MANGALA SAMARAWEERA: US SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF US CITIZEN:GR!!!

America owes explanation for Gotabhaya’s undemocratic conduct– Mangala
by Zacki Jabbar

Leader of the SLFP (M) Mangala Samaraweera said that America owes an explanation to Sri Lankans, for the undemocratic conduct of American citizen Gothabaya Rajapaksa.at a joint opposition news conference in Colombo on Saturday. America which preaches the importance of democracy, media freedom and rule of law to the world, should be ashamed of Gotabhaya and his repeated threats on journalists."Gothabaya Rajapaksa cannot tolerate criticism and therefore labels journalists who reveal the truth, as LTTE supporters and also threatens to arrest them."

An American, cannot be permitted to use resources belonging to the Sri Lankan state, including national television, to spread hate and destroy democracy, which has been nurtured over the last 60 years,Samaraweera said.

"Any intelligent person who listened to a recent programme conducted by the state media would have been able to identify the group in government, that was behind the mob attacks on the MTV/MBC studios and also the killing of Sunday Leader newspaper editor Lasantha Wickremetunga.

Conspiracy has become the government’s favourite catchword and is used to cover up all its wrongs including violation of human rights and media freedom, he said. "Even the attack on MTV/MBC studios and killing of Lasantha, have been termed as an international conspiracy against the government and the suspects keep changing by the day."

Leader of the WPF, Mano Ganeshan, alleged that the Rajapaksa brothers had given leadership to the fear psychosis that prevails in the country and were now trying to make a joke out of serious issues such as the right to life and peaceful dissent.

He recalled that President Mahinda Rajapaksa when in the Opposition fought for human rights and even petitioned the Geneva based Human Rights Commission. But now under his Presidency, those very principles are being violated.

The campaign launched by the joint opposition, should not be seen as a mere political exercise, but an attempt to protect the people’s right to freedom of expression, Ganeshan added.


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