News

                           A mahout’s nightmare

When will the cycle end: Following the results of the Western Provincial
Council poll the once mighty UNP has been reduced to a white elephant

Britain to study 'ground situation' before backing US$ 1.9 bn bail out

By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema

Britain remains adamant to delay a multi billion dollar bail-out pack age to Sri Lanka urging the West to pressure the Sri Lankan government into taking more precautionary measures to safeguard thousands of civilians who continue to be trapped in the conflict zone as war against the Tamil Tigers rages.

British Foreign Secretary David Milliband on Thursday (30) informed the House of Commons that the UK government would look “extremely carefully” at the ground situation in Sri Lanka before backing the US$ 1.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bail out package for Sri Lanka.

Milliband made this statement in response to a question posed to him on the stance of the UK government on the US$ 1.9 billion IMF bail out package requested by the Sri Lankan government.

“We are duty bound to look extremely carefully at the situation on the ground should any plan be presented to the IMF board. It is a basic tenet of the work of the IMF that any money should be put to good use, and that requires taking a close look at the situation on the ground, which is what we will do,” Milliband told the House of Commons.

Milliband was also scheduled to discuss the situation in Sri Lanka with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The US meanwhile has denied involvement in exerting pressure on the IMF to delay the release of the US$ 1.9 billion bail out package to Sri Lanka.

Spokesperson for the US Embassy in Colombo, Jeff Anderson told The Sunday Leader that the US government had neither publicly nor privately spoken of delaying the billion-dollar IMF loan to Sri Lanka. The decision to grant the loan to Sri Lanka would be made by the IMF in consultation with the US State Treasury and the US State Department.

Anderson’s comment followed a story publicised last Wednesday by a foreign news agency quoting US officials that the US has decided to delay a US$ 1.9 billion IMF loan to Sri Lanka to try to pressure Colombo to do more to help civilians caught in the fighting between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other groups have also urged the US and Britain not to approve the loan. “Sri Lanka is in a fiscal mess in good part because it massively overspent on this war,” Tom Malinowski, HRW’s Washington advocacy director told the UK Sunday Times.

Other reports claim Western diplomats as saying the US, Britain and other allies are reluctant to bail out unconditionally a Government that has dismissed their concerns about civilian casualties and human rights issues in the past few months.

The US, Britain and allies reports say are also anxious not to lose their only real leverage over the Government in continuing negotiations over the plight of tens of thousands of civilians on the front line or in internment camps.

“There’s a lot of discomfort in being seen to bail out the Sri Lankan Government,” a Western diplomat has reportedly said.

Meanwhile, the IMF has said the loan was still being discussed.

2006 investigation into Golden Key was squashed by then governor

By R. Wijewardene

The Supreme Court’s ongoing investigation into Golden Key has now uncovered evidence that Central Bank officials colluded with representatives of Golden Key to enable the company to keep functioning despite legislation that states  that companies are not authorised to take deposits without  a licence from the Central Bank.   

The Finance Companies Act of 1988, states that no deposits can be taken from any company or persons without a licence from the Central Bank.  Golden Key of course took deposits without a licence for decades.

It has long been alleged that Golden Key’s flagrant violation of various pieces of financial legislation could not possibly have gone unnoticed by the Central Bank, and it has now emerged that the Central Bank had commissioned a special investigation into Golden Key in 2006.  

The investigations unit headed by the Central Bank’s Investigation Section Director  N. Gunatilake found, unsurprisingly, that Golden Key was accepting deposits without a licence and compiled a detailed report on Golden Key’s violations of the Finance Companies Act.  

However before the report could be presented to the Monetary Board it is alleged that Lalith Kotelawala paid senior politicians to negotiate with the Central Bank on his behalf.

Sunil Mendis the then Central Bank Governor subsequently announced that the investigation unit’s report into Golden Key was unnecessary and unacceptable and the report was effectively squashed allowing Golden Key to continue functioning.

These details emerged when a file containing the 2006 report was presented by the Central Bank at a Court hearing to Justice Shirani Tilakawardena.    

