Why Ranjan?
A day after the Attorney General’s Department announced that it would not continue the Joseph Pararajasingham murder case against Pillaiyan, parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake is sentenced to four years rigorous imprisonment on charges of contempt of court. this surely isn’t a surprise, as it would have happened anytime during this regime. imprisonment also means he would lose his seat in Parliament. But what needs to be taken into account is the timeline of events that transpired a week after the Easter Sunday attacks.
A few days ago, the US Justice Department charged three Sri Lankans with supporting terrorism, based on their involvement with the Easter Sunday attacks
Incumbent President Rajapaksa not only announced that he would contest the election but also ensured that national security would be restored. However in an unexpected turn of events, COVID-19 pandemic struck and while the Presidential Commission to inquire the Easter Attacks continued its investigations, the government faced newer challenges.the appointment of retired military officials wasn’t a welcome move by many politicians, as well as the citizenry, but they opted to keep mum.
A few days ago, the US Justice Department charged three Sri Lankans with supporting terrorism, based on their involvement with the Easter Sunday attacks. But what people really need is to see justice being served to the victims of the attack. while we know that the judicial process in Sri Lanka takes years to conclude, the judiciary should never forget that ‘justice delayed is justice denied.’
In such a backdrop, sentencing a politician like Ranjan Ramanayake puts many people in doubt. He is a brave politician who has been bold enough to expose corruption and stood with the people. But this is the plight such politicians have to face. But those who are directly linked to the Easter Sunday attack and the Central Bank bond scam are free and safe. It is one thing to add pressure to the citizenry by exercising power in this nature and another to emphasize on protecting the democratic country that we are. after all, the majority of voters who voted this government in to see that things are set straight, not to see more harm being done than good. while appreciating the government’s efforts to control the pandemic, several incidents that happened in the face of the pandemic are extremely worrisome.