Tuesday, December 26, 2017

TRUTH SEEKING IN THE NEW YEAR WILL

BECOME POLITICALLY POSSIBLE

by Jehan Perera-December 25, 2017, 7:49 pm

Local elections are scheduled on 10 February 2018. Nearly 16 million persons will be voting at this election. This will be the largest election in Sri Lankan history. This will also be the first election under the mixed electoral system whereby 60% of members will be elected using first-past-the-post voting and the remaining 40% through closed list proportional representation. However, anticipation is that the turnout of the electorate will be less than at the previous ones. The last local government elections held in 2011 saw a voter turnout of 65 percent. This time around the figure is likely to be less. There is a stronger degree of voter disenchantment with the political parties.

In Sri Lanka, the local government is weak in relation to the central government. Therefore, the issues at local elections are usually not local ones, but national issues which are of more interest to the voters. This election will be no exception. The opposition in particular has been trying to induce voters to see the forthcoming local government elections as being of national significance. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is heading the Joint Opposition campaign has clearly stated that this election will not be about local issues but whether the people want to support or oppose the government. The argument he makes that the government has not delivered on its promises resonates with the electorate.

At these elections, the parties forming the government will be disadvantaged by the slowness of their performance in delivering on the promises made at the national elections that took place in 2015. The voter turnout at the last general elections in 2015 at which a change for the better was the promise was 78 percent. The government’s main campaign promises were with regard to quick results in economic betterment for the masses and to meting out justice to those accused of large scale corruption. These promises galvanized the electorate. The irony in this campaign is to see the hunter becoming the hunted. Those accused of large scale corruption in the former government have sought to become hunters. The problem for the voters is that the track record of the Joint Opposition when in government was very poor and they seek to ignore their past instead of being self-critical.

UNREFORMED OPPOSITION

The Joint Opposition has shown little inclination to reform themselves which will prove to be a disadvantage to them at the forthcoming elections. Last week a small group of women activists from the war-affected districts came to Colombo to meet with the government’s Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms which has been established under the Prime Minister’s Office and is headed by government advisor Mano Tittawella. Prior to coming to Colombo they had met several times on their own and presented their grievances to the government authorities in the areas in which they lived. But in keeping with the general belief that Colombo is the place to come to get things done, they insisted on meeting central government authorities in Colombo.

At the meeting the women made several points. One was that they were very keen to have their grievances heard by those in positions of authority. But what they usually encounter is the reverse. Instead of listening to what they had to say, and to what they wanted, those in authority came to tell them what had been planned for them and what they should do. They were angry about the slow pace of change and the non-addressing of their burning issues, such as that of missing persons. These women victims of war appreciated that officials of the Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms listened to what they had to say before telling them what to do.

The second politically significant point they made was to appreciate the freedom they had to travel to Colombo to voice their grievances to the government. They compared the present to the past, and compared it favorably. They said that in the past they could not have travelled from north to south with such freedom, and if they spoke their mind to government authorities of the past, they would be taken away in white vans. The significant, if not total, reduction in the fear syndrome that existed during the period of the previous government is something the Joint Opposition needs to engage with instead of ignoring it like an ostrich.

The third point that the women activists made was that the people they interacted with in the south of the country were sympathetic to their problems. They found there was an openness to learn about what had happened in the past, to make amends and to ensure that this did not happen again. The sharing of sorrows and experiences was itself a healing exercise. It is not as if the people of the south have been spared the human rights violations of the past either. They also suffered during the time of the JVP insurrections both at the hands of the militants and security forces and again during the period of the LTTE.

OPENMINDED PEOPLE

An ongoing study has shown that most Sri Lankan people are open minded about learning about the past. On the one hand there is a big divide in the knowledge about other communities, even those living in their midst but are from different ethnic and religious communities, and even more so when they live in different parts of the country. On the other hand, there is a strong interest in learning about the other side of the truth which is a special feature of Sri Lanka. They know there is controversy about it and would like to know the truth. This also applies to most members of the security forces. They know they are under a cloud and would like to clear their names.

Despite many years of ethnic and inter religious conflict most people do not wish to hate or have such conflicts with those from other communities. One of the salient features of the ongoing research study is that people at the community level go out of their way to try and include those of other ethnic and religious communities in the decision-making committees they form. Civil society groups such as the National Peace Council have found that people at all levels, and all sectors, including the government bureaucracy, security forces and religious clergy are glad to meet to dialogue and to solve problems together. This is a positive social and cultural feature of Sri Lanka that needs to be built upon.

Due to the focus on national issues at the forthcoming elections it is unlikely that the government will wish to do anything controversial that will provide the opposition with fodder for their election campaign. The Joint Opposition has espoused extreme nationalism in their political pronouncements which the government will prefer not to confront at this time for reasons of electoral politics. But after the conclusion of the local government elections on February 10 a new window of opportunity will open for reconciliation. Delivering on its promise of ascertaining and clarifying the truth needs to be a priority as it is wanted, needed and will have acceptance by the people.

Culture of Impunity is part of our political psyche – Dr. Deepika Udagama

“The culture of Impunity is part of our political psyche. When democracy fails the Democratic Institutions crumble and they are unable to function in an independent manner” said Dr. Deepika Udugama, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission at a panel discussion on Challenges and Achievements of Fighting Impunity in Sri Lanka at the International Symposium held to Promote Freedom of Expression and the Rule of Law in Asia through ending Impunity for Crimes against Journalists in Colombo on the 4th of December.

Seated from left to right: Nalaka Gunawardena, Thevanayagam Premanath, Sanjana Haththotuwa, Dr Deepika Udagama, Sonali Samarasinghe and Ruwan Gunasekera

2017-12-27

The introductory remarks at the event were made by Minister for Finance and Media while the keynote speech was delivered by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Both speeches were given wide publicity through the media the following day but the discussions that followed were confined to the auditorium.

"Challenges and Achievements of Fighting Impunity was the theme of discussion of session two of the day and moderated by Nalaka Gunawardena"

Challenges and Achievements of Fighting Impunity

Challenges and achievements of Fighting Impunity in Sri Lanka was the theme of discussion of session two of the day and moderated by Nalaka Gunawardena a Writer, Journalist and Development Communication Specialist in Sri Lanka. Nalaka’s opening remarks were ‘Journalism is Not a Crime’.
The Panel comprised of Sonali Samarasinghe Wickremathunge, Minister Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York, Dr. Deepika Udugama Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, Sri Lanka, Thevanayagam Premanth - Editor Uthayan Newspaper, Police Media Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera and Sanjana Haththotuwa - Senior Researcher Centre of Policy Alternatives Sri Lanka.

