Silly  endangered people who don’t look after their own saviours
Posted on June 3rd, 2012
Rajpal Abeynayake Courtesy Lakbimanews
Who could forget that surreal yet comic award given by the National Peace Council, so called, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ which is basically Jehan Perera ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ to the Centre for Policy Alternatives helmsman Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu?
This was the only oddball chapter in the generally well oiled civil society machine that cringes to please the West and the Western donors. Unlike in the case of the Jehan-Paikiasothy back scratching award, the pro West civil society scene is usually a study in how a system is well rigged to serve a dubious cause.
Most civil society actors worldwide are paid handsomely, showered with junkets abroad, and are pushed up the social/civil society ladder by being accorded recognition in the form of awards, accolades, scholarships and more.
Sometimes, there is a huge giggle factor involved, such as when Barack Obama ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the king of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”civilƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ West, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize even before he started invading a number of countries waging wars, and personally identifying men to be killed in drone attacks around the world. (See our cover page of the 
International section.)
But much further down that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”civilƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ society pecking order, things work much like clockwork when it comes to promoting the foot soldiers of the cause. In Sri Lanka, most scholars graduating from the so called liberal arts curricula, are absorbed into the non-governmental organization (NGO) sector where they are very handsomely remunerated and rewarded with frequent junkets, scholarships ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” and the occasional award, no matter how dubious the accomplishment.
Ah, this is the good life. These people go on to faithfully serve the anti national cause. They draft the trumped up charges on human rights, they blow the picture out of perspective and cause the various manufactured governance issues to be in the front burner, while the burning issues of economy and development are thereby pushed back into the caboose. Of course this is the old story, that scarcely needs repetition here.
Rooted men and women
Against this entire lot of NGO yuppies, you get a bulwark of rooted men and women who have not sold their souls, and in short, the entire weight of carrying the nationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s suzerainty, integrity and hopes forward, fall on their collective shoulders. But what is hilarious is that the entire country expects these people to do battle against the well funded civil society saboteurs without any tangible or meaningful support.
This is so suicidal and myopic on the part of the vast community of truth seekers and justice seekers both here in this country and worldwide, who want to prevail against the subversion wreaked by the western funded NGO campaigners.
It appears that it is not a difficult thing to do, for nationalists the world over to begin their own projects that rewards talent in their own communities. But the lamentable dearth of such schemes indicate that either these idealists are pie in the sky and totally disconnected, or that they have somehow monumentally failed in sizing up exactly what it takes to build the forces that are necessary to stymie the designs of the well organized civil society establishment.
IƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢m not talking of instant, almost ham handed awards schemes such as the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Confucius awardƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ which was a reaction to the award of the Nobel PrizeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in 2011.
Antics such as these are in the jack in the box tradition, which in fact put in shaper focus the lack of a sustained rewards schemes to recognize and encourage talent that stands for integrity amid the babel of NGO voices that are bought and paid for.
It is rarely that an establishment award goes to a dissident figure, and in this respect the Nobel Prize to Harold Pinter is an exception, and here too it needs be said that it was given for his contribution to literature ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ which is quite separate from his forthright anti establishment views. There was also the recent Sydney peace prize for Noam Chomsky, but these types of forthright awards schemes are few and far between.
A proposal…
If you take this country to be a microcosm for this style of classic inactivity from among the anti NGO like-minded, you would be able to see that there is hardly anything out there to encourage people to make a career out of being right, forthright, and against the subversive order of the civil society establishment.
Unless they do so out of their own convictions and an inability to go against conscience, they would no doubt get on board the NGO establishment where the gravy train is thick and always running.
This columnist proposes that the oppressed of the world unite, and start by recognizing the onerous nature of each othersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ work. There must be more recognition out there than mere articulation of the fact that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”he or she fought the good fight.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢
It is pointless talking in the abstract. I can give flesh, literally, to my argument, by naming names. For instance there has been nobody or no organization that has come forward in this country to honour the work and views of those such as S.L. Gunasekera or Nalin de Silva, leave alone a host of others in various spheres of endeavour ranging from advocacy to journalism, who relentlessly pooh-poohed the civil society establishment manthra that the war against the LTTE has to be stopped.
