{"id":49782,"date":"2016-11-22T01:57:19","date_gmt":"2016-11-22T05:57:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=49782"},"modified":"2016-11-22T02:02:23","modified_gmt":"2016-11-22T06:02:23","slug":"extremists-like-bodu-bala-senatamil-national-peoples-front-and-thawheed-jamath-are-grade-aopportunists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=49782","title":{"rendered":"Extremists Like Bodu Bala Sena,Tamil National Peoples Front and Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamath are Grade “A”Opportunists."},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rathindra Kuruwita<\/strong><\/p>\n

My main criticism, among a dozen others, against this government has been their utter inability to take decisive action of any sort. Earlier this year commenting on the controversy surrounding the security detail of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, I said that indecisiveness and nuanced action are serious handicaps when dealing with politicians like Rajapaksa.<\/p>\n

‘If some harm comes to Rajapaksa, as he roams about the country hanging out with the masses in arenas which are impossible to secure, it will be a serious blow to the credibility of the government. <\/p>\n

These factors place the UNFGG Government in a serious conundrum and it is this baffling complexity that explains why the indecisiveness of the UNFGG Government regarding Rajapaksa’s security.<\/p>\n

But history has shown that indecisiveness and nuanced action are serious handicaps when dealing with politicians like Rajapaksa,’ that is what I wrote, I would really have loved to share the link to my story, but apparently we don’t maintain archives, so.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Power is there to be used<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just like the Rajapaksas our ‘extremists’ don’t understand indecisiveness and nuanced action. Not because they are like Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight who just want to see the world burn, but because they are all opportunists looking out for numero uno and political power. Every one of these extremists, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamaath (SLTJ), Tamil National People’s Front, etc. are grade A opportunists who actually don’t believe most of the things they are saying. They are coming out of the woodwork now because they think, quite rightly, that they can ‘protest’ and run their mouth without fear of repercussions.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Remember how Bodu Bala Sena went silent after the government changed, if they actually believed in their cause would they just switch off like that? And how SLTJ and northern extremists behaved themselves when Mahinda Rajapaksa was in power? And for a time all these ‘extremists’ were silent because they feared that the Good Governance Government would actually punish the corrupt and enforce the rule of law in the country. This government, comprising of a bunch of politicians who know how to squander the opportunities given to them on a platter, did not use those precious few months to, well actually carry out a Good Governance agenda. You can compare this to what Mahinda Rajapaksa did, when he squandered a golden opportunity to bring everyone together after the end of the war.<\/p>\n

After realizing that nothing bad is going to happen to them, the ‘extremists’ are coming out of the woodwork. Suddenly you see northern extremists celebrating ‘Arise Tamils,’ BBS on the roads defending some saviour of the Sinhala people that we know nothing of and SLTJ protesting one of the sanest legal reforms, amendments to the Muslim Marriages and Divorce Act, in recent times. None of these opportunists are afraid anymore and you can read that in their body language.
\n
\nFrom nobodies to somebodies<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best the government could do in the face of this rising opportunism was arrest Secretary of the Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamath, Abdul Razik and the ‘saviour of the Sinhalese’ Dan Priyasad (Really, Dan? At least stay in character and have a proper Sinhala name dude. Rathindra for example, is a good solid Sinhala name). And I hear some liberals complaining why BBS Secretary General Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara is not also arrested.<\/p>\n

But the real question is will Abdul or Dan be punished severely, because a month in jail is not going to do them any harm, in fact spending a bit of time in jail is the best thing that could happen to them. What this jail time does is elevate the two men to celebrity status and they will get credibility, which is really important currency in sectarian politics. Their arrests would make sense if they are jailed for an extended period, like those Tamil political prisoners arrested under the PTA and are in detention for a decade or if their property is confiscated. If the government could actually work up some nerve to severely and swiftly punish these opportunists parading as extremists we would see them retreating into the woodwork.<\/p>\n

Ignoring real issues<\/strong><\/p>\n

What the government’s inaction also does it that it prevents important discussions from taking place. For example, in recent months Muslim women’s organizations criticized the Muslim personal law which severely disadvantages women and children and called for reforms via the new constitutional reforms initiatives. Muslim women’s activists have been campaigning for personal law for decades, however, the perception among Muslims that they face no threat, after President Maithripala Sirisena came into power, also greatly assisted a new generation of young Muslim women to come forward.<\/p>\n

But, after the resurgence of ‘extremist’ groups, I fear that window of opportunity, to amend one of the most anti-women legislations in Sri Lanka, is quickly closing.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, we must recognize the role that media and some of these social justice warriors are playing is extremely counterproductive. A lot of social justice warriors who had nothing to say about the Muslim Personal Law have been quick to draw attention to some dude making videos in his car, probably because he is afraid that his mother might scream at him if she hears him run his mouth, and propagate conspiracy theories about a fire at a Fashion Bug warehouse. If this ‘Dan’ Priyasad actually becomes a force to be reckoned with, I think the social justice warriors must take the blame for giving publicity to a man who has no real following among the Sinhalese.<\/p>\n

I am not asking the media or the social justice warriors not to talk about racism, which is a real problem the world faces. I am just saying that maybe you are blowing things out of proportion and by focusing on the opportunistic elements and by not engaging moderate forces of all ethnicities, they are actually doing a disservice to the silent majority of the country. But then again chaos and ethnic disharmony is good for media and the social justice warriors.<\/p>\n

Courtesy:Ceylon Today<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Rathindra Kuruwita My main criticism, among a dozen others, against this government has been their utter inability to take decisive action of any sort. Earlier this year commenting on the controversy surrounding the security detail of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, I said that indecisiveness and nuanced action are serious handicaps when dealing with politicians …<\/p>\n

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