Sri Lanka Guardian comment on weekend editorials and political columns
(October 10, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sarath Fonseka’s prison term dominated the editorials and political comments this weekend. Fonseka’s situation was presented as one of the ill treatment of a hero rather than of a citizen who has been wronged. Fonseka was chosen as a common candidate of the opoosition and his own convictions led him accepting that invitation.
His political campaign was based on promise of abolition of the executive presidential system and ending corruption. His subsequent punishments are directly related to having dared to challenge the incumbent president Mahinda Rajapakse and a resolute call to end the abuse of power inherent in the executive presidential system that undermines the parliament and the judiciary, as well as to deal with the corruption issue.
He did what any citizen is entitled to do. These acts are not crimes but acts of public spiritedness. Any decent society will uphold his right to do so.
In fighting the unjust imprisonment it is this aspect of his rights as a citizen that has relevance to everyone, far more than his status as hero. Even if he was not of that status, this imprisonment is a grave wrong against all citizens as it is an attack against citizenship rights. However, none of the political columns touched on this issue.
Related to this is the abuse of the legal process for punishing opponents, which is again a grave wrong against all citizens. The ruling regime behaved in this like a group of criminals who plant drugs or any other illegal item in order to get a rival sent to jail. Cooking up some charges against a rival in blatant disregard to common sense and making a mockery of justice is a wrong done against all. It makes a mockery out of the very process of justice, which is the only safeguard that all citizens have against abuse of power. This kind of cynical play with justice makes life unsafe for all. In this sense, these are terrible days for all citizens. Are all Sri Lankans going to live under this kind of a justice system?
Adding to all that, instead of ordinary courts military courts were chosen, and even those was abused by way of the selection of “judges” and the way the whole process was conducted. Even the appeal courts postponed hearing of very valid objections made by lawyers for Fonseka on the legal ground of bias. Such abdication of power by appeal courts is again a threat to all citizens. These courts have duties to protect citizens and when they don’t the peril to citizens is limitless.
It is these matters that connect all citizens to Fonseka’s issue. His hero status is not the most important issue.
The government propaganda line is that “All are equal before law”. Is this the equality that that all citizens are going to have? This is to be equally deprived and to be reduced to zero status as citizens.
The editorials missed out other very important issues, such as forced disappearances which are still happening. Now this is happening to settle land disputes as prices of land are rising in some places. Forced disappearances are been used as a way of forcing the evacuation of those residing on the land.
Crimes are increasing thanks also to 18th Amendment to the constitution, which has ensured that the policing system in the country will degenerate further.
There were many such very important public issues on which the weekend news papers failed to comment.
Overall, the editorials and the comments this weekend manifest a high degree of demoralization and intimidation at editorial levels happening in the country. Vital public issues neither get highlighted nor properly commented upon. Perhaps it is a dangerous thing to do under the present circumstances. The kind of vibrant journalism as a dedicated watchdog of public interest is rapidly being lost in the country. Like the politicians, are the editors too adjusting to the strong leader with perhaps the cynical expectation of contributing to “development”?
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