Police Spokesman SP Gunasekera presented facts and figures on crimes against journalists in the decade prior to 2015 and stated that no crimes had been committed against journalists subsequent to 2015.
The Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Dr. Deepika Udagama was quick to refute these facts referring to two attacks on journalists that had taken place in the South while editor of the Uthayan Newspaper, Thevanayagam Premanath said that even after 2015 journalists and media institutions were facing harassment and intimidation.
This session may be considered as the most interactive session of the summit with Minister of Law and Order and Southern Development Sagala Rathnayaka requesting the microphone to add on to what the Police spokesman mentioned and assure the audience that investigations on crimes committed against journalists would be prioritized.
Sanjana Haththotuwa reiterated that “Prior to January 8, 2015 we were scraping the barrel of every Press Freedom Index (PFI) in the world. The context in this country was extremely violent and extremely disturbing and it is even not possible now to even reflect on those times and imagine how we endured. Our PFI has improved since then, but, nevertheless, I have greatest suspicion and doubts if these kinds of events held by UNESCO in five star hotels will create any kind of reversal or changes of policy that looks back at the past and robustly has people accountable for what happened in the past or projects into the future and changes policy so that what happened in the past won’t be repeated. So, the optimism shown by Minister Sagala Rathnayaka here today has to be tempered with a dose of reality”.

"The first session was on National protection and Impunity mechanisms in Asia discussed by a panel"

National Protection and Impunity Mechanism in Asia

The first session was on National protection and Impunity mechanisms in Asia discussed by a panel comprising Laxman Datt Pant (Chairperson, Media Action Nepal), Ilias Alami ( Operations Manager Afghan Journalists’ Safety Committee), Angkhana Neelapaijit (Commissioner, National Human Rights Commission Thailand), Fathimath Isha Afeef (Journalist Maldives Independent), Geeta Seshu (Journalist and Member of UNESCO’s Media Freedom Committee India), Owais Aslam Ali (Pakistan Press Foundation moderated by Guy Berger Director on Division on Freedom of Expression and Media Development of UNESCO way forward, including raising awareness and reinforcing capacities. The topic discussed in the session after the evening coffee break was the Way forward, including raising awareness and reinforcing capacities by a panel comprising of Ranga Kalansooriya - Regional Advisor, International Media Support, Banchita Chakma - Commissioner National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh, Laxmi Murthy - International Federation of Journalist Asia Pacific (IFJ) and Mehdi Benchelah - Senior Project Officer, Division of Freedom of Expression and Media Development UNESCO. The panel was moderated by Jacqui Park - Director International Federation of Journalists.
The recap was by Misako Ito from UNESCO’s Bangkok Office and Al Amin Yusuph from UNESCO’s New Delhi Office moderated by Bambang Harymurthi Editor-in-Chief - Tempo Indonesia. The final remarks were made by Toby Mendel - Executive Director, the Centre for Law
and Democracy.

Dr. Deepika Udugama is the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission.

Tamil MP killed on Christmas Day 2005 remembered in Batticaloa and Jaffna

25Dec 2017

The assassinated Tamil MP Joseph Pararajasingham was remembered across the Tamil homeland on Christmas Day, on the 12th anniversary of his killing.

Mr Pararajasingham was shot dead while attending Christmas midnight mass in Batticaloa in 2005.

Services in memory of Joseph Pararajasingham were held in Batticaloa and Jaffna.

Batticaloa service organised by ITAK Youth. (And above)

Remembrance service by All Ceylon Tamil Congress in Batticaloa

Joseph Pararajasingham remembered by TNPF in Jaffna

A Comprehensive Understanding Of Non-Interference With Judiciary Is A Dire Need In Sri Lanka

By Nagananda Kodituwakku and Basil Fernando –December 26 2017

It was heartening to hear from the incumbent Chief Justice, Priyasath Dep, that Sri Lanka’s judiciary is free from any interference. This statement comes as a relief, given that we can recall a long period of the most despicable forms of the interference with the judiciary in Sri Lanka and how, unfortunately, even the Supreme Court learned to adjust to such interference. It all started with JR Jayawardene, the first Executive President, who believed that being the Executive President meant having the judiciary under his thumb. The whole constitutional design was changed to achieve this purpose. Unfortunately, this constitutional design still remains intact. Other Executive Presidents followed President Jayewardene’s example since then.

The worst betrayal of the very notion of the independence of the judiciary happened when a Chief Justice – Sarath Nanda Silva as Chief Justice – sacrificed the very notion of an independent judiciary and became a servant of the Executive Presidential system. The then government made the path clear for him by leapfrogging him from the office of President of the Court of Appeal to the office of the Chief Justice.

In a most sophisticated way, he sacrificed the independence of the judiciary by severing the procedural law from the substantive law, thereby making procedural law a plaything in the hands of the Executive President. This, accompanied by the most dramatic forms of bullying of the lawyers, and also some litigants, created a very abnormal judicial system in Sri Lanka. The most glaring examples of this bullying were the two cases relating to contempt of court, which brought Sri Lanka into international disrepute. The cases were those relating to Michael Emmanuel Fernando (known to the public as Tony Fernando) and SB Dissanayake, who was then a minister in Chandrika Bandaranaike’s cabinet. The United Nations Human Rights Committee, in their Opinions, condemned both these judgements of the Supreme Court, declaring them to be violations of the human rights of the two persons concerned and recommending to the Sri Lankan government that they should make contempt of court laws in keeping with international norms and standards.

The trend of interference took an even uglier form during the regimes of Mahinda Rajapaksa. The culmination of this was the creation of a Chief Justice with the name Mohan Pieris, who even went before the newly elected government of Maithripala Sirisena to declare that he was willing to do anything that the Executive wanted him to. Such is the sad tale of the interferences with the independence of the judiciary in Sri Lanka. What Mohan Pieris was saying to the new government was that he was willing to do what he did for Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime. It is a credit to the new government that they not only rejected the offer, but that both President and Prime Minister themselves stated publicly the offer being made by Mohan Pieris. Under these circumstances, it is further heartening to hear from the incumbent Chief Justice that there is no longer any such interference with the judiciary.

