Army colonial assaulting a civilian at a fuel queue at Yakgahapitiya, Kurunegala

“Beware what you wish for, lest they might come true” 
- Fleming MacLiesh 
(Cone of Silence, 1944)

They always say ‘Beware what you wish for, for your wishes might come true’. Well, for the 6.9 million who voted for Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the last Presidential Elections and for the Rajapaksa appendage Pohottuwa, at the General elections, some of their wishes came true. 

True to such an extreme an extent that even they might not have bargained for, even in their wildest dreams, or shall we say, nightmares? When they said, ‘Kanna nethath, Inna Ratak’ (A safe country to live, even if you have nothing to eat), the message was unequivocal; National security, was of paramount importance as the threats, real or perceived ones, had to be addressed swiftly , decidedly and ruthlessly. The jihadists, the Christian missionaries, the LTTE separatists, the NGO groups, the western imperialists, the Diaspora and all other traitors were to be bundled up in one heap and defeated by the militarized, Sinhala Buddhist, strong armed dictator-like rule of Gotabaya. 

Communal Element

While some called Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Diyasena, others hailed him as a Terminator. Vendaruwe Upali, eagerly awaited a Hitler. The most enthusiastic went as far as to draw a blood line to Gamini the Great King of the ancient Sinhala land. Whatever it was, one common factor was there; it had a communal element. At last, the ruler who would be enthroned by the Sinhala aspiration alone, without the help of the minorities. And with that assurance, came the warning to the minorities, “Know thy place, or else….!”

Well, the Regime started promisingly , stuffing up so many civilian positions with military officers, including the all powerful Task force appointed to tackle COVID-19. The militarization did not stop there, spreading to all spheres of life, including even academic institutes and archeological conservation. The majority did not complain; in fact they were happy. That is what they had wanted , it seemed. An euphoria based on the war victory had cemented the position of the military in the collective mind of the majority Sinhalese that everything to do with the military forces was good. 

When the President pardoned a serviceman who had been found guilty of murder of eight unarmed civilians including three children, under very gruesome circumstances, there were many who defended the decision , purely on the basis that Staff Sergeant Sunil Rathnayake was a Rana Viruwa or a war hero. If some body has donned  a military uniform somewhere some day , the matter needed to end there, the logic seemed to go. 

 War Hero syndrome

Admittedly, the Army and the security forces did a good job with the COVID-19 debacle , given the urgency of the situation that arose all around the country. Yet at the same time the excesses of their actions in doing so , specially with regard to their treatment of the medical professionals and the other staff including the PHIs is well documented. Now that the COVID menace is temporarily not the biggest problem but the subsistence of the civilians who are struggling to stay alive as  all sectors of civil life coming to a crashing halt due to lack of fuel, gas, essential services and a failure of the state administration. 

The Police and the security forces are seen again controlling places such as petrol sheds and gas distribution centers given the tense and volatile situations that arise now on a regular basis due to disputes over fair dealing of these much needed essentials. While many of the civilian population are truly helpless waiting in these queues get awaiting their meager quota of supplies, there are others who racket in these supplies, becoming black market suppliers in a very lucrative business.

In uniform

The government’s deploying of armed forces as well as police at these places , instead of maintaining order, has become places where complaints emanate with regard to the malpractices and excesses committed by these men in uniform. Police officers, from top to bottom are accused of using their official status to gain fuel on a preferential basis , to be sold black market, at some times thrice the price. At the same time , the incident that took place at Yakgahapitiya, Kurunegala, a few days ago , showed an army officer assaulting a civilian who was complaining about an irregularity that was denying him and the other ordinary civilians of their fair share. Many were incidents, which were recorded on social media where policemen assaulted, verbally abused and manhandled civilians who had raised voice over their grievance of not being treated fairly, in terms of their access to fuel, despite waiting in queues for days and nights.

 
Before the Gotabaya Presidency and in the aftermath of  the Easter Sunday attacks, there was a general euphoria among the majority Sinhalese that a thorough militarization with all the trappings of a police state, with surveillance, questioning, screenings and curtailment of civil rights was the way to go , to ‘save the country’. At that point, it hardly occurred to the majority that such wishes could one day come to haunt them with those very draconian measures being directed against themselves. Rana viru gaaya, or obsessive admiration of the armed personnel was a catch phrase that did the rounds in the pre election propaganda and anyone who questioned its wisdom, was branded a traitor to the motherland. Such was the sentiment among the majority, those days.

Hood winked

Now those days are long gone. All  know that all those Sinhala supremacist sentiments were whipped up to secure of the power for the Rajapaksas and many personalities such as Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara, Dan Priyasad, Namal Kumara as well as groups such as Bodu Bala Sena, Ravana Balakaya, Maha sohon balakaya etc., were just gimmicks to hood wink a Sinhala Buddhist constituency, always prey to such tactics in post independent electoral history. Now none of the so called Saviours of the nation are to be even seen in public and no whimper is raised when the dignity , sovereignty and in fact, the security of the country is in utter jeopardy, due to the incapacitation of the entire state as a result of the fuel crisis. Sri Lanka is now a begging nation, getting even aid from beggars in Tamil Nadu. 

Now the entire state structure enters in to utter paralysis and totters on the cusp of collapse. The Regime and those close to them are using the only potent tool of the state, left intact, the military and the police to secure their survival and access to supplies. The police and the military are now their lapdogs. Neither are at the service of the people any more. 

Cured for good 

That sickness ‘Rana viru gaaya’ is now completely cured. Now the aching of the empty stomach predominates the mind, whether majority or minority. The Sinhala Buddhist supremacy is a laughable preposition as the authorities go begging to Muslim, Christian , Communist, Hindu and what not , countries, doing summersaults, roll over’s , tail wagging, or spread eagles,  begging for help.
We wanted a country even without food, for us to live in. ‘Kanna nethath Inna Ratak’! And we got our wish, granted. Now time to enjoy a pack of cards or booze, while languishing at the petrol queue, day and night. It’s not every day that your electoral wishes come true, isn’t it?