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Lessons from '83 for the new Sri Lanka

25 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka has on many occasions discussed how July 1983 marked a disgraceful period of the country’s history, and stressed on the importance of the country – especially its leaders and authorities – learning from what happened. Leaders say that they do not want to see such tragedies again. However, yesterday (24), on the 39th anniversary of that July, known as Black July, the country was again discussing State-backed oppression and alleged plots hatched by those in power to set people against their own. This latest discussion was prompted by what transpired at the “GotaGoGama” protest site on the night of 22 July. Although the attack on peaceful protestors carried out by the authorities, mainly the Police, military, and the Special Task Force (STF), did not have an ethnic/racial aspect, unlike in the case of the Black July when the Tamil community was targeted, in both cases, the enforcement and defense authorities disgracefully failed to fulfill their supreme duty of protecting citizens.  It is true that following orders is an important part of their job. However, their main duty is to serve and protect the citizens of the country, and by law, they are not bound to follow unlawful orders. However, when looking at both Black July and the July of this year, it is evident that not only did those forces fail to fulfil their duty to the people, but also actively took part in violating people’s rights. In 1983, they looked away when Tamil people were attacked and robbed by the majority Sinhalese, and in 2022, while the Police were alleged to have looked away when peaceful protestors were attacked, the military attacked them in a completely unjustifiable manner. In both cases, they are said to have followed orders. But those orders were against those who hold the ultimate power – the citizens – by those that can be identified as the elite, rich, or powerful.  These are examples of the State’s failure to protect citizens, or, one could say, signs that those at the helm have prioritised their own interests over those of the people and the country. Not only the forces, but also the Government and the authorities seem to have ignored the first thing they should acknowledge – that Sri Lanka is a democracy and there can thus be no greater priority than its citizens and citizens’ interests. The term citizens refers to all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, social class, gender, or whether they are part of a minority or majority. That is what the country’s supreme law, the Constitution, says. What happened in 1983 was triggered more or less by hatred and misconceptions spread by the authorities, and gullible people succumbed to such misdirection, believing that politicians were representing their interests. The same appears to be happening now, as there are many allegations of attempts to divide protestors with the aim of weakening the people's movement.  The peaceful struggle taking place in the South is genuine, strong, and consistent enough to continue the battle it started. Protestors’ refusal to retreat in the face of repeated oppression, especially the unlawful use of powers, is proof of that strength. However, it can and should improve further, and citizens from the North seeking change should also be made a part of this struggle. It is time to acknowledge that the oppression that those in the South face today is similar to – albeit far less severe than – the oppression the Tamil community has been subjected to over decades. Now, however, there is no religious or ethnic aspect to it, which may provide the impetus for a fractured nation to finally unite.  If this enthusiasm and unity can hold strong, this people’s struggle can end up being a historic movement against corruption, authoritarianism, nepotism, oppression, and more importantly, manufactured disharmony.   


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