Trump sacking Samantha Power, Nisha Biswal, Tom Malinowski and Susan Rice caused, in the Sinhala colloquial manner of saying, coconut-size lettered headlines, especially in the Sinhala media. These four were the key U.S. State Department officials who were instrumental in the regime change in Sri Lanka, rebranding Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam from hardcore terrorist prisoners to political prisoners, imprisoning Military Intelligence officers and men under the Prevention Of Terrorism Act whilst pressurizing the Sri Lankan Government (SLG) to repeal the ‘draconian’ law and passing the UNHRC resolution against Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes. They even convinced the SLG to become a co-signatory to this resolution.
This SLG did without presenting a shred of evidence to defend our military forces, despite having the Paranagama Report at hand. This report, compiled after exhaustive investigations by world renowned legal and military experts on war crimes and genocide, would have thrown this farce of a resolution to the bin. Curiously, the SLG felt restoring relationships with the West was far more important than standing up for our country.
When the West was reacting to the defeat of the LTTE in no different manner to the fox who could not get his grapes, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera especially and almost unilaterally felt it was best to go with the flow. He ought to have emphasized that all we did was protect our sovereignty against a most brutal, globally-funded terrorist force and highlight the unique challenges that was thrown at us for the past 30 or so years that had us nearly buckled.
When the rest of the world was abysmally failing in the war against terrorism, we succeeded because we changed our tactic from warfare to humanitarian operation. We were not only saving the civilians caught in the crossfire, but also the very cadres who were indoctrinated to terrorism. Our target became the top leadership, who for so long had refused to be reasonable and those who refused to lay arms. After all, we were not trying to get at oil or other natural resources of another, nor were we trying to protect something like the petrodollar that is a key factor to global poverty.
Conveniently all forgot that it was India who exported terrorism to Sri Lanka and the atrocities committed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force. Thus, no one had an issue with India sitting with the West to shake their heads gravely at us for our ‘conduct’ and join forces to insist on credible investigations into the allegations of faceless, nameless witnesses.
Together, they have insulted our entire judiciary mechanism so they can be the jury, the prosecutor and the judge. Apparently, we cannot be trusted to deliver justice. They even tried fresh attempts to reverse the Sinnarasa verdict that was delivered by our Supreme Courts. The intention is not out of sympathy for a young man found guilty of several acts of terrorism. It is so to create a precedence to directly interfere with the judgements delivered in our courts by our judiciary.
It is in this backdrop, that their dismissal was reported that these four, who bullied Sri Lanka, had been sacked by Trump. Wittingly or unwittingly, this created the sensation that they were terminated because they bullied us. For the Sri Lankan Trump camp, this is a gleeful vindication. Under Trump, they said, Sri Lanka would be safe.
However, removing these four bullies benefitting Sri Lanka was a pure coincidence. They were not dismissed for what they did to Sri Lanka, nor in support of Sri Lanka. They were removed in the ruthless purge to toss out all those who are standing in Trump’s way. It is in this same manner Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates. She was not sure if the executive order on the immigration ban suspending immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries was legal. Hence, she ordered Justice Department lawyers to refrain from enforcing the ban.
She was immediately identified as an Obama loyalist, for she was appointed by him. As such, her stand was interpreted as a serious mistake where she placed her loyalties above her responsibilities. Her instructions to the lawyers were construed as staging a mutiny. Thus, within three hours, she was relieved of her duties.
Coincidentally, Acting AG Suhada Gamlath was also similarly relieved of his duties by the incumbent government, when he too had questions on the legality of certain tasks he was to carry out. It is amidst these eyebrow raising incidents that Biswal declared in one of her many visits to Sri Lanka, that democracy has been restored in our country. Therefore, by the same logic, it is democracy that is been restored we see in all these terminations of those identified as political stooges of the previous regime.
Trump is on a quest to make America great again by protecting American jobs and industries for Americans. Sri Lanka does not factor in any way in his mission. His challenges lie in balancing India so its markets are open for America, without having to give away any jobs to India. He would like to become friends with Russia again. Obviously, it would take more than a handshake to fix that relationship. Especially with Putin shrugging off Obama’s attempt to punish him over Ukraine as of no significance, Trump will have to find a way to make amends without losing face.
