CJ's Case-what is democracy?

As a democratic nation (at least in its wording), we in Sri Lanka have witnessed crimes and injustices of the most undemocratic state, from war crimes to the present scenario in which the government accuses Chief Justice Shirani B. and has brought in an impeachment. Traces for CJ's current situation leads back to the supreme court decision on the governement's "Divineguma" bill, which refused it on the basis that it severely destabilizes the authority of the provincial councils and gives indefinite powers to a single cabinet minister of the government. According to a public statement, this is the reason why a parliament MP handed over an impeachement against the CJ to the parliament spokesperson.

 

Yet, given the above mentioned consequences of the bill, one should most probably expect such a decision by the supreme court. Yet, the government today, as has been its practice in its dictatorial regime, is not ready to receive or actually bear with difficult decisions by even the supreme court on its implementation stategies and networks, despite the fact that the sovereignity of the law must be situated above its subjects and must have a say of its own.

 

CJ Shirani B's case has been yet another eye opener towards the miraculous feat of undemocractic occurences in the country, towards which all opposition would be, I believe, nullified and subdued at whatever cost. So much for democracy, law and voice.

 

The government's effort to bring forth an impeachement and send CJ away should be deplored by all citizens of the country, if not the world, who value and still believe in the autonomy of the judiciary. As former President Chandrika Bandaranaike has said issuing a statement on the issue, it is the responsiblity of a country's citizens to protect its judiciary, for its protection translates and means that we, as citizens, are protected and our human rights are ensured and validated.  

Nimble Fingers

Want to share my thoughts on my experiences with the women in garment factories- their stories that were shared with me, will always haunt my conscience and question today's capitalism and its misconduct, the daunting difference of the abled and wealthy and the weaker less abled and poor. The difference that would widen to infinity by the seconds we pass through each day.

I could only but capture a glimpse in the following lines...

Bunk bed to factory line,
you sweat each day for kith and kind.
Your finger tips run over cloth,
stands high a nation with wealth you brought.

Your parents rest in their old age,
strong is the house made with your wage.
Five pitiful years you had to pass,
and still your hunger has to last.

Your sister, young, was given as bride,
with pride no second to any kind,
you made her dowry mighty high,
and hushed the in-law vanity tight.

Young brother, he too graduated soon,
with nothing less, a first class too.
Happy tears ran down your cheeks the day
you saw him grab the medal away.

Your sacrifice did pay off well,
yet still you sew, when they excel.
Thank God he dropped you out of school
Subversive fate- remorseful hell.

Moving out of the dilemma of our situation

What is understood or what we have to inexplicably understand as the basic human dilemma is the fact that we, as humans, exist in (voluntarily or not) an inescapably binary world, in which we are caught and are being simultaneously pulled, in opposite directions. This is true of both the physical and material world as well as of our inner-most, darkest thoughts that we would not want to share with the outer world.

A typical example of the state the human being finds him or herself in at this moment is to be in the chalk circle, expecting a verdict under King Solomon's judgement as in Bertolt Brecht's play Caucasian Circle. On the one hand Azdak, the true mother has reason to pull you to her side, while Grusha has an equally valid and weighted reason to pull you to hers. Both forces simultaneously pull and claim you to be on their side.

What we should comprehend of this diabolical status is that, since we are not abominable children who have to be merely "ushered" into a circle to be deiced one's position in future, we can simply walk out of the circle, taking a stance as to where we want to be.

My conclusion is that we, as humans, always have the space to simply walk out of the dilemma, a choice that is voluntary, but has its own consequences ever after.

Let us move out. I am determined to do so, even though the after implications may seem gruesome or sordid.