Comments on: Voting for the ‘Undiscovered Country’? https://groundviews.org/2010/04/08/voting-for-the-%e2%80%98undiscovered-country%e2%80%99/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=voting-for-the-%25e2%2580%2598undiscovered-country%25e2%2580%2599 Journalism for Citizens Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:12:08 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 By: DAVID DAMARIO https://groundviews.org/2010/04/08/voting-for-the-%e2%80%98undiscovered-country%e2%80%99/#comment-16973 Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:12:08 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2999#comment-16973 Sir Arthur C Clarke was the great ‘extrapolator’ as we all know. I was in Sri Lanka just beofre the military push to the north that ended this conflict. It was a trubulant time and a scary time. We had been surrounded (our taxi) more than once with armed soldiers…who were not pointing their guns down to the ground. Now is a new era of hope. Nalaka my friend, the world is watching what happens there….and I just wish Sir Arthur was here to see the events unfold.

David Damario
Canada

]]> By: Sam Thambipillai https://groundviews.org/2010/04/08/voting-for-the-%e2%80%98undiscovered-country%e2%80%99/#comment-16967 Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:53:27 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2999#comment-16967 There is convincing “totalitarianism under the cover of democracy” in Sri Lanka(SL).

Obviously, the Tamil nation in the North-East of the island, seeking independence for their homeland Tamil Eelam(TE), facing colonial occupation, brutal repression, human rights violations, disappearances and Tamil genocide, by about 80 percent, have boycotted and clearly rejected the election conducted by the colonists.

The Tamils of TE have thus expressed solidarity with the Tamils in exile in Norway, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Britain, Germany and Italy and other countries for the independence of TE.

On the other hand in the Sinhala nation, except the cronies of both wretched major parties, the others believe that there is no purpose whatsoever in casting their votes.

most of the past 60 years were ruled under emergency laws and even the present election was held under emergency in the country.

The Sinhalese appear to believe firmly that by locking up Sarath Fonseka, using state vehicles for election propaganda, voter threat and intimidation, disenfranchisement, bribery and rigging; the wretched government of Mahinda Rajapakse will some how or other win. So about 50 percent of them did not vote.

In democratic countries, the president asks his citizens to vote to express their choice.

But, Rajapakse made the most undemocratic act by asking the voters not to waste their vote by voting for the opposition.

Is SL going to be another Kyrgystan?

]]> By: R D De Silva https://groundviews.org/2010/04/08/voting-for-the-%e2%80%98undiscovered-country%e2%80%99/#comment-16938 Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:50:44 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2999#comment-16938 If we want to create a technological future for Sri Lanka, we need to have highly educated, dynamic young people like Thilanga Sumathipala to lead the next team that will rebuild the nation!

]]> By: Groundtruth https://groundviews.org/2010/04/08/voting-for-the-%e2%80%98undiscovered-country%e2%80%99/#comment-16931 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:47:50 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2999#comment-16931 He was truly a “star gazer”, at least 50 years ahead of his time.

]]> By: Nalaka Gunawardene https://groundviews.org/2010/04/08/voting-for-the-%e2%80%98undiscovered-country%e2%80%99/#comment-16911 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:46:37 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2999#comment-16911 ‘Undiscovered Country’ is a poetic phrase with a literal meaning. The original use was by Shakespeare in Hamlet.

To the melancholic Hamlet, death was an undiscovered country. (See exact quote at http://www.monologuearchive.com/s/shakespeare_001.html). In Shakespeare’s most famous soliloquy, the Prince of Denmark hesitates in his consideration of suicide not because of an absolute Christian belief in divine retribution, but because he is afraid of an afterlife of which he cannot be sure.

For the more cheerful among us, the Future is the great Undiscovered Country. Again, it is used poetically, not politically — and I think it’s important to note the difference (which some of our readers commenting above have missed). ‘Undiscovered Country’ has also been in popular culture in recent years, as I have just referred to on my blog – see: http://movingimages.wordpress.com/2010/04/08/sri-lanka-general-election-2010-voting-for-the-undiscovered-country/

]]> By: CheeLanka https://groundviews.org/2010/04/08/voting-for-the-%e2%80%98undiscovered-country%e2%80%99/#comment-16906 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:58:48 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2999#comment-16906 Help! This is another western-funded, UN-sanctioned, Vatican-blessed, CIA-backed international conspiracy to destabilize Sri Lanka! Baba is right: Sri Lanka has existed for a very long time and it was one of the earliest countries to be discovered in the world. Archeological records show human settlements in this island going back to over 50,000 years. By denying this glorious civilization, the writer is trying to discredit it. Undiscovered indeed!

]]> By: Justin https://groundviews.org/2010/04/08/voting-for-the-%e2%80%98undiscovered-country%e2%80%99/#comment-16903 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:59:02 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2999#comment-16903 The undiscoery of country started in 1948. Since then the islanders have been unable to discover the undiscovered country of Tamil Eelam (TE).

Untill that is done and freedoms established jointly by TE and SL there can be no peace, hope and a future.

]]> By: baba https://groundviews.org/2010/04/08/voting-for-the-%e2%80%98undiscovered-country%e2%80%99/#comment-16899 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:13:14 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2999#comment-16899 what do you mean “voting for the undiscovered country?” Are you another sinhala tiger? The country of sri lanka has existed for centuries, and the people today have voted all of sri lanka in a DISCOVERED COUNTRY! get your facts straight, you big fat ape!

]]> By: N https://groundviews.org/2010/04/08/voting-for-the-%e2%80%98undiscovered-country%e2%80%99/#comment-16887 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 04:13:03 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/?p=2999#comment-16887 I’m a big fan of Arthur C. Clarke and enjoyed this article. Of course since you invoked the sayings of a white, non-Sinhala Buddhist in providing guidance for our resplendent isle I give it a few hours until the usual nationalist nutters and INGO/NGO conspirators start raining abuse on your head saying that you should be promoting those paragons of virtue instead Mervyn and Duminda.

But really, irony apart, nice article:)

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