A letter to Lasantha's widow

Yours is the story every person of conscience dreads

As Lasantha's widow Sonali by now you may be weary of the flood of well-deserved tributes to a compassionate and undoubtedly heroic friend, partner and social commentator, and perhaps you even look forward to being left alone to measure and fathom for yourself the personal loss to yourself and your family.

It is hard for us, as outsiders, to imagine what precisely this is, although we can come close - very close - if we have the heart to feel deeply what another person feels, as I believe Lasantha could and did. That such a person could be perceived as an enemy of anyone at all is difficult to grasp, and maddening to contemplate.

While I feel compelled, by my own sense of humanity, to add my humble voice to the chorus of appreciation for a tremendous talent and human being, I also wish to broaden the tribute to include you. For some time I have followed your writing and often wondered to myself: who is this person of such dogged, unyielding commitment to the cause of righteousness in a country so seemingly bereft of a moral compass?

Often I have thought of writing you a letter of congratulations, expressing my disbelief (and joy!) that our nation, corrupted in so many ways these past few decades, could have spawned such a prolific, sensitive writer, whose humanity shines through almost in every statement she writes, and whose daring seemed to have no bounds.

I did not write such a letter, for reasons I have never really properly thought through. Perhaps it is because it would shame myself too much, to realise that it is the absence of our own people's willingness to engage relentlessly, honestly and courageously in a serious debate about the course of our nation that has led us into this morass. Whenever you wrote, it affirmed the truth that, yes, our nation does have a conscience, a sense of fair play, justice, or even just basic decency.

It must be hard to see yourself, or Lasantha, in purely symbolic terms, as an event of this gravity tends naturally to catapult people into. Yet we cannot avoid this, and maybe neither should we. On one level it is inescapably symbolic - I mean, what he (and you) has stood for in the particular historical context that you have found yourself in. And yet, I understand all too well that it must also feel so personal. I hope it does not make it harder to come to terms with because of this dual aspect.

I live in the West, and I once saw a documentary about someone regarded as having died a hero, and his daughter kept having people saluting her in memory of her father wherever she went. Bafflingly, the girl was not moved by this, but said it kept reminding her of something she didn't want to keep being reminded of in that way. She wanted some peace.

I cannot know how all this feels to you right now, although I force myself to try and imagine it. All I know is that I just wanted to express something that is in my heart, and that is mostly gratitude - to you both, for the stance you took even at a price you knew you risked having to pay.

Yours is the story that every person of conscience dreads, and I feel impotently pained that this is what you, so obviously a well-meaning and kind-hearted soul, have to endure for however long it takes.I have been in such circumstances (in a sense), and know that these are not decisions taken necessarily with an attitude of heroism at all, but taken with a sense of blind hope, and maybe confidence that natural justice will somehow prevail.

I cannot know how it feels to keep seeing oneself elevated to this symbolic level when one is trying to cope with a tangible reality. And I cannot know (although I pray that I could, for then I would modify it accordingly) whether what I say will be gratefully received, or seen as burdensome or irritating. What drives me is the simple, maddening knowledge that there has to be pain in all this for you, and then the hope that it might comfort you, even just a little, to know simply that people around you, even who may not know you personally, care deeply, very deeply, about how you feel - especially so because we know what you are made of, and what you have tried to do for your society.

People of noble character, who could easily have joined the club of trough-sniffers, simply stood their ground and spoke with their hearts. That alone is a blessing! And it is a lesson for the rest of our people if they only choose to pay attention. If more such people knew how to speak with their hearts, there would have been fewer  obvious heroes, and our society might (imagine!) have evolved on a different, less wretched, course.

Sonali, I am a Buddhist, not by upbringing but by conviction. I believe that Lasantha has not disappeared from the world. That isn't just wishful thinking, but something, in my own investigation at least, I find entirely credible. Truly so. The world that created him, his imagination and his morality, has not, and will not, let him go. And there is every hope of being united again, in different forms, in different ways.

If you are a Christian, there is that same hope too.

As for you, you have shown us that among us are the noblest of people, alongside the most wretched, as Jesus said, who perhaps know not what they do. If you and Lasantha have given hope to just one person, Sonali, that is something truly worthwhile and remarkable. And I promise you, that you have.

I am perfectly aware of how strange it may be to receive a letter of this nature, so please don't feel obliged to reply. I just hope that it does not aggravate, but rather helps in some minor way, even if it is just realising how far one's commitment to decency travels in this world. The tears I have felt rising while reading yours and Lasantha's words in the past have often renewed my faith in humanity - and that can't be a bad thing.