Attempting to ascertain the identity of the politician who is alleged to have acted on Kotelawala’s behalf The Sunday Leader contacted Wijedasa Rajapakse — who is currently representing Kotelawala in the Golden Key case, the parliamentarian however flatly denied having any dealings with Sunil  Mendis. “My only involvement with Golden Key is this current case,” insisted Rajapakse.  

While the identity of Kotelawala’s political protector remains a mystery Sunil Mendis’ involvement in dismissing the investigation unit report is clear and the former governor now finds himself with a fair amount of explaining to do.

Feathers fly over peacock permission

By Risidra Mendis

The Department of Wildlife and Conservation (DWC) has violated the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO) by granting permission to a film crew to use two peacocks in a commercial, it has been found.

Peacocks are an endangered species and cannot be used in commercials or for any other programmes without a special licence issued by the DWC.

However The Sunday Leader learns that the crew was filming a commercial for the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) and had brought two peacocks for the shoot to the Kaludiya Pokuna Sanctuary a few weeks ago.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader Zoologist Dilan Peiris said he saw a crew of around 20 and two peacocks in cages in the Kaludiya Pokuna Sanctuary.

"I immediately informed the Minneriya Park warden about the film shoot. The park warden sent a ranger to the site of the shooting. The two peacocks were tied outside their cages and were getting wet in the rain. There was a little water kept close by but no food. The crew did nothing to prevent the two peacocks from getting wet in the rain," Peiris said.

He added that the Minneriya park ranger had informed DWC flying squad chief Upali Padmasiri about the incident. "Padamasiri had instructed the ranger to arrest the crew for violating the FFPO since they failed to produce a licence for the two birds.

 "One of the crew then called up a secretary at the Environment Ministry who in turn had spoken to a high ranking wildlife officer. Instructions were then given by the DWC for the filming to continue in the presence of two wildlife officers. The crew were told to hand over the two peacocks to the Minneriya park once the filming was over, and obtain a licence from the DWC," Peiris said.

However a ranger from the Minneriya National Park told The Sunday Leader that the peacocks were not brought to the park after the film shoot. A DWC official confirmed that the peacocks could not be released to the national park as they were brought from a temple in Attanagalla and wouldn't survive if released to the national park.

Peiris added that one peacock was brought from a temple and the other from a house in Habarana. Tame animals and birds are not generally allowed into national parks as they could infect the wild animals if infected with some disease," Peiris explained.

Lotteries Board runs out of luck

By Nirmala Kannangara

The Development Lotteries Board(DLB) has incurred huge losses amounting to several millions of rupees from the recently suspended Deyata Kirula lottery, All Ceylon Lottery Dealers' Association (ACLDA) said.

The Deyata Kirula lottery was first introduced solely for the Deyata Kirula exhibition in February 2008 but later on December 28, 2008 the lottery was once again released to the market for a weekly draw, which could not last for more than 17 weeks according to ACLDA Chairman H.M.N.B. Herath.

"The DLB's failure to keep the promises they made to buyers from the very inception of the lottery has resulted in the revenue loss to the Board, and their inability to absorb the losses any longer has resulted in the withdrawal of the lottery from the market," Herath said.

Herath told The Sunday Leader that from each draw the Board incurred a loss of nearly Rs. 2.3 million while there was a 40.3% drop in sales from the first draw onwards.

According to Herath the drop in sales took a turn for the worse in February when the DLB did not allow its clients to use the free entrance tickets given away with the lottery for the Deyata Kirula exhibition 2009.

"One month before the exhibition, the DLB released a new Deyata Kirula lottery and gave away a free entrance ticket for the exhibition. We were able to sell around 150,000 lottery tickets with the entrance tickets but when these people turned up at the exhibition they were not allowed to enter unless they produced the lottery ticket at the entrance. This was hilarious, as nobody keeps these sweep tickets if they haven't won any prizes.

It was later that we understood that the DLB had played out their clients and since then the sale of tickets dropped dramatically till the lottery was withdrawn from the market last week," Herath said. Chairman DLB, Upali Liyanage was not available for comment.

Concern over civilian casualties

By Raisa Wickrematunge

Humanitarian agencies last week continued to express their concerns over the civilians still caught in the conflict zone and called for wider access for aid workers to the area.

The ICRC last week stated that thousands were still trapped in the narrow coastal strip, declared as the no-fire zone in Mullaithivu.