However, the issue that needs to be considered is that such long years of terrible interference do not fail to leave traces within the system. What is required of any people concerned about what is at risk when the judiciary is interfered with is to do their utmost to reflect, in the most honest fashion possible, as to whether everything of such a dark period has been erased and gotten rid of so quickly.

In this, it is essential to consider what interference with the judiciary means in a comprehensive sense. Interference does not merely mean not receiving telephone calls and other forms of direct instructions on how judges should decide cases. The real test is as to whether the system of law and the administration of justice have gotten back to the point where it can be honestly claimed that the system functions well and that every element of the system has gotten rid of the corruption that it had been exposed to. Such victories should not be lightly claimed for all aspects of individual freedoms and the whole life of the nation depends on such things, like the way blood runs through the human body. The most essential element to consider is whether the competence of the judiciary that has suffered past interference has been restored fully.

In scrutinizing this aspect, it is essential to consider the fact that one of the most prominent ways of interfering with the judiciary was to make political choices about judicial appointments. For a litigant that goes before the courts, and for the lawyers who represent them, their faith in the system will very much depend on their belief that the judiciary has overcome the problems of the unprincipled way in which some judges were appointed in the not-so-distant past and that the practice has been brought to an end. This task of scrutinizing the system is not only a task for the Executive, but also for the Judiciary itself, and also the legal profession and the public at large. They should all be able to say that a damned and dark period is over, and that we are in a period where new light is shining. The real question is as to whether such a claim can be made honestly.

Does the legal process in Sri Lanka function sufficiently well that we could claim today that the due process of law can be assured within our system? If one is to go by the large numbers of litigants, who are the ultimate judges on this issue, we cannot yet claim such a situation has dawned.

There is an even clearer test. Can it be said that the administrative and political systems of Sri Lanka have gotten rid of corruption as a major issue? Of course, given the level of corruption that prevails throughout society, no one can claim that we have arrived at that point. The test of the independence of the judiciary is the test of the efficiency of the legal system to control corruption, abuse of power and the interferences into the freedoms of the individual.

Mindfulness a panacea for current tensions: ethnic, religious

During my youth I was greatly influenced by Dr. E.W. Adikaram (1905-1985). As an Advanced Level student, I first met him at his Pagoda Road residence along with a school teacher. Later, when I met him at his residence, then he was with Dr. Palihawadana, he asked me in Sinhala a question like “who are you?”. The conversation was as follows as I can recollect:

Me: I am a Sinhalese.

Dr. A: How do you say so?

Me: I speak the Sinhala language.

Dr. A: Are all the people who speak the Sinhala language Singhalese?

Me: No. (I had a friend who had a Tamil surname but did not know Tamil. He spoke Sinhala.)

Me: Both my parents are Sinhalese.

Dr. A: How did they become Sinhalese?

Wednesday, 27 December 2017

I did not have an answer and realised that the questioning could go on to the parents of my parents and so on. By that time I had read Dr. Paranawithana’s book Sinhalayo where he stated that Singhalese and Tamils in this country were mixed. I felt that I was checkmated. His view of religion was that it divides people. After some time, I was able to shed my inner ethnic and religious identities to a great extent. I remained a human being.

Thereby, Dr. Adikaram helped me to inquire deep into the ideologies, dogmas, and traditions which were deep-rooted in our thinking. Dr. Adikaram was influenced by J. Krishnamurti (1895-1986) who was one of the great thinkers of human history. He said, in order to understand self, observe self. He did not say how to observe. By defining a method firstly, he thought that he would become a Guru to which he was opposed. Secondly, he thought that the so-called followers would stick to the method which is like looking at the finger which points out the moon rather than looking at the moon.

Mindfulness

Observing oneself through the activities oneself is engaged in, should be done with mindfulness. Mindfulness is spreading in the western world today without any religious background. However, mindfulness was first discussed in detail by the Buddha. In one of the discourses called Satipattana Sutta where the Buddha dealt with mindfulness it was declared as follows at the beginning:

“This is the only way, O bhikkhus, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the destruction of suffering and grief, for reaching the right path, for the attainment of Nibbana, namely, the Four Arousings of Mindfulness.”

In the West, there was extensive research done in respect of the benefits of mindfulness and the medical doctors prescribe mindfulness meditation to their patients in order to overcome tension and stress. In several countries, mindfulness is taught in the schools so that children at a very tender age are accustomed to it.

The Sati Pasala movement

In Sri Lanka, there is a movement called Sati Pasala of which the literary meaning is Mindfulness School. This was initiated by the Most Venerable UdaIriyagama Dhammajiva, Abbot of Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya, a forest monastery in Sri Lanka. The movement is guided and supported by the clergy belonging to all four major religions in Sri Lanka – Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. However, the message is taken without any religious background so that it can reach the masses of different religious and ethnic identities on equal footing.

The Ministry of Education has supported the movement by allowing Sati Pasala to train the teachers of national schools in mindfulness so that they in turn take the message to the school children. The Sati Pasala team, although with very limited resources and resource persons, take the message to the school children direct on invitations.

Be aware of the present

The message is simple: Be aware of the present. If the words of J. Krishnamurthi are used, pay full attention to the present movement. When eating, pay full attention to the process rather than allowing the mind to wonder around. Observe the food and enjoy the taste. Observe that you are enjoying the taste. When hearing, observe the sound. Observe the origin of the sound and when it fades away observe the process of fading away. When engaged in day-to-day personal activities, observe that you are engaged in the activity. When brushing your teeth, observe the entire process from taking the brush, applying tooth paste, taking it to the mouth and the brushing process in detail. When walking, observe the touch of the foot to the floor and the movement. When sitting, be aware that you are sitting and bring the mind to the present moment. There is no religion involved here and all human beings can practice this. It is proved scientifically that the process would help to get the tensions and the stress to fade away gradually.

The beauty is this – in this process, when one is with oneself, the pain of the leg identified earlier as the pain of my leg, would reduce to a mere pain. Strong ethnic and religious identities would reduce to the level of mere human beings. Rabindranath Tagore said: “Patriotism cannot be our final spiritual shelter; my refuge is humanity. I will not buy glass for the price of diamonds, and I will never allow patriotism to triumph over humanity as long as I live.”

