Sri Lanka: A Mirror Image Of Sri Lanka’s Political Culture
July 10, 2012 | Basil Fernando
W. J. Basil Fernando is a Sri Lankan born jurist, author, poet, human rights activist.
The interview of the Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse with the editor of the Sunday Leader on the airlifting of a dog deserves comment not because of anything surprising contained in the interview. Its importance lies in its banality. It reveals something that has come to be quite common and ordinary in the day-to-day experience in Sri Lanka.
Threats about killings, killing by the people, reference to journalists as “shit eating pigs”, use of dirty words (kunuharapa) and the statement that he does not care about the courts, are all too common things people have all got used to. It all reveals what has come be today’s political culture in the country.
About the threats about killing, how often and how many people have faced such threats? That people will be avengers! The ‘people’ is euphemism for underground elements and of the state agents working under cover. Thus, ‘people’ attacked the JVP rally and killed two persons. Later, the ‘people’ turned out to be Mr. Julampittiye Amare and his associates. The ‘people’ killed Mr. Lasantha Wicramathunge, the ‘people’ attacked Mr. Baratha Lakshman Premachandra, the ‘people’ went inquiring where about of the FUTA President. This list could be a very long. Every one having a dissenting view and everyone participating in protests have learned to expect that ‘people’ will come in search of them. When they sleep they are likely to see nightmares about the ‘people’ coming for their blood.
The fear of white vans and fear of those who come chasing on motorcycles, are all modern day versions of ‘billas’. Taking precautions to avoid such billas has become a day-to-day pre-occupation. Those who live with such fears are not only journalists, but also people who live in high places. In a recent meeting where the speaker spoke about white vans, a high court judge present at the meeting told the speaker, “we are also afraid of such things”.
As for Kunuharupa, who really expects any polite conversations with authorities anymore? Only way to avoid such words been hurled at oneself, is to retire to private life and not to bother about public affairs. What is disappearing really is the idea of citizenship. The respect owed to the citizen, comes from the democratic notion of the citizen and the state. Who expect such kind of respect any more?
Not caring about courts is nothing surprising either. One time a minister was sent to jail for two years for saying a similar thing for contempt of court. Today, even a constable dares to defy the court and not execute warrants issued by it, if the person avoiding arrest enjoys political patronage.
Nothing need to be said about journalist been referred to as pigs. So much has already been heard about the flight of journalists, for anyone to be shocked by such insults hurled at them. Journalists in Sri Lanka need to wear a special dress on which such attacks will not leave a trace. Anyway those who govern seem to think they are ruling over pigs. This is Sri Lanka’s political culture in the 21 century.
See the Sunday Leader article at: www.thesundayleader.lk/2012/07/08/gota-goes-berserk/
Burials of bodies of persons who died of violence at the hands of the police,prison staff & armed forces are accepted as “matter of national security” by courts.
The time,place,manner,last rites,number and categories of of persond permitted in the funeral house and the route and manner of funeral processions are now
decreed too, by courts.
Judicial inquiries, if at all, and Post Mortem reports are kept a secret.
THE COUNTRY HAS GONE TO THE DOGS, AND STREET DOGS
( PARRA BALLA’S ) FROM HAMBANTOTTA ARE RULING THE COUNTRY.
There are hundreds of people like Fernando to jump into the bandwagon dedicated to criticize Gota and anyone related to the present government. This so called jurist failed to understand that Gota was provoked by Jansz to get a sensational piece of none-worthy news item. The nation does not have to pay any attention to this sort of journalism. Lets see you have guts to publish my opinion.
waiting for your opinion gutso
i love gota too
but provoked by jansz
can i have some of what your on
gota lost it
It happens
to the best of people
maybe the ghosts are getting to him
nwayz who cares
when he says he was solely responsible for the defeat of the LTTE
and killing prabhakaran
I say congratulations
I think he should bring the elephant
and on first class too
Most of the uneducated fools like you “kade Yanawa” for these dogs for your mutual benefit sometimes may be just for a packet of lunch. If not for this journalism, 56 passengers would have got offloaded and swiss dog would have been piloting the flight back to Colombo while pilot couple is having fun. If these go ignored next time a charter flight will be sent to bring a dog. Looks like our politicians have frequent business in Switzerland, and no wonder swiss banks are flourishing.
Hello Brother,
Your jumping to the defence of the Defence Secy is OK, but what is not OK is the language used. THERE IS NO CONDONING of that.
Even if provoked.
How much more provoked would Nelson Mandela would have been, after being released from 20 odd years of incarceration.
