14 December, 2024

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On Your Knees Ladies And Gentlemen, On Your Knees!

By Basil Fernando

Basil Fernando

Suggesting perhaps that the creative imagination of the cartoonist is catching up with the reality of Sri Lanka the Daily Mirror yesterday carried this cartoon as an illustration for its editorial entitled, A case for best legal brains.

The cartoonist created this cartoon in reaction to a photograph which also appeared in the Daily Mirror in which a police officer saluted the controversial UPFA parliamentarian, Duminda Silva.

The cartoonist has extended his imagination from the particular to the general and thus described what every Sri Lankan knows as the transformation that has taken place within the Sri Lankan policing service. To get down on their knees before every politician is now the obligation of every police officer of any rank. Gone are the days when they saluted only the national flag.

It is encouraging to see that the print media is now awakening and is coming to terms with the actual realities of the country. Of course this kind of ‘getting down on all fours’ is not something new. For several years now this transformation has been taking place but the local media was unable or unwilling to place it so graphically before the general public.

In Nepal when the royalty was still ruling there used to be a custom where the women had to drink the water that had been used for washing the king’s feet. No doubt today’s Sri Lankan police will even do that for the politicians who seem to appear to them as more important than even their gods.

Now that the real situation has been so graphically and authentically portrayed surely it will be the duty of the media to expose every aspect of this new servitude of the police to the ruling politicians. Whether the media would do this will depend very much on whether the media houses will refuse to go down on their knees in the same manner as the police officers.

What a creative cartoonist has done is to show the image of the police as any policemen would see it if they look in the mirror. The message that the cartoonist brings is not obvious to the police since a policing system that has gone so low is unlikely to learn any lessons, the message is, in fact, to the public and particularly those who still might retain a critical mind. What kind of protection can the people expect from such policemen? Of course what Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and others victims of famous assassinations can expect is nothing more.

A more troubling question is as to whether the posture depicted in the cartoon demonstrates the police as a role model and that everybody in society should follow the example and go down on their knees before whoever claims to be a ruling party politician. Is the servitude of the police merely a manifestation of the servitude of the people as a whole?

We should salute a frank cartoonist who has spoken louder than the established media does these days. One way of showing some respect to such work is to keep this cartoon in front of every desk to remind ourselves of what the real Sri Lanka has become today.

(The cartoon and photograph are used courtesy of the Daily Mirror).

Latest comments

  • 0
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    As I have commented before, a picture is worth a thousand words!

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    Not just the corrupt, disfunctional, torturing Sri Lanka Police, the whole country is on its knees.

    We are in effect ruled by a family run dictatorship. With all trappings of an established democracy. That is even worse.

    Denial of this fact is not a solution.

    • 0
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      BEN,

      Srilankan Police force and other three armed Forces had become PROSITUTES for politicians,
      Those Forces are not only on their KNEES, But LICKING ALSO.

      What A Shame to a, once a Proud nation.

      OH SRI LANKA?????????????.

      • 0
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        IT WAS ABOUT 60 YEARS AGO,POLICE DOGS WERE BROUGHT IN FOR CRIME DETECTION.
        I RECALL AN INCIDENT,WHEN A SCHOOLBOY TOLD A POLICEMEN,
        “MOKADE RALAHAMY,DANG POLISIYATA, BALLOTH ARANG”

        IT APPEARS AS IF THAT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE RECRUITED TO THE POLICE
        NOW ARE DOGS.THEY BEHAVE WORSE THAN DOGS.

        “EKAI ME BALLOTH EKKE BEHE…”

  • 0
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    “As you sow, so shall you reap;” Nothing happens in a vacuum. I shall not put the blame solely on the family run dictatorship. It is only now the Sinhalese civilians are made to dance to the same flute as the fellow tamil citizens, who have suffered since independence from a state that had all trappings of an established democracy. “1977, 1981 and July 1983” are stark reminders of this truth. ( It is not that tamils lived without fear of being attacked in the intervening period. It has always been uneasy calm before storm in our mind.} Unfortunately, these tragedies are referred as racial riots but these are really state aided massacres of Tamils played in-front of the very eyes of the Sinhalese intellectuals, civil society and the spiritual leaders. Continued denial and refusing to acknowledge this fact will always remain a thorny issue in the nation’s psyche. I have great hope in ordinary sinhalese and their faith in Buddhism. The question is will they have the moral courage to by pass the system, intellectuals and the civil society to find peace for everyone including tamils?