More than 115,450 persons had fled the LTTE controlled areas since April 20. Government officials in Vavuniya said that the displaced persons were being kept in 24 sites including four transitional villages and around 15 schools.

The UN said that more than 172,000 persons had managed to cross over to government held territory since late October last year.

The ICRC had been carrying out frequent evacuations of patients from Puthumathalan to Trincomalee and Pulmoddai. 

The ICRC has evacuated a total of 12,400 people since February 10 when they started operations, with 520 civilians boarding the  ICRC chartered vessel 'Green Ocean,'  on April 29.

"Given the catastrophic situation of thousands of displaced, sick and wounded people still in the conflict area, the parties must do more to protect them and must allow more food and medicine into the area," said Monica Zanarelli, the ICRC's deputy head of operations for South Asia.

The ICRC has taken up the task of reuniting the families separated while fleeing the no-fire zone. There is also difficulty in reuniting families who have been separated and are in different camps.

The ICRC report said that while steps had been taken to start reuniting families, there were still thousands of cases which  needed to be addressed. This situation is further complicated in Vavuniya, where the Defence, Public Security, Law and Order Ministry has asked individuals and organisations to refrain from entering the Menik Farm Camp, since officials have informed the Ministry that outside visitors are a hinderance to their work in the camp.

Government officials rejected a suggestion by Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, who called for a "humanitarian pause" in the combat zone in order to allow UN humanitarian personnel to provide assistance to the approximately 50,000 people trapped in the conflict zone.

In a report released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Holmes, returning from a two day visit to Sri Lanka, said the civilians were not only at risk from the heavy firing going on in the combat zone, but that they were "suffering extensively due to shortage of medical supplies, food and water." He spoke of the need for the government to refrain from using heavy weaponry as they had earlier promised, in order to ensure the safety of these civilians.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also spoke of the need for wider access for humanitarian agencies into the no-fire zone as well as to the IDP camps. He added that it was imperative to ensure the safety of  civilians  fleeing the no-fire zone,  to the point where they were screened before entry into the IDP camps.

Although the OCHA report places the number of displaced people at around 170,000, Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that roughly 190,000 civilians had crossed to safety. He said that they were currently waiting for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to finish demining and certify certain villages as free of pressure bombs, and that they had already begun to resettle some of the IDPs.

On April 29, a UNHCR report confirmed that around 411 IDPs returned to the Saveriyapuram village in Musali, located in the Mannar District, with some 3000 IDPs registering to return to 15 villages in Musali.

The huge influx of civilians into the camps has lead to the need for more camps to be built, and the OCHA report noted that a new camp was under construction in Kodikamam, Jaffna, which will accommodate up to 1500 families, while in Vavuniya some families had to be transferred from Menik Farm Zone 2 to Zone 1 due to lack of space.

Non Governmental Organisations, CARITAS and the World Food Programme (WFP) are providing foodstuff to camps while Sri Lanka Red Cross, Medicins Sans Frontiers and Alliance Development Trust are providing medical expertise to treat the injured and sick civilians in the camps. In Jaffna, there are only 280 toilets available for all the IDPs, which means at least 41 people have to share one toilet.

During the period  October 27, 2008 to  April 30 this year 172,291 persons have crossed to the government controlled areas from the conflict zone. This represents an increase of 1,107 IDPs since the last report (Sitrep No.3) on  April 29. More than 100,000 people have left the conflict zone since April 20.

170,396 people are accommodated in the temporary camps in Vavuniya, Mannar, Jaffna and Trincomalee

1,895 IDPs (injured and care givers) are in hospitals in various districts as of 29 April 2009.

Military denies bombardment

The military on Friday denied allegations that it bombed civilian areas in the safe zone during the past months.

Satellite images of craters within the safety zones were published in the international media last week.

Military Spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara denied allegations, stating that the craters could also be created due to bomb explosions within the safe zones.

“The images only showed craters. They do not have any evidence that they were created due to air attacks. These craters could also have been created due to explosions within the safe zones,” Nanayakkara told The Sunday Leader.

