Rupawahini, Mervin Silva and The Broken Society

Most of the Sri Lankans are absolutely delighted to see Mervin Silva getting a good old kick on his behind. We watched that news over and over again, like it is Sanath and Kalu batting the 1997 world cup. We record it. Watch it in slow motion. When every single time we saw it, we enjoyed every bit of it. We Put that in youtube, then discussed about it months to come with smiles on our faces. We feel proud finally we witnessed that exciting minute, which we know as a fact, we are the people, absolutely deserved to witness.

We are happy, not because Mervin Silva the person got painted in pink , like the Barney the Dinosaur, because “we are the people” were able to do something about those dreadful politicians finally. Mervin Silva is a fine specimen for a dirty politician in any Democratic country. By humiliating him, we representatively humiliate all the filthy politicians. So I believe.

Talking about Democracy, we Sri Lankans don’t know the value of Democracy. It was artificially planted here in Sri Lanka. And since that day, we could not sleep better. We tried to bring it down every time we can, but failed miserably. Still Tamils in North of the country, do their absolute best to make sure their children and grandchildren will live under a dictator whom they believe as a reincarnation of the God Vishnu. And I wish from bottom of my heart, let them be failed miserably, just like others.

Democracy is the most vulnerable political system we humans ever created. It had never lasted more than 200 years straight before one way or another a dictator took over it and become royalty or declare himself a God. But after the invention of the news paper, media become the soul guardian of Democracy. And it is, till this day.

Media didn’t like Marvin Silva that much. That is not because he was not an elected Parliament member, but because Marvin seems to have this cute habit of bashing in to media institute with his entourage, like Michael Jackson in famous Bad music video, and beat the shit out of journalists like he is Tony Montana in Scarface. And it seems journalists didn’t take it very well.

Now I understand everything up to this point. I understand journalists getting beat up and even getting killed. That is the nature of the job. That is why I’m not a journalist and I respect everyone one who is brave enough to do that kind of a job. I also understand politicians like Marvin hate journalist’s guts. Now my questions and fears come to surface from this point.

Journalists suppose to be the most powerful entity in a democratic system. They seems to go in to the trouble declaring, they have something more powerful than a gun, which is commonly known as the Pen, which I really started to doubt the whole statement right now..

Journalists indeed pen about Marvin Silva. They even went as far as protesting front of Fort Railway station with big posters and screaming loud as they can, trying to get in to the ears of “we are the people”. But nothing changed. Marvin went one institute after another, beating shit out of people. Even his son went on doing the same, giving pure delight to his father and president uncle. I can’t figure out how. Is that our journalists are doing such a terrible journalism, or “we are the people” not listening to journalists anymore?

But at the end, proving the pen is not as powerful as they say, journalists turn around and beat the shit out of Marvin Silva. I believe journalists didn’t have any other choice. I don’t want to hide my amusement about the whole drama. But at the same time, I’m sad and feared it was the journalists who did it. I wish it never come to such a point journalists have to leave their pen behind, start beating up people physically in order to get things straight. I wish if they were able to get things done by using ink in the pen, rather than pouring it on politicians head. And worst of all, we are happy about it, because we know as a fact that is the only possible way a thug like Mervin Silva can ever get closer to justice.

If “we are the people” have to beat the shit out of politicians, then unfortunately there is no democracy left. If journalists have to beat the shit out of politicians, then there is no journalism left. I wish if we had never come to this point.

You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry, LTTE is Coming to Town

LTTE had excellent run past few years. They flew over to Oslo, Geneva and all other beautiful places, had tea with sandwiches, with smiles on their faces. Foreign diplomats visit them in their gorgeous office and discuss gorgeous things. LTTE raised large sum of money, enough to even envy any multinational cooperation. LTTE Leaders’ kids graduated from foreign universities giving pure delight to their fathers. Even they assemble some flights. Brought more ships, more weapons, went after Sri Lankan intelligent officers very successfully, killing mostly all of them. They enjoyed peace.

But unfortunately, peace didn’t work out for them, or for Sri Lankan government. LTTE should have honestly taken the offer for a federal state and hold military operation all together, if they were interested in politics. But they didn’t. Chandiraka should not have dissolved the parliament. But she did.

