President’s ‘Oxford Speech’

by Dr. Granville Dharmawardena

(December 20, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) It is unfortunate that Oxford University cancelled President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s speech for fear of street protesters from London. It’s a great loss of face for Oxford University’s 800 year old traditions. I can recall a similar situation that arose when Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew came to address the Cambridge University Student’s Union in 1969. His speech was to criticise the British Government for gradually distancing away from the Commonwealth and gravitating towards The European Economic Community.

On the day of the speech there were massive protests and demonstrations all over Cambridge from that morning. The protesters and demonstrators had come from London led by London School of Economics students. The very narrow roads of Cambridge were a chock-a-block and the lecture hall was surrounded by them. Those who were seated inside the hall, which included this writer, realised that there was no way for Lee Kuan Yew to come into the hall and the speech would get cancelled.

But, however, the Cambridge Student’s Union smuggled Le Kuan Yew into the hall through a rear security door and he started his speech at the scheduled time. There was a very large glass panel on the right hand side of the speaker and my wife and I were seated in the front row right in front of the speaker. One of the protesters hammered the glass panel with a large stone. It shattered into pieces and those pieces fell on the speaker and us.

Lee Kuan Yew raised his spectacles turned his head right and looked at it. Then he, quite unperturbed, turned his head back to the audience, lowered his spectacles and said, "I continue for the sake of those who are interested in listening to me" and continued his speech. The Cambridge City Police had to take care of the protesters. The rule was that while the protesters had the right to protest they had no right to disrupt the speech. Cambridge University and the Cambridge City Police strictly enforced that rule.

Such were the rich traditions guarded by 800 years of existence of Cambridge University. Cambridge folk must have the right and freedom to listen to all types of opinion undeterred by anyone. It is unfortunate that Oxford University succumbs to political and other pressures and now allows its intellectual activities to be influenced by terrorists and street protesters from London.