is not necessary at all. Bus crews never ask me for my fare. Additionally, they are very polite and helpful. The conductor helps me in, the driver stands in respect and plenty room is made for me.” He added: “I want you to know this.” “May I make it known? And may I mention your name?” Permission given for both, offering dané to him, Ven Chandakitti Thera and other resident monks is of such consolation and gladness. That day I came away happier knowing our people are generally fine and humane.

Ven. Mettavihari continues the tradition of most of the foreign monks in this country: possess no money; hardly ever accept offers of car travel; walk all over and do good. He is the founder of Dharmavahini Foundation and oversees the beaming of the Dhamma overseas and inland too. He used to walk barefoot on streets and roads even at noon. That was stopped by his catching a germ through his feet, probably, and the strong reprimand and advice of the late Ven Dharmavihari Thera – formerly a university professor, who also resided at the Narada Centre in Colombo 7.

A glance at Britain

After a recent lunch with people who know, the talk turned to the forthcoming election of a Prime Minister in Britain, voted in by close upon two lakhs of Conservative Party members. Two couples in the group had lived and worked in Britain till fairly recently. Consensus was that in spite of Rishi Sunak being streets ahead of his ‘rival’ Liz Truss in personality, qualifications and proven ability, she would win the race purely because of her geneology and colour of her skin. Results will be known on September 5, and proven or otherwise that traces of what we term ‘colour bar’ still exists in the UK.

I was sent an article by a friend written by Sashi Tharoor – MP of India, former Under-Secretary General of the UN and international diplomat and writer; also dubbed ‘public intellectual’. He writes that Britain is not ready for a brown PM, and “no one should underestimate the lingering racism of the general British Public”. Cass adds, and sadly so.

Rishi Sunak, as all know, is former Chancellor of the Exchequer and beat many contenders to end neck to neck with former Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. Tharoor writes: “Sunak, a bright, articulate, England born and expensively educated multi- millionaire who also happens to be married to Infosys’ Narayana Murthy’s daughter Aksata, has conducted an impressive, slick campaign that saw him consistently lead the pack through many rounds of balloting among Conservative MPs to determine the shortlist of two. And yet, he is trailing his rival… even though Truss is much less bright and well-spoken and barely squeezed through to the final round”

Tharoor continues that many reasons are advanced for why Sunak seems about to lose among the Tory members: his unpopular tax increases, the revelation his wife was not paying UK taxes claiming non-domiciled status, and his retaining his US green card. “All this adds up to a perception of him as the embodiment of cosmopolitanism, competence and technocracy; qualities reviled by Brexit-loving, Tory culture warriors. Some have even claimed be comes across as arrogant and overbearing, but ‘Dishy Rishi’ is genuinely modest in speech and manner even though he has much to be immodest about. So why then is he trailing in the polls, when his peers in Parliament consider him the most qualified MP? Very simple. Sunak’s main problem is something that no British commentator is prepared to concede. He is not white. No one likes to admit that such considerations exit… But they are fundamental. No one should underestimate the lingering racism of the general British public. As the brown-skinned son of immigrants who is openly and unapologetically Hindu, Sunak, despite his upper-class British accent, cannot hide his foreignness. To many white Britons, he just isn’t one of them – and never will be.” Tharoor predicts Truss will be PM, “… Britain still is not ready for an Indian PM. “

Tharoor ends by saying Indians in India too suffer xenophobia referring to objection to Sonia Gandhi becoming PM in 2004. “Still, Sunak has brought the Indian community in Britain a long way to the highest office in the land,”

Interim budget

Comments over TV by those who know is that the budget presented by Ranil W as Finance Minister will hit the middle class and underprivileged hard. Cass queries about huge taxes reduced by Prez Gota from the very rich, as he came into power. Why weren’t they reimposed?

Cass’ resigned comment is Kiyala vedak ne! On that despairing note she bids bye to you.