Public Letter to the President of Sri Lanka & Members of the Constitutional Council against the Hate Speech Statement by Election Commission against the Sinhalese
Posted on March 21st, 2018

Your Excellency

The President of Sri Lanka,

 

In your capacity as Head of State, appointing the Commissioner of Elections on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council, this public letter is to bring to your kind attention a not-so-independent statement by the Elections Commissioner, published by Daily Mirror journalist M S M Ayub on 20 March 2018 titled Most Sinhalese happy about recent riots: EC”. This is a highly derogatory statement against one community abusing the protocols of office and demands a retraction and public apology and the Constitutional Council must launch an investigation into this immediately.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Most-Sinhalese-happy-about-recent-riots-EC-147507.html

There can be 2 explanations for this publication

  1. That the Daily Mirror & M S M Ayub featuring the story has misconstrued what the Election Commissioner said.

If so then the Editor & M S M Ayub must tender a public apology and carry an end note on electronic publications and next issue to that effect.

  1. That the Daily Mirror & M S M Ayub featuring the story has reported exactly what the Election Commissioner said.

If so, then the Election Commission has abused his office violating the notion of ‘independent’ associated with the setting up of the Commission and must tender an apology while action must be taken as it reveals his unsuitability to serve in this post.

As per the article by M S M Ayub, the Election Commissioner has

  • Claimed that the majority of the Sinhalese ‘seemed happy’ about the recent attacks on Muslim-owned properties and mosques during the recent riots in Ampara & Kandy. In fact, Ayub quotes the Commissioner the claim that a majority of Sinhalese were against the recent attacks on Muslims is wrong”.
  • Not stopping there, the Elections Commissioner goes on to say that the majority of Sinhalese were happy to see the Tamils too being attacked in 1983.

The irony is that the statement of the supposed-to-be ‘independent’ Commissioner of Elections was made at a workshop on ethnic harmony on the theme ‘building Bridges’ held at the SLIDA.

So how has the not-so-independent Elections Commissioner contributed to ethnic harmony by his statement? What is the Bridge he has built as a result of taking his brush & claiming that the majority of Sinhalese were happy that Tamils were attacked in 1983 as well as being happy that Muslims were attacked recently?

An individual making irrational statements can be excused but a person holding public office especially in a Commission set up to be ‘independent’ cannot make personal statements in a public forum and more so not statements that completely denigrates an entire community. To claim majority, it must be over half of the Sinhalese population. What is the evidence he has, to come to the conclusion that majority of Sinhalese were happy? Did he personally speak to over 7.5m Sinhalese to make this claim?

Such irresponsible statements has done great damage to the majority Sinhalese who are at the receiving end of much lies, distortions & well-funded smearing campaigns.

Statements as the one made by the election commissioner gets picked up by the world media and is quoted and republished in reports and used as reference. Was this the real objective?

While the damage has been done the onus is on the President’s Office & the Constitutional Council to hold an impartial inquiry and ensure a public apology and retraction is made to the majority Sinhalese for the damage done by irresponsible hate speech.

People in public office need to be gagged on contributing to hate speech & racism far more than individuals who are not taken seriously and their statements never get the public attention that public officials get when they come out and abuse a community in public.

The Election Commissioner has done great harm to the Sinhala Community by this irresponsible statement.

 

 

Shenali D Waduge

A citizen

10 Responses to “Public Letter to the President of Sri Lanka & Members of the Constitutional Council against the Hate Speech Statement by Election Commission against the Sinhalese”

  1. helaya Says:

    This BELLEKKAY is a traitor. He was paid by international conspirators. He is afraid that he will loose his job if the government change. Spineless bastard. His brother was a JVP guy who fled to foreign country after killing our Sinhala boys.

  2. nilwala Says:

    Thank you Shenali for drawing the President’s attention to this distortion in reporting the news.
    A responsible Head of State must take action at this outrageous statement, reported as being by the EC, and call for an apology
    by him to the Sinhala people.