The satelite images were contained in a confidential UN report by Unosat, dated April 26. Manager, Unosat Programme, Francesco Pisano had said that the analysts had come to the conclusion that some of the damage shown in the images could have been caused only by aerial bombing. “This kind of accuracy you acquire only with air power,” he said. “The craters beyond a certain size also make our analysts almost certain that these were air-dropped bombs,” Pisano was quoted as saying to The Times.

The government on April 27 announced that it would stop using heavy weapons in the safe zone.

However, pro-Tiger websites continuously stated that the government continued to carry out attacks using heavy weapons in the safe zones even after announcing that it had stopped using such weapons.

“We have stopped using heavy weapons in the safe zones now,” Nanayakkara further said.

The Times reported that the Unosat report was based on the images between February 5 and April 19. More than 100,000 civilians moved out of the no fire zone on April 20.

The government declared the eastern coastal strip in Mullaithivu as a safe zone on February 12 and called upon all the civilians to move into the area for safety.

Court orders police to submit final report

The murder trial of the slain Editor-in-Chief of The Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge was postponed to May 14 and the Mt. Lavinia Magistrate ordered the police to submit the final investigation report on the next date.

The police failed to appear before the Mt. Lavinia Magistrate when the case was taken up last Thursday (April 30).

When The Sunday Leader queried as to why the police failed to appear before the Mt. Lavinia Magistrate, Police Spokesperson SSP Ranjith Gunasekera said that he does not know as to why the police failed to turn up but added that they would be present at the next hearing date. 

SSP Gunasekera said that investigations into the assassination of Wickrematunge are still in progress, but failed to say anything further.  

Digital Defenders: How 24/7 media can help fight swine flu worldwide

By Nalaka Gunawardene

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said this week that the global spread of swine flu was highly likely, and raised its alert level to Phase 5 the next to highest level in the worldwide warning system. It also offered advice on prevention, caring for persons with the flu and how to seek medical help.

A pandemic is not something to be taken lightly. President Barack Obama has termed the outbreak "cause for deep concern but not panic." On April 29,  he took the unusual step of using a prime time televised news conference, convened to mark his 100th day in office, to deliver a public health message to the American people.

"Wash your hands when you shake hands, cover your mouth when you cough," he said. "It sounds trivial, but it makes a huge difference. If you are sick, stay home. If your child is sick, take them out of school. If you are feeling certain flu symptoms, don't get on an airplane."

That's the basic preventive message that needs amplification and repetition all over the world. While medical doctors and researchers spearhead the public health response, we need the mass media and all communications professionals to support the public awareness response. Flu shots and hospitals alone cannot win this battle.

For the first time in history, we have the means of rapid access to most of humanity. What we now need is clarity of message, credible messengers and sustained delivery.

I see this as an interesting even if very risky, social experiment on the preventive powers of our 24/7 media and information devices. More than four billion mobile phones are in use, most of them in the developing world.

A reply to Dr. Jayan Mendis

As per the information that is available to us, we stand by our original story when we reported that “Living Hell Girl” Ashanthi visited the Asiri Hospital on her own accord, to check on a bump to her skull which she sustained during an attack on her by her husband and mother, in Mount Lavinia.

According to a representative from Women-In-Need, Ashanthi was not referred to Asiri by WIN. Her visit to Asiri, was in the company of her mother, who was keen to ensure that Ashanthi made no adverse statement regarding the cause of the bump.

It is acknowledged that at some point during the period of January 19 to January 27,  independent of the events described in our story, Ashanthi did visit another independent psychiatrist, who did not refer her to the National Mental Health Institute at Angoda, but, instead, referred Ashanthi and her husband to Sumithrayo for  counseling.

By his own admission, Dr. Mendis has confirmed that Ashanthi was admitted to Angoda as an “involuntary” patient. Guidelines in place state that two medical practitioners must certify the need for admission and treatment. It is unclear from Dr. Mendis’ letter whether, in fact, the second “independent” opinion was sought to comply with the requirements of the Mental Health Act specifically relating to the treatment and admission of ‘involuntary’ patients.

Doctor unreachable

Dr. Mendis was contacted by a staff reporter well before publication of our first story on Ashanthi. Despite at least 14 attempts, Dr. Mendis was unable to be reached for comment. A deputy registrar who answered one of those calls reminded our staff reporter on the ethics of reporting on a patient being treated for a mental illness. Apart from that we had no response.  Indeed we did not run a story for at least two weeks thereafter, and did so only to report on the court proceedings.

