The Katchatheevu politics
The Sri Lanka Navy is under fire for having a Buddha statue on the Katchatheevu/Kachchativu Island, situated 50 nautical miles from the northern mainland.
Responding to accusations, Navy headquarters emphasized that as most of the naval personnel, attached to the Naval Detachment, on the Kachchativu Island, were Buddhist, they pay homage to a modest Buddha Statue installed in close proximity to their billet.
Those deployed on the island are accommodated in a temporarily-constructed billet as no other fixed structures, besides St. Anthony’s Church, are allowed therein.
The Hindu , in its online edition, on March 31, 2023, dealt with the issue. In a story headlined ‘Installing of Buddha statues in Sri Lanka’s Kachatheevu raises hackles,’ senior correspondent R. A. Radhakrishnan quoted Pattali Makkal Katchi leader, S. Ramadoss, as having said that Buddha statues were a national security threat as it would be the first step for something more sinister. Ramadoss wanted New Delhi to take steps to remove the statues.
The Hindu writer, R.A. Radhakrishnan, found fault with President Ranil Wickremesinghe for essentially following the policies of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Perhaps Ramadoss should explain how the installation of a Buddha statue, or two statues as alleged by some interested parties, could threaten a nuclear armed member of the US-led ‘Quad’ security alliance. Ramadoss, another opportunist politician, owed an explanation, regarding his unprecedented threat assessment. Before long, some other politician would probably claim that the Chinese plan to build a listening post on that island.
The Katchatheevu issue, too, is all part of the propaganda project directed at Sri Lanka. One fine day, the same lot would question the need for an SLN detachment on Katchatheevu. In fact, such external interventions pose quite a significant threat to post-war Sri Lanka.
The Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC), chaired by retired Vice Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, MP, should examine the contentious Katchatheevu issue, taking into consideration the overall challenges caused by the developing political-economic-social crisis. The responsibility on the part of the executive, legislature and judiciary, had to be scrutinized against the backdrop of the China vs ‘Quad’ battle.
The 12-member SOC, included war-winning Army Commander Sarath Fonseka, now a member of the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). Field Marshal Fonseka and R.A. Weerasekera, in spite of their much publicized differences on political issues, should adopt a common agenda at the SOC. The Katchatheevu issue is certainly not an isolated development but part of a strategy meant to target Sri Lanka.
Unfortunately, political parties, represented in Parliament here, seem incapable of addressing the growing challenges. Bankrupt Sri Lanka, caught up in the China-Quad battle should expect the continuation of instability as the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa dispensation tries to stabilize its hold at the expense of the long overdue Local Government polls. There cannot be any dispute that the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill (ATB) is in line with the current dispensation’s overall strategy to suppress growing political dissent.
Regardless of repeated vows to defeat the ATB, both in and outside Parliament, the Opposition lacked the wherewithal to thwart the government’s agenda. Their only hope is the Supreme Court. The recent SC determination on a Bill, titled ‘Central Bank of Sri Lanka,’ pleased the vast majority of people. Therefore, those who are determined to thwart the ATB should move the SC, as the last resort, to derail the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa strategy.
Unfortunately, an issue such as Katchatheevu is going to be put on a back burner.
