My Mother Is The Chief Justice Of This Country And She Will Not Back Down From Anything
Shaveen Bandaranayake
My mother is the 43rd Chief justice of this country. She is also the 1st female Chief Justice in this country’s 200+ year history. She is an academic, one who possessed a PhD in Law before it went on sale. She is also a loving sister, mother and a wife. She is a hardworking woman who loves her country dearly and wishes to preserve its seemingly flailing integrity.
She is not a politician. She is not the kind of person who expects to do something and expect something in return. She is also not the kind of person who would waver or change under pressure or intimidation. She is not going to change her conscience on a whim. There have been many occasions in which she could have given in and been rewarded lavishly.
Most people are unaware of who my mother really is. Until recently, seldom would anyone have heard anything from her or about her. She has always believed that as a judge and as the Chief Justice, she must not socialize or be seen to favour any party. It is not that she is not a sociable person. It is purely because she feels it’s a burden she must carry in order to uphold the integrity of the august position which she holds. Is that incapacity? Is that misbehaviour? The powers that be claim the impending impeachment to be one to uphold democracy and the concept of separation of powers. Frankly, in my humble opinion, it is one of vengeance. It is one of spite and pure hatred.
There have been many people in support of my mother’s cause and I am both humbled and strengthened by it. Those who stand with us today, I feel, stand not just for my mother. They stand for the independence of the judiciary and a democratic society. My mother believes in this country and it’s people. She has been a citizen of this proud country for 54 years and have dedicated almost 32 years in various capacities for this country. The country has not betrayed her. It’s people have not betrayed her. Those who govern have betrayed the country it governs and the people who elected them.
My mother will not back down from anything and if I personally have a ounce of her courage, I consider myself fortunate. She has always fought for what is right and will do so until her last breath. An individual can live his/her life seeing the injustice around them, show a blind eye and die a forgotten entity. Or, you can stand up against tyranny and make a stand. The Chief Justice of the democratic socialist republic of Sri Lanka is making a stand. Which side you, the citizen takes, defines who we are as Sri Lankans!
mud / November 3, 2012
all were happened. but i think this is the right time to build up broad discourse to understand past and build up a right society….i think at this moment, by using this incident, we should try to give a better knowledge to ordinary people………because countrymen reflects the country rulers real behavioral structure………this should be our ultimate fight against this ugly,exploited & polluted system…..
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M Y Foote / November 3, 2012
Here’s a tongue in cheek thought. What if we the citizens flood the courts case after case with all the misdeeds of our politicians so that those justices in angst can have a field day?
Who’s game?
M Y Foote
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Safa / December 8, 2012
We should create an organisation to represent the interests of the public and take legal action against these crooked politicians and their appointed public stooges for all the mismanagment of public finances etc.
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suz / November 3, 2012
she will be the first appointed female chief justice as well as first dismissed one too.i think soon we get another record.great country great people.
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gamini / November 3, 2012
Suz I honestly thought that you got washed away on Sandy. What a shame!
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Silva / November 3, 2012
Shaveen, the truth is bitter medicine but the bitter medicine cures you! How about your mother and father were 100% pure, honest, truthful and acting according to accepted good norms of conduct and convention? I ask you this because now that your mother has begun to act according to the mandate and responsibilities she was entrusted with you can see how many comments were written praising your mother’s stance and courage. But you can also see the blemishes in the personalities of your parents as indicated by the same comments: political appointment, bypassing seniority, being in the wrong place at the wrong time-synthetic lawyer fiasco-and therefore being privy to the illegality and illegitimacy, the entire nation was sacrificed to the guillotine when 18th amendment was approved and legalized, the opposition was pounded and weakened by regime happy unfair judgments, father NSB Chairman and hence conflict of interests etc. all of which suggest there are skeletons in the cupboard! This whole episode is a wonderful example of protecting an unblemished, unbiased, noble, and honorable character and personality! Anyway your family has now been presented with a second chance! You can ascend to great heights not by stooping to the illegal regime but by acting in accordance with the law, resisting the threat to the law, and protecting and preserving the law. But this is not enough to ascend to and achieve greatness and respect of the nation, you must lay the firm foundation to liquidate this rogue regime by not succumbing to the pressures and threats of the regime, organizing and instructing other judges and lawyers to uphold the law and by forcing the police to act impartially all of which your mother can very well cause to happen and achieve! If she does that I am sure the whole country would forget and forgive all your past issues and respect you as national heroes.
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Anton / November 4, 2012
excellent Shaveen.
Anton
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / November 4, 2012
Democracy is beginning to assert after many decades of abuse and neglect. What we are witnessing now are the birth pangs of democracy. How we nurture this very fragile plant and guard it, will determine where we go as a nation. Many cherishe values we were blind to during the long years of turmoil, are beginning to show their face and value. The executive, , the judiciary, the legislatue, the academia, the intelligentsia, the literarati, the media, thetrade unions, the bureucracy, and the public at large had forgotten that there are values that have to be cherished and fiercely defended even in times of adversity, if ours was to be a great nation. These are values that should not be ever compromised opportunistically or out of immediate necessity. Everyone failed this country. Now is our chance to make amends. We have the encourage positive trends, resist the negative reactions and be ever vigilant. As all of have to share the blame for the past, we have to be extremely generous in forgiving the past and idividuals and segments invollved while insisting that it not be repeated. We are in confusing times and have to make sure we are not confounded. We should not lose sight of the light we are beginning to see, after traveling through a dark tunnel for decades. There is yet hope for this country.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendra
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Prasanna / November 5, 2012
All people who likes democracy in Sri Lanka must do something to oppose the dictatorship of the ruling party. This time its against the Chief justice. Next time it will be against all people who speak against unjustice. Surely, Ranil will be exempted.
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Gihan / November 6, 2012
Prasanna, you politically lost idiot, what is the exemption you mean on Ranil? Throughout all these years was Ranil exempted and left unscathed from all the falsified crooked political mudslinging and conspiracies ably concocted with and aided by media whores like Sirasa and government whores fortified by inside traitors like Sajith, Karu, Dayasiri, Maithree et al with the added trivial shit-bundles like yourself? You stupid buffalo, get his into your empty head first that rather than exempt bullshit Ranil was at the center of all this unjustified, concocted, fabricated and fool-made political hurricane but firmly stood and protected his ground and UNP like the mount Everest without yielding and succumbing an inch with such maturity, resilience and wisdom that he is the undisputed able leadership that UNP has had in the recent history and that no leader in the world has this strength and resourcefulness in the face of insurmountable challenges and anyone else in this position would have been history by now! Before you write your fucking bullshit have an understanding as to who you are writing on!
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Ane manda / November 10, 2012
Are you high? Or simply been under a rock all this while.
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Dhammika / November 5, 2012
LEELA , why dont you walk naked to the temple of trees and womanisers , you will be treated very well by the HORA raja….
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Premalal / December 8, 2012
It is high time for all the political parties, NGOs, trade unions intellectuals and all good citizens to unite and fight for the independence of judiciary and democracy.If the CJ can shake the government by her firm stand and not giving in to all kinds of pressure why can’t the Opposition do a better job by rallying the public around a Movement for Independent Judiciary and Democracy? Leaders of Opposition! Don’t lose this golden opportunity provided by the arrogant rulers, to fight for a better Sri Lanka.
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