Resurrect Our Freedom Of Speech And The Rule Of Law

By Jagath Asoka -October 30, 2013 

Dr Jagath Asoka

What will happen to you if you criticize Rajapaksas?

Some Sri Lankans say that they support Rajapaksas because Rajapaksas put an end to terrorism in Sri Lanka. There are others who say, “Look at what  Rajapaksas have done; they have built new roads, airports, harbors, stadiums, and now in twenty minutes we can go to the airport; so, what else do you want from them?” I say to them, “The four Janus-faced stooges—Mahinda, Gotabaya, Basil, and Chamal—have killed your Mother and Father: Freedom of Speech and the Rule of law. The freedom of speech is the Mother of all societies; the rule of law is the Father.

If someone were to murder your parents, what would you do to avenge their murder? I once read an Egyptian story:  They hacked the perpetrator with axes and devoured his heart while he was still alive. I would not have gone that far. I would have tried to resurrect my parents.

As far as I am concerned, we need to resurrect our country’s Parents: Freedom of Speech and the Rule of law. All these tangible things are irrelevant compared to the intangible freedom of speech and the rule of law.  If you are a Sri Lankan, regardless of your ethnic or religious identity, there is one thing that you cannot do in Sri Lanka: You cannot criticize the Janus-faced four stooges who have become the four branches of government. Most people are afraid of these four stooges. These four stooges have become voracious vultures, and they are devouring the corpses of our Mother and Father. Their appetite is insatiable.

Those who try to whitewash the white van syndrome and those who try to mitigate the crimes—rape, torture, and murder—of Rapapaksa regime, they do it for their imaginary gains; not real at all but mostly imaginary, trivial, and illusory. The majority of Sri Lankans live in the villages. Here is an interesting phenomenon: Some Sri Lankan villagers support Rajapaksas because they think Rajapaksas are villagers like them. The phrase “Apae Mahinda (our Mahinda)” originated from this affinity. Let’s have some fun. Instantly, fill in the blank in the following sentence with the word that will make the sentence true: Rajapkasas have —— us.  The word that you pick instantly reveals what you think of these four stooges.Read More