By L. Wickrematunge

(A service of remembrance on the 4th death anniversary of the founding Editor of The Sunday Leader the late Lasantha Wickrematunge will be held at his gravesite at the Kanatte cemetery in Borella on Tuesday,
January 8 at 7.30 a.m. Wickrematunge was assassinated on January 8, 2009 while he was on his way to work)

Lasantha lives. He does, in the hearts and minds of all those who respected the fourth state. That, he created a new style of bringing forth news and views through his weekly political column under the pseudonym ‘Suranimala,’ is never disputed.

Four years have lapsed and the killers of Lasantha walk free. They did not know him. It was a time when armed men carried out orders to kill. They did not reason why. Their job was to do as commanded. They did what they were ordered to. Some say that the order was not to kill but inflict harm.

Does anyone believe that? Does anyone believe that the copycat attack on another newspaper editor immediately following Lasantha’s killing was not meant to mislead? These questions have not been addressed let alone eliciting an answer.

Lasantha was constantly harassed and attacked from the inception of The Sunday Leader (which was in 1994). Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge castigated him whilst in power for two full terms but sang his praises and even agreed to be interviewed, after she relinquished the office of President. President Mahinda Rajapaksa unfortunately does not have that luxury.

Four long years have rolled by with the resultant case being called every fourteen days and postponed. Neither the Police nor the TID have come up with any clues despite high profile politicians pointing the finger in one direction. The Sunday Leader was not the only organ used by Lasantha, to keep a public informed. His television programmes were equally popular. His skill and dedication to journalism was appreciated universally. The awards won by many journalists at The Sunday Leader, both locally and internationally underscores this as an undisputed fact.

One of a kind, Lasantha was able to see an angle to a story most journalists would not. Those who worked with him on the editorial floor were privy to his incisive mind

Never the one to be cowed Lasantha got under the skin of the government during the time press censorship was in force by writing a front-page headline story describing accurately an attack that took place at the Palaly Camp. The article was written in the negative form but readers got the gist of the story. For this effort the newspaper was shut down under Emergency Regulations but allowed to resume subsequent to a challenge in the Supreme Court.

It was fifteen years of relentless dedication to a cause that made Lasantha more than the man he was. Politicians loved him when out of power and hated him with a vengeance when in. He laughed at this irony. He was politically aware and shared his knowledge without hesitation with the readers much to the chagrin of powers that be.
Lasantha made The Sunday Leader the first read on sabbath. The investigations and exposes he brought forth were too many to recount. He swore by the principle of the public’s right to information.

Politicians and public servants in positions of power, to him, were trustees of the people for a specified period of time. He believed that they were accountable. His was a lone battle amongst millions of ‘I am alright jacks,’ as he called them. Lasantha felt that many an upright person did not buck the system despite being confronted with bribery and corruption, simply because they were ‘alright.’ This did not deter him. Was that the reason he was done away with? Perhaps, perhaps not. But it is something to think about.

Sri Lanka was considered a most dangerous place amongst the world for journalists according to independent opinion. Attacks both verbal and physical have gone unsolved to date. Apathy and self-censorship is here to stay. How would Lasantha have fared if he were Editor of The Sunday Leader today?

I can almost hear the answer of each reader as they go through these lines. Be that as it may, (one of his catch phrases) Lasantha went to his maker with his head held high. He packed everything into his relatively young fifty years. He was loved by all who came to know him intimately and his family grieves for him. They will gather at his grave site on the 8th of January at 7.30am to pay respect.

Let God bless his soul and make him rest in peace. His memory lingers on………………

COURTESY:THE SUNDAY LEADER