There are many of us on the same path, doing everything from helping suffering human beings, to nursing stricken animals. It is all about morality. That at least is what I have come to learn for myself. When all the dust settles, what we are often left with is just the raw feeling. Just know that there are others who are willing to share that feeling with you.

Martin White

Lasantha - my favourite visitor every Sunday!

I never had the good fortune of knowing Lasantha personally and had never met him or spoken to him. Nevertheless I looked forward to reading his editorial and the Suranimala column every Sunday, the first thing after returning from Church and finishing my Bible readings.

I agreed with most of his ideas with reservations to some. The slant he gave to the facts he presented gelled with mine. He was a beacon of light in a grim, dark world. The information presented in the rest of the paper too was informative, absorbing, educative and heartwarming. I thank him for the leadership he provided in investigative and fearless reporting in this country.

His staff was so well trained that I am sure this trend is bound to follow - as has been evident in the past few weeks. In fact when Sonali Samarasinghe commenced contributing to the paper I was tossing in my mind as to who was the better of the two. Now that problem has been settled. I only hope she would carry on in his style with the regularity Lasantha did, now that Lasantha is with God.

I have been enamoured with the American democracy and particularly with the election of Barack Obama as their new President. It was very interesting to follow his campaign from its commencement up to his election. It clearly showed us what a democratic election is all about. And the words of his acceptance speech on  January 20 were very significant to us who cherish these democratic ideals.

Inter alia he said "values on which our success depend - honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -  these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history." These are the words of a man whose country cannot boast of even a 400 year old history and we in this 2500 odd old history look on the day when this could be said by our leaders!

Lasantha! We grieve for you and acknowledge the debt we owe you. Over the last 14 years you have been successful in establishing a culture that we hope, and are sure will be carried on by your staff. I endorse the sentiments expressed by so many of your readers over the past few weeks and do not need to spell any of them out, but only to endorse them.

I extend my sympathies to his family and pray that God will give them succour to carry on despite your departure.

Darrell Perera

Moratuwa

'Freedom of expression'

The recent unresolved crimes of murdering journalists, the cold blooded murder of Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and the attack on Rivira Editor Upali Tennakoon, I take it, is a warning to all journalists who speak and write the truth relating to the affairs of the government in power.

The attacks may not be directly by the government in power, but by its many arms, or even supporters.  The message is clear - "Woe be unto those who tell the truth and criticise the government."

That seems to be the much hyped 'freedom of expression' available to the people today.

Arul

Colombo 13

None can destroy his name

Though the roaring of the lion faded away

Oh! The shadow will continue the same righteous way.

Lasantha, a great personage in journalism no wonder

Adorning the reputed Leader as the Chief Editor

Said Goodbye suddenly to the wicked world

A victim he was to a ruffian's bullets but,

None can destroy his learned image and fame

That will throughout maintain his name

Hypocritical, cruel and barbaric act in due course

Accept please, will bring catastrophe and curse!

Kalabooshana Alhaj Galhinna

M.H.M. Haleemdeen

"Puhul hora karen danei"

It is common knowledge to anyone who has read detective stories that after a crime is committed, the criminal or his agents normally hover around the scene of the crime.

I was amused to read in one of the Sunday newspapers that when the Editor of Rivira was taken to hospital, a notorious 'doctor' visited him and made noises that the perpetrators were anti-government agents who were trying to bring the government into disrepute at a time when it is winning the war!

Isn't it a case of Puhul hora karen danei?

A Media Sympathiser

Ratmalana

Democracy is not majoritarianism

The nation is in shock at the escalating violence against the media culminating in the death of the Editor of The Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge.

The President claims to believe in democratic governance and vows to restore democracy in the north.  However he has been a silent head of a government which, together with other governments that ruled this country since independence, have been deaf to the voice of democracy in the north as reflected in elections from the days of independence up to the 1977 general election.  People of the north and east repeatedly voted for a federal form of government which recognised them as legitimate shareholders having a stake in the governance of the country especially within areas where they are a linguistic majority. 

They did not ask for secession. It is only the 'deafness' on the part of the southern consensus that led to militarism in the north east.

This is a war that should never have been fought and where thousands of useful, productive lives were sacrificed and communities estranged due to Sinhala Buddhist majoritarianism.

In a true democracy, crossovers should not be permitted unless they subject themselves to a by-election.  In any legislation affecting minority rights, the majority will of those affected should prevail.  This indeed is real democracy.  I trust the President will bear this in mind when establishing democracy throughout the country.

Tamil Democrat

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