All Oppression is Connected

A Thursday think-piece for you.

When the world brings me down I like to listen to the words of those who still have the courage to speak out and call for social change. When everything feels hopeless, and I am inundated with stories of rape, murder, pollution and destruction, I like to imagine that there is still time and still things we can do to make a difference.

I want to scream out loud, all oppression is connected, you dick. At the heart of every radical action in history stood the dykes who were feminists, the anti-racists who were gay rights activists, the men who believed being vulnerable could only make them stronger.

As the violence against us increases, where are the LGBT centers in those neighbourhoods where assaults occur most frequently? As the tide of the Supreme Court changes, where are the marches to support a woman's right to an abortion, and what are we doing about health insurance for those who cannot afford it?

Apparently, if the tragedy does not immediately impact you, you don't give a fuck. A revolution once pregnant with expectations flounders; apathetic and individualistic, no one knows where to vote or what to vote for anymore. The faces that now represent us have begun to look like the ones who used to burn crosses and beat bull daggers and fuck faggots up the ass with loaded guns. The companies that sponsor our events do not honour the way we live or love or dance or pray. Progressive politicians still dance around the issue of gay parenting, and the term marriage is still reserved for those unions sanctioned by a church controlled state.

For all the landmarks we celebrate, we are still niggers and faggots and minstrel references for jokes created on the funny pages of a white heterosexual world. The current LGBT manifesto, the current Left manifesto is a corporate agenda, and out side of that manifesto, a young boy dressed in drag is sucking an adult dick for his dinner, a woman is beaten every 12 seconds, every two minutes a girl is raped somewhere in America, and while we stand here, well dressed and rejoicing, in India, in China, in South America, somewhere a small child cuts the cloth to construct you that new shirt, that new shoe; an old imperialism held upright by the misuse of impoverished lives.

Gather round ye fags, dykes, trannies and all those who are committed to radical, social change. We are not simply at a cross roads. We are buried knee deep in the quagmire of a battle for our very humanity. The powers that have always been have already come for the Jews, the communists, the trade unionists and the terrorists. The time to act is now. Now while there are still ways we can fight. Now, because the rights we have left are still so very few. Now, because it is the right thing to do.

Our Right to Know

To those who have been asking about the latest development on Wijerama Road, it still remains the same, with more building material being stacked along the side of the road. It indeed appears that the road will be widened but what will happen to the bronze stupa at the top of the road is anyone's guess.

But what I really want to write about are the larger issues at hand, than some trees being cut. Some of the comments left on my last post pointed out the realities of the situation, in particular a comment by Abu, which I will reproduce here:

As upsetting as it is to see trees as majestic as these being cut down, the fact of the matter is that one needs a healthy dose of perspective. The reality is that SL's, and therefore Colombo's, roads are becoming more congested each year. The number of motor vehicles in SL stands currently at about 4+m (and growing) and the existing road network just cannot cope with it. The uniflows have gone some ways in reducing it but clearly more needs to be done.

If you take into consideration that Wijerama connects two of the main arteries out of Colombo towards Rajagiriya (one of the fastest growing urban populations in SL) then a widening becomes a no-brainer. It is far more practical to cut down those trees and create more space for vehicular traffic than to waste time, resources and forex on the resultant congestion (and not to mention the air pollution). There just is no other way around it, other than of course building more roads and/or flyovers - which to me is a far worse solution. To those who say we should reduce the number of vehicles, again the reality is that with economic growth, especially off a low base, a widening middle class and the resultant bump in lower middle class income levels, an increase in motor vehicles is inevitable. The fact that they are replanting in more convenient areas on the same road is encouraging and is the right way to go about it. Suggest all take a step back and look at this in practical terms as opposed to emotional ones.

I do agree with this comment for a few reasons, in that it points out the very practical issue of our terribly congested roads. While my personal reaction to the trees being cut down is indeed emotional, because I love trees, there are other issues that need to be talked about on a wider scale; traffic and the pressing need for more efficient mass transport systems, vocal and active citizen movements are some of these. 

One of the other things that struck me, while myself and a few other people were making phone calls and sending emails, trying to find out what is happening, is that we have no place to go to find information, unless you know someone inside the UDA or the CMC, and this causes the apathy and helplessness that many citizens feel when they want to get anything done. That feeling of well, what can we do anyway? I wrote in to the Nation last week about this hugely pressing need for a Right to Information Act, reproduced below:

Those who frequent the stretch between Wijerama Road and Gregory’s Road in Bauddhaloka Mawatha may have noticed a conspicuous absence of tree cover. A process that began on June 26 has now been completed, with large maara trees on the left hand side of the road falling prey to the chainsaws. Uprooted tree stumps and root networks that lay exposed on the road for a few days have now been removed; concrete blocks are now stacked ready for laying. Numerous phone calls revealed that the reason for cutting the trees is to widen the road. Not much else could be ascertained at the time. Decades of growth destroyed within a week.

The citizens of Colombo seem to be left in the dark about what is happening to their city, until the newest addition to Colombo is revealed, by which time small inconveniences like trees and dust are forgotten. This is not the first time we have seen the destruction of the flora and fauna of Colombo. Last year, and again last week, the willows lining Independence Avenue were cut down and replaced by Na trees. Last year Gregory’s Road was cleared for parking vehicles traveling to schools. Wijerama Road is now under construction. The irony of the beautification and greening of Colombo by cutting down its trees has not escaped its residents. Citizens of Colombo need to decide if they’re willing to sacrifice the shade and greenery, not to mention the beauty, of these trees for parking space and jogging paths. It is not a matter to be left to the environmentalists and the “tree huggers” to protect these spaces; if you care about the environs in which you live, and what your taxes are spent on, your voice too needs to be heard.

