{"id":36289,"date":"2014-12-17T18:37:20","date_gmt":"2014-12-17T23:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=36289"},"modified":"2014-12-17T22:18:15","modified_gmt":"2014-12-18T03:18:15","slug":"people-should-reflect-on-the-guttila-kavya-saying-charcoal-will-never-become-white-wen-voting-on-jan8th-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=36289","title":{"rendered":"People Should Reflect on the “Guttila Kavya” saying Charcoal will never Become white when Voting on Jan 8 th 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

Savitri Goonesekere<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people have described the Presidential elections 2015 as a “defining” event in the history of our country. <\/p>\n

\"Savitri<\/a>

Savitri Goonesekere, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and Member of the Advisory Committee, International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific addresses during the 18th Session Human Rights Council. UN Photo \/ Jean-Marc Ferr\u00e9-Sept, 2011<\/p><\/div>\n

The unfolding scene also highlights the depths to which our national politics has sunk, and the complete blurring of the difference between what is acceptable and not acceptable behaviour on the part of those holding public office.<\/p>\n

Certain incidents that would have elicited a negative public response have gone unnoticed or ignored in our country even in the mainstream print media. <\/p>\n

Why are we all so unwilling to react when:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. The Minister of Higher Education S. B. Dissanayake in a televised statement declares that when the incumbent President wins the next election, former President Chandrika Kumaranatunga will be thrown to the ground, kicked, her head split,and she will be chased through the streets, naked. The Minister of Eduction Bandula Gunewardene in a broadcast about the same time made a speech heavy with sexual innuendo, and referred to a “dog without a tail ” “who cannot make lau (love)” being trailed by a bitch. Are these the voices and personalities we have chosen to guide the destinies of this country in the areas of education and higher education. The academic community has referred to rampant politicisisation of the higher education system through political appointees to university administration and the regulatory authorities on Higher Education. If these are the guiding hands on policy what is the future of education in this country? Have we not already become “the miracle of education ” in Asia by not demanding the immediate resignation of these men who have denegrated women and legitimised using violence against women, including women in politics? The SLFP voted for the worlds first woman prime minister and yet ministers in that same party dare to speak in this manner with complete impunity.<\/p>\n

2. Much is said about rampant corruption in the name of economic growth and development. Why are we no longer shocked and are silent when a cabinet minister publicly declares that this government has plundered enough, and they in government do not need more money, advising people not to vote for a change, because a new government will begin plundering all over again. Despite ample evidence to the contrary, including from other Asian countries, these publicly stated and dangerously distorted values encourage the myth that corruption does not negatively impact on growth and in fact sustains economic growth.<\/p>\n

The President of the country admits to safeguarding and maintaining in his personal possession files on corruption. By our silence on this extraordinary revelation we have legalised political bargaining based on the plundering of our national resources. We have given up the idea that corruption is a crime and that a President in possession of this material has a responsibility and duty to follow the law of the land and ensure that criminals are prosecuted. What better way to legitimise the plundering of resources when the highest in the land smiles broadly and states in public that he does not require cash but only a cup of coffee to get a cross over to his party? <\/p>\n

Vote buying is thus legitimised as a national political pastime. No one seems to understand or react to the publicly stated contempt for the people\u2019s right to the franchise under our Constitution, and their sovereign right to vote for the candidate of their own choice.<\/p>\n

3. We have heard much about eating the bosses egg hoppers at breakfast and letting down the boss.If this is a breach of trust, what of making an election promise to the nation to abolish the executive presidency, followed by a manupulation of crossovers to obtain a 2\/3 majority that the country did not give, and passing a law that violates the peoples constitutional rights, by permitting an incumbent President to contest elections for unlimited terms, and continue as executive President for life?<\/p>\n

8 January 2015 is indeed a defining day in our country’s history. People of goodwill and sound values uncorrupted by false gods should reflect and vote on both the personalities we entrust with public office and their policies. <\/p>\n

The Guttila Kavya speaks of charcoal never becoming white. What we want for our beloved country must not be delinked from abiding values on what is right and wrong, and what is and what is not in the public interest.<\/p>\n

Courtesy:The Island<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Savitri Goonesekere Many people have described the Presidential elections 2015 as a “defining” event in the history of our country. The unfolding scene also highlights the depths to which our national politics has sunk, and the complete blurring of the difference between what is acceptable and not acceptable behaviour on the part of those …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘People Should Reflect on the “Guttila Kavya” saying Charcoal will never Become white when Voting on Jan 8 th 2015’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36289"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36289"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36313,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36289\/revisions\/36313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}