Hobson’s choice is a free choice, in which only one thing is offered. Because a person may refuse to accept what is offered, the two options are taking it or taking nothing. In other words, one may “take it or leave it”. So say the most popular dictionary. Prominent female writer, in a very interesting article about the situation in the country, said in the heading that our future political choice is a Hobson’s choice between clowns and murderers.
Even if we accept her categorization, how this can be a Hobson’s choice? Clowns mean life, maybe with fools fun but murderers mean death and absolute misery. I certainly have a choice here: clowns; it is not a Hobson’s choice but a very logical choice. However, I am happy that she is on the side of democracy while calling the Yahapalanaya is a clownish affair! What to do liberal politics often take clownish turns.
Democratic activists most certainly condemn fascistic statements akin to death threats, violence and hate speech, against the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), Dr. Deepika Udagama. Each and every member expresses grave concern and alarm at these statements and extends their solidarity and support to Dr. Udagama. It welcomes the independent, substantive and transparent policy interventions made by the HRCSL under Dr. Udagama’s leadership. This led to the recent threats.
Democratic movement reiterates that this is part of the mandate of the HRCSL and applauds its commitment to continue despite threats. The nature of the attack against Dr. Udagama is of course nothing new. Rear Admiral Weerasekara and other fascistic elements like him routinely seek to discredit, degrade and dismiss opinions and actions of those that they are not in agreement with as the work of NGOs kaka, tiger or Koti terrorists and unpatriotic traitors. They suppress reasoned and rational debate.
Again and again, we have to discuss the intervention of UN organisations for HR or labour laws with the intention of improving social and environmental conditions in developing countries like LANKA. So-called intellectuals who are patriotic for the wrong reasons, come out with strange arguments to build up and show, social and cultural imperialism within those UN activities. Now, these days are not happy times for Lanka according to them, because UN bosses in their wisdom can appoint a panel to advise them on Lanka which is according to our fascistic activists, a rank insult to our status as a member state of the United Nations! In addition, it is a blatant abuse of office and contravention of that no government of a sovereign country with any sense of dignity could agree to and as such would inevitably lead to the withdrawal of GSP Plus concessions.
This thinking is near idiotic as Lankan workers are happy if concessions are withdrawn because of poor implementation of labour laws and human rights conditions. Obviously, markets should be open, only production here should be with minimum conditions for environment, labour laws and human rights.
Pro labour organisations
It is nonsense to say beggars cannot be choosers; we have to agree with American and European workers when they demand that part of profit should go to improve the life of Lankan workers. We must be in solidarity with the workers in outfits such as the UN and EC and other pro labour organisations within global capitalism. We continue to see ourselves as the HR campaigners and want us to believe we are; then we have no cause for complaint.
The plus side is that we are no beggars by choice but by unattended circumstances. So when my friends in the Fourth International sent me documents explaining what they are doing to safeguard the gains in the global system it was well; also a well of pure ‘spring water’, won by solidarity and common effort!. We can say, unadulterated by the poisons that ‘development’ and its necessary accompanist, dependency capitalism inject into the groundwater reserves of our sense of being and becoming.
There are, then deserts still without workers solidarity and deserts, some which are dry and some which through human and labour laws beyond belief still appear active and bargaining simply because masses have been divested of the eyes to see green, wealth and potential and therefore necessarily see dust, desolation and nothing.
Withdrawing GSP Plus does not amount to sealing the wells that could quench our national thirst, no. It is a measure arranged by world solidarity of workers and human rights organisations; it can, intentionally, of course, help open eyes so that we can see the reservoirs that we have access to and the fascistic forces that we should defeat.
New Constitution
Fascistic elements said “In its haste to regain the GSP Plus facility, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has agreed with the European Union (EU) to implement a sprawling list of 58 conditions linking human rights, national security and other domestic concerns with trade, a document obtained by the Sunday Times shows.
Among the 58 conditions imposed are to revoke the Prevention of Terrorism Act, to expedite cases of remaining detainees, to introduce a new Human Rights Action Plan, review the status of the Tamil diaspora organisations and individuals on the terrorist list, to devolve power under the new Constitution, return all private lands to owners in the North, adopt a policy of National Reconciliation and on National Resettlement, finalize the re-settlement of all displaced persons, and to ratify the Convention on Enforced Disappearances with accompanying legislation as well as issue certificates of absence. The EU insists that the conditions be met before Sri Lanka can even consider applying for the GSP Plus.” But things turn in a different manner. The ongoing democratic revolution could convince both EU and UN that progress and promises for democracy are reasonable enough to remove the conditions.
Lanka could enjoy the preferential tariff regime of General System of Preferences Plus (GSP Plus) facility with the European Union until as late as 2023, asserted with the sentiments expressed by the European Delegation in Lanka. GSP Plus is only awarded to countries in the low and lower-middle income categories as classified by the World Bank, and an upgrade to an upper middle-income country makes it ineligible for the GSP Plus facility, according to EU Regulation 978/2012. They expect Lanka to reach that (upper middle income) by 2019. They also noted that Lanka will have to remain in the upper-middle-income segment for three years, plus another year where the EU will observe the situation before the country becomes ineligible for GSP Plus.
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