I had a thought provoking experience yesterday of attending a forum theater performance at the British Council. Forum theater is an experimental kind of theater based on interaction with the audience and high audience involvement. This in itself was a new experience for me. And I must add that I was surprised by the heightened interest of the audience to the presentation. ( In Sri lanka, people are generally not that forthcoming. )
The topic discussed was about Freedom of expression at a time of war. The presentation was pretty good and thought provoking. The main points discussed was the oppression caused by government influence and extortion. I found this really interesting cause the liberals among the audience and conservatives had totally different views on the subject. Since the majority of the audience were from Colombo suburbs, there was a definite left wing view on it. But I wonder how a rural community would have responded to such an issue.
We can see a definite divide in Sri Lanka with regard to this issue, the government supporters and a lot of military people are of the view that personal freedom has to be sacrificed in a time of war. However the opposition has a very different take… implying that human rights should not be compromised.
I am definitely a liberal, but I tend to side with the government on this issue. This is because I think the largest threat to freedom in Sri Lanka is from the LTTE rather than the govt. So the iradication of LTTE is imperative. However the govt must proactively work towards respecting the rights of any persons it detains. We must understand however that there is no perfect solution to this, no govt is perfect. So we must look for the best we can have. For me the optimal solution today is to continue the war till we iradicate the LTTE leadership.
November 21, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I agree with you totally dhanushka.
These people just live in their own bubble and dont know what they are talking about.
How do we know whether these white van incidents are even true?
I am sure, I would be more than willing to be taken by these white van people, because after all, they are only doing their job, and are not terrorists as some people think. I am confident, as many people will vouch, they will be absolute gentleman if your innocent.
Ok, and in the interest of thousands, so what if three or four people get tortured and killed once in a way?
I personally dont know anyone who has?!
What proof exists that these people kill people?
After all yes, a few journalists may get killed here and there, but after all isn’t the first casualty in war, truth?
And yes, the best people to ask is people in the rural places, because their minds are not poinsoned by the west, pro LTTE talkign about peace and democracy.
They like myself, are welll informed, and know that all that majority is right. I am so proud to be a clever nationalist.
November 21, 2008 at 4:19 pm
just being sarcy. i honestly beleive these white vans, and extra judicial things are a very serious issue. they, are as much a problem as the terrorists are to some people. Dhanushak,a it’s not about what rural people think or colombo people think, though i think for a more informed opinion , the colombo people would have more access to information. The question is, would you be saying the same thing if you had to live in fear, and your very life remained at the mercy of someone else’s competency. I.e, the govt and its supporters unapologetically taking out people they think could be terrorist, without any transparency, and no what’s the word…. accountability. Had forgotten it also
Not to even speak of abuse, such a system, would at the least, even in the best of intentions, be fear breeding, and in that respect catalyst for revolution in itself.
The White vans of colombo have taken the war out of the war zone, and brought it in to the country, making a situation not much unlike the cold war.
November 21, 2008 at 5:31 pm
“Since the majority of the audience were from Colombo suburbs, there was a definite left wing view on it. But I wonder how a rural community would have responded to such an issue.”
I think you’re quite right. A ‘rural’ community, or more precisely, communities in the Sinhala South would see the eradication of the LTTE as the first step towards a Sri Lanka that respects the freedom of expression and other vital human rights. I’ve encouraged Beyond Borders to take Censored out of Colombo for precisely this reason.
On the other hand, I am very concerned that the censorship imposed by the government is not just with regards to the war, but flagrantly attempts to cover up monumental levels of nepotism, corruption, illiberal governance and its own parochial hegemonic bent. To question these today is to run the risk of being called unpatriotic or worse, a terrorist. That’s simply wrong and smacks to me of the LTTE’s intolerance of diversity. A democracy is defined by the spirit of debate. I’ve written about this in more detail here – http://ict4peace.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/censored-forum-theatre-on-freedom-of-expression-at-a-time-of-war/
Sanjana
December 3, 2008 at 11:35 pm
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