Sati Pasala has gone to all the provinces of the island. It has gone to the Northern and Eastern Provinces and engaged with Tamil and Muslim teachers as well as with Sinhala Buddhist and Christian teachers of the other provinces. Bi-lingual training sessions in both Sinhala and Tamil languages were held at the training centre of the Ministry of Education at Meepe for selected education officers/teachers from all the educational districts of the island. Children of all the religions and all the ethnicities embraced the message enthusiastically.

Therefore, this can be a solution to the current ethnic and religious tensions of the country. When the tsunami came, it wiped out all the differences of the people affected. What remained was humanity. If we learnt the lesson of nature we would have shed the religious and ethnic tensions at that time. By practicing mindfulness, the same result can be achieved in the long run in addition to releasing one’s own tensions.
(The writer is the President of Sati Pasala Foundation )

UN calls for regulation of presidential pardon for prisoners

2017-12-26

The exercise of Presidential Pardon for convicted prisoners should be regulated by clear guidelines to avoid arbitrary application and to ensure proper means for the release on compassionate grounds, the three-member UN Working Group has said in a report.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has also identified significant challenges to the enjoyment of the right to personal liberty in Sri Lanka, resulting in arbitrary detention across the country.

The report, which was released on December 15, said that serious consideration should be given to abolishing the death penalty in Sri Lanka.

The Working Group said it observed ‘overcrowded’ prisons and noted that remanded and convicted persons were held under the same facilities.

“Long-term prisoners and persons serving life sentences are held in harsh conditions with limited time for family visits, lack of opportunities to work and participate in other vocational, educational or recreational activities and limited out-of-cell time.

“The authorities must ensure that the prison system is aimed at the rehabilitation and re-integration of inmates,” they said.

The three-member delegation comprised of José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez, Leigh Toomey and Elina Steinerte.

13 years since tsunami battered several areas of our country

December 26, 2017 by

Thirteen years have passed since the tsunami disaster destroyed lives and property in Sri Lanka and many countries around the Indian Ocean.

About 35,000 people were killed and more than 5000 more disappeared in the tsunami disaster that battered the coastal areas in the country in the morning on 26th December 2004.

Several commemoration ceremonies organized by the Disaster Management Center would be held in several districts in memory of the dead in the tsunami and a religious ceremony has been arranged at Peraliya tsunami memorial.

The crowded train destroyed at Peraliya by the tsunami which carried about 1500 passengers is considered as one of the largest single rail disasters in world history by death toll.

Meanwhile, a two-minute silence was observed from 9.25 a.m. to 9.27 a.m. in memory of the fellow countrymen who lost their lives in the tsunami.

Within a few hours, the tsunami battered the coastal areas in Sri Lanka more than ten thousand members of JVP’s ‘Red Star’ relief brigade started their relief work which continued for several months from saving lives to rebuilding them.

JVP’s ‘Red Star’ looked after all the needs of eh affected that included food, clothes, security, sanitation and housing. They also constructed temporary abodes, carried out repairs to schools, temples, churches and arranged educational facilities for the children of the affected.

It should also be mention that JVP’s ‘Red Star’ completely build a temporary bus stand for Galle and the Southern rail track that had been destroyed was made serviceable, with the assistance of Railway employees, within 55 days.

Mr. Sumathipala Manawadu, who was a candidate and was killed in an accident during the previous Provincial Councils Election, was a leader of a Railway workers’ trade union and the leadership he gave in making the Southern rail track serviceable after the tsunami is ineradicable for railway employees and the people in this country.

Mary’s Consent for Jesus’s birth: A Christmas reflection

Image courtesy Wikipedia

RUKI FERNANDO-12/25/2017

Christmas is the story of Mary, a young unwedded mother, giving birth to a refugee child, Jesus, in a sheep shed. The central male character in this story is Joseph, Mary’s fiancée / boyfriend, who supports her decision to give birth to a child that he is not the biological father of. This childbirth has become famous and remembered for more than 2000 years. But it is rather unfortunate that some of those who enact this event faithfully and worship Jesus, Mary and Joseph don’t seem to be sensitive to children born in similar circumstances today (refugee children) to parents like Mary and Joseph (unwedded, poor workers).

According to Christian belief, God appears to have consciously chosen an unwedded woman whose fiancée / boyfriend was a carpenter, to give birth to “King / Savior” Jesus, in a sheep shed.
Recent discussions I had with some female colleagues and friends, both Christian and non-Christian, have led me to reflect more on another aspect of the Christmas story. A mother’s consent to give birth.

Christian belief is that Mary conceived Jesus through an intervention of the God / Holy Spirit. According to the biblical narrative of Luke, God had chosen Mary as the woman to give birth to Jesus, and sent a representative, an angel named Gabriel, to discuss the matter with Mary. The biblical text reveals Mary to have been shocked when Gabriel says that she will be conceived with a child. She had asked Gabriel “how can this be when I’m a virgin”? Gabriel appears to have been patient and had given additional information and explanations. After this, Mary had given clear, verbal consent to the conception, pregnancy and birth that was to follow.

The many biblical narratives that slightly differ from each other, seem to concur in indicating that conception was something that was to happen after Mary’s consent, and not something that had already happened before her consent[1]. That Mary was free to accept or not accept the conception.

The intermission till Mary responded has been described as a time the “angels await her answer with bated breath”. This is also captured by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, “You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits an answer; it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too are waiting…. The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent.”

The biblical narrative gives central place to woman’s consent (Mary’s) and not to men. God appears to have recognized that it is the women’s life that would be radically affected by having to conceive, bear the child through pregnancy and giving birth. There is no consultation or discussion with High Priests of the time. Or even with Joseph, the main man in the story. In today’s Christmas day homily in my parish, reference was made to Joseph thinking of “dumping” Mary after he came to know of her decision to bear a child that was not his, but that after some reflection, he had decided to continue the relationship and be part of bringing up the child with the mother.

Perhaps of academic interest to the Christmas story, but of much importance for society today, especially women, would be the question what if Mary declined? Would a God of love and justice that Christians believe in, forced Mary to conceive a child against her wishes?

