SRI LANKA: Duty to feel high about Mau-Bima

An Article from the Asian Human Rights Commission
SRI LANKA: Duty to feel high about Mau-Bima
Basil Fernando

"What is this talk about the stock market?" I asked a friend, who is lawyer and also a businessman. "It is all through fraud," he said, adding, "I also lost ninety lakhs." When I asked a person holding very a high post in government the same question, he said, "Oh, I have given up long time ago. Don't you know our fellows!" he laughed.

The casual way of talking about fraud even when they themselves have been the losers is by now quite Sri Lankan-like. Everyone has gotten used to expecting fraud everywhere. There is no high expectation about anything and, as a result, there is hardly any sense of disappointment on hearing the worst. Commenting on a news story appearing in the papers yesterday about a young man killing two young children, a journalist said, "This is what we see whenever we open a newspaper every day." Even news of grievous crimes brings up no anger, not even a surprise.

However, the President wants the people to be proud of their country! Love of Mau-Bima is his favorite theme.

Stock market fraud and reports of grievous crimes he does not see as problems of Mau-Bima. You may feel low about everything around you. But you must feel high about Mau-Bima. Even if everything has turned ugly and sour, you are expected to have a sweet feeling about Mau-Bima

Perhaps the only people feeling high are those who benefit from massive fraud. They must be sharing the high feelings for Mau-Bima with the President.

In Hong Kong, young students are protesting against a curriculum change, which they fear is designed for brainwashing, where teachers would be expected to test how high students feel about their 'Chineseness'.

Perhaps these young students understand that such ways of feeling high will only turn them into idiots.

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