By Malinda Seneviratne –
Malinda Seneviratne
When the Minister of Public Relations and Public Affairs, Mervin Silva, set out to capture a public servant, he made it a photo opportunity. The media was invited. TV stations were ‘camera-ready’. The victim was tied to a tree. It was reported in the newspapers and the footage was shown on television. The police did nothing. The Attorney General did nothing. The entire justice system shamed itself that day.
In March this year the same minister openly stated that he was responsible for Poddala Jayantha leaving the country. Jayantha, a well-known media activist was earlier abducted and assaulted. His assailants are yet to be brought to justice. While bragging about his role in Jayantha’s exit, this minister also threatened to personally break the limbs of Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Sunila Abeysekera and Nimalka Fernando. All four mentioned above have dubious track records in financial dealings as well as being pawns of the LTTE. All that is irrelevant to the matter of threat and threat-execution. The law has not pursued these individuals for wrongdoing, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to take the law into his or her hands.
Two days ago, the minister’s son assaulted an Army Major. He was accompanied by an entourage of thugs. It is reported that the entire incident was caught on camera. Police Media Spokesperson, SSP Ajith Rohana in a radio interview last morning told SLBC Chairman Hudson Samarasinghe that this was true, i.e. the assailant, Malaka Silva, son of Minister Mervin Silva was caught on camera assaulting the Army officer. Statements have been issued, also, claiming that the Police was looking for this thug.
The man, whose face is familiar to the entire population and ought to be familiar to every single policeman in this country, was photographed worshipping the Sacred Kapilavastu Relics at the Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya. It is known that the police were out in full force to ensure security and to control crowds thronging to pay homage to the Relics. It is incredible that he was not arrested.
It is hard to believe that the police do not have eyes. It is hard to believe they don’t have legs to walk up to this thug and handcuff him. It is hard to believe that they were ignorant of the fact that he is wanted for assault and battery of a citizen and probably (given context) wanted for other and more serious crimes.
The father got off scot-free. Now, for all the pledges of the Police Media Spokesperson, the people cannot be blamed for thinking ‘the son will get away too!’ Indeed, it has come to a point where editorial comments about these acts of thuggery containing demands that the police do their job have been likened to hitting head against brick wall.
The impotency of the law enforcement authorities clearly indicate a numbing imposed by people in positions of power. We have to come to some conclusions here.
The police are not sleeping, but pretending to sleep. The Attorney General is not sleeping but is pretending to sleep. The President hardly ever sleeps, we are told. He cannot therefore pretend to sleep.
Sooner or later what was caught on camera will go viral on youtube. It won’t spark a movement to overthrow the Government, for Mervin Silva’s antics and gross violations have also gone viral on youtube. Things add up though. Dots are joined. Credit gets spent. Worms turn. Birds come home to roost.
Every minute that passes without Malaka Silva being arrested, we get closer to a terrible moment where we begin to walk a path we’ve walked twice in the last 40 years. That is because of Mervin Silva, Malaka Silva and all the other Silvas who have been spared by the law.
There are crimes of commission and there are crimes of omission. Neither is spared in the karmic matrix. There will be loud knocks on the doors of big houses. The doors may or may not be opened, but if it is not they will be broken down, in violation of the law. A letter might be delivered. It would probably contain an 11-word reminder: ‘What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander’.
*Malinda Seneviratne is the Chief Editor of ‘The Nation‘ and his articles can be found at www.malindawords.blogspot.com
Related posts;
Assault On Army Major: Police Fail To Nab Minister Mervyn’s ‘Criminal’ Secretaries
An Army Major Is Hospitalised; Mervyn Silva’s Son Malaka Silva Has Done It Again
WikiLeaks: Mervin Silava Is A Drug Kingpin Patron Chief
Jayalath / September 14, 2012
I will tell you very small thing to understand what these irrational and ignorant parents and politicians have done to our future generation , my son is studying at Dharmarajacollege in kandy , which has high reputation for some people’s knoledge ,who did O/L this year ,and got 6 A ‘s and 3 b ‘s at this college . So, one day some thing happened and I got to ask him, do you know that how many people are living in the country you live ? It was my worst day ever in my life , he didn’t know the answer .
This is the situation of this country , and we all should have been blamed for the shambles , as we have failed to understand upto now that whom we should have selected to rule us . Who did we send to the parliament by every election , murderers, thieves , thuggers , mobs , and bigots , so the result is now zero .