Nobody sent them to meet like-minded advocacy activists abroad, where they could have been enriched by the experiences of others. Nobody gave them the elementary recognition of an award ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ indeed, there is no such award in existence to give people who have fought the good fight against colonialism by any other means. Contrast this with the award and junket orgy that NGO money buys!
The two named worthies probably wanted nothing in return for their efforts, but the young and the restless would not necessarily be in the same mould.
Small wonder then that this kind of Nationalist establishment is often beaten down and bullied by the powerful, phenomenally funded, well organized NGO community that offers a good life to the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”liberal arts educatedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ who want ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”recognition,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ money and everything that connotes with an upwardly mobile career path.
June 3rd, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Great article.
Govt has to take some action against NGOs too. If the govt allows a free run to NGOs, there is nothing people can do.
TAX NGOs’ income at 50% and give that money to patriotic groups. Things will automatically improve!
June 4th, 2012 at 6:10 am
These two ‘peace merchants’ were obviously very disappointed when the LTTE was crushed. It ended their ‘anti-war’ campaign – which was a lucrative source of income for them until the war lasted. They were cocksure that the war against the LTTE could never be won. In fact there was no other business like the ‘peace business’ – unlimited funds, foreign travel, participation in international seminars, workshops, well-paid staff. etc.etc.
The hackneyed of these two ‘peaceniks’ slogan was a ‘negotiated settlement’ with the Tigers who had not budged an inch from the demand for a separate state under Prabhakaran’s dictator ship. The most appropriate response to this baloney about the need to reach a settlement with the LTTE came from Attorney at Law S.L. Gunasekera who asked: “If anyone asks for your wife will you go for a negotiated settlement?”
June 4th, 2012 at 8:53 pm
Tamils suffer due to their stupid politicians’ acts for the last 80 years. Not only the Tamils, country as a whole suffered terribly. If the problem is poverty, it is not only a Tamil problem, it is the same problem for every Sri Lankans. When Tamil politicians talk about their people’s grievances, they are under the impression that all Sinhalese are rich and only the Tamils are poor. I don’t understand how political settlement will help poor Tamils?
When asked about Tamils’ problems and grievances in North they say Tamils getting letters from Government institutions in Sinhala and that’s why they need a political settlement. Another said when they go to police station or a court the officer’s talking in Sinhala. These are administration problems.
Some Tamil politicians said they want administration powers to rule their areas,such as collecting taxes,getting foreign aid directly etc. Alright now they run their local governments and they now can serve their people. They can request diaspora to send money directly to TNA control local government accounts. I don’t think the government wants to ban such a donations.
Now the population is roughly less than half a million in the North and about 40% of the land belongs to the government, how reasonable to ask with land and police powers for Northern Provincial Council? And in the East where population of three ethnic groups almost equal, is it reasonable Tamil politicians request to annexe East to North?
This is all conspiracy of TNA,Tamil Diaspora and Politicians of Tamil Nadu. They now need Provincial councils with police and land powers, with the intention of create Tamil Eelam one day. Their dream of Tamil Eelam, fade away after brave soldiers saved 300,000 Tamils from LTTE’s clutches and crushed LTTE after 30 years of LTTE’s fruitless war. Anyhow Tamil politicians still need to revive the struggle for Tamil Eeelam to win their elections. The demand for Provincial Councils with police and land powers is the first step towards it.
Except the North & East, Tamils speak, read and write Sinhala and accept Sinhalese as the majority ruling community. But in North, it’s different, not only they are majority but with 60 million Tamils 30 km away, they feel they are the majority.
June 4th, 2012 at 9:05 pm
“But in North, it’s different, not only they are majority but with 60 million Tamils 30 km away, they feel they are the majority.”
Absolutely.
If not for the “Sinhala army”, its all theirs!