There is no sensationalist angle to this story as claimed by Dr. Mendis. What is sensational about this particular case is the apparent personal interest Dr. Mendis has had. It is a fact that even the courts enquired of Dr. Mendis. Despite Dr. Mendis being on record as saying that “over 50% of patients can be treated at home,” Ashanthi has been subject to various forms of tests all on the say so — therefore hearsay — of her mother. These included rights violating tests like STD and HIV all carried out as an involuntary patient at Angoda.

Dr. Mendis says that a lawyer from IHR was allowed access: there is no mention that this “access” was granted not on a one-to-one basis with Ashanthi and the lawyer, where normal client-attorney privileges could have applied. There was no privacy at all: the lawyer was able to speak to Ashanthi in front of a panel of medical staff that included Dr. Mendis. We aver that this too is a violation of her rights. Despite all this Ashanthi still plucked the courage to insist that she did not wish to go home and wanted a divorce. The actions of a person quite in control of her mind and focused on her objectives.

Subsequently, Dr. Mendis was served with a notice requiring him to grant access to Ashanthi’s lawyer to speak with Ashanthi. Despite this document being faxed to his lawyers and despite being in receipt of his lawyers’ advise, Dr. Mendis acting with complete impunity refused that access.

A senior figure such as Dr. Mendis ignored a court order. That may be construed as sensational by some quarters. On his subsequent appearance he had to apologise to court for his intentional lapse. As we reported, the Magistrate was “scathing in his criticism of Dr. Mendis’ action.”

Difficult to comprehend

The circumstances of Ashanthi’s case certainly are difficult to comprehend: she is being held in a marriage which she has openly stated she does not wish to have; on her first home leave release, she was categorically told that she may use her phone, go wherever she wants and that she was not restricted in any form.

All she had to do was return to the hospital in a week. She did not — she returned in a few hours, when her mother refused to let her have her mobile phone. On the next occasion she was allowed home leave again with access to her phone — her apparent lifeline to “normality.”

It is well and good to gloss over personal achievements and speak loosely of United Nations charters: the fact remains that Ashanthi has been a victim of the kaleidoscopic nature of Dr. Mendis’ and his colleagues’ pronouncements especially with regard to the use of mobile phones and access to visitors of her choice.

Ever since the court ordered access, Ashanthi has been on home leave; inter-alia, thwarting the possibility of the much desired access her lawyers had sought. Exactly, which part of the UN Charter on Rights based care this virtual “imprisonment” falls under is again, unclear.

Subject to court proceedings

Despite Dr. Mendis saying he does not wish to comment on the medical aspect of the case as it is subject to court proceedings, he goes on to discuss at some length her care and treatment. We do so in the same spirit: For example —

Dr. Mendis states that he caused Ashanthi to undergo “CT scan of the brain and electroencephalographic studies to exclude any organic brain pathology.” Does he admit that these tests were all negative? That by his own admission she was suffering from early stages of “bi-polar (active) syndrome.”

Dr. Mendis is on record as stating that “50% of patients can be treated at home.” Ashanthi has been an “involuntary” patient at Angoda since January 30. That’s three months — and whilst she has not been discharged, her agony and the abuse of her own desires and of her independence is still anything but normal.

“Perfectly sane traits”

Dr. Mendis states that the patient claims she does not need treatment “which is a trait of mentally ill patients.” Certainly — but it is also a trait one can expect from a perfectly sane person who is being accused of being mentally unstable!

Every aspect of the story that was able to be investigated and reported on, was done. Attempts have been made to speak to the mother, husband and the medical staff. Mostly we have been stonewalled, physically abused, assaulted with handbags and dining forks even  (with scars to boot) until the matter came to court.

We now have a different scenario when our calls are being returned and attempts being made to play by the book. That in itself is a victory for journalism.  However, Ashanthi continues to be deprived of her mobile phone, her stay is restricted to her home and when she has been seen in public (never alone, always accompanied) it appears that she is drugged — certainly she appears listless and drowsy. 

