Entry of C.V. Wigneswaran

Friday, 2 August 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

It was sweet music in the ear, hearing of the entry of C.V. Wigneswaran to the political arena, even though only at provincial level. It is fervently hoped that his rather late ‘quick march’ on to the political parade ground will be seen as a march ‘on the double’ (he was the Senior Sergeant of the Royal College Senior Cadet Platoon) to national politics.

Considering the present political climate of Sri Lanka, the entry of C.V. Wigneswaran is viewed as a panacea by all right-minded patriotic citizens of all hues. A mature legal luminary with unimpeachable professional conduct will undoubtedly be seen in the images of those of the calibre of Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam, Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan and a more recent figure of Lakshman Kadirgamar. He has stepped in as the Chief Ministerial Candidate of the TNA. This automatically labels him a ‘Tamil’ politician, which is unfortunate as he should rise as a national figure, surpassing sectarian interest, upholding and bearing the national interest foremost. This celebrated personality was seen speaking in his mother tongue, on being welcomed as a Judge of the Supreme Court. This indeed is a rare gesture by any standard, in this day and age. If one can be proud of and respect his mother tongue, and even demonstrate it at the highest echelon, then he has shown his mettle and proven his ability to respect his motherland and its people. It would do well for him to remember certain antecedents of a constituent of the TNA; the ‘Federal’ Party of S.J.V. Chelvanayakam – Federal in English sounds innocent, but to the Tamil speaking, it was ‘Thamil Arasu Kachhi,’ meaning ‘Tamil Government Party’ – a different connotation altogether! A government should be national and cannot be either Tamil or Sinhalese. Such misleads have been made on both sides of the divide, obviously for short term gain, but to the eventual detriment of the country, as witnessed umpteen number of times in recent history. As of today, we see bunches of bigots being used by influential elements to stoke the flames of racial hatred and religious intolerance, with sinister attempts to take the country back to the dark eras, for the advantage of a few. Unless this is nipped in the bud, the country’s future will be bleak. It is in this back drop that entry of C.V. Wigneswaran is viewed with delight. It is hoped many more of the educated and mature patriotic fraternity, of all hues, will follow suit, and not leave C.V. Wigneswaran in isolation; as a last ditch they should come forward to save our motherland, and embark on a political role, effectively displacing hoodlums and thugs currently occupying the hallowed precincts of our national body politic. Good luck C.V. Wigneswaran! A Professional