Negligible Minoritist

Sri Lankan leaders seem to be suffering from a severe case of FITMS – Foot in the Mouth Syndrome. Coming at a time when Sri Lanka is being increasingly marginalized by the international community it is imperative that our leaders speak with a clear voice. Furthermore a clear voice alone will not suffice. They need to make sense and they need to gain credibility for themselves as well as the country through what they say.

However our present leaders seem intent on sending us further “down the pallan” while the people of the country continue to fund their trips abroad. I believe it is well within our rights to question the statements made by our leaders in international forums which continue to make the country look like a banana republic.

For instance Caitlin’s GYCA blog on the 8th ICAAP noted that President Rajapakse had made a “bizzare” speech. His excellency had noted that drugs and alcohol  lead to more drug abuse and thus to HIV infection. He has quite clearly shown himself to be a greater expert on the subject of AIDS than all 2200 delegates who had gathered for the congress.

Nimal Siripala De Silva whom i considered the more respectable of many of the government ministers, is also eminently capable of blowing his foot of off with a rocket propelled grenade. At the closing ceremony of ICAAP he had noted that Sri Lanka doesn’t promote gay and lesbian relationships as we have pretty girls and smart guys who can get married. He also noted that condoms are not really necessary since we are a monogamous society. I believe he missed his vocation – he should have been a sociologist. Furthermore at a recent UNFPA event to felicitate two of their female staff members he had noted that “no wonder the rate of HIV Infection is going up. Look at the amount of women in this room”!

You see in Sri Lanka HIV/AIDS is not really the most fearful communicable disease; Foot in the Mouth Syndrome is.