Sunday Punch 2

The silence of the president should have made it clear to all then that President Maithripala Sirisena did not intend to spend his presidential time peering through the police log and ordering the cops whom to arrest: whom to leave free. The system must take over. Only when there is a glaring lapse must the president intervene to remedy it. Democracy cannot, must not, be dependent on a single individual or a closely knit group to decide whom to punish or whom to reward, who should be thrown behind bars or be let loose to roam the streets free on the basis of political affiliations. The due process must be allowed to operate free.

This Thursday Hirunika Premachandra and eight others were formerly indicted on 29 counts for the abduction of the man who supposedly had an affair with the wife of one of Hirunika’s supporters. Colombo High Court Judge Pathmini Ranawaka fixed the trial of the case for January 10 and 11, 2017. Now it will be up to the courts to hear the evidence, decide on culpability and either free or sentence. The Yahapalana work has been done.

Under the Yahapalana workings, Hirunika has received justice for the injustice done to her and her father five years ago. Under the same doctrine, another man stands poised to receive his pound of justice in January next year for the injustice allegedly done to him by Hirunika just 10 months ago.

This one unique riveting example reveals just how Yahapalanaya, if permitted to operate freely without political interference, can render justice to one for an injustice suffered in one instance and simultaneously extract justice from the same individual and tender it to another for an injustice done to him; and is further evidence that Yahapalanaya is on the move, slowly but – hopefully – surely.

It is a case of eating the cake of justice: and also having it – as your just deserts.