Rangebandara and the GOSL

By Helasingha Bandara

(October 10, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The government of Sri Lanka is inconspicuously and gradually loosing its popularity that peaked when it decisively won the war. Instead of consolidating its popularity the government is hell bent on mafia style governance. Dismissing international opinion and friendly advice from loyal intellectuals and making enemies out of friends seem the trend of the government. The decline of the rule of law and the injustice caused upon the political opponents are quietly opposed by the law abiding citizens of Sri Lanka. The harassment of Palitha Rangebandara UNP MP and the attempted assassination of the UNP Chief Candidate of the PC election for the Galle district are two imminent cases in point. The government may have no hand at all in those two cases. Contrary to the truth or the untruth the public perception is on the affirmative that the Government is behind those dastardly acts.

Premadasa ordered the abduction and murder of more than 30,000 young people. Many of them were innocent bystanders whose only crime was that they belonged to SLFP families. In the guise of defeating the JVP, the then UNP government decimated the democratic opposition with the hope of sustaining a mafia state and remaining in power forever. Could he personally or his party survive long? People in Sri Lanka do not condone violence and they despise injustice .Frequently they have expressed their quiet anger at elections. This government will be shocked to realise how quickly people can turn against them if they continue to indulge in violence against people.

There were articles on Sri Lanka Guardian on the arson attack on Palitha Rangebandara’s house, the assassination attempt on the UNP Galle district leader and Kishali Pinto Jayawardane’s findings. Those highlight the tendency of the government to become a mafia state. I am not a journalist or a philosopher, but an ordinary reader of news. My comments are based on what I read. Therefore it is possible that those comments are viewed as based on anecdotal evidence. Aye! Anecdotal they may be, but anecdotes are what we get in Sri Lanka. Somehow, the burning down of Rangebandara’s house in Madampe and previous arson attack on his office in Anamaduwa and the killing of the opposition leader of the Galle Provincial council before the elections are not just anecdotes. They are real crimes against democracy and human rights.

As I said earlier, I am an ordinary citizen and I have formed an ordinary opinion that the killings of opposition politicians and the committing of strong atrocities against them cannot be done by ordinary individuals without the backing of powerful people, in other words the people in power. If I have formed such an opinion it is fair to say that millions of other ordinary citizens like me may have formed the same opinion. In spite of the great piece of work that this government successfully completed recently, people will turn against the government if it continues to let the rule of law decline, democracy erode and the political opponents be harassed.

Recently Sri Lanka had two good opportunities to develop itself, the first being the tsunami. Billions of dollars per se and millions worth in commodities and equipment were poured into the country by the grief stricken world community. Personally, I have witnessed how people in the UK were moved by this disaster and worked so hard to collect money, food and other stuff to be sent to Sri Lanka. The money it received was sufficient to develop the whole country, not only the tsunami affected areas. It is heart breaking to hear that most of the aid was misused and that still there are people in the tsunami camps.

The second and the best opportunity that we have attained is the end of the 25 year old war. It would be a shame if the government lets slip this opportunity by being egotistic, arrogant and power hungry. The use or the abuse of wrong means to remain in power is not acceptable by any means. Be just! Certainly you will retain power for a long time to come.

-Sri Lanka Guardian