By Faraz Shauketaly
The incumbent Tanzanian president has used many tools common to those trying to hang on to power. In Sri Lanka from the time of Tricky Dicky, through to the people’s president Premadasa, Chandrika Kumaratunga, ‘the war winning, extra judicial killing- denying’ Mahinda Rajapaksa and through to the ‘who is Lasantha’ Gothabya Rajapaksa who displayed singular cowardice and fled the country despite an overwhelming vote, a favourite tool has been the PTA – used to dissuade public concern and supress freedom of information as well as freedom of speech.
Politically beneficial and expedient methods have been used to stymie the opposition.
Some killings simply have not been solved.
It’s almost as though Waseem Thajudeen simply died of natural causes and Lasantha just happened to die – as for Prageeth Ekneligoda he probably ran away from his loving, devoted wife and is well hidden from the world.
With disarming but misplaced loyalty and falsehood, there was even a MP who claimed to have seen Ekneligoda in Europe.
Some displayed so much loyalty while perhaps enriching themselves and who dumped the war-winning, extra-judicial-killing-denying Mahinda only to join the President Wickremesinghe bandwagon, now find themselves doing time at Colombo Prison – convicted.
They have appealed but like President Nikolas Sarkozy, Mahindananda Aluthgamage and his colleague have been jailed pending any further legal manoeuvres.
The money they have found or have or whatever explanation (they can say whatever they want but as for me, ever the sceptic, I simply am unlikely to believe it) is probably more than enough to keep the crème de la crème of Hultsdorph to continue living in Colombo 7.
The point is of course they have been convicted, are jailed and there’s no Rajapaksa remotely connected to the seats of power – to even falsely assure them that they will be released soon.
Thus is the system in Sri Lanka. Tight, getting tighter.
For all his wonderfully non-corrupt ways, his focused speeches in parliament and his stated aim to bring responsibility and accountability to the fore and to ensure the independence of the judiciary, President AKD must assure the people who voted him into power, that he has his ‘eye on the ball’.
He must with all sincerity rid this nation of the scourge of the PTA laws, not to bring an equally contentious law as a replacement but to recognise that Sri Lanka has enough laws and one will understand that the PTA and any replacement belongs firmly in the ‘dark old days’.
In the case that the Round Table at Thalawathugoda don’t quite see it with the same hue as does the President, there is a need for him to be at his exceptional best and bring an immediate ‘U” turn and explain to the Round Table that somethings ‘aint no easy task’ (www.shauketaly.com)