When released from prison, and AFTER becoming the first ELECTED black president of a free South Africa, did he refer to those in power during his incarceration by the same languauge used by the Defence Secy
UPBRINGING brother, UPBRINGING, that is what counts
So you, living in SL should open your eyes more and see what else is happening in the world, beyond your NARROW thinking
Even if FJ was trying to provoke the Defence Secy, he should have responded in the same manner that the late Sir Winston Churchill did, when a lady Parlimentariian said something to the great man, on the lines of him being drunk. He said,something on the lines of, I may be drunk, but I will be sober ithe next day, but you madam are ugly, and ugly you will remain
He did not use the same language the Defence Secy used.
Where did you study, my friend ????
Well said Manisha. This time they made an exception for you to ‘show’ they are not one sided. To provoke a person and then use what he says against him is akin to committing murder. Sunday Leader under Ms Janz has frequently used dirty tactics to get ‘sensational stories’.
As citizens, we must be aware of both sides of the story. But Sunday Leader reports only one. They pretend to have done otherwise. Now is not the time to fracture the peace we achieved after 30 years. But Sunday Leader does not care for the benefit of the people at large. Even if they cause another war in Sri Lanka, they will not care as long as they can get ‘sensational’ stories. I think the government should have only one central place to answer media queries. Whoever wants to get info on any government related matter should get it in writing. Then if they distort it, the government casn sue them. Distracting the government from its duty towards the general public and work required for the development of the country should be treated as a national crime.
Gotha is verbally challenged please excuse him he has to use profanity
to bridge the English he lacks to express himself had he given the interview in sinhalese he would have done a better job
Nathen
Kudos you said it. If some one calls these journalism, then it is an art of provoking people until they get out of their mouths what they want for sensationalism. Bankrupt journalism. And there are plenty to to climb the band wagon who are jealous because Gota achieved things they just cant dream .
Hurray!!!!
Manisha, Your opinion is published.
i feel sorry about you. Definitely you may be living in the QWest where no political thuggery is permitted.
What’s next?
Some…happy..you should be..it as the above two folks said..just an attempt of hutter journalism…people should see this only as this!!
This is nothing new from Gota. His previous utterances show that he is a common thug like Julampitiya Amare except that he gets people in the underworld to do the dirty work for him. What you fail to appreciate is the fact that Gota is an unelected official who appears to have been given immence power by his brother and he abuses it. Provocation is an excuse. If Gota is a decent educated man he would never have resorted to using such disgusting low life language, provocation or no provocation.
See New Scientist: Power is the ultimate high – New Scientist July 7th 2012cx
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21528720.400-power-is-the-ultimate-high.html
The tools of democracy – free elections, limited terms of office, an independent judiciary and a free press – were developed in part to combat the effects of excessive power on leaders. Even the Chinese change their leaders every 10 years. But it is not just political leaders who are affected – hundreds of millions of people have power over others through their jobs.
The ‘people’ abducted more than 1,500 most of whom were from the north. The people also shot dead 15 aid workers, Tamil MPs, five beach boys, 11 Muslim workers and more than 14 journalists under the watch of this regime. Normalcy will return and the people will live without fear only when people realise that ‘people’ who commit crimes get orders from above and enjoy impunity.
I can see one thing here in this whole episode: Janz killed both of our local heroes we produced recently, namely, Fonseka and Gota from the same newspaper call Sunday Leader! At this rate we cannot produce anymore heroes nor our past heroes like Dutugemunu is not safe. With this type journalism a great nation like Sri Lanka has become destitute. Irony is every Tom, Dick and Harry and Harriet(keeping the gender balance) are angry with this country because of its Buddhist identity. In 1962 Catholic action(military coup) with the CIA help and then CIA groomed Premadasa to become leader of this country(never expected in his low caste level as SL politics depned on caste) and he launched his GamUdawa to bulid churches in every Sinhala/Buddhist village; then LTTE ran a most brutal terrorist organization with church help and now this Sunder Leader with all ardent Catholics running these damaging stories against the country.I think if Gota has done this it is wrong Especially to women, whatever her agenda is. Can’t this two guys kiss and make up please. As we also know CIA budget for this type journalism is over $ 5 billion per year according to David Pillger( guy wo running the inner working of CIA in documentry series). Most of this money coming from US eveangalical church!
Hey do you know where my Banis mama is? He seems to have disappeared from SL. Perhaps the white van took him away to Norway.
where do one stand if what we read and hear is true and correct in facts acts and deeds.
who is in charge to identify rectify these.
jusice civility only comes with identification rectification of the society evils and wrong doing.
Oh ! From where has this jurist appeared after a sojourn in the wilderness?
“A Mirror Image Of Sri Lanka’s Political Culture”……Assad regime in Syria……..allmost the same thing one Family and its inlaws and their goons…..!
Pig headedness? No known remedy for this condition. Yoga? may be.
People must rise to stage protests to demonstrate that what ‘people’ commit is wrong. Unless the excesses of the ‘people’ are curbed anyone can be threatened or abducted or tortured.