COME WIIL YOU!
Pillay is not coming because Pillai is cunning. Sajin Vaas
Gunawardene, Member of Parliament, has, though in understated
fashion, stated one of the most devastating truths about the UN
establishment, when he laconically observed that UN Human Rights
Commissioner Navi Pillay should have come to Sri Lanka, the way
she was supposed to, as per mandate.
Who or what stood in the way of that visit? Here we have
people stating that the Sri Lankan government is less than
welcoming to pesky and opinionated people, but when the UN Human
Rights Commissioner faces no barriers at all and could have
dropped in on Killinochchi via Colombo any time she wanted to,
she chooses not to do so.
Navi Pillay has been accused of a lot of things, but
certainly she cannot be naive. She would have heard the truth
about visits to Sri Lanka by foreign delegations, foreign civil
servants and foreign observer missions.
From Julie Bishop to the recent US member of the House of
Representatives, and the Indian parliamentary delegation, nobody
that had seen the situation on the ground has failed to be
impressed.
Navi Pillay knows this. But, she has a certain narrative
presented to her, by non-governmental organizations that are now
mandated to be resource persons for the UN Human Rights
Commission. That narrative comes with spooky horror movie sound
effects.
It has visuals that would make Stephen King stiffen. Of
course these special effects may be presented Oscar aspirant
style, without any kind of effort at authentication.
So it could be said that Pillay has been exposed to UN
Hollywood. That has a numbing effect, the kind of
lightheadedness that people feel when they come out of a Kung-fu
movie, as if they are chopping them up and chopping them down,
practicing that handy ancient Chinese art ...
It seems very difficult therefore for persons who are dazzled
by a celluloid narrative to adjust their eyes to the bright
sunlight. If Ms. Navi Pillay came here, from the time she sets
foot at the Bandaranaike airport she would be forced to take
those blinkers off, even if she chooses to keep her Ray-Bans on,
that is.
This seems to be the problem. This sounds ridiculous too.
Part of the new UN sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka takes out
reams of paragraphs apparently to speak of allowing 'unfettered
access' to UN civil servant types. But when one of the persons
at the top of the ladder is free to come and see for herself,
she desists but prefers to take-in the movie version and write
rave reviews on it!
This is why there should be a serious move to rotate the
venue of the UN Human Rights Council sessions among member
nations. That will give a chance while sessions are ongoing, for
delegations to get a first hand view of what exactly they are
talking about.
Sri Lanka could bid for hosting the sessions and then of
course Ms. Navi Pillay has to be here. It is a good bet that all
of the heads of states and the delegations that are to be here
at the Commonwealth sessions later this year would get the kind
of first hand experience that Navi Pillay has not availed
herself of.
Full transparency has been the policy of the Sri Lankan
establishment, and this was articulated by the President in his
Independence Day speech when he said Eva Balawa quoting the
ancient texts. Those who have not availed themselves of this
opportunity certainly seem to be having some sort of an
inability to confront the truth, and under the circumstances it
must be mandated that top UN civil servants visit the countries
in question before they make pronouncements related to them.
But we have come to this. Here is a country being accused of
a lack of reconciliation, lack of this, that and the other
regarding post war governance pursuits, that has to implore
people to come. Can they expect that from a government that has
things to hide, or has not done the job?
Its why, as they say, Pillay has to come and see, and then
say her piece -- or else hold her peace forever. |