Any organization that threatens the GOSL Hegemony is fair game

When one is involved in illegal activity and any Organization or Individual who threatens that right is now attacked by the GOSL (Sri Lankan Govt.) as being some international conspiracy to destabilize the unity of the country and fair game for threats, sanctions and arrest!

Do they (GOSL) realize that if they had nothing to be ashamed of, then there would be no criticism of their activity? It is this need to hide their transgressions that appear to necessitate a complete control over what is being done by everyone and especially organizations that are loosely termed “civil society” that exist in any country to keep miscreants in the establishment in check. Sri Lanka is in dire need of this more than many other countries due to the lack of activism amongst people who are busy working and earning money to just survive and have NO time or energy to expend on matters that also affect their lives adversely, but for which they are really unable to organize resistance especially if such may also threaten their freedom.

An NGO has legal resources often that the Individual cannot command himself, and acts on behalf of a group of people representing their collective interests. We do not deny that some are open to abuse, and there are some prima donnas who live off of the NGO gravy train. However they are few and far between and can easily be compromised when their misdeeds can be outed in a Govt. owned media establishment. It is more difficult to criticize the Govt. when they are engaged in worse activity on a daily basis in defrauding the public on a grand scale.  

This control of where funds come to for NGOs is an unnecessary act as anyone who wishes to circumvent them for their own benefit is able to do so, without much imagination, and unlikely to get caught. Therefore this is no deterrent to the truly questionable and the really circumspect ones will suffer for the sins of a few rotten apples who are unlikely to reform anyway.

I have therefore in my previous blog entry made the allegation that for these reasons stated above, the tightening of rules is merely a ruse to use this as a method of skimming a percentage for political patronage to prevent a witch hunt.

Further, it is violation of the Freedom of Speech and other liberties enshrined in our Constitution, which appear to be found wanting due to the flagrant violations of the Guarantees that are even deliberately misinterpreted by a partial Supreme Court. Let us pray that there is legal recourse to nullify these orders!