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Devani: Environmental zealot or political prop?

05 Apr 2021

Is Devani (Jayathilaka) a political prop for a power-hungry party? She seems so apolitical that she breathes fire about her apolitical nature, the same way she breathes fire about the environment. Recently, she lambasted a Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) politician for calling her a JJB – Jathika Jana Balawegaya – member on social media. She said that she was taken unawares and had only posed for a friendly photograph when the female politician met her promising to assist her in certain causes dear to her heart. Is Devani a Ralph Nader type of activist – or at least a public servant, say, in the mould of a D.J. Wimalasurendra or a (B.D.) Rampala? Those were the days when public servants used to be able to make a name for themselves. D.J. Wimalasurendra was called the father of hydropower in Sri Lanka. Rampala revolutionised the railways. The former got himself elected to public office, when the British rejected his first proposal to begin a hydropower-generation facility in Laxapana. He did not indulge in the dirty scrum of party politics. But he entered the political fray with the single-minded purpose of pursuing the goal he couldn’t achieve working as an engineer on the government payroll.  Devani has been asked why she was hiding her environmentalism under a bushel during the time of the United National Party (UNP) administration. The inference is that she is a closet UNPer. Perhaps a public servant should be allowed to be passionate these days — just as D.J. Wimalasurendra was — and not be called names for it.  Others seem to say that the days of Wimalasurendra-type activism in government service is fine, but that Devani should not try to cut a figure, but should meld into the background and be part of the larger mosaic of the silent state service. But Devani is irrepressible. She raises questions. This has brought her in direct confrontation with politicians. But yet, she has not dragged herself into partisan environmental politics, of which there is a lot in this country. She also seems to be unfazed by the criticism of her as being politically motivated, and seems to want to soldier on undaunted. Devani is in the mould of the radical unionist type – a Norma Rae maybe, and that’s not for want of local comparisons such as Vivienne Gunawardena. Norma Rae portrayed by Sally Fields in the award-winning hit Norma Rae, was a mill worker who successfully led a labour rebellion against abysmal working conditions.  Devani is portrayed as a Norma Rae sort, leading the charge against authority when men are more shy and retiring. But some want to make a Vivienne Gunawardena of her, but then if she is in that mould, shouldn’t she leave the state service and take to the politics they ask? But the important thing is, is she the genuine article? They say that she wanted the Central Expressway diverted to save one endangered Crudia zeylanica tree. But the authorities say that there are a few other Crudia zeylanica trees elsewhere, and that translocating the single tree in the path of the expressway will not endanger the species to the point of extinction. But Devani Jayathilaka was zealous about saving the single tree from the expressway axe, and for this she reputedly earned a gag order from the authorities prohibiting her from making any comments to the media.  Apolitical or otherwise, is Devani an environmental zealot who does not know how to balance developmental needs with her zealotry for the environment? Is she an Irom Chanu Sharmila – the Indian woman who fasted for 16 years against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act that gave the Indian military the power to use force if there is a “reasonable suspicion” that a person is acting against a state?  Sharmila eventually fell in love with a foreigner, Desmond Coutinho, who came to India to find himself and exchanged letters with the fasting Sharmila who was kept alive by the authorities who force fed her through a nasal pipe. Sharmila has been criticised by her supporters for abandoning the cause for which she was on a hunger strike for 16 long years. They said that she was out on a quest to personally martyr herself, and that she wouldn’t have given up the fast otherwise, without achieving her objective of having the Act she fought against repealed. She went onto have two kids with Coutinho and so, it’s easy for people to say that she was merely overzealous and in love with her own activism and that she was not exactly genuine about her avowed cause of repealing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. Try telling that to someone who didn’t have a morsel of food for 16 years for a cause? Devani is not in that mould but is she also that type? Perhaps Irom Chanu was overzealous because she fasted not knowing the fact that a great many Indians considered the Act as an essential piece of legislation to keep the Indian Union alive. Besides, if she was that genuinely zealous, why did she give up the hunger strike, be it for love or otherwise?  Those of the anti-Devani lobby say that she is blocking necessary development, and that her environmental zealotry does not take into account the genuine needs of the community that have to be balanced with environmental consciousness.  Whether she is right or wrong on the issues, government servants who speak their mind are rare and Devani can be given an accolade for that. It’s the political species that want to use Devani as a pinup girl for their own political projects, that have in some ways sullied her image. Of course, on the question “why was Devani’s political activism hidden during the UNP regime?”, the answer appears to be coincidence, and the fact that the UNP Government did not do much anyway, to be caught up in environmental issues at all. If a government doesn’t build anything, how can it fall headlong into a habitat damage controversy? Devani is probably not always right and her zealotry may indeed lead her to ignore striking a balance between environmental concerns and other developmental imperatives. But if she acts as a check against developmental overzealousness, her job is done. She also gives an object lesson in assertiveness to other government servants. Even President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would probably prefer someone who has passion and dedication to the country and who can articulate that passion, than public service automatons who habitually slack on the job and want to take home a salary with minimum commitment. But could there be too many Devanis in government service, causing colleagues to say that they can’t stand the “stars” who want to stand out?  Perhaps, this is why on the long run, if Devani is really zealous about her activism as she purports to be, she should perhaps consider a political career in the future. She could be the modern-day Wimalasurendra who takes up politics for one reason only – which is to further her civic-minded cause.  Then, there will be more brickbats. She has already faced a barrage of criticism, but nothing worthwhile was achieved without making enemies. If she takes to politics, at least she wouldn’t have to face the accusation of pursuing politics while in government service. It’s unfortunate that the critics are trying to conflate her with the rat pack that’s trying to politically sully the image of the Government bringing up environmental issues that are basically trumped up. That’s called playing the environment card. The so called Sinharaja drama, which most readers may be acquainted with, falls into that category. Genuine environmentalists even when they are wrong or overzealous must never be conflated  with the political opportunists. The Devani types are needed in government service even though sometimes they are seen as disruptors that place barriers before development. But development has to go on while engaging those who are genuinely concerned about the possible environmental damage.   (The writer is a former Editor-in-Chief of three national English language publications and a practicing Attorney-at-Law. He is an Editors’ Guild award-winning columnist, and contributing writer and columnist for the Nikkei Asian Review and South China Morning Post, while his editorials have been published in The Australian)

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