President Reduces Democracy To Elections And Human Rights To Defeating Terrorism!

By Laksiri Fernando -January 29, 2014 

Dr. Laksiri Fernando

I am basing this critique mainly on President’s interview to the Daily Mirrortitled “Critics of SL Have a Misguided Notion” published on 1 January 2014, as it is always better to be precise when discussing the issues of human rights or democracy. The views expressed in this interview have no excuses of ‘problems of articulation,’ like in a ‘on the spot’ interview, as it was conducted in advance through email, probably with other’s assistance.

It was highlighted in the preface to the interview, President saying that “those who criticise the Human Rights record of the country are either those who have not visited [or don’t know] the country or those who are the voices of the LTTE.” I cannot possibly be accused of either of these allegations, as I have always been a strong critic of the LTTE, and my knowledge of the country cannot be second to the President.

I understand, however, that he was aiming the allegation mainly to the ‘outsiders,’ but what it shows is his intolerance to any criticism and dismissal of any human rights advocacy as “voices of the LTTE.” He has also further stated in the same vein, “They simply act as the voice of the defeated terrorists. They are both within and outside Sri Lanka.” This is quite unfortunate as it equates ‘human rights criticism to terrorism.’

My focus of this article is not on the human rights record of the country as such, but the pitiable views expressed by the President on human rights themselves. Altogether he has answered 10 questions and most of them are to do with development and infrastructural projects on which I don’t have much issue here. However, what is characteristic is his attempt to highlight the achievements of development, in contrast to the record of human rights, as if to say that human rights and democracy are things that the people have to scarify in achieving development. This is unacceptable and defy the experiences of development and human rights in many countries.

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