Food for thought…eh?

One thing that is achievable is translation into the languages. I don’t understand why that is difficult to do!

I don’t have the skils, but with millions of people in Sri Lanka and overseas who are fluent in either of these languages, why can’t it be done?

Have seen so many suggestions that this should be done, but no one appears to have volunteered to do it.

Having said that, I also fully agree with Sanjana’s last words: ‘How on earth are we going to come out of this?’ This is a question that all Sri Lankans across the world need to raise today.
Chaminda WEERAWARDHANA

Depending on your frame of reference, it may well be that this government alone is not to blame. For sure, the Rajapakse bros are a triumvirate taking democratic institutions and human rights to hell, but clearly, their emergence, as well as that of Prabhakaran, must be seen in light of a historical inability to capture the potential of the democratic ideal. This is evident, as you well know, in legislation passed by succesive government post independence, and particularly captured in a constitution that today everyone publicly abhors, but neither the SLFP nor the UNP show any demonstrable sincerity and political will to change.

The point is that we are the authors of the Rajapakse’s, much as we would like to shirk away from the responsibility of voting in and supporting, and keeping in power to our collective detriment, successive regimes that have shown scant regard for the development of our democratic institutions. Our apathy is the womb of the Mahinda Chintanaya.

You would agree that elections here are a Hobson’s choice. The UNP is rudderless and save for an occasional glint of genius, is largely responsible through its own blind ignorance and stupid arrogance for the debacle of the architectonics of the peace process from 02 – 05. Worse, I do not see the political imagination and vision necessary to expose this government’s inability to govern from an enervated, supine UNP that as a party cuts a rather tragic figure. Much of the opposition to this government and particularly with regards to corruption, is now as you point out now the domain of the JVP. The SLFP under the Rajapakse’s is a party devoid of any intelligence, promote and protect State terror, and is a membership bound by fear & coercion. The fiasco re the evictions of Tamils in Colombo alone is enough to demonstrate the Rajapakse’s proclivity, augmented by Champika Ranawake, to openly bugger democracy. It’s an obsence act that I fear continue, and I don’t agree with you that its end its nigh. As I point out in my article in response to Sara – things will get worse, and will possibly not get better.

What is important is not so much how we record the Rajapakse’s in history, but the manner in which we recover from the cancerous rot they ingrained into democratic governance in Sri Lanka. It is to end that I would like you to entreat us with some ideas you feel may work.

Sanjana