Something tells me its inauspicious to make the first post of a blog relate to a rowdy demagogue, who, in instances where he is tired, shows the true crude metal with which he is made. But, my inspiration, as i write, for some weird reason turns towards this Leader of the “Days to Come” — this wannabe, self-appointed, self-acclaimed Trade Unionist leader and heartbeat of the Working Class, who through the framed exit of Wimal Weerawansa is now the up and coming whip of the JVP paegent: K.D. Lal Kantha.
Lal Kantha was on “360″ on Derana yesterday, being interviewed by Dilka Samanmali. And dude got pissed off a couple of times in face of the penetrating questions posed by Dilka. Lal Kantha is this prototype Communist showcase — displaying a degree of arrogance, inhibit of human emotions and a quasi-stoic mask to shield his human drives. That’s him on stage on a given routine day. His tongue lashes out in all directions cos what he says, as a member of the JVP, holds ground — cos their critique of power has always sold well, since they — as a single party — had never held power, used it nor abused it.
So, in the JVP’s priviliged status of never having run a government, they have always taken the UPFA and UNP to the wire for abuse and corruption. The JVP wing at present is still a “family” on the rise. Since their re-enter into mainstream politics in 1994, the party was grounding itself quite formidably through the rhetoric of Comrade Wimal and the semi-intellectual, rational face located in the likes of Comrades Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Hadunhetti and Bimal Ratnayake. The JVP premise was further re-fashioned by the multi-ethnic representation they proposed through the likes of Anjaan Umma and Muzammil.
Lal Kantha is, however, a guy who stood out in terms of his profile as well as his temperament. He identifies himself as a Trade Unionist and a champion of the TUs. His words cut, but they lack the artistic brilliance and the quick wit of Weerawansa’s absorbing oratorical toolkit. Nor has it Weerawansa’s depth, perceptiveness and power of appeal. But, Lal Kantha — in what I see as a stubborn love for the self over the party — championed Wimal’s execution.
Lal Kantha — whip or whap?
Today, the JVP is straggling for credibility and gasping for political breath. To say the party was shaken violently at Wimal’s exit is a gross understatement. Today, the JVP has lost its confidence and the vigour with which they attended any political forum on any TV channel. Their islandwide programmes have stalled and the mass Trade Unionist strike organized a few days ago ended as one of the worst defeats of the active Left.
Only one man seemed undeterred by it all — Lal Kantha. Lal went on the boards repeating that the strike was a roaring success and things werer being done to pull the government on to its knees. But, Lal Kantha’s rhetoric is also the nudity of the JVP, for his is hardly convincing and is in want of the credibility and the satisfying note of Wimal Weerawansa’s oratory. Between the strike and yesterday’s interview to Dilka Samanmali on Derana Lal Kantha had changed a lot:
1) He has grown in confidence as the whip of the JVP, but with his rustic tongue the whip in his hand degrades itself to the form of a bicycle chain — and it shows.
2) Lal seems a bit exhausted and his face has shrunken a bit — no one knows why.
3) He seems to be an inferior in maintaining his temperament in face of rigourous questioning — a quality that was hitherto unknown in the ranks of the JVP.
We have seen Dilka Samanmali being spoken back at by many politicos sitting for “360″. Partly, cos Dilka is a young woman posing all kinds of intriguing and (at times) part-nonsense questions and also because she is staunch in her cross-questioning politicos often find her meddling with their pants (even though they often wear a national…or are they? We don’t know ‘cos the TV only shows their busts). We can, of course, imagine a Mervyn Silva or a less-educated minister / MP being pissed at dilka, but the JVP has always had its own “cool” cucumber way of retaliating any trick question. That was, of course, until yesterday, when Lal Kantha showed first signs of cracking up under pressure — violent, “pissed”, retaliation.
JVP on fire…
What Lal Kantha and Co undertook at Wimal’s exit was to cure a pathetic political wound. The political myth the JVP had hitherto propogated — that of oneness, brotherhood and party-loyalty — got cracked that night Wimal agitated against a “conspiracy” against him from within the JVP body. For many the JVP was synonymous with Wimal Weerawansa and his all-inspiring rhetoric. And now, at its absence, the void to be filled looks too mammoth….and before its filling, other jealously-guarded party germs seem to lurk out.
Lal Kantha, in my view, lost it. He keeps losing it unable to maintain that public-profile the JVP was gradually building over for the past decade or so. No — Lal: you can’t fuck up on TV like you do on the stage of some meeting at a remote joint somewhere. You volunteered execution. Well, the die is cast. But, don’t drag the whole party down with your rustic antics and loop-filled heroics.
Dude — you will never be Wimal. Dudes — the JVP would never be without Wimal.
