Revolutions

The dictionary definition of a political revolution is the overthrow or an attempt to do so of a government by it's own people. It is usually associated with violence and generally caused by the venting of the frustration of a long suffering people who have been betrayed repeatedly by the state. Generally the leaders of such movements are charismatic and attract the young who are dissolution and genuinely seek change. The state invariably uses unimaginable brute force to suppress such expression and in some cases with success that inevitably has the tactical backing of other regional players or vice versa which ends up by the downfall of the government. The end result is very little change but definitely a more unstable and hostile environment which deteriorates into further oppression who ever the victor and the people, are always, to use the politically correct buzz word, end up as collateral damage and the incorrect word screwed right royally ! There are two other words that define a revolution one is technical , an object that moves around another at an equidistant in a circle and the other Cabal implying a group of plotters with an intent to overthrow a government.

I am yet to see a revolution that ended up in a just society that is completely free of oppression or for that matter any that is. There is always some degree of state intervention in some insidious form or the other. Of course the West is probably an example of at least the trappings of functioning democracies and the checks and balances ensure that fair play is the norm and not the exception. But there are the instances where the system fucks up. But fortunately at least to the extent I am aware of they are few and far between. The USA was always associated with justice and so are the others but invariably what they don't or can't do at home they do with a vengeance elsewhere.

I guess it's something to do with the brain composition of these Revolutionaries. Something happens when they are in power and they tend to forget why they wanted to fight in the first place. If the level of violence in achieving their goals is high the intensity with which they suppress dissent within their own rank and file and by extension the very people they represent intensifies proportionately. The I can't do no wrong mentality becomes a truth and a monkey wrench gets chucked into the gears. The mistrust of those who may voice genuine concerns becomes a threat and the elimination process starts and it is not very long before the rot sets in. They don't see that once the job is done it is time to let go and allow normalcy and decency to set in so that the social order quickly stabilizes and the purpose of change is not compromised. Instead of doing just that they end up by consolidating their power and transform themselves to the spitting image of what they despised. The irony of it is if and when these despots do get thrown out the song and dance they make about how they have sacrificed their entire life serving the people and how ungrateful everybody is and how gladly they would have done so long time ago if only the people had a genuine alternative to ensure the peace prosperity and happiness that was his or her legacy. Of course the size of their personal fortune amassed doing this service for the people and the suffering imposed on the people are the prize for freedom that so many sacrificed their lives for !!! To get closer home now.

All three definitions are very relevant to Sri Lanka we had two attempts to overthrow the government by the JVP one in 1971 and the other during the period 1987 to 1989. Both were unsuccessful and in the first the force deployed by the state to suppress the JVP was shocking. The official figures was a hand full of the forces as opposed to 15,000 dead. I wonder what the reality was. The one of 1987 to 1989 was the worst. The violence unleashed by both participants in this so called struggle for freedom by one and in the cause of defending the Motherland by the other was unbelievable. I am not aware of any figures but I used to travel quite frequently to some of the hot spots of that time and have witnessed the most gruesome mutilations of the human body that only a genuine state of the art psychopath could have conjured. Those images still haunt me.

The other freedom fighter with a different cause, that of liberating his people from the Sinhalese Racist Regime, ( his words not mine ) was of a class of his own. Not only was he the most feared terrorist in the world but had the Sri Lankan Government on it's knees. He probably would have realized his dream of a separate state had his ego not overtaken his brilliance in holding on to a big chunk of the Island for such a long time and not quickly transforming that into a workable solution that would have ensured that he died peacefully with military honors or all the tapestry of royalty rather than being hunted like a dog and shot dead trying to surrender. So much for the freedom fighter who demanded fanatical loyalty to the extent that his cadre commit suicide rather than fall into Sinhala hands.

The tragedy that is unfortunate in all these conflicts is the death toll and the effect on the people and the psychological trauma it has had on the nation and the scars that will take a long time to heal. An entire generation has known only conflict and the new will not have the time or skills to cater to the headaches of the baggage that the older will be carrying. They will have there own problems to worry about. Unfortunately the Victor has not seen the responsibility or the need to heal these wounds and quickly bridge these gaps in the social system and look at political solutions and find genuine techniques for a a durable answer. History has this nasty habit of being repetitive and as any casual student of the subject will realize the sequel is far more bloodier than the preceding release. Unfortunately in Sri Lanka we rewrite history to suite the present political expediences rather than basing it on facts. So the books are already churning out the revised edition for consumption by the population at large.

The other two definitions are appropriate and worthwhile contemplating. We have come a full circle and outwardly everything seems back to normal, or is it ? It started at the same point and has the situation that set the ball rolling changed. ? The victor is riding high but it is then that the fall is very nasty, the vanquished are brow beaten and submissive and that it is when they renew and are the most dangerous. The Cabal ( in Sinhala it means Junk fit to be thrown out ) is dead and their memory will not be of any significance in the immediate future. The issues haven’t changed and the wound has not healed the infection is still there. On the 4th of February 2011 the Democratic Socialistic Republic of Sri Lanka Celebrated 63 years of independence. Even at this age we have still not learned from our mistakes !