Bahu's swearing inWe are taking oaths as elected members of municipal councils at a time the country is facing a challenge to democracy and freedom. Government claimed that they were conducting the war to suppress Tamil insurgency in the North. However today we find that a regime of state terror has been established through out the country.


It is created on the basis of Sinhala chauvinism. When army unit lead by a colonel dispersed a legitimate meeting conducted by TNA MPs, by assaulting every body, we were told that was a mistake and not a serious matter.

But recently a popular leader of the government, senior adviser to the President, ex MP Baratha Lakshman Premachandra has been killed in the suburbs of Colombo. He was killed by the official security of a deputy minister, using automatic weapons issued by the state.

Few days back police Special Task Force invaded the house of a minister in the western province, carried out a search operation without any legitimate warrant. There are many that happened to not so famous.

All these happened while the government claims that emergency powers are removed. Clearly a regime of state terror is functioning undermining the rule of law in the country. It started in the Tamil homeland area but now it has become a menace every where.

The dictatorial constitution, 18th amendment, suppression of devolution was utilised to establish this terror regime. This state terrorism is for a purpose; that is to assist certain neo liberal forces involved in plunder of resources. So called development of the government is based on displacement of people and plunder of resource.

Mano SpeaksWhile people are pushed out of their traditional habitat land, marine resources, minerals and earth resources, forest, water resources etc. are taken over by the neo liberal developers. World powers that supported the genocidal war are happy and satisfied about the situation.

TNA which appealed to the world masters to intervene has come out in an open protest in Vauniya. There is mass displeasure in the south too. DPF, NSSP and other democratic forces have been involved in all protests in the country. We forged our unity in this struggle.

There are some who preach socialism but unable to struggle against the repression of democracy and freedom. In fact they have supported the regime of terror. The repression is not only for workers, peasants and fishers but also for the local investors. Local industrialists, traders and planters are affected by the repression going on. Election results show that people are looking for a new way out. Task before us is to establish freedom and democracy. We have to build a leadership to take the struggle forward.


22

October 2011