Which road, which tree is next?
That we have no answers to these questions points to a larger issue at hand: Is there a plan for these new changes? Is this not public information? Where do we go to obtain such information? Without a Right to Information (RTI) Act of any kind, citizens of Sri Lanka have nowhere to direct their queries, unless they have the time and energy to be directed and redirected through a myriad of inefficient and unhelpful government offices.  In its simplest form, an RTI Act would assign a designated officer to whom citizens may direct their queries, ranging from questions on government policies and procedures, to project budgets and plans. Using the above example of Wijerama Road, residents would have been able to request, from the officer designated under the RTI Act, who the implementing body was; what the design of the project is; where the wood is going; and, if it’s a component of a larger traffic flow system, what that system is.  Unfortunately, we are left with hearsay from those cutting the trees, saying the orders came from somewhere in the UDA.

It is also interesting to note that Sri Lanka is one of the only countries in South Asia without an RTI Act.  Numerous attempts at passing Right to Information legislation over the last decade have failed, the last attempt being made by UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya in June 2011, which was subsequently defeated in Parliament by 99 votes to 32. Further to this, it is also a recommendation of the LLRC report that a Right to Information Act be implemented in Sri Lanka. A strong RTI Act is essential for transparency, good governance and democratic processes, and it is indeed telling that the government has time and again blocked, delayed and shown little interest in establishing such legislation in Sri Lanka.  If civil society and citizens do not make a concerted push for this legislation, then we will remain forever in the dark, not knowing what is happening right outside our doorstep.

Published in the Nation, 22nd July 2012. 

Shakti: a celebration of femininity

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Sick Sad Little World

The past few days have shown horrific incidents taking place in this country with regard to the abuse of children. I don't know if the situation has worsened over the years, or that it is brought to our attention more frequently because of increased reporting by all forms of media, but a question I have heard asked many times this week is has it always been this bad? I would hazard a guess and say yes. Abuse is not new, rape is not new; women were getting masturbated on buses long before we started blogging about it. But the more important question now is, what are we going to do about it?

Allow me to bring you up to speed, courtesy a press release from Women and Media Collective, highlighting a few of the incidents that have taken place over the past 6 months.

• The rape and murder of women in Kahawatta (2011/12).
• The abuse of a Russian woman in Tangalla by the Tangalla Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman and 5 others. (December 2011). 
• The abduction and rape of a 13 year old girl by the son of a wealthy businessman in Anuradhapura. (January 2012)
• The rape of a 14 year old girl by the Chairperson of the Akuressa Pradeshiya Sabha and one of his relatives. (March 2012).
• The rape of a 13 year old girl by a member of the Tangalla Municipal Council along with 5 other persons. (June 2012)
• The rape of another 14 year old girl by the Chairperson of the Akuressa Pradeshiya Sabha over a period of two days at a guest house owned by him. (June 2012)
• The rape and murder of a 6 year old girl by a male relative and two of his friends in Wellawatte. (June 2012)

According to SP Ajith Rohana, to date on July 5th, 975 rape cases, out of which approximately 700 were statutory rape cases, have been reported in 2012. In 2011, 1775 rapes were reported, out of which 1169 were statutory rape. Given that research suggests that between 75-95% of rapes are never reported to the police, and using the lower figure of 75%, that gives us a staggering 7100 rapes that have possibly occurred in 2011, out of which 4686 were children. 

But of course these are just numbers. Imagine if you will a small girl, naked, scared, in dreadful pain, while a bunch of drunk men rape her, repeatedly, over a number of days. This is the image I haven't been able to get out of my mind ever since I heard this story. These are small children; it could be my sister, your daughter. What are we doing to stop this?

The fact that many of the accused in the above crimes are government officials would not have escaped your notice. The thought that these people could use their influence and get off with no penalty makes me sick. The fact that law enforcement officials know about these incidents and fail to act immediately due to political influence makes me sick. These are children.

So what are we going to do about it? It's heartening to see the media and citizens picking up these issues and writing to the papers about it. The relevant authorities are talking about it. Even the SLFP has made a weak gesture by sacking their party members. Personally, I am all for castration and life imprisonment but even symbolic gestures are a move towards creating an environment of complete intolerance towards child abuse. Rigourous imprisonment and hefty fines are still completely inadequate for ruining the life of a child, and causing the kind of physical and mental abuse he or she has to live with forever.

There is a protest planned for Friday, at Lipton Circus at 2.00pm. I encourage you to attend. As one of my colleagues said, sometimes you just need to stand up and be counted. But it can't stop there. Be vigilant, be vocal. If you see something, say something, do something. The sexual harassment of women and children, of any person really, is completely and totally unacceptable, and unless we, as citizens, make it known that we will not tolerate it, then we too should be held responsible for the atrocities that take place.

Paving Paradise

About a week ago, the grand old trees down Wijerama Road were being cut down. Those of us who live and work down Gregory's Road noted and expressed our dismay over this. A week later, they are still at it. We assumed it was to make way for school traffic, CIS and DS being around the corners, but I drove by yesterday and saw what looks like Na trees have been transplanted there.