Christian belief is that God has offered much to humankind, including unconditional freedom and choice. Christmas, Jesus’s birth as a human child, is a central event in the Christian story of salvation. Central to this story of Christmas is a loving, respectful and non-patriarchal God recognizing the bodily autonomy of a young unwedded woman to bear a child, and centrality of her unconditional consent.

###
[1] None of the biblical versions appear to use the word “you have conceived”, but use instead, words such as you will / shalt conceive, you will become pregnant etc. https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Luke%201:31

God, Word, And You – Colombo Telegraph

By Jagath Asoka ––December 24 2017

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

On this brumal Christmas eve, the weather in Newtown, Pennsylvania, reminds me of the monsoon season in Sri Lanka. It is raining here in Newtown; luckily for me; it is not cold enough for the rain drops to turn into snowflakes. In this predicament, all I have is just words; words to describe how I feel and what I think; yet the melancholy that I feel is somewhat indescribable, but I am my words, and the Word has been with us since the beginning.

I am not a Christian, but Christmas has always been with me. Probably it is because of my childhood and my neighborhood in Sri Lanka where I grew up. I still remember how I went from house to house with my friends—the sui generis urchins of our neighborhood—singing Christmas carols, expecting our neighbors to be generous so that we would collect enough money to celebrate Christmas in a little hut that we would build in our neighborhood every year. There would not be Christmas without Christ; without Christmas, I would not have these memories and melancholy. So, it is very natural for me to think of Christ and have my own ideas about Christ.

Who was Christ? Different people have different explanations. To say that Christ is hundred percent human and hundred percent divine is a real paradox. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus Christ was the Word who became a human being. In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and Word was God. So, the Word itself had its own existence. Since it was God’s Word, it was God. All things came into being through Word. This Word is what gave life to everything. What is this Word? This Word became flesh and lived among us as the Father’s own Son. The law came from Moses, but the truth and grace were given to us by Christ. So, Christ is the incarnation of God’s word. To me this is the most mystical and exalted Christology because Christ is the one who created the universe. To me this is the most amazing theology because Jesus, an apocalyptic prophet, who asked people to repent for their sins was crucified for his effort; this same Jesus was with God in eternity past and created the universe. Wow!

The words that we hear nowadays everywhere in the world are full of malice, hatred, and enmity. We are the words that we use, so choose your words, with compassion, the compassion that the Buddha talked about. Listen to the words of Jesus, the Buddha, and Mohammed, and you will find Jesus, the Buddha, and God.

The words of a mystic are different from the words of a poet; a poor scientist has no place in the realm of a mystic; he is totally lost in the realm of a poet, yet they all use words to describe who they are.

Most people would say that we are inseparable from God, and God knows what we are doing to ourselves and to others. Only a physicist can understand this paradox of a mystic. A physicist talks about elementary particles and their entanglements; two particles, even separated by an unimaginable distance—by a billion light years, even if they are on opposite sides of the universe—can interact in such a spooky way that whatever you do to one of them, the other would know it instantaneously; the speed of light has no place in this entanglement.

God and you are inseparable; even you separate yourself from God by a billion light years, whatever you do to yourself, God would know instantaneously; not only God knows what is happening to you, God also knows what you do to others. So, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Time and space have no meaning in this entanglement.

Not only physicists and mystics know about these entanglements. If you have ever been in love, you would know what I am talking about; I am not just talking about romantic love. If you are a parent, you would know this entanglement: Whatever happens to your child, it happens to you.

What physicists call entanglement, to Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists it is God’s love, compassion, and attachment; and to troubadours it is courtly love.

(Lanka-e-News - 26.Dec.2017, 9.25PM) The plane belonging to Sri Lankan Air which left for Abu Dhabi last Friday (22) afternoon was forced to land in Muscat , Oman due to inclement weather conditions. However the passengers over hundred who were in the flight had been most insolently and degradingly treated like animals after they landed there.

Owing to this disgraceful and insolent treatment , the passengers who fell victims are filing a case claim compensation in a sum of Rs. 1000 million of rupees from (Sri Lanka ) Sri Lankan Air , based on reports reaching Lanka e news.

This plane UL 207 belonging to Sri Lankan Air left Katunayake Airport for Abu Dhabi at 6.40 p.m. last Friday (22) , and was to land in Dubai on the same day at 10.00 in the night . The pilot Janaka Perera has informed the passengers because of fog at Dubai Airport the plane cannot touch down there. Thereafter for two hours they were not informed what was happening and the passengers were in the dark , while the plane was somersaulting in the air . There were at that time 188 passengers ( 12 Business class and 176 ordinary class) in the flight. About two hours later they were notified the plane was landing at nearby Al Ail airport situated in a camp of the forces .

Though the plane landed safely at the airport , because it was in a camp of the forces , the passengers were not allowed to disembark. All the 188 passengers had to remain within the plane for four and half hours , as a result all the food and drinks within were finished because food and beverage just sufficient to cover the particular flight are only carried in the plane, and that time of the flight was long over. Ms. Sherin Perera has been on duty as Crew manager.

Subsequently , the pilot has announced the plane was leaving for Muscat airport , Oman , and the plane had landed at Muscat Airport on Saturday at dawn at 3.00. The 188 passengers were stationed at the Immigration and Emigration division in a small room , without hotel facilities.

Unbelievably , the passengers not only experienced difficulties to obtain meals and beverages but in that small room there was only one lavatory for the entire crowd. However ,the passengers have come to know the ‘white skin nationals’ about 50 among the passengers had been taken and provided all the comforts in ‘Holiday Inn’ hotel outside the airport .

Thereafter the Sri Lankan flight officers in Muscat have been telling blatant lies regarding the time that will be taken to fly to Abu Dhabi or Dubai where facilities are available. Officers Choolanga and Hasaranga have not only been lying profusely but even neglected the passengers . After leaving them in the lurch they have returned after 2– 3 hours. They have even not supplied a bottle of water . Because the passengers did not have transit visa to Muscat , they were not allowed to disembark and visit a restaurant in the Airport.

To the passengers who boarded the plane in the early hours of the morning at 3.00 , two sandwich slices and a bottle of water were supplied to each passenger only the following day at 11.00 a.m.