So Things changed. 911 happened. New Yorkers shit in their pants. Bush got a second term. Tsunami happened. We shit in our pants. Mahinda got himself a term.

Things are not working very well for LTTE these days. FBI is after their international operations quite badly. LTTE lost very valuables weapon stocks with ships and significant amount of ground control. But most importantly LTTE lost their experienced leadership. They can have all the money in the world, but they cannot buy experience leaders. When I say "They", I didn't mean LTTE, I mean UNP. But LTTE is also in the same scenario now, as same as UNP. No more good leaders! All the experience leaders are dead or left the house. Karuna left, Thamilchelvam dead, Balasinham dead, now everything back on Piribaharan.

No one to influence LTTE leadership anymore, Piribaharan returns to his favorite tactic, simple textbook terrorism in it is finest form. Including but not limited to, Bomb public places (checked), mostly in Colombo (checked), bomb Tamil leaders (checked), slaughter border villages (checked), bomb in a bus (checked), bomb in a train (waiting), bomb in a temple (waiting) and slaughter Buddhist monks (waiting). We should expect more of those in current stage of LTTE behavior cycle, which we have experienced so many times before.

Normally, at this stage, we Sri Lankans, start to do what we know how to do best, which is Complaining. Since Sri Lankans are not as intelligent as Jews, we jump in to "peace stage" right away. That makes some of the western countries and INGOs get so excited, like it is their favorite grandchild running the marathon. But, peace process fail naturally, – Canadians brake down and cry, LTTE go back to suicide bombing with extra strength, and we go back to "peace stage" just another time, and keep on looping same steps over and over again, like it is a Karagam dance.

I don’t believe this cycle is totally bad as some might think. Just like any other Sri Lankan, Tamils also delighted to leave here and move to better countries. This war offers them, a fast lane to do that, which they could not have done otherwise. Just like Indian Tamils migrate to Sri Lanka looking for better work back then, Sri Lankan Tamils are migrating to Europe, Canada and Australia now.

Sri Lankan Tamil population in it is record low 3.9% right now, even less than Indian Tamils in Sri Lanka which is 4.6%. Fast lane to migration is still open. Tamil females are still the best suicide bombers in the world. There is a great demand for Tamil kids in LTTE. There for I suspect with great sadness, Sri Lankan Tamil population will go further down.

Anyway, it looks like wind is changing this time. Military delivers good results on the ground and the sea. LTTE leadership capabilities reduced significantly. We have a good defense budget. People complain, but they didn't come to road banging kitchen pots yet. Extreme political groups like JVP force the government to stay in the cause. We are at war, honestly this time. Finally, we may able to reestablish borders back again.

LTTE is not a terrorist organization base only in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan operations are just the tip of the ice berg. LTTE have tea parties even in South Africa. Even British parliamentarians fly over, have tea with sandwiches and listen to LTTE leader talks, in the big screen TV, like that’s the Queen’s annual speech. There are professional LTTE money collectors all over the world, colleting liberal donations from Tamil Diaspora. There are professional human smugglers capable of smuggling any Tamil to Canada or Europe, if the price is right. There are International shipping operations, shopping centers in Malaysia, weapon dealers in Singapore, pimps in Thailand, sex slaves, bootleggers, and suicide bombers, even already purchased US senators and NGOs.

Those international establishments of LTTE will not fade away overnight, even LTTE lose militarily in Sri Lanka. LTTE is NOT after a separate country for Sri Lankan Tamils. They are after Separate country for all the Tamil people, all over the world. So they say.

This is the time of Globalization. LTTE knows they cannot survive in the Sri Lankan market alone. It is quite thin, and it is getting Thinner and Thinner. They have to expand. US$ 300 million profit margin per a year is not something to lose. It is a great enterprise by in any mean. That is something to expand. There is no other greater place to expand any operation right now, than rising far-east. Looks like LTTE did their initial marketing survey in Malaysia this month, with great success.

I wish all the Malaysians top of the luck.

You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry, LTTE is Coming to Town...