Rajapaksas, Education And State Secrets

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Picture courtesy: srilankaguardian.org

A Vietnamese was so poor the only way he could keep body and soul together was by going to jail where at least he was sure of getting regular meals. But to go to jail he had to commit a crime. So he went to the Hanoi city square where he began shouting repeatedly, “The General Secretary of the Communist Party is an idiot”. Of course the Vietnamese Police which is totally under the control of the Communist Party promptly arrested him and produced him in court. Needless to say, the Vietnamese courts which are also peoples’ courts sentenced him to a jail term of 10 years, two for disturbing the peace and eight for revealing State secrets!
It is suggested by certain writers, quite convincingly one must agree, that the well known Rajapaksa family of political fame, several of who now occupy very powerful positions in this country is quite deficient when it comes to a formal education. Not being privy to their various qualifications we are unable to comment thereon. Like beauty, it seems that the definition of education changes from person to person. Some think a series of paper qualifications is what is required of a person desiring to join the club of the educated while others think that such a qualification is only the opening to a lifelong search in the vast ocean of knowledge. Then for some, life itself is a university, imparting a rich and varied education of a more practical nature, mostly in the form of hard knocks. For some others, whatever helps you to make money is a good education.Read More »