While lying all the time that another plane will be arranged within 2 hours the desperate passengers about 138 were kept waiting until 10.00 in the night trapped in that small room. They had only a few settees to sit down. Many passengers were forced to sleep on the floor. However about 50 white skinned nationals were taken out of the airport and given luxury hotel comforts It were the remaining 138 passengers among whom were Indians and Pakistanis who were tormented and tortured. It was only at about 7.00 in the night they were served lunch and a bottle of water were given to each passenger.

It was after 17 hours delay they were finally flown to Abu Dhabi by a plane at about 10.00 p.m. The time taken from Muscat to Abu Dhabi was 35 mins.

The Sri Lankan Air must therefore hold itself fully responsible and answerable for the trauma experienced by the passengers for 24 hours for a flight lasting only 35 mins.

While giving preferential treatment to about 50 white skinned nationals – providing them with all the comforts in a luxurious hotel ,the other passengers being treated most contemptuously like beasts and cattle because they are not white skinned including Sri Lankans of their own country is most reprehensible and repugnant , the 138 passengers who were subjected to most severe harassment and embarrassment bemoaned.

What’s more ! our mendacious Sri Lankan Air officers had displayed their true abominable colors by deliberately uttering all the falsehoods to the relatives and friends who were awaiting the arrival of the passengers at the Airport . The officers had purposely avoided giving accurate information.

A case is to be filed claiming compensation of Rs. 1000 million (one billion) from the Sri Lankan Air for its gross indifference , ineptitude and inefficiency .

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by (2017-12-26 16:03:53)

Rao’s Guide to Lime Pickling: A novella on the other side of human suffering

Tuesday, 26 December 2017

A novelist in the making

Sandali Handagama has been known by Sri Lanka’s film fans for her role as the rebellious but innocent and naive daughter of a family which was being torn apart by the personal incompatibility of the parents in the movie, Let Her Cry. Though it was her debut, she was able to win the attention of the critics as a promising supporting actress.

But, she has not been known at all as a young mathematician who has now turned a financial economist. She could have chosen any of these fields for a career. But her career has been in a completely different area: Teaching English to young students whose mother tongue has not been English. She has been a young woman inclined to testing many new specialities either as past-time or for a vocation.

Her latest testing ground has been the entry to writers’ world. In that area, her debut in the form of a novella – Rao’s Guide to Lime Pickling – has been released recently. In fact, this short novel has been one of the three theses she had submitted to the University of South Florida to earn her honours degree in mathematics in which creative art had been a minor component. The manuscript of this novella had been shortlisted for the coveted Gratiaen Prize in 2014. Now it has come out in book form to meet Sri Lanka’s wider readership.

No winners in wars, but losers

Rao’s Guide has been one of the few novels written on Sri Lanka’s 30 year long gruesome ethnic war from the side of an unwitting bystander belonging to the Tamil minority. Wars have always been painful to perpetrators of the war as well as to others who have been unwittingly dragged into them.

When wars are prolonged, the suffering of the civilians on both sides is also prolonged. They tear into pieces the usual harmonious social order on which societies had been proudly standing for long. Once that order is shattered, all those who are on this side or on the other side will lose everything they have built, acquired or established. As a result, it is a pack of victims all over and not winners and losers.

The Buddha put this cogently when he said that nothing but pain can come from violence or war. In the long run, there are no winners but only losers. Human suffering, therefore, outlives any war. Hence, the end of the war does not mean the end of suffering. Just like an untreated wound takes a long time to heal, societies also take a long time to rebuild the shattered social order.

In this dilemma, creative minds seek to help the rebuilding process by digging into human suffering arising from war, positing them in minute detail and invoking sympathy among readers for the characters who had earlier in real life been branded as enemies. That change in mindset is the essential pre-condition needed to help people forget the past and agree on a reconciliation initiative that would take the pain out of their systems and cause the suffering to end. Sri Lanka which has been torn into many sectarian groups and cliques very badly needs such an enterprise today.

The art of decoding mysteries

The title of the book, Rao’s Guide to Lime Pickling, is a puzzle that cannot be easily comprehended. Wars or the victims of wars have nothing to do with lime pickling. For that matter, a guide to lime pickling is just a recipe, totally alien to violence or wars.

Sandali has thrown light on this puzzle in a two-sentenced blurb added to the back of her novella. It says: ‘A young man must go on a perilous journey across war ridden lands to honour those who sheltered him from a long and devastating conflict. His only guide is a mysterious little book left behind by a trusted friend that promises a recipe for pickled lime’.

Hence, lime pickling is a code and it is similar to codes used by the British writer Dan Brown in his novels. To decipher the code, Dan Brown has created his Harvard Professor, Robert Langdon, who is an expert on codes and symbols. The plot in the story is unwound to the reader when Langdon decodes the code and solves the puzzle.

Sandali does not have a Harvard Professor or an expert to do the job. In her work, a young, innocent and down to earth Tamil boy, Siva, does the deciphering of the code for the readers. He uses the code, Lime Pickling, to escape the war torn North of Sri Lanka at the end of the war in 2009 for safety among the majority Sinhalese.

Losing values amidst adversities

The story that covers the period from 1995 to 2013 is narrated by young Tamil boy Siva. On the day Siva is born in 1990, his father goes missing. The inquisitive Siva asks Mother about Father, but he always gets a blank response. Those in the family have more pressing questions to resolve than answering an inquisitive boy. Perhaps, they do not want Siva to learn of the truth.

Truth, though it is a noble human value, is sometimes harmful to the person who learns of it. How will a son react when he learns what has actually happened to his father? It would turn him to a monster wanting to take revenge of those responsible for Father’s disappearance. Those in Siva’s family, especially his mother, it appears, do not want Siva to destroy himself by becoming a monster.

In fact, this has been the wish of Tamil civilians who have been caught in the conflict. Many have left the conflict areas, while others have taken risk to move to other countries. In peaceful situations, people may care for others. But when they have to struggle hard to save their own lives, the values dramatically change. Sandali has posited this creatively when she had described the scene involving Siva’s family leaving the village in the night for a safe place when they became victims of an aerial attack by armed forces.

Siva, a four year old boy, loves his pet cat, Iru, and wants to take it with them. But family values have now changed to treat a cat as a problem instead of something of value. Hence, despite Siva’s protests, they leave the cat behind to fend for itself. With an unyielding mother, Siva has no choice but to agree with his grandfather who puts some logic into his head. That is, the cat is quite capable of fending for itself and therefore is not harmed. Siva knows that it is a lie but chooses to believe that lie.

