The GSP/WC/HRV COCKTAIL ….
by Special Correspondent
Over the past 2-3 years, whenever the UN Human Rights Council is due
to meet in Geneva, foreign and local anti-Sri Lankan campaigners raise
the GSP+ issue, initiate war crime (WC) accusations, and make Human
Rights Violations (HRV) charges.
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ONE OF THE
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It is clear that this GSP/WC/HRVC cocktail, is a popular Western
weapon to push selected countries to follow the Western line. Towards
that end, the Western powers initially entice developing country leaders
to betray their countries’ sovereignty for the GSP+ that they offer,
just the same way the High Priests enticed Judas to betray Jesus Christ
with 30 pieces of silver. But, whenever the West realizes that they are
unsuccessful in their attempt because of patriotic leaders, they launch
the WC/HRV missile. For those WC/HRV attacks, they usually recruit
certain Western NGOs and gullible locals who are then showered
generously with Dollars and Euros, today's equivalent of Judas’ silver.
That's how this deadly cocktail is concocted.
As of now, the indications are that the US will move a resolution
against Sri Lanka at the forthcoming UNHRC. It is also likely that the
US/EU combination will use their muscle to browbeat smaller countries to
vote for this resolution. Thereafter, the US and EU will proudly pat
themselves on the back, saying they have put an “upstart” nation in its
place. Even so, right thinking people of the world will know that, in so
doing, the US has deliberately ignored the significant reconciliation on
the ground and the enormous development in the North and East of Sri
Lanka.
Election campaign
Further, they will see that the US has also willfully refused to
acknowledge the basic principle that human rights include the right to
life, livelihood, sanitation, health, education, political freedom and
many other rights, which rights were non-existent during the time that
various parts of the Northern and Eastern provinces were controlled by
the LTTE. The world already knows that during those times, US/EU
politicians were deafeningly silent about WC and HRV. Obviously, that
was because they were more interested in the Tamil diaspora
contributions which were funding their election campaigns.
Today also, the US/EU agenda is driven by former LTTE groups under
different names, and as a result, the US/EU's distorted political stance
has made them to even overlook the advantage of having a strategically
located country like Sri Lanka at a neutral position viz-a-viz the
emerging global powers in the Indian ocean.
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SECURITY
FORCES PERSONNEL HELPING AN ELDERLY PERSON DURING THE
HUMANITARIAN OPERATION |
Even at this late stage, US/EU politicians must understand that Sri
Lankans are an intelligent community, and that the West's double
standards are obvious to all Sri Lankans.
Proud nation
If the West believes that they could secure obedience and servility
from a proud nation by bringing obnoxious resolutions, they will soon
realize that they generate just the opposite reaction. It is therefore
hoped that, soon, the US/EU group would realize that it would be much
better for them to take an objective and fair view of the ground
conditions in all parts of Sri Lanka, which would probably lead them to
treat Sri Lanka in a respectful manner. It is only then that they could
genuinely assist Sri Lanka's reconciliation process and its transition
to a middle income nation.
Any unbiased person would readily concede that the successes of Sri
Lanka in the North and East, during the past four years have been
incredible. Over 400,000 deadly land mines have been removed. More than
300,000 IDPs have been resettled. Over 10,000 former LTTE cadres have
been rehabilitated and released. Government and economic services, and
social infrastructure that had been damaged/destroyed by the LTTE have
been restored. Hundreds of thousands of livelihoods have been created,
enabling the people to engage in productive economic activity. Military
presence has been significantly reduced. Political activity has been
encouraged. Overall, the economic growth in the Northern Province has
been higher than in any post-conflict area, in any part of the world, at
any time!
LLRC recommendations
It must also be recalled that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
was introduced in South Africa, 8 years after the end of Apartheid. In
contrast, the Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was
established in Sri Lanka within 2 years of the end of the 30 year
conflict, and the LLRC has already reported their findings as well as
proposed certain recommendations. The implementation of the
recommendations is now in progress under the supervision of the top-most
bureaucrat in the country. It is unbelievable that these Sri Lanka
initiatives could be unknown to the US/EU powers. But, as the old saying
goes: “There's none so blind as those who do not wish to see!”
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VOCATIONAL
TRAINING FOR NORTHERN YOUTH |
What then must be the West's problem? Recent actions of the West
confirm that, they may have probably preferred if Sri Lanka was not able
to defeat Prabhakaran and his terror outfit, and as a consequence there
was continuous turmoil at the Southern tip of the India Ocean. They may
have also preferred if a servile and weak government was in office in
Sri Lanka, leading to the destabilization in the region, which would
have, in turn, provided the West with an excuse to use Sri Lanka as
their happy hunting ground. The fact that 20 million Sri Lankans were
suffering from the acute pain of terrorism for 3 decades would have been
of little consequence to those selfish powers. But unfortunately for
them, Sri Lanka's political leadership was courageous enough to chart a
different course for the country, which led to the eradication of
terrorism. They were also smart enough to take the necessary measures to
bring about harmony and peace in the country thereafter. These outcomes
obviously were not to the liking of the West, and that seems to be their
real problem!
However, even at this stage, it may be time for the US/EU to
acknowledge that 20 million Sri Lankans have the human right to live in
peace, harmony and dignity. Sri Lanka is a nation with a proud 2,500
year history, culture and tradition. The Sri Lankan people collectively
know what is good for the country, much better than what the US/EU and
the former colonial powers could ever know or suggest. That is why it is
now time for those self-appointed guardians to back-off and let the Sri
Lankans manage their own affairs, without trying to destabilize the
country through their deadly GSP/WC/HRV cocktail.
The US authorities would also do well to remember that memories of
nations stretch across many generations, and are much longer than in the
case of individual human beings. In that context, those countries which
bullied Sri Lanka would be remembered with suspicion and mistrust for
centuries, while the countries which stood by Sri Lanka would be
remembered for centuries with gratitude and trust.
The age-old children's bedtime story, where the mighty grizzly bear,
when caught in the hunter's trap had to seek the assistance of the tiny
mouse to set itself free, is perhaps relevant to recount today. The
moral of that story is that, the day will come, when the mighty have to
depend on the weak for their survival. By that story, little children
were advised not to be arrogant and unkind to others, even though they
were strong. That advice is still good.
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