  • 0
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    Has all this got to do something with the new-fangled Disciplinary
    Leadership Training imposed on university entrants and the 50,000 graduates who missed it then, to undergo same now for Basil!!!!

    These must the steps of the Regime to meet Commonwealth Values, as
    MR is impeccable in this direction, as believed by K.Sharma GS!

    • 0
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      The adverse implications on the lawlessness on the entire nation are enormous, thousands of students were deprived of further education, 50000 missed due to open and blatant violation of rules and regulations by the corrupt UGC. Following information now emerging to the student population are shocking news items. UGC officials have destroyed the entire examinations based and merit based method of University admission. Why are they so corrupt?

  • 0
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    Not only on our knees, but the ruling regime and it’s long list of family, friends, and partners in crime, have made sure we are a helpless nation, but they have made sure NO ONE dares to question or criticize their crimes and questionable policies.
    The arrest of Azath Salley for speaking against the ruthless regime, ended with him being dragged into their custody. This picture of a police officer saluting a suspect in a murder case tells all.
    There is no justice in Sri Lanka. it is ruled by a gang of greedy, ruthless, low lives, who have terrorized the country.

    • 0
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      These revelations are shocking news for present generation of students. Now it is easy to understand why thousands of students derive university education.

      ‘Additional secretary responsible for university admissions. UGC failed to inform students changes made on method of university admissions prior to the examinations. They submitted a totally new irregular experimental method to the Supreme courts, and they blatantly violated the last supreme court orders as well. Indisputable evidence documented in Supreme Court submissions highlighted here can be use by the students affected and seeking compensation.
      University Grant Commission (UGC) has not finalized and not filled the large number of vacancies in medical faculties yet, students have appeals requesting the Additional secretary Mr. M.M. P. Premakumara to admit students according to the Island ranks as compensation for highest ranking students affected due to errors made in calculation of z scores by the UGC and due to the fact that several legal issues resulted as A/L results were issued for four times since the 2011 examinations due to alterations done after the examinations without giving prior information.
      Kandy District has been given the highest cut off mark to enter faculties of medicine in the Island. This is also the historically highest recorded for medicine. Numbers of students enter medical schools from Kandy district have been reduced in this year compared to the previous year 2010, and the students affected have not been compensated.
      There are legal issues, similar students affected in Colombo district with high ranks Z score above 2.1 range have been compensated without obtaining any court order by the UGC. Additional secretary at the UGC has compensated high ranking students in Colombo district arbitrarily outside the court order, wonder whether it is considered as contempt of courts issue on the last court order according to SRFC. No. 418/2012 at least 23 students who would not have been taken to the medical schools have been taken in by the additional secretary without obtain a court order, where as similar students with high ranks and z score above 2.1 from Kandy district have not been taken despite making several appeals by the students affected to the UGC and the ministry of higher education. Similarly students were affected in Kurunagala, Kaluthara, Jaffna and Mathara districts as well.
      According to P2 document submitted in SRFC 563/2012 legal document, UGC has violated the court order and there is evidence at least 23 students were taken to the faculties of medicine while depriving similar students with z score ranks above 2.1 in Kandy district.
      We request all these documents on number of students taken on merit basis and district allocations to be provided for scrutiny from the UGC.
      A according to the results cut off marks and allocations given on UGC website and according to the court order on allocation of students stipulated in P2 document extracted from the Supreme Courts following observations can be made. We request the UGC to provide all details on allocation of places for faculties of medicine in all districts.
      According to P2 Document stated on page 4 All Island merit percentages allocated for Fresher’s is 44%.
      For the Repeaters – 59%
      Proposed Intake would be 1175- 18 (special Intake) = 1157
      Merit quota is 40% ( 1157×40% = 463 Places)
      Places reserved for first timers on merit basis is ( 463x 44%) 204
      Merit quota for Colombo District (Those above the Island rank 204 ) would be 61 or approximately – 61
      District quota (according to page 11 on document P2) is 79
      Percentage for fresher’s (according to page 14 on document P2) is 47%
      Therefore district quota for fresher in Colombo is (79×47% ) is 37
      Total number of places for medicine available for Colombo district for freshers is 61+37= 98
      UGC has manipulated the cutoff mark and lowered the cut off mark to 2.1777 to illegally accommodate at least 23 additional students who are not eligible for medicine according to the court order. Cut off Z score given for Colombo is 2.1777 which is an altered figure to accommodate large number of students arbitrarily, therefore this irregular method gives plenty of room for corruption.
      The District rank of the student with the cut off mark should be 98 according to the court order for the Colombo District. It is impossible for the students above the district rank 100 to enter medical schools. Instead the student whose district rank is 122 (Index No.1041240) has been selected to medical faculty of Rajarata. The District rank of the student with the cut off Z score 2.1777 is 122 according to UGC website.
      While 122 students from Colombo district were allocated for medicine among the fresher’s only 24 students from Kandy district were allocated for fresher’s large number of students above z scores 2.1 and high Island ranks were deprived of university education.
      Extra 24 students have been taken from the Colombo District out of the court order none of the students were compensated from Kandy, Galle, and Mathara Kaluthara and Kurunagala districts.
      As there is well documented evidence, Student named Chathurika District rank 116 have been admitted illegally to Ruhuna faculty of medicine. The index number 1070827 rank 102 in Colombo district has been taken to the faculty of Medicine in Kalaniya University, this student is one of the students signed SRFC 563/2012 document, as this student was not getting admission to faculties of medicine under this newly devised method based on percentages. Several other students below the rank 99 and the index number 1070827 rank 102 have been absorbed which is not correct and the admissions are irregular. There are contempt of courts as well as compensation issues. These types of irregular method based on percentages were never informed to the students prior to the examination.
      These malpractices may have been done without the knowledge of the UGC chairperson and the Minister of higher education, there is no point in charging them as the officers responsible for malpractices get the help of superiors to defend court proceedings and try to escape when the others are also charged with malpractices. Contempt of courts issues and compensation need to be seek from the Additional secretary who was responsible for irregularities.
      Similar manipulations may have done in Gampaha District with old syllabus students, students have to request the UGC to provide all data. These irregularities need further investigation in other subject streams and other districts. Colombo district admissions to faculties of medicine is an instance where the students affected in other subject streams can prove with indisputable evidence that additional secretary has violated the court orders and they all could seek compensation. This corrupt method devised by the Additional secretary was not recommended by the supreme courts to use in future examinations , UGC has violated this court order as well according to a notice given in the UGC website for next year admissions. UGC has not compensated thousands of students affected in 2011 examination and they have not filled large number of vacancies in peripheral faculties in all subject streams yet.’

