H. L. D. Mahindapala

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The political agenda of Jehan Perera and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Saravanamuttu was to stop the war to give breathing space for Prabhakaran to strengthen his hand to regroup and prolong the war ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” a programme that would have kept the NGOs in business forever. They were running from Western capital to capital lobbying in the corridors of power to put pressure on the government to stop the war and save Prabhakaran from extinction. Jehan talks of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s understanding and supportƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ for a negotiated peace. History proves that the only man who understood the peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s need and won their support was President Mahinda Rajapakse. The history of Vadukoddai War reveals that though Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ recited, ad nauseam, their futile mantras for ending the war they never understood the ground realities that could prepare the possibilities for peace.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As in the case of Prabhakaran war was a necessary condition for the NGOs to survive. Put simply, they have been war-mongers disguised as peaceniks. Manufacturing excuses for the military solution endorsed in the Vadukoddai Resolution (May 14, 1976), blaming the Sinhala-Buddhists for everything, was another means of justifying PrabhakaranƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s violence and prolonging his war for 33 years. The Vadukoddai War was a bonanza to them. A whole crop of NGOs proliferated and thrived by justifying the Vadukoddai violence to prolong the war. Their partisan politics argued for a negotiated settlement when they knew that no negotiations would succeed with Prabhakaran. The hard evidence proved incontrovertibly that no negotiations ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” short of a separate state ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” would work with intransigent Prabhakaran.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Oddly enough, Ms. Butenis makes no mention of the failed role of NGOs in making peace, or in protecting human rights under Prabhakaran who claimed to be the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-sole representative of the Tamils. If funding of NGOs was for protection of human rights on what criteria did they evaluate the role of NGOs who were ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-pussyfootingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (Dr. Rajan Hoole of University Teachers for Human Rights, Jaffna) with the Tamil Tigers designated as the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-worldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s deadliest terroristsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚? If America was serious about human rights and peace, did the successive American ambassadors audit the quality of NGO work for funding based on the successes they scored in protecting and promoting human rights in Sri Lanka? Or were they funding the NGOs on the services rendered to the embassy?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ms. Butenis has also approached the issue of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ with the piety of an angel who blesses only the do-gooders. She says:ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (T)he United States has provided significant funding to Sri Lankan civil society. We have supported organizations that promote inter-faith dialogue, environmental awareness, anti-corruption, active citizenship, freedom of media, and womenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s rights.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ As I said earlier that is good. But what she fails to mention reflects her partisan memory. She has forgotten to mention that USA has also financed dictators in the Middle East, brutal fascists in the Americas, Din Diems in Vietnam, and dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, napalmed kids in Vietnam, and still continues to kill civilians in Afghanistan (2700 last year alone). The list is long and unending. So whatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s the difference between funding Mubarak and Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ who were also backing the Evil-laam of terror?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But take the case of funding Hosni Mubarak and his army. America funded the Egyptian army with an annual grant of over one billion dollars. Obviously, in her reckoning there is no difference between bankrolling pro-American Mubarak in Egypt, on the one hand, and Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ in Sri Lanka, on the other. Funding Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ can be bracketed within the category of protecting pro-American dictators and fascists because these two were also engaged in manufacturing excuses to prop up and defend, directly and indirectly, the fascist Prabhakaran ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Pol Pot of AsiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (New York Times ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” James Burn, May 26, 1995).