It is inspiration

that matters

Thus, Rao’s Guide is a story wound around this Tamil boy Siva who loses everything to the war – parents, education, relatives and above all, the hope of living as a Tamil. Throughout the story, he keeps a distance from the LTTE, the organisation that had claimed to be fighting for the rights of Tamils, but annihilated by the Sri Lankan government forces at the end. The story depicts the sad state of life of ordinary Tamils who do not wish to take a side in the conflict.

As a result, they are viewed as enemies by both sides. The title of the story comes from the title of a fictitious note book which Siva comes to possess after its owner, Rao, has been killed by some mysterious force, possibly by LTTE. Rao’s crime has been attempting to run away from war for safety in Colombo, the seat of administration of the Sri Lankan Government.

The title of the notebook ‘Rao’s Guide to Lime Pickling’ has been used by Rao to deliberately mislead any reader since it contained an elaborate plan by him to escape from Wanni to Colombo. That plan involves avoiding both the LTTE and Sri Lankan army checkpoints and patrols and landmines set by both parties to protect from the other.

Since Rao had been Siva’s only friend, confidante and guide, it appears that though the notebook contained no writing, it had served as the inspiration for Siva to escape to Colombo at the final stage of the war in mid 2009 and start a new life without his relatives but among his new Sinhala friends.

The agony of civilian Tamils

Sandali has explained in moving but powerful language the agony of people in Jaffna and Wanni who did not have a hand in the war. They are being pushed from place to place as internal refugees by both the LTTE and the Army.

Single mothers who have lost their husbands to the war – they have been either killed or abducted by both sides – had to undergo innumerable hardships to protect their sons and daughters from the evil that may fall upon them from all sides. They may be victims of Army reprisals, aerial bombings or attacks; if they survive, LTTE is having a hawkish eye on them to forcefully recruit them to its armed struggle.

Either way, their future is totally lost and mothers make valiant but futile attempts at protecting them from the evil. But their fate has been written on the wall and they all fall victim to the conflict which is not theirs. This is the powerful message which Sandali conveys through her novella.

Life among strangers

Siva being an innocent boy is unable to make an assessment of the situation on his own. He hears various stories about the war but his elders fail to appropriately apprise him of what is happening. His innocence and ignorance are depicted by Sandali through various episodes presented to readers in poetic language.

When the family had to leave Jaffna suddenly and relocate itself in Wanni, Siva who could not understand why it has happened, was angry with his mother. His anger is subdued only after his mother had remembered to bring with her his toy truck to Wanni. Despite the sickness, death, hunger and depravity all around, the innocent children manage to play various games of mischief totally oblivious of the fate awaiting them.

Then, Siva finds that he is not accepted to the circle of other children and his elders ignoring him. In this background, when he meets the older boy Rao, he immediately makes a crush on him and leans on him for guidance. Rao who also had lost his father in the ethnic clashes in 1983 keeps up to playing the big brother role and makes every attempt at keeping Siva happy. They share their secrets and ambitions in life. Then, when Rao is also killed, Siva finds that he has been left destitute in the world. After witnessing how his love is killed at the hands of the enemy soldiers and losing his mother, he escapes to Colombo. Sandali has given the hint that those who escape the wars are to survive and prosper even among the people who had been once considered their enemies.

A blank notebook serving as an inspiration

In the epilogue which relates to Siva’s story after he has been well settled among his Sinhalese friends in Colombo, the truth about the mysterious notebook is revealed. For the first time, a Sinhalese friend who peruses the Rao’s notebook shows the bitter truth to Siva that it is blank. Then only he realises that the notebook has simply been an imagination but when he had been struggling between life and death at the final phase of the war, an imagination also becomes an inspiration.

What he fondly remembers is Rao’s parting advice to him: ‘Use your imagination and escape’. This is a fundamental truth which Sandali has left for her readers. That is, if one has imagination, one also has the inspiration to do whatever one wants to do. But, imagination is nothing but creative thinking.

Thus, Rao’s guide is not for lime pickling but for being creative and converting adversity to prosperity. And, as Sandali has depicted, that has been the pillar on which modern civilisations stand. And if that pillar is not nourished, the perilous downward movement of modern civilisation is inevitable.
(W.A. Wijewardena, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, can be reached at waw1949@gmail.com).

Do local government elections really matter?

“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature made them.”
~Bertrand Russell

2017-12-27

Thirty five thousand (35,000) candidates are vying for their places in three hundred and forty one (341) local bodies in the forthcoming local government elections scheduled for February 10. It’s a mind-boggling number when taken in isolation. But in the context of the new socio-political culture that has embraced the nation and especially with a select gallery of politicians during the last twenty years, 102 candidates per every local body does not seem to be a staggering number.

The 13th Amendment to our Constitution that gave birth to one remarkable dynamic with its own inherent vigour is the frequent recurrence of elections at non-Presidential/Parliamentary levels. For all politicians and their cronies and specifically for those who occupy the Opposition benches, these elections do matter. Their very survival in politics is directly or indirectly related to the results of such local elections. For government benches, they are more of a source of irritation than a so-called game changer. Very few game-changing by-elections or local body-elections had been held in the past. What immediately comes to mind is the by-election for Kalawewa electorate held prior to the General Elections of 1977. Another noteworthy one was the Provincial Council elections held for Uva Province just before the last Presidential Elections in 2015.

"In his untiring efforts to get a ‘win’ as against a ‘loss’ for his party, JR in his ultimate strategic thinking and wisdom concocted an inscrutable strategy, not only to confuse his opponents in the Sirimavo Bandaranaike government, but more so to find out as to who is for and against his planning inside the UNP"