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Siri / September 15, 2012
Not of just Ol young ones, but even some graduates (perhaps science and engineering lectureres) lack the basic knowledge about their countries.I believe when living abroad, you keep trying to improve your knowledge not only your subject or field related but also about very many things focusing on national and international issues. Every time I paid a visit to SL, what got to be noticed myself was, though I was the only one spent decades out of the country – my knowledge based on lanken issues were upated than those of my brother and many with whom I had long conversations. This could not be common to many who has been living abroad, but more depending on the desires and attitudes of individuals, need of updating knowledge is varied. However, I think our people, in general, need to improve their knowledge in many areas. Politicians together with country´s professionals must subscribe in reforming the entire natinoal educational system – this is desperately needed if lankens want to see forward.
In my days (3 decades ago), I was intrested in learning specially about the countries. That ended up me having being able to proceed my Uni edu in Europe. Today, I compare many things that our folks could do better than have been. This is sometimes not right because our country belong to the developing world.
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Jayalath / September 15, 2012
Yes, we have to change the system quickly as possible, but ,how can we do that.i think it is impossible ,as the society is well corrupted.i have already decided to do own business & spend rest of the life in traveling to see the beauty of our planet . It is not too bad for me as I have two boys ,they will learn to survive .
Any way , humans are on the brink of extinction from this planet by end of this century , , we will come to this world only once not twice ,therefore, I must enjoy the most I could .i red an artical recently of Desmond Morris who has said how he fascinated by life. He is 85 years and he has said , I have only visited 100 countries which mean there are more than 100 countries I will never see, I just wish I had been born after the phase in medical science where I could have had my DNA twiddled as a baby to give me a longer life, disease free life .
This is how the people says who has seen the beauty of nature , this world is very beautiful , and mysterious ,it should be our duty to explore it and enjoy without harm to it .
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Amila / September 15, 2012
The holy ghost is in the picture. Only the son is absent.
If the son attacked a dissenting activist, even croc tears will not come out.The victim is a war hero: so ‘human rights’ matter in this case!!
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janaka / September 15, 2012
The silence from little Gota tells us something not quite right?
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Sam / September 15, 2012
Should an army major take his sidearm into a place where civilians gather for relaxation and entertainment – a club?
I beleive that this is against the army’s code of behaviour.
Details of the fracas are unavailable.
This could have been a private quarrel which ended in fisticuffs.
This could be why the police do not want to arrest Malaka.
None are arrested for torture and deaths in custody,which are much bigger issues.
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Eldridge Cleever / September 17, 2012
Malinda Seneviratne is anti LTTE nationalist hence he supports the present government most probably because it is close ideologically to his views and since MR managed to annihilate LTTE terrorism. But he’s not offering a blank check and rightly cricizing its actions as well. For those who are not familiar , please read his take two years ago on MR. Even anti Government bloggers couldn’t have said it better.
Malinda never deviated from his nationalist ideals for past 30 years , which speaks volumes for the man, in a country where people change their ideals at a drop of a hat.
And Malinda is quite right to criticize pro LTTE NGO wallahs like Pakisothy, Sunanda , and these Bush doctrine comments above pretty partisan and childish.
Malinda is a professional journalist who can write beautifully and compellingly,intelligently and far better than what the anti MR lobby can offer such as Donald the LTTE Gnankone and the rest. Hence rather than criticizing Malinda perhaps the holier than thou crowd should question their own motives
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JULAAMPITYE AMARAYA / September 21, 2012
ELDRIDGE
;; Malinda Seneviratne is a professional journalist who can write beautifully and compellingly,intelligently and far better than what the anti MR lobby can offer ;;;
HA HA HA HOOOOOOO
AND HE IS VERY PATRIOT TO ME AND MY GOVERNMENT .
NOW A DAYS THERE ARE NO HAIR KNOTTED CHINESE, SO YOU TRYING TO CATCH US.
WHO ARE YOU GOING FOOL?.
PLS PLS GO AND FLY A KITE MR MALINDA /[ELDRIDGE CLEEVER].
YOU ARE GOING TO BE CLEVER WITH US. BUT NOT.[Eldridge Cleever].
WATCH YOUR STEPS PROPERLY .
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