Rajiva Wijesinha

“ That I think is why they find my writings, and those of the others Prof Uyangoda thinks capable of writing reasonably good English, so irritating. In the first place, they have been used for the last few years on having a monopoly on constructive use of English, which they have used to obtain vast amounts of funding to continue with their primary task, which is to find even greater amounts of funding, for all the good their surveys and awareness raising and films about dancing butterflies and so on have produced. ”

“ I have long believed that, when people make outrageous charges, whether or not in good faith, this is generally because the practices they highlight are those they themselves are used to. And here, to my mind, was proof of this, for what Bradman Weerakoon was signing for, presumably on behalf of the Prime Minister who had appointed him to such exalted positions, was a project designed to provide over 20 million rupees worth of goods and services to the LTTE Peace Secretariat. ”

“ It is not a wonder that they seek to denigrate the current government, hoping for a change that may bring back some elements of the eighties, but elements that now know to use amenable civil society elements instead of engaging in the confrontation of those days. ”

“ They have to raise funds and, in particular for those who deal not in practical outcomes but in unquantifiable abstracts, what might be termed the Bradman Weerakoon mindset was much more favourable. And so the project document I have before me now, and the record of disbursements to many institutes and other beneficiaries, suggests why Prof Uyangoda and his ilk find my approach, and that of the present government, so irritating. But in fact they should be thankful. ”

“ For the proponents of theory, as this project document and I suspect many others will make clear, there is the hope once again of massive funding, thrown into their laps as it were by decision makers.
The Industry’s hopes for the future
So it is scarcely a wonder that they long once again for Bradman, so ceremoniously installed as Chairman too of ICES, to become Prime Minister’s Secretary for the fourth or is it the fifth time. ”

“ But, as we can see, they also have much more to gain from another, at least those who, unlike Sarvodaya and many other local quietly achieving grassroots entities, do not have a distinctive reputation for practical achievements on behalf of Sri Lankan people. ”

“ To give Radhika her due, the events of 1983 emboldened her finally, and she brought out with logistic support from ICES a publication that set out very clearly the context of the ethnic violence of the time. Yet again, typically, doubtless to keep the Board happy, the publication was through something called the Committee for Rational Development, and Dayan Jayatilleka had to take the lead. ”