  3. Nihal Perera Says:

    The EC is a DICK who doesn’t know what he is talking about…

    It was majority Sinhala-Buddhists, including Buddhist Monks who went out of their way to support the Muslims who suffered from the violence. It was Buddhists who denounced delay, or lack of government actions at the beginning of the riots, and protected the victims.

    It is dumb-ass idiots like EC who fuel racism in the country by expressing outrages and unfounded facts. If the President has the balls he should fire this idiot for giving his stupid and unsubstantiated opinions.

    Unfortunately, as usual nothing will happen, because none of these leaders have the guts to do the right thing. If they did, we wouldn’t be in such a mess…

    Thanks Shenali for your unwavering efforts to express your views and facts, which I agree wholeheartedly.

  4. Christie Says:

    He should be kicked out for making statements outside his duties.

  5. Nanda Says:

    Now they realised who could be the next PM and worry it could be Fonseka even ?
    When the supreme leader with the greatest vision few days ago said everything is OK to remove RW, we thought he is out of Temple Trees by now !
    Dilrook is right yet again.

    No-confidence vote: JO divided
    March 20, 2018, 11:36 pm

    By Saman Indrajith

    The Joint Opposition (JO) parliamentary group members are divided on the no-faith motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. There were heated arguments at the JO’s parliamentary group meeting yesterday.

    Parliament sources said dissenting views had been expressed by the JO members over submitting the NCM.

    JO Parliamentarians Ramesh Pathirana, Nimal Lansa, Prasanna Ranatunga and Kumara Welgama severely criticized the decision to move the no confidence motion against the Prime Minister.

    Asking whether the no-faith motion against the Prime Minister had been masterminded by President Maithripala Sirisena some MPs said the JO could be walking into a trap.

    The MPs asked who would be the PM if Wickremesinghe was removed from that post.

    The motion has been signed by about 52 MPs, according to sources.

    When approached by MP Lansa, Ministers Dayasiri Jayasekara and Chamdima Weerakkody had stated that they would not sign the motion.

  6. ranjit Says:

    This habitual old haggard must be kicked out immediately for his stupid idiotic remarks against Sinhalese. These are all paid servants of the west. This guy should be investigated and sent to prison for many irregularities occurred during his tenure in office after Jan 8th 2015. He is a stooge of this Yamapalanaya. It’s a known fact. He should resign immediately before someone kicked him out sooner or later.

  7. Dilrook Says:

    Sadly so Nanda.

    True patriots will raise both hands to oust Ranil. Only opportunists will want to keep him and further ruin the nation. I like their funny logic. There is nothing strategic about it. As the proverb goes, even the illicit toddy tapper has an excuse! As a farmer would swap soil layers over and over again, our voters recycle the same dirt. Any politician no matter how useless only has to hang around long enough to get back to power.

  8. SA Kumar Says:

    Any politician no matter how useless only has to hang around long enough to get back to power.- 100% correct !
    Our RW is example for last 40 Years .

  9. Nanda Says:

    The election commisioner was talking after taking a couple of drinks. Excuse him, if murderers can be released if under the influence of alchohol.

  10. Charles Says:

    A highly volatile statement. He cannot speak for a whole community. This man the Election Commissioner seems to me a person with an unbalanced mind. The statements he makes such as “shoot in the head”. An the way he speaks and threatens when speaking at television interviews show that he is mentally unsound. He is a JVP sympathiser I understand is anti Rajapakse and anti socialist.

    Sinhala people are in reality disturbed about the Tamil and Muslim mentality and regret their inability to accept the Sinhala with an open mind as the Sinhala accepts the Tamils and Muslims. Of course the Sinhala do not like anti Sinhala views of the Tamils specially like those of Wigneswaran and TNA politicians and the anti Sinhala Tamil Diaspora who speak ill of Sinhala without even knowing any thing about them. Such Tamils or even Muslims like Hakim who demands killing people at sight are detested by the Sinhala but the Sinhala do not dislike or hate all Tamils and Muslims.

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