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Aragalayites’ in the PTA’s shadow

26 Aug 2022

  • Activists acknowledge the commission of minor offenses by protestors, but point out wasteful political witch-hunt
  BY Sumudu Chamara   Every day, there is fresh news about arrests of or court hearings concerning “aragalaya” (struggle) activists, and the law enforcement authorities are putting a great deal of effort into tracking down certain activists. While the Government and the authorities cite various legal justifications for these legal actions, in the eyes of the general public, what is happening amounts to a political witch-hunt against anti-Government/anti-President activists. To make matters worse, the authorities have brought in the notorious Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act as amended (PTA) in their attempts to prosecute protestors, and this has heightened fears among the people who even remotely engaged in the “aragalaya”. There is great public opposition against these legal actions, and some activists remain ready to seek the Supreme Court’s assistance with regard to the use of the PTA against protestors. To know how the “aragalaya” activists, especially those who were active members of the Galle Face protests, think of the spree of arrests that is in progress, The Morning spoke to some of them – all of whom wanted to remain anonymous, citing possible threats to their lives.   Political witch-hunt or penalising offenders?   The Government and the authorities have asserted that the ongoing arrests are lawful, and are carried out with the sole intention of penalising those who broke the law during, and in the name of, the “aragalaya”. The majority of the charges concern trespassing, vandalism, and disobeying court orders. “This spate of arrests may be legitimate technically, because a considerable share of the protestors actually committed some of the offences cited by the authorities. They entered several State-owned buildings, during which process, some properties were damaged and were stolen. However, I think that we should look at the larger picture, and understand the political witch-hunt that is going on,” 39-year-old “aragalaya” activist Rajitha Perera (name changed on request), opined. The “larger picture” Perera referred to involves instilling fear into the remaining activists, thereby hindering the future of the “aragalaya”.  He claimed: “What this is intended to do is to instil fear into the heads of the remaining ‘aragalaya’ activists. The Government and the law enforcement authorities are well aware of the fact that the ‘aragalaya’ is not over and that the activists are still out there trying to save the country from corrupt politicians. So, what is essentially happening is, those corrupt politicians are attempting to make sure that what is left of the ‘‘aragalaya will not rise again. They are arresting activists not to protect the country or uphold the law, but to ensure their survival in politics and dominance in the country.” Sharing a similar opinion, 45-year-old activist Madhawa Fernando (name changed on request), said that the ongoing arrests are a waste of time and the resources of the law enforcement authorities, and is tantamount to using the taxpayers’ tax money to oppress taxpayers.  “Who is being arrested? It is ordinary citizens who demanded that an incompetent Government and the corrupt heads of the country resign, so that a better administration can be established. It has however become a reason to be arrested because of the way that the protestors behaved, or because of the way that the protestors’ behaviour has been interpreted by the authorities. Most of these arrests may be justified in terms of the written laws, but it is obvious that this is a form of political witch-hunt.  “We have to ask several questions. The Police are arresting people who are said to have damaged the properties of the Presidential House, the Presidential Secretariat, and the Temple Trees, but, did they arrest the Police and military personnel who damaged the properties of the ‘GotaGoGama’ protesters? The Police are arresting protesters who have allegedly obstructed the duties of the law enforcement authorities and the Defense Forces personnel, but did they arrest the Police and military personnel who brutally assaulted unarmed civilians? Most importantly, the Police are arresting people who entered the Presidential House, the Presidential Secretariat, and the Temple Trees for trespassing, but did they take any action against the Police and military personnel who were present there, but did not prevent it? The answer is no. The law is being enforced only against those who acted out of hunger, poverty, and oppression.” He opined: “I do not even understand as to why the Police and the intelligence services are wasting so much of their time and resources to find people who are suspected of trivial offences such as trespassing and causing minor damages to property. I am quite sure that the Government is spending more resources to find these people than the resources they would have spent to repair what is damaged. Basically, they are using the citizens’ tax money to intimidate the citizens.”   Blocking the ‘aragalaya’s’ next move Some who spoke with The Morning also spoke about using the PTA against “aragalaya” activists, most of whom alleged that the Government and the authorities are trying to plant the idea that the “aragalaya” was a terrorist movement and thereby suppresses the fact that it was a people-led movement against a corrupt and an inept administration. In this regard, 27-year-old activist Ishara Sandaruwan (name changed on request), said: “The ‘aragalaya’ had only a handful of demands, the most important one being the resignation of a leader and a Government that the people did not want anymore. To me, it sounds more like an act of democracy, where the people use their Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of protest and speech in order to demand the resignation of a President and a Government that they themselves elected. I do not understand how it can be labelled an act of terrorism, and why the protesters are being targeted like this.”  He also talked about how the use of the PTA may affect the nature of the “aragalaya”: “We have to be careful. We are living in an era where people start forgetting or questioning what led to the ‘aragalaya’ in the first place, because they start hearing things that distract and mislead them. I think that the PTA is one such attempt to erase the foundation of the ‘aragalaya’ from history.  “In case at least one ‘aragalaya’ activist gets convicted under the PTA, that is when the Government starts its propaganda to label the entire movement as being led by groups with anti-Sri Lanka and pro-terrorist objectives. I am quite certain about this, because I see it already happening. None of the members of the Government are talking about why the ‘aragalaya’ started or about the fact that the issues that led to the aragalaya are still affecting the people. They act like the ‘aragalaya’ is a movement that had one objective, which is, overthrowing the Government to destabilise the country.”  The worst part of this situation, according to Sandaruwan, is the possibility of people becoming complacent. He explained: “Now that the ‘aragalaya’ has almost died down, especially due to the Government’s crackdown on activists, the courage that was instilled in the people’s minds is also waning. The people are slowly adjusting to the adverse and worsening economic situation, and they are trying to remain patient as long as they have to. Kerosene oil prices were increased by around 300%, and I did not see a strong protest anywhere.”  He said that this situation is the biggest impact of the recent spate of arrests, and that this is more serious than activists going to jail. “We are not afraid or sad to go to jail. But if we and the cause we fought for were forgotten by the people that we fought for, that would be a real tragedy. That will just erase every sacrifice we made during the past four months.” Meanwhile, 56-year-old activist Narada Kasthuri (name changed on request), claimed that the recent arrests of activists has the potential to impede the immediate next steps of the “aragalaya”.  “Many people who were strong supporters of the ‘aragalaya’ are living in fear today. Some have gone into hiding, while some are not stepping out of their houses. This is an extremely alarming situation. This is not just a threat in the present context. This has the potential to slow down the ‘aragalaya’s’ next steps, especially advocacy, awareness raising, discussions at the policy and lawmaking levels, and perhaps entering Sri Lankan politics.”  Kasthuri opined that the message that the present situation is giving to the country is that people fighting for their rights and wellbeing is a crime and may even be an act of terrorism. While the legality and morality of the actions being taken against “aragalaya” activists is a topic of discussion in almost all spheres of the society, it is likely to result in adverse impacts on the country as a whole. International human rights groups, various countries, and also international financial institutions, some of which are expected to assist Sri Lanka’s economic revival, have expressed great displeasure of these legal actions. In this context, if the Government does not skillfully handle the situation, the entire country may have to pay the price of the legal actions, which many have dubbed a political witch-hunt.


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