Can God save the king?

[Editorial, Eelam Nation]

President Rajapakse in his ostensible humility has refused to be called the king in the true Sinhala Buddhist nationalist Dutu Gemunu tradition but instead in his recently cultivated show of reticence is prepared to settle for being called the protector of the people. Posters all over have been depicting him as the successor to Dutu Gemunu which he has not repudiated. After claiming to have been the protector of  his people from the Tamils, he in his Part-II  of the Mahinda Chintanaya a classic work of fiction that can give a run  to the Harry Potter series promises to save the Sri Lankan economy from its debilitating malaise, endemic corruption of massive proportions,  the overwhelming  human rights crimes and abuses  where both the Sinhalese and the Tamils have suffered said to be still under investigation  and the restoration of a democracy  mutilated beyond recognition  by him and his brothers. He seeks to abolish the presidential system and restore democracy at great inconvenience to him and his family.

King Dutu Gemunu I, who defeated the Tamil king Elara in a duel between both kings  by agreement to avert the death of hundreds in a full scale war, did not torture King Elara and his relatives before being put to death nor did he massacre thousands of  innocent Tamil civilians. This was in the second century BCE.  On the contrary, being a true Buddhist he built a monument to mark his respect for King Elara and for future generations to do so. However the gospel of the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism and their primeval beliefs regarded a principal source of Sri Lankan History, the Mahavamsa, written 800 years later says that in response to Dutu Gemunu I’s repentance for having slaughtered “millions” of Tamils, the arahats (saints) said to him: “From these deeds arises no hindrance to thy way to heaven …..Unbelievers and men of evil life were they, not more to be esteemed than beasts. But as for thee, thou wilt bring glory to the doctrine of Buddha in manifold ways: therefore cast away care from thy heart, O ruler of men”. The operative word here is “unbelievers” which means non believers of Buddhism namely the Hindus who were Tamils.

But today President Rajapakse’s official residence has been  cleared of  the exorcists (kattadiyas) often used   by such leaders  to keep off evil spirits and devils now safely directed  into opposition  election meetings doing a wonderful job for  Rajapakse’s cause to keep democracy alive. Now there is the spectacle of the Hindu Brahmin priests (poosaris) entering his residence very frequently to sanctify the place to make it conducive for the beneficent  spirits to enter to help Rajapakse to win the elections. In the meaning of the Mahavamsa   these Poosaris are actually the priests of the “unbelievers and men of evil, not more to be esteemed than beasts”. They  should be  distinguished from their Buddhist counterparts the monks in yellow robes  leading austere lives, some in parliament and others who would settle for  nothing less than a Mercedes Benz. These poosaris, however, act as intermediaries between Rajapakse and God interpreting Rajapakse's  aspirations to Him in Sanskrit the language of the ancient Hindu scriptures more easily understood by God. These discussions with God often turn out to be a monologue.  Buddhism, does not recognize the existence of a God, but Rajapaske in his desperation invoking the blessings of these “unbelievers” shows the extent to which he could go. He puts on such a comical show at these ceremonies that not only his primeval predecessor Dutu Gemunu  the true believer, but even the jesters of his court will in their graves be greatly amused. Buddhism, however, embraces the concept of Karma which in a layperson‘s colloquial term is: ‘what goes around comes around’ and Rajapakse has a lot to answer in this regard.

The consequences of Karma are not only confined to one’s current birth but also to the next and those thereafter. Some unscrupulous Poosaris who survive by their wits prey (not pray) on the desperation and the attendant gullibility of their subjects in such insecure circumstances. Like in the case of the emperor with the new clothes as in the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson, the king here in question is more gullible than his subjects.

Rajapakse is now all things to all men. Though from an oppressed nation, the majority of the Tamils are a proud people. They should not be judged by the standards of a few Tamil scoundrels and political beggars.  His contradicting promises to the Tamils in north and east and to the Sinhalese in the south jostle with each other in the confusion of his double acting. He has lightened Fonseka’s work load by fulfilling  or promising to fulfill some of Fonseka’s promises to the Tamils who have already experienced the falsity of  Rajapakse's undertakings especially in regard to the removal of the high security zones. It appears that his undertakings to the Tamils in respect of the north and the east with the directives relating to these are meant to be observed in the breach.   

His preparedness now  to release  hundreds of  the IDPs accompanied by  the cynical display of  showmanship in  handing them over to their parents or near relatives making a mockery of their anxiety, desperation and desolation  reveals that they were held  incarcerated all these months  and abused  purely for political reasons and racist considerations  and not for reasons of security as made out to be.

Not all the Poosaris, their gimmicks and the charms and the cheap tactics of the Rajapakse brothers will change the minds of the Tamil people. God, in whatever form perceived, cannot be deceived by these poosaris who profess to influence God’s will and cannot make Rajapakse win by any magic or miracle. Despite all the mental and physical devastation they have hitherto undergone  the Tamil speaking peoples remain  still intelligent and resilient enough to think clearly and discern as to how exactly they should exercise their discretion to act to choose with the view to mitigating the severity and the horrors of State  terrorism  hitherto,  their greatest antagonist.

By the end of the day, on 26 January 2010, God will have spoken in the voice of the people. Vox populi vox dei; the voice of the people is the voice of God.