{"id":103596,"date":"2020-06-16T16:39:11","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T23:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=103596"},"modified":"2020-06-16T16:39:11","modified_gmt":"2020-06-16T23:39:11","slug":"finding-paths-to-being-enslaved-by-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/06\/16\/finding-paths-to-being-enslaved-by-the-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding paths to being enslaved by the USA"},"content":{"rendered":"

MALINDA SENEVIRATN\u200bE<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

\n\nThe USA is in the news. Exposed. Exposed to those who believed the balderdash about that country being the greatest success story of democracy, freedom and the good life, to be more precise. The USA markets lies very well. Whereas other nations as bad or worse are crude the USA is cute in sweetening the bitter, perfuming the foul-smelling and wall-papering over the grotesque. Used to be. That would be more correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The protests are ongoing. Significant numbers want that country to come to terms with its sordid history and violent present. Let there be no illusions though. The racist, violent military-industrial complex that is the United States of America is resilient. Is fighting back. Will continue to fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week we had the US Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Aliana B Teplitz saying that George Floyd\u2019s death (yes, DEATH and not COLD-BLOODED MURDER BY RACIST POLICEMEN) would be investigated. On Tuesday, she issued a statement in which she bests her own standards of convolution. It was regarding a protest again the USA organized by the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018We welcome discussion on minority rights, equal protection under law, and security service accountability. But let\u2019s do so in safe ways until there\u2019s less to worry about from COVID-19.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes some gall for a representative of the USA to talk about minority rights, equal protection under law and security service accountability, considering that \u2018discussion\u2019 of such things pale in relation to the stark and brutal articulation in their breach. Responsible protests is what she is calling for. That\u2019s echoing what the UN chief on human rights said about protests in the USA where riots broke out after extreme and violent police provocation. It\u2019s easy to indulge in equivalency-speak after the villains have done their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safe ways, she said. Condescending isn\u2019t she? And it\u2019s not as though safety was ever a cardinal principle for the USA, domestically or internationally. Safety was not an issue in dealing with COVID-19 either. Profit was. Keeping businesses viable was. And is, even now. Not with respect to COVID-19, not with protests, not in ousting governments and leaders positioned against US interests, and not in supporting the brutal repression unleashed on peoples by governments and leaders allied with the USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But let\u2019s talk \u2018safety.\u2019 In the midst of all this, an embassy employee created a fuss at the airport, refusing to take a PCR test. Diplomatic immunity was cited. The Government was caught wrong-footed, gave in and (to its credit) subsequently revised protocols for testing of diplomats. The man,  Wayne Hamrick according to reports, is apparently a part of the Embassy\u2019s \u2018Planning and Action Training Team\u2019 which is attached, interestingly, to the office of the Defense Attach\u00e9. Nothing \u2018diplomatic\u2019 in either of these entities of course, but this is the USA, remember? A violent, war-like, liking-war nation whose governments talk down to other nations about human rights but have essentially burnt that book a long time ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, Teplitz\u2019 safety-talk and moralistic grandstanding is for those who protest against her Government but not for employees who could theoretically be a grave threat to the safety of all, COVID-19 and all that which she, not I, brought up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It raises interesting questions. Now what if this \u2018diplomat\u2019 is in fact infected with COVID-19? What if he were to succumb to the deadly virus? What if he happened to be a Muslim? How would the US Embassy deal with death-rites? If buried, how would Muslims whose loved ones died of the virus and were duly cremated feel?  [For the record, I hope he is uninfected and if indeed he is infected I wish him speedy recovery.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 was not anticipated. The world is being recreated as I write on account of the pandemic. Surely Teplitz has heard of the Vienna Convention and knows that its authors and signatories did not anticipate and indeed could not have anticipated a pandemic such as this when crafting articles on diplomatic immunity? No one is immune. That\u2019s the bottom line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s visit the protests. The police obtained a court order to stop the FSP protesting outside the embassy. The FSP shifted venue to De Soysa (Lipton) Circus, Colombo. Social distancing was maintained. It was a low-key protest. Understandable, given circumstances. A few had been near the embassy. The police intimidated these persons. That\u2019s when things got hot. The protestors were provoked. Some fifty of them were arrested.
 Tiplitz cites COVID-19 protocols. So does the Government. Indeed, if that was the issue a lot more people in all parts of the country should have been arrested for violating social-distance recommendations. Moreover, there are no laws as of yet regarding such issues. Then there\u2019s also the case of crowds at Armugam Thondaman\u2019s funeral. What happened to COVID-19 protocols? Of course if the 5-mourners rule was imposed it is likely that the champions of human rights, Teplitz included, would have cried out in horror about the government being insensitive to minorities, but that\u2019s beside the point here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would love to hear the rights-brigade take issue with the government for the way in which the protestors were handled. Funded-voices, rent-a-signature petitioners, candle-light ladies, born-again-democrats and other Colombots aren\u2019t exactly berating either the government or the US Ambassador. One wonders, indeed, what the lately retired-from-politics Mangala Samaraweera have to say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samaraweera has been vocal about one thing. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Sri Lanka must fast-track the MCC grant. Worth $500 million (which is roughly equal to a 20,000 rupee grant to every household in Sri Lanka), it can kick-start the relief and recovery program,\u2019 he says. \u2018Selling or leasing these State-owned Enterprises and using the money for relief, or for settling public debt, will be an asset transfer from the state to the citizen,\u2019 he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essentially asset-transfer to the USA is being named \u2018asset transfer to citizen!\u2019 How cute is that? Samaraweera knows that the MCC essentially ties the hand of the Sri Lankan judiciary with respect to the operations of the MCC. If the government had to navel-gaze over an arrogant US Embassy official at the airport just imagine what it would have to do if the MCC Compact was in operation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FOR THE RECORD: As presidential candidate of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on Tuesday the 5th of November 2019, requested Venerable Ududumbara Kasyapa Thero to stop the fast launched over the MCC Compact. All agreements signed by the then  government would be reviewed and revoked if they are not in the national interest, he pledged. The candidate of the United National Party, Sajith Premadasa repeated these sentiments almost immediately. Samaraweera kept mum, for the record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So has this Government \u2018reviewed\u2019? What\u2019s the status of that process? Who is advising this government? Viyath Maga? The Pathfinder Foundation? What\u2019s their agenda? What\u2019s their ideological position with respect to the US, neoliberal economic myths and so on? When is this government going to come clean on all this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s suspend illusions. The USA is on its knees domestically. The USA, nevertheless, is not going to roll over and surrender to reason and civilization. Teplitz and the US Embassy in Sri Lanka have tasks to accomplish. Getting the MCC Compact off the ground is on top of the agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what we have: The refusal of the US \u2018diplomat\u2019 to take a PCR test and the government agreeing to waive the requirement + government response to projects + the from-retirement please issued by Samaraweera (a US agent if ever there was one) over the MCC Compact. Need we insist, \u2018do the math!\u2019?  
This article was first published in the Daily Mirror (June 11, 2020)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MALINDA SENEVIRATN\u200bE The USA is in the news. Exposed. Exposed to those who believed the balderdash about that country being the greatest success story of democracy, freedom and the good life, to be more precise. The USA markets lies very well. Whereas other nations as bad or worse are crude the USA is cute in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-malinda-seneviratne"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103596"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103596\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}