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The fundamental principles of a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ provide no moral grounds to go along with a fascist Pol Pot. Those who back Pol Potist violence under specious theories betray their primary obligations to human rights. It is easy to manufacture justifications for Pol Potist violence, particularly if you are hired to do so. But given a choice to decide between a democratically elected government (with all its infirmities) and a fascist tyrant who has no qualms about liquidating his own people ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ is morally obliged to deny and reject Pol Potist violence without any reservations. Whatever excuses that may be manufactured to justify the violence of a Pol Pot the first principles of human rights dictate that a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ must necessarily give critical support to a democratically elected state in any confrontation and reject and deny, without any caveats, qualms or hesitation, the legitimacy of Pol Potist violence. That is the lesser evil and morality, in this imperfect world, can only opt not for the absolute ideal but for the lesser evil.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Coming down to the concrete case of Sri Lanka, the first duty of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ was to condemn Prabhakaran unequivocally without ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-pussyfootingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ around the evil that kept the Tamils under his jackboot. It is inconceivable that any ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ could, or would, justify the violence of a regime that forcibly abducted Tamil children, liquidated the best of the Tamil leadership, incarcerated or decimated Tamil dissidents, used 300,000 civilians as his human shield human history, assassinated leaders in the democratic stream (Rajiv Gandhi to Appapillai Amirthalingam, one of the fathers of the Vadukoddai Resolution) and like Pied Piper misled the Tamils in a futile war that ended in Nandikadal. Yet this is what the NGOs in the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ did with American money.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They focused on every misstep of the Sri Lankan government without fail. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ even took the Sri Lankan government to court and even won. Three cheers for that. But why didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t he and his legal expert, Rohan Edirisinghe from the Colombo University, take Prabhakaran to the courts in Vanni? He challenges the Sri Lankan government with the funds granted by America, Norway etc. But when it comes to Prabhakaran he pockets the American funds and surrenders obsequiously to the fascist will of Prabhakaran. Whatever the infirmities of the Sri Lankan government may be it gave ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ the right to challenge its authority in courts. As we can see, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ is the type who demands perfection from the Sri Lankan state and accepts, without challenging, the beastly evil from PrabhakaranƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s regime. So are his loyalties to human rights or to Prabhakaran?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ms. Butenis boasts of the role of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as a cleansing agent that sets the highest moral standards. She also claims that she monitors the accounts. Has she looked into the corruption in NGOs which came to light in the NGO commission? What happened to the American funds when Prabhakaran was rounding up his Tamil opponents and throwing them to the crocodiles for a late night supper? ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and Jehan would travel to London, New York to raise issues about the Sri Lankan government. DidnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t they have few rupees left over from the American dollars to get across the A9 road to raise issues with Prabhakaran? So were American funds only to attack the Sri Lankan government and happily play footsy with Prabhakaran crushing basic human rights of the helpless Tamil people?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ By any known standard Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ stinks to high heaven. Take the example of Bishop Kenneth Fernando who led a three-man delegation to meet Prabhakaran. His other partners were Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda and Charlie Abeysekera. They came back to Colombo and hailed Prabhakaran as a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-humane person.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Jayadeva (Marthelis) Uyangoda has not denied this. Obviously, the theories of political science of the Colombo University must have made him a key contributor to the fiction concocted by Bishop Fernando. If according to the political theories of Uyangoda the Vanni villain is a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-humane personƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ where would he place Pol Pot, eh? When the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ hails the local Pol Pot as a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-human personƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ what credibility will it have in the eyes of the nation? With this record does Ms. Butenis believe that the Sri Lanka ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ deserves the American tax payersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ money? Wikileaks has so far not revealed any adverse comments written by her or her predecessors about the servile ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ in Sri Lanka servicing fascist violators of human rights in addition to the foreign masters.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Of course, there is no necessity for Ms. Butenis to criticize the local ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ because funding Hosni Mubarak is no different from funding Prabhakaran, despite the banning of his outfit. She will agree that by all criteria laid down for ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Mubarak was not entitled for funding from highly moral America. Nor was Prabhakaran. But they did fund both. First, the pro-Prabhakaran lobby in US raised enough funds in America to keep his terror going in Sri Lanka. Second, America has backed Prabhakaran by funding Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. How? Every excuse manufactured for the justification of the violence of Prabhakaran by Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ came from American and Western funds. Ideological backing given to evil regimes is as reprehensible as providing arms to war-mongering fascists.