      This is a disgrace for the university and academic community.

  • 0
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    MY COUNTRY MEN AND WOMEN,

    “IT IS BETTER TO DIE ON OUR FEET, THAN LIVE ON OUR KNEES”

    • 0
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      AYMAN,

      GOOGAL’S JOKE OF THE DAY OF today [2/4/2013] is this;

      “Politicians and diapers have one thing in common.
      They should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason.”

      THEY ARE FULL OF SxxT.

      For sri lanka THAT IS THE REALITY.

  • 0
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    There are absolutely correct clarifications on this matter, why 50,000 graduates did missed it, on the web article published below. UGC seem to have continuously violated fundamental rights of the students. The officer responsible has shamefully and blatantly violated Supreme Court orders.
    oneislandtwonations.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/indisputable-evidence-on-violation-of-court-orders-compensation-claims-and-contempt-of-courts-issues/

    It is fully worth reading this article and obtaining legal advice seeking a relief as it relevant for students affected in all subject streams, this corrupt method has implications on students from all subject streams.

    • 0
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      Shameless violation of law and order situation violation of supreme court orders is a serious crime, all students from all subject steams will have to seek Justice from the Supreme Courts, these bungling of results and violation of law and order has affected mathematics , business studies, management ,IT, arts, agriculture, law, science and engineering students mostly.

      • 0
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        Yes it is applicable for all subject streams SR.FC 418/2012 covers all subject streams and the Supreme Court order SR.FC 418/2012 is blatantly violated .

        Evidence is there in Supreme court documents SRFC 563/2012 is one of them. Anybody affected from any subject stream may seek relief.

  • 0
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    They are all clamouring for their daily bread.

    A Senior Police kakka saluting a suspected criminal.

    Then just as a Pot calls the kettle Black, Basil Fernando a[Edited out]

    The Police kakka does before the cameras and we are aware of that.
    This Basil Fernando kneels on all fours [Edited out]

  • 0
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    Just look at that photograph ! Any decent civilian knows that when an uniformed officer salutes him, he should stand (preferably at attention) and return the courtesy by offering a handshake.

    This is the type of lout who gets saluted these days !!

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