‘Play by the Rules’ campaign

Asoka Weerasinghe Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

April 25, 2007

Amnesty International
London, England
(Attention: Ms. Irene Khan, Ms. Purna Sen & Ms. Yolane Foster)
Ladies:
In case you did not know:
*WORLD CRICKET CUP SEMI-FINAL RESULTS*
* **Sri Lanka* 289 beat *New Zealand* 208

Sri Lanka is now in the Finals and will meet the winner of the other semi-final game between Australia and South Africa.

You all must be cringing with this formidable success story when all of you wanted to torpedo Sri Lanka cricketers psychologically with your ill-advised ‘Play by the Rules’ Campaign in the Caribbean.

When I told my eight-year old granddaughter that Seeya’s (grand-dad) Sri Lanka cricket team will be playing in the final for the Cricket World Cup, she said “Awesome”, and immediately placed her open right palm in front of her face, placed the thumb on her nose and wiggled the other four fingers saying, “Amnesty International, Na-nana-Na-naa, Na-nana-Na-naa…”.

She knows absolutely nothing about cricket, but knows Seeya loves cricket just like her being mad about ice-hockey and roots for her local National Hockey League team the ‘Ottawa Senators’. I also explained to her about Amnesty International’s “Play by the Rule” ball campaign during the Cricket World Cup games, and that Seeya was hopping mad about it. She was obviously biased, and she agreed with Seeya, and said, “They should be asked to write this sentence 1000 times and hand them over to Sri Lanka’s cricket captain – “We will never ever try to embarrass you all again, and we are sorry.”

A couple of hours later she read me her adaptations of Nursery Rhymes, which I thought was a super effort and that I should pass them on to you with an advisory that you all should publish them in a Fact Sheet to be placed in your introduction file for the new Executive Committee Members in your Chapters around the world. This would bring every one of them back to kindergarten basics and ground them, inculcating some humility before they get anointed with AI’s arrogance.

The Title of your Fact Sheet should read -

*_The Day we were taught humility by Sri Lanka’s national cricketers_*

*_when our “Play by the Rules” campaign turned horribly wrong._*

“AI’s Jack and Jill*__*
Went up the hill
To fetch a pale of cricket
‘Play by the Rules’ balls.
Jack tripped on the Lankan wicket
And then fell down
And Jill came tumbling after.”

“Little AI’s Jack Horner
Sat in a corner
Eating his Cricket World Cup pie.
He stuck in his thumb
And pulled a ‘Play by the Rules’ ball
Which made him look glum
And said, “What a stupid AI boy am I”.
“Three AI’s blind mice
See how they run.
They all ran after
A Sri Lanka cricketer’s wife,
Who cut off their tails
With a carving knife
Did you see such a laughable sight?
As AI’s three stupid blind mice.”
“AI’s Simple Simon met a Lankan cricketman Going to the World Cup fair Says AI’s Simon to the Lankan cricketman ‘Sign this “Play By The Rules” ball if you care’.
Says Lankan cricketman to AI’s Simon
“Show me first your honesty”
Says AI’s Simple Simon to the Lankan cricketman “Indeed I have not any.”
“Little Miss AI’s Muffet
Sat on a World Cup cricket
Pitch eating her curd and whey
Along came a Sri Lankan cricket fighter
Who sat down beside her
And booed AI’s Miss Muffet away!”
“AI’s foolish Humpty Dumpty
Sat on a World Cup field-wall
When AI couldn’t bowl Lankan cricketers
with the ‘Play by the Rules’ balls
Poor Humpty Dumpty had a nasty great fall, And all Nobel Peace Laureates And all AI women and men Couldn’t put stupid Humpty Dumpty Back together again.”

Enjoy this eight-year old’s wisdom, and you are welcome to make use of it.

Sincerely,
Asoka Weerasinghe
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items07/260407-3.html