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The other difference is that America granted over one billion to Mubarak and threw a few crumbs in the direction of Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. I have no problem with USA treating these two agents with the contempt they deserve because, in any case, most of their funding go to maintain their luxury life style. However, this raises a serious issue: If America grants billions to sustain an oppressive dictatorship for forty years in Egypt ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” including performing brutal rendition duties to America — and hands out only a few pennies to protect democracy in Sri Lanka what is the value Ms. Butenis places on dictatorship and democracy? IsnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t she saying that dictatorships are worth billions and democracies are worth only a few pennies?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If, as she says, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-United States is a strong proponent of civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦..which work to improve the lives of citizens, (aiming) simultaneously to strengthen democraciesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ why did her government back the military dictatorship of Egypt which went all out to suppress the Egyptian civil society struggling to raise its head? Why is she shedding crocodile tears over Sri Lanka while turning a blind eye toward the Islamic dictatorships in the Middle East? As in the case of the Civil Rights Movement challenging the fascist terror of the white supremacist in America the US think tanks, State Department and Presidents turn against dictators only when they canƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t sustain them any longer.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Besides, according to Wikileaks, America was maneuvering to prevent Sri Lanka buying arms from North Korea to fight the fascist tyranny of Prabhakaran. But why didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t President Obama use his moral and executive powers to prevent the Egyptian government from buying arms to oppress its own people with American funds? In any case, investments are made in projects to win even a modest return. What did American investments in fascist dictators and their ideological pandankarayas (e.g: Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚) gain for human rights? What rewards did Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ gain for America by going to bed with Prabhakaran?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As events have proved the only way to end human rights violations in Sri Lanka was to remove the fascist tyrant Prabhakaran from the politico-military equation. But the NGOs stood in the way. Besides, they stood by Prabhakaran, ridiculing the Sri Lankan Army and the government, by giving overt and covert cover to keep him in the business of terror. For instance, the Voice of Tigers broadcasting from Vanni made full use of their statements to justify PrabhakaranƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s violence. Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ were aware of it and they continued to add fuel to the fires of Vadukoddai violence in their weekly columns.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In other words, Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ were the Lord Haw-haws broadcasting from Berlin to convince that Hitler was winning and his violence was justified. According to their pontifications it was the government that was responsible for PrabhakaranƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s violence ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” violence that ranged from liquidating more Tamils than any other force to forcibly dragging to under-aged children to fight in his futile war. Once Jehan praised the Vanni regime as a democracy because it allowed him to run a workshop there! These are the NGOs that were backed by the Western embassies and Ms. Butenis wants us to believe that Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ are defenders of democracy and human rights. Of course, Lord Haw-haw was captured after the fall of Berlin and executed by the British. Prabhakaran too would have done the same to Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ if they were Tamils on the other side. Remember what happened to Neelan Tiruchelvam? WasnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t he considered a Haw-haw by Prabhakaran?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ With all its infirmities ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” some of which are unacceptable ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the Sri Lankan government has spared the lives of Jehan and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-PakiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Nor have these two characters been thrown into an Abu Gharib concentration camp and held incommunicado. But more importantly, Ms. Butenis should sit and seriously calculate the cost benefit ration derived from financing these hired stooges in promoting human rights, public debate, and peace. Both Jehan and Sanjana Hathtotuwa, the loud mouth spokesperson of the CPA have been invited to debate with me. But they back off knowing that they cannot face the opposition. This is not the boastful claim of Ms. Butenis. She states that their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-very presence enlivens debate and enriches ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦..democracy.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ So can she kindly follow up and open the questionable role of NGOs in Sri Lankan politics for debate? Her intervention alone justifies a public debate. I am prepared to debate this issue with any nominee of hers.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The issue is over to you, Ms. Butenis. Can one of your hired agents stand up on your behalf and let the public decide? IsnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t that what democracy is all about, Ms. Butenis? So letƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s see how America promotes democracy, public debate and human rights in Sri Lanka?