In Retrospect By Sarath Kumara

October 23rd 2012

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ For someone who once sowed seeds of terrorism alongƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ with his so called comrades and indulged in clandestine activity promoting the overthrow of a democratic Nation with his collaborators of the JVP of infamy, a group that once attempted to overthrow the democratic process in Sri Lanka,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Somawansa Amerasingha seems to be talking big today!

Having escaped punishment forƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ impendingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ treason and revolt within a nation while being in captivity and subsequently escaping to the UKƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  during the JVP insurrections of the 70’s and now living in the freedoms initiated by the present Administration in Sri Lanka the man seems to have forgotten his past and the pardons and freedom heƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ now enjoysChe Guevara the idol of many of his ilkƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ may have had his attributes as a folk hero who was in the end betrayed by his so called mentor and killed in ambush.

The Socialist Revolution he tried to activate Globally may beƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ adulated by some but if the yardstick of its success is Cuba then it is a misguided concept as Cuba suffered for many decades relative to the CastroƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ – Guevarian idealogies where Amerasinghe’s idealogies and related rhetoric needs to be laughed at in comparison.

He also needs to be reminded that it is a rehabilitated JVP that exists in SriƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Lanka today thanks mainly to the compassionate pragmatism of the National President who evenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for a moment should never be disillussioned that there aren’t many dark undertones within the JVP even today that can be swept under tha carpet and could resurface towards the detriment of Sri Lanka given half a chance. They could turn opportunist in support of any entity hell bent on overthrowing the present regime which has done so much good for the nation and it must never be forgotten that there are many of these lurking around waiting for the slightest opportunity.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
For Amerasinghe to say openly and boldly that “This is an era the world needs millions of youths with qualities Che had. Imperialism and capitalism are more vicious and barbaric now than during the time Che lived. Neo-liberal globalization has become the main enemy of mankind and the environment. Imperialist Globalization has thrown millions of workers out of jobs. Unemployment among young men and women in the world has reached 50% in some countries in Europe.

Billions of people throughout the world are being pushed into abject poverty. Hence, socialist globalization should be brought to billions of masses in the world after defeating imperialist globalization,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ sounds like he is oversteppingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ metes and boundsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ combinedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ with a lot of nerve to indulge in this sort of assumptions in a world where communism has been virtually eradicated and the free world has expanded perhaps in an ungainly mode based on human greed and lopsided policies leaning towards wrong prioritiesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  where the paradox between social and liberalƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ globalisation seems to have been completely misconstruedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and the world economical crisis having little or nothing to do with neo liberal globalization.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ToƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the contrary perhapsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ it isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a fallout of all the devastations which weakenedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the current world economy asƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a direct result of the manyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ policies of former communist dictators scattered around the globe draining world resources to support the huge gap between the impoverished and theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ affluentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ which within their realm was a privilege of the rulers alone! It lasted for generations.

Will Amerasingh try to justify the likes ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ North Korea whose nuclear agenda by far overrides the needs of the country’s suffering masses next? or for that matter India or Pakistan with their lopsided nuclear agendas where some impoverished masses live in shanties with hardly a square meal to sustain their hunger?

So what is Amerasinghe attempting to do one wonders remembering his past track record? Is he trying to recussitate terrorism in Sri Lanka again? A land which suffered for decades through the scourgeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and is he attempting to foment fires which were put outƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  by the present administration and if not why the comparisons to Cuba and other nations where dictatorial Communist Regimes prevail and the plight of the masses a direct result of the selfishly motivated greed for power by theseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ near megalomaniacal individuals and the masses who are refered to as suffering whose plightsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a direct result of the neglect of these leaders whose idealogies and rhetoric could never be compared to the direction that many western democracies have taken where the proof is in the pudding not the drivel that is being spewed about the merits of social globalization. and the memory of Che Guevara ~ God rest his soul!

Every nation has its socio economic problems indeed and not all of them are a direct result of the so called liberal globalization where liberal globalization in all probabilities has its merits over its socialist counterpart!
Idealogies and doctrines are often venerated more often posthumously as in the case of Che GuevaraƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and more often than not have little bearing on the practicalities of open democracies and the freedom of movementƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  of the individual rather than suppression which countries such as Cuba and other nations of dictatorial infamy forced on their subjectsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ whoƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ suffered for generations as a result.

Dictators whether they appear in the form of Castro, Chavez, Mugabe,and even Hitler and Pol PotƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in a long list ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ apathetic dictatorsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  who have inflicted abject suffering on them carry the same implications ~ mass suffering of humanity!It needs to be said emphaticallyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ this is not the case in Sri Lanka today.

If for a moment Somawansa Amerasinghe believes that SriƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Lanka needs emancipation fron dictatorial oppression he has another thought coming as it is the very liberation of the nation from terrorism by the present Administration that has released new energies of development and harmony within the Nation where he is merely attempting to ursurpƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ these for his personal gain perhaps and of those who set him upto it where what he is broadcasting through his rhetoric usingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Che Guevara as an excuseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is totally unacceptable when one looks around in post insurgent Sri Lanka today!