Those who are worthy of salutation and those who are not
Someone once said that 99 percent of the Opposition can be purchased
and that the remaining 1 percent must be eliminated, meaning killed. I
don’t know how correct these numbers are, but in general it seems that a
lot of people are easily bought. Everyone has a price, but some sell
themselves cheap. And it is not about money either. Some choose to throw
in the towel out of sheer laziness, some out of fear and some because
they are intimidated by the associated challenges.
The 1 percent is ‘special’ not on account of purity of objective or
means adopted, but commitment to cause.
The Samaajavadi Samaanatha Pakshaya (Socialist Equality Party) and
its previous avatar ‘Viplavavaadi Komiyunist Sangamaya’ (Revolutionary
Communist League, better known by its Sinhala acronym, ‘VIKOSA’) comes
to mind. I am talking in particular about people like Nanda
Wickramasinghe (‘Wicks’ to his comrades and ‘Podi Wicks’ to his
contemporaries at Peradeniya who had to differentiate him from the other
‘Wicks’ who came to be known as ‘Pol Wicks’) and Wije Dias.
Political objective
People might think they are crazy but there’s something of value in
being uncompromising, provided of course that you are honest in both
affiliation and articulation. That’s what is called ‘courage of your
convictions’ I believe.
This is not to say that one should rush into danger without thinking
of the consequences. There are practicalities of course. The honest
political agent will acknowledge that there is reason to be circumspect
and that a decision to be cautious is arrived at by a comprehensive
consideration of all factors and the possible outcome of particular
options in terms of the overall political objective.
What is the glory, I wonder, of being ‘radical’ behind closed doors?
What is the glory of preaching to the converted? What is the glory of
going to seminars and workshops where organisers bring friends and
family to make up numbers and with the promise of a free lunch and what
not? What is the glory of hiding behind beg words and technical terms?
What is the glory of turning tail the moment someone stares you down and
then going to safer territories where debate is choreographed before
hand? Do people really think they are being politically effective when
instead of refuting argument engage in name-calling?
On February 24, 2006, in Celigy, Switzerland, waiting for the
post-talks press conference to start following discussions between the
Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, I asked Jehan Perera how his
outfit (National Peace Council) would fare if funding dried up. He said
that all operations would stop. Now contrast this with the efforts of a
man called Nalin de Silva who for more than a decade wrote week after
week in the Divaina, Island and Vidusara and succeeded in turning idea
into ideology and turned a view that had marginal support into the
dominant position in the country. That’s courage. Commitment. Certainly
worthy of salute.
Real heroes
There are heroes in the academic world and there are pedestrians.
There are giants who take a stand, articulate position regardless of
hostility-level of the audience and there are dwarfs who first check out
comfort-levels before speaking. There are those who are lions when there
is no one around but slink away when in unfamiliar territory.
Who are the real heroes and who are the cardboard pretenders? It is
easy to find out, isn’t it? Check out where they hang out, what kinds of
forums they inhabit, their dodging-expertise and you will find their
purchase price. Nine times out of ten I would venture that they have a
pretty low selling price.
My friend Anuruddha Pradeep, a lecturer in Political Science at the
Sri Jayawardenapura University used to tell me that most of the
federalists can be bought over. He was essentially repeating the 99-1
theory.
Speaking of the federalists and those who are shy of using the f-word
and therefore take refuge in the term ‘devolution’ or call it ‘13 Plus’
(meaning ‘something more than the 13th Amendment’), they had their day
in the sun. Those who opposed them didn’t have the money or the
political power.
They had one thing: solid arguments. They had an idea and it became
an ideology. It won the day. That’s the difference between the
‘nationalists’ and, say, VIKOSA. VIKOSA has a world view but one that is
constructed, in my opinion, on a false set of premises.
And yet, I can’t help admiring the likes of Podi Wicks and Wije Dias
when I consider the Eelamists in federalist and lesser costumes relevant
to reduced circumstances. They will state their case regardless of how
hostile the audience is. And they are not purchasable.
Defend the truths
There is a difference between the LTTE and VIKOSA. The former talked
with guns, the latter with words. VIKOSA people argue. They will call
you names if you disagree, but they would in the end agree to disagree.
They will not make excuses for poor logic or inability to substantiate.
They will not dodge an argument. They will not take refuge in the
classical out of dismissing question with a whine or a tag such as
‘rubbish’. When asked to substantiate claim, they will not run away or
come up with patently third-class interjections such as ‘it goes without
saying’. They will not use diescriptives such as ‘disreputable’ unless
they can prove the point.
There are those who use such 10th Grade debating techniques in any
society. They have their moments too. Yes, ‘moments’. Here now, then
gone. That’s their story. There are people who can be purchased.
There are people who sell themselves cheap. There are cowards. They
are those who pay with their lives to defend the truths they subscribe
to. There are men and women worthy of admiration for some qualities and
men and women who are pedestrian. I choose to salute Podi Wicks and Wije
Dias. They are politically honest. Un-purchasable. That says something
in these free-market days.
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