Kalawewa by-election in 1974

Kalawewa by-election, apart from its eventual results in which the Opposition party, the United National Party (UNP) gained a parliamentary seat they lost in the 1970 General Elections, brought forth another aspect of politics- strategic thinking and action- which is totally absent in today’s political amphitheatre. JR Jayewardene was the Leader of the Opposition and the UNP at the time. In his untiring efforts to get a ‘win’ as against a ‘loss’ for his party, JR in his ultimate strategic thinking and wisdom concocted an inscrutable strategy, not only to confuse his opponents in the Sirimavo Bandaranaike government, but more so to find out as to who is for and against his planning inside the UNP: Just before he undertook an overseas visit, JR floated the idea that if Anura Bandaranaike was the SLFP-led coalition, he would not field a candidate and allow Anura B to walk into Parliament uncontested. His contention was that the coalition government was overtaken by ultra-left segment of the country (T. B. Ilangaratne, N. M. Perera, Colvin, Kuenaman and the likes) it was necessary to countervail that imbalance by infusing a right-winger such as Anura Bandaranaike who was close to Sirimavo Bandaranaike into the government ranks. This unconventional tactic created the desired effect among the then government groups. The left-wing parties led by N. M. and Kuenaman would not entertain the idea of Anura Bandaranaike, a known right-winger coming into parliament. To cap it off, Sirimavo’s deafening silence on the matter did not help them either.
This strategy of J R also had the other desired effect of exposing the ‘anti-JR’ clique within the UNP into open. Niyathapala and Suriyapperuma led a losing battle. At the end, Anura B did not get nomination yet the stark differences within the coalition were exposed and the UNP won the by-election which was a harbinger of the future demise of the coalition. On the other hand, the non-conforming members of the UNP too, through their own moronic action, committed political suicide. JR with one stone killed many a bird. Such shrewd political craft is not evident today. Sadly, on either side of the aisle, such clever and innovative strategising has become a relic in today’s politics.

"Aside from these fraudulent political theories, history has shown us that government parties do not alter their normal course of behaviour as a matter of response to by-election or local election results"

Uva PC Elections in 2014

A close second to such a strategy was when Ranil Wickremasinghe, a devout disciple of JR, persuaded the then MP Harin Fernando to resign his seat and contest the Uva Provincial Council elections in 2014, just prior to the 2015-Presidential Elections. Although Harin was not successful at the 2014-Uva PC elections, the results showed that MR’s coalition was reaching its last lap. What eventually gave reason for Ranil and Chandrika on the political side and Late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha on the religious cum civil organizations side the opportunity to persuade Maithripala Sirisena to leave the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA)-led government and contest as an Opposition-led candidate against Mahinda and gain a monumental victory at the 2015-Presiential Elections.
In the context of these limited examples of local elections having an effect on the succeeding major elections, Presidential and Parliamentary, the forthcoming local elections scheduled for February 10, 2018, would have a trifling effect on the 2020 Presidential Elections. Remember, the Presidential Elections scheduled for 2020 would be for a President who will be stripped of executive powers to very considerable level. And another two full years of to go, that election would give voters sufficient space to remember or forget the results, depending on the outcome.
Nevertheless, the effect of the MR factor, which has manifested itself in the form of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), is much awaited. Its declared leader is Prof. GL Peiris who was hardly a factor in his own Ministry of External Affairs when he held the Cabinet portfolio in the
MR government.

"For all politicians and their cronies and specifically for those who occupy the Opposition benches, these elections do matter. Their very survival in politics is directly or indirectly related to the results of such local elections"

Yet the genesis of the SLPP is traced to the debunked ‘mastermind’ of elections, Basil Rajapaksa. Basil Rajapaksa today is a much maligned character. Allegations about corruption, the sheer arrogance of power and callous disregard for basic civility to his subordinates have marginalized this once powerful politico to the dustbin of politics and the money that he’s alleged to be throwing around to muster support among the true SLFPers has become subject of many a rumour in powerful circles in Colombo.
The ‘bunker mentality’ that he and his cronies are displaying today has grown exponentially in that, those who try to emerge from the debris of the 2015-defeat have themselves cocooned in a closely-knit political comfort zone.
In light of these countless charges of corruption and nepotism, the efforts made by the Rajapaksa clan to align the public thinking along a nationalist paradigm seemed thoroughly phony and dishonest. Subordination of his educational stature by a learned man like GL is only one such example.
Against such a confusing backdrop, some political pundits are making an attempt to portray the current ‘election-environment’ as a one that would be consequential in shifting the fundamental thinking of the masses towards a sea change in public perception.
Their wishful thinking is bordering on being overly optimistic at best and delusional at worst. Basil Rajapaksa’s prediction that he would win more than 90% of the local elections is wedged in that boneheaded thought.

"Nevertheless, the effect of the MR factor, which has manifested itself in the form of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), is much awaited"

Aside from these fraudulent political theories, history has shown us that government parties do not alter their normal course of behaviour as a matter of response to by-election or local election results. Their palpable stance is that they were elected to power on a given agenda and that any obstruction to that agenda is simply that, an obstruction. This government, made up of the UNP and Maithripala Sirisena’s SLFP, too would not alter that political truism. When in power, the psyche of political parties is totally different from that when they are out of power. I just returned from a tour of the districts of Colombo and Kegalle. Avissawella is bordering on Kegalle district on south-east side of Colombo district. As it stands today, Dehiowita and Deraniyagala in the Kegalle district are as sure as Avissawella in Colombo to return the UNP as the winning party. All three Pradesheeya Sabhas are not yet decided on who should be second and third. There seems to be great uncertainty about that. However, conventional wisdom dictates that it would be quite hard to beat a well-established party like the SLFP whose leader is the President who was elected by the votes of the UNP and an overwhelming majority of the Tamil and Muslim minorities. The SLFP might still be having its rural party structures intact. In which case, it will be an extraordinary task for any political entity, whether led by MR or his siblings, to relegate the SLFP to a subordinate position from a totally new party like SLPP.
At the same time, unlike the USA where separation of powers is well defined and established among the Presidency, House of Representatives and the Senate, people tend to vote for the same party that is in power. As far as the average voter goes, proximity to power and money changes everything. Politicians invariably succeed in brainwashing the gullible. When such brainwashing is clothed in the changing shades of decaying cultural values, when the average voter too is identified with those values, the elector and elected become one. It is indeed a frightening reality. This is when and where democracy becomes a mockery of human failings. The bright and intelligent begin questioning it. The wise accept it as the best among bad alternatives.

"As far as the average voter goes, proximity to power and money changes everything"

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Systematic Genocide of Tamils

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Seated from left to right: Nalaka Gunawardena, Thevanayagam Premanath, Sanjana Haththotuwa, Dr Deepika Udagama, Sonali Samarasinghe and Ruwan Gunasekera

"Challenges and Achievements of Fighting Impunity was the theme of discussion of session two of the day and moderated by Nalaka Gunawardena"