For all Obama’s gung-ho pivot from the Middle East to East Asia, China became the assertive force and threatened the strategic trade alliances US had built over the long years with Asia-Pacific partners like Japan, South Korea, Australia and even Taiwan. When Trump accepted the congratulatory call from the Taiwanese president, the anti-Trump diplomatic community was aghast. This to them proved their point that he is both raw and ignorant of protocol. As unwilling as they are though, it also shows the aggressiveness with which Trump will try to reset US relations with their partners. His abrasive message is loud and clear: he is not afraid of the dragon.
For him, Sri Lanka and its issues are as relevant as the color of Mars. For our part also, we have made absolutely no attempt to make use of the upheaval US currently undergoing. We have not brought true facts of our case to his attention, nor do we have a plan to do so. In fact, our FM is on record expressing his disappointment over Trump’s win.
Unfortunately, he does not see the UNHRC Resolution as a problem. Therefore, he sees no reason to contest or renegotiate this Resolution. Even though certain aspect of it, such as the so-called hybrid courts are politically contentious, that both the president and the PM had distanced themselves from it, the SLG does not see this as the moment to seize the opportunity to throw it out. The FM is absolutely resolute that the SLG stands by wholeheartedly with the Resolution.
When president Sirisena protested and declared that he will never allow foreign participated courts to be established specifically to prosecute our military, the FM explained it as the personal opinion of president Sirisena only. The FM appears to belong to that strange group who lives in Sri Lanka without the least respect for Sri Lanka or anything Sri Lankan. Otherwise, why would he discount the role India played during which Tamils from Tamil dominated areas moved to live in the Sinhala majority areas. Even after the scourge of terrorism is eradicated, there is no sign of these Tamils moving back.
It is not only president Sirisena who had taken exception to the Resolution. Since the passing of the Resolution with the co-signature of the SLG, the vast majority of the people have gone into a shell. In the immediate aftermath of January 8, nearly everyone had cast his vote for this government. However, especially since this Resolution, hardly anyone owns up to such an act. The simmering resentment is obvious at both the 2016 and 2017 Independence Day. Usually on this day, every household and establishment, even buildings in the making and almost every vehicle has the National Flag fluttering. However, this year and last year, the Flag flutters only from an odd building here and there and very few vehicles on the road.
Yet, the SLG remains blind to the people’s silent protest. Unfortunately, none of the other groups that are vociferous in defending the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka had also failed so far to pick up the baton. Therefore, so far neither a political group nor an expatriate group had strategized on a way to bring Trump to our side.
India on the other hand, has lost no time to recover. India had it made under the Obama regime. Even for the permanent seat at the UN Security Council, Obama supported India. According to The Wire, “India’s software services accounted for USD 82 billion-worth of exports in the financial year ending in March 2015, according to the Reserve Bank of India; 60 per cent of that figure came from North America.”
Trump on the other hand promises to bring back American jobs to America, and has been very critical of jobs been outsourced to India and China. He has also vowed to scrap out H-1B visas, which would directly hit India’s export-led growth. Furthermore, Trump has promised to make those who plan to take their industries overseas pay heavily.
None of these are pleasant to the Indian ears. Yet, instead of wishing for a bygone regime, India is busy working out its best strategy to deal with the changes. As published in these papers last week, Modi has decided to extend his trusted adviser and foreign secretary Dr. Jaishankar by another year – an exceptional step for Indian administration. An experienced diplomat, Jaishankar is expected to steer India to its goal in the unpredictability predicted of Trump’s tenure.
Furthermore, India is also seen strengthening its relationship with Russia, who might soon be another link to Trump’s ear. India is also hoping that Russia getting close to US will wean Russia from China.
These developments should ring an alarm bell to us. If Trump is going to take away Indian jobs back to US, what could he do to make up to India. It might come to his attention, that right at the tip of India’s southernmost tip is an island that India has been coveting for a very long time. That island is home to a nation whose national pride has corroded, national identity is confused and without any understanding on national security. It might occur to him that this island would make a reasonable gift to the Indians to ensure their markets, whilst keeping a stake for America as well.
It is important to remember that Trump did not take the American establishment to bring world peace or rectify wrongs rendered by America. He wants to make America great again and he would not care whose toes he has to trample. Power et el were sent home simply because they stood for everything Trump saw as part of the problem.
If we read anything else in those terminations and wait for Trump to come to our rescue and right the wrong, we are going to be sitting ducks. If we do not create opportunities to meet our own needs, then soon we will be forced to join the Democrats and hope either Trump will miraculously decide to step down or drop dead.
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