Every trick in the book is being played out in order that the social pressures of this country’s pre-occupation with marriage be sustained. Unfortunately when a marriage is irretrievably broken down, one simply has to move on: in Ashanthi’s case it appears that various forces are conspiring from allowing her to act in her own interests.

We aver that contrary to the UN Charter on the care of mentally ill patients, and Dr. Mendis’ claim that we have sought to sensationalise the story, given the facts of the case as we have reported on three occasions, Ashanthi’s treatment has been flagitious.

(Apart from Dr. Mendis, other names have been changed to protect their real identities. Any similarities are purely coincidental and unintentional.)

West holding the economy hostage?

By R. Wijewardena 

As the war in the north reaches a terminal phase, and images of the ragged refugee exodus out of the safe zone are beamed daily onto television screens across the world the government has come under intense international pressure to declare a ceasefire and allow international aid agencies access to the displaced civilians in the north. 

British and French foreign ministers don’t often visit such insignificant nations as our own, and a simultaneous visit by both David Milliband and Bernard Kouchner on Wednesday was a clear indication that Sri Lanka is now very much at the centre of the world stage.

Under pressure from powerful diaspora communities and amidst daily media reports of a humanitarian crisis in the island, the West — as the world’s paternal police force, must be seen to be doing something.

But its overtures to a government absolutely set on its current course of action appear to have been an utter failure and the Foreign Ministers’ calls for a ceasefire and access to civilians fell on deaf ears. 

Referring to the meeting President Rajapakse insisted that there were “no plans  for a ceasefire.” Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse bluntly referred to the visits as  “a waste of time.”

Resisting external interference

The government’s tenacity in resisting external interference is genuinely impressive. Small, insignificant nations do not often deliver blunt rebuttals to representatives of the world’s most powerful governments, but while the President insists there is “only a little time left for LTTE to lay down its arms,” time may also be running out for the government’s offensive. 

As international calls for a ceasefire grow ever louder the window for military operations in the north is clearly not infinite – more images of suffering and reports of hundreds of civilian casualties will lead to the international community applying yet more pressure. 

On Thursday it was reported that an attempt was being made by the USA to stall the loan the government is currently negotiating with the IMF in order to put further pressure on the government.

While the President of the UN Security Council, Mexican Ambassador Claude Heller subsequently announced that all the members of the Security Council, including the US, agreed that halting the IMF loan to Sri Lanka  would be unproductive, it is clear that the government is now playing a high stakes game. 

Without the IMF loan this country’s economy will simply collapse and scenes of poverty and desperation will no longer be confined to the Wanni. 

Threat to withhold IMF loan

While the LTTE may be holding thousands of civilians hostage in the north, by threatening to withhold the IMF loan deal the West is now holding this country’s entire economy to ransom.

Unfortunately where this hostage situation is concerned the Sri Lankan defence forces’ heroics are unlikely to be of much help and only a concerted diplomatic effort  will allow the government to continue to pursue a military solution and receive the international  assistance the country desperately needs. 

The bungled diplomacy of the past  week however  can hardly have helped matters. 

While the presumption displayed by the European foreign ministers in effectively inviting themselves to interfere in this country’s internal affairs is galling,  the governments miscommunication regarding the Swedish foreign minister’s visa request certainly didn’t do the country’s relations with the international community any good.

Following the  visa incident the Czech foreign minister whose country holds  the EU’s rotating presidency  declared that the Sri Lankan government’s actions were “a grave mistake” that would have “repercussions in Europe” — language usually reserved for such darlings of the international community as Sudan.

While the West’s hypocrisy in its dealings with Sri Lanka is manifest, the government for all its bravado is confronting a real dilemma. 

Despite the West’s unproductive determination to interfere in the historic events unfolding in the north the government will need assistance from the EU, and G7 clubs of wealthy Western nations once the combat operations are concluded.  

In fact even to deal completely with what little is left of the LTTE the government will need to stave of bankruptcy but following this week’s manoeuverings by the US and UK the Rajapakse administration  is facing a very stark choice — the war or the economy and the government may yet regret its off hand treatment of last week’s VIPs.

While there is much to admire in the Sri Lankan David’s decision to stand up to the Western Goliath — unlike the biblical story, the ending of this particular parable remains   to be seen.