On My Watch - Lucien Rajakarunanayake

Striking hard at the forces of freedom

The murder of a newspaper editor, and one who was so closely associated with political controversy, sharp and even vitriolic criticism of important and powerful personalities, and the Government in office, certainly gives cause for grave concern.

Lasantha Wickremetunga, was a colleague I had a close association with, especially with the launch of The Sunday Leader, the newspaper for which I wrote a regular column for two or more years.

His brutal killing touches me too very deeply, and brings out my own contemptuous condemnation of those who carried out this crime, and a call for those responsible, in whatever position or rank, to be brought to justice with the utmost speed, in a thorough investigation leaving no loopholes for escape.

There are many instant theories afloat from the time the news of his heinous attack on Lasantha was known. Fingers are pointed in many directions, the most vocal of these knee-jerk accusers point them at the Government, and even the President, with hardly a shred of evidence for a strong case for their suspicions; genuine or not, or made with political motives they may have, whether they were shared by Lasantha or not.

Courageous journalist

The country has lost a courageous journalist, about whose methods of journalism there could be diverse opinions, not all of then favourable to him, over which Lasantha and I have had many a spirited debate, sometimes ending in concurrence and at others in agreement to disagree.

President Rajapaksa has lost a good friend, having a close association from the time he was in opposition, and has often moved to help Lasantha in many a way; which did not deter him being criticised in the columns of the newspapers edited by Lasantha. That is the spirit and essence of the democratic freedom of the media needed in the country, and should be protected at all costs.

It is not the task of this column to venture into hasty accusations about Lasantha’s killing.

Perspective

One leaves it to those responsible for law and order, with the expectation that the hunt for his killers would produce better results than today’s abysmally poor record of the Sri Lanka Police in the solving of serious crime, and thereby help create an atmosphere where there can be greater respect for the agencies of law enforcement.

In this rush of hasty and half-baked opinions about his killings, it is necessary to place it in the perspective of current political reality.

There are efforts seen to make this seem as the killing of Anna Politskaya, the outspoken Russian journalist killed in politically tainted circumstances, and used to attack the Putin administration, especially by international organisations that disliked the emerging power of Russia.

Democracy

We already see various busybodies from abroad who have taken upon themselves the protection of Sri Lankan democracy from its own people, gleefully joined by their fully paid agents here, jumping on to the accusatory bandwagon over Lasantha and the MTC/Sirasa fire.

There are some facts necessary to be said. For the past few months Sri Lanka has largely been only on the fringe, if not wholly off, the international radar of the trackers of human rights violations and humanitarian issues.

The voices raised about alleged humanitarian disaster, especially regarding IDPs in the North are largely stilled, particularly from Tamil Nadu. The success of troops in their battle against LTTE terror, has won plaudits from many former critics of the use of the military to defeat terror.

Even the US Embassy states it hopes the fall of Kilinochchi would lead to a speedy end to the current crisis in the country, and most significantly, that the US does not advocate negotiations with the LTTE, which it has banned as an international terrorist organization for many years. India is re-calibrating its own reaction to the forces of terror, both within its borders and those from beyond. All of which means the LTTE is getting a beating that many believed to be impossible.

The strongholds of the LTTE are falling, somewhat like nine-pins, with the least of civilian suffering, as seen at Paranthan, Kilinochchi, Palai, Soranapattu, and the advance to Muhamalai and Elephant Pass. All this can certainly not be to the liking of those who wish to see Sri Lanka as a country that is right at the centre of the radar screens of the lapdogs of terrorism, who claim to be the watchdogs of human rights.

In such a situation one of the best ways to hit back at Sri Lanka, putting it back on that radar, bringing it into sharp focus even away from the humanitarian catastrophe of Israel’s creation in the Gaza Strip, would be to attack the Media; always a very sensitive and very productive area for those with such interests.

killers

In the hunt for the killers of Lasantha Wickremetunga, while keeping eyes open for all clues and suspicions, one should also not rule out the ramifications of such interests that are ranged against country’s efforts to defeat terrorism and restore democracy.

The sacrifice of courageous journalist would hardly matter to such sinister forces that have not balked at carrying out assassinations of much larger figures and impact.

Similarly the torching of a TV station, critical of the ongoing military offensive and the government, but which the President always invites for the monthly Full Moon Poya Bana preaching at Temple Trees, would also be small game for such sinister forces.

These are some thoughts necessary to bear in mind when seeking to understand the forces that have struck down Lasantha Wickremetunga so brutally, and have shown what dangers are poised against the restoration of democracy to all parts of Sri Lanka.

The triumph is that of the forces of terror and the victims those who stand for democracy, in an inclusive and pluralist approach. We cannot leave any room for such terror to strike us again.