RECOGNIZING THE “UNPEOPLE”

by Chandi Civa

Individual freedom is considered as fundamental human right.

‘Freedom of speech

is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction.’Any authoritarian regime, in order to keep absolute power in their hands, will clamp-down free speech. They will lock-up their public intellectuals, poets, and writers et al, and censor publications that is truth-speaking to power. They might even not hesitate to assassinate bold newspaper editors. There is no need to cite any examples. The world is littered with such innocent blood-letting. These monstrous regimes engage in murderous acts simply for the lust of power. And power ultimately is only an illusion. No one keeps it forever… Again, all the tyrants of this world never stayed in power forever. That is what we learn from history. History is a good teacher. We however refuse to learn from history. As Marx observed: “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.”

Now, Free Speech also encompasses

“Freedom of expression”.

It is further expanded thus – ‘the ability of an individual or group of individuals to express their beliefs, thoughts, ideas, and emotions about different issues free from government censorship. … The First Amendment assumes that the speaker, not the government, should decide the value of speech.’

It is our responsibility to express truth to Power in the most appropriate manner. It of course is the inescapable moral duty of every “Expresser”.

SHEER GRACE

Oscar Wilde made his point to his lover by penning a letter. In it he said, no matter that you did not gain a degree from Cambridge, what crucially matters, and what is good and civilized is to “play with ideas gracefully”.

Sadly, grace is out of the political discourse. Gracefulness by and large is becoming extinct

FORGONE, SO LONG!

One thinks of Sir Johns and Dudleys and Dahanayakes and SJVs of long gone years… One sometimes, remembering the belovéd motherland can only breakdown and cry! As precious as our fore-mothers and fathers, and what they have taught and left us as their legacy to learn and act accordingly… One can now only look back, and look forward. If we cannot remember our history with warts and all, then history is doomed to repeat itself. 

David Cole has come up with this thought- provoking statement: 

“Here is the ultimate contradiction…in a democracy, the state acts in the name of the majority, not the minority.”

IDENTITY

Recently a Catholic Tamil young man who hails from Colombo, sent an email to this writer. He expressed his grief: “In the post-war Sri Lanka we are rapidly loosing our identity….” he moaned. 

Yes. It is common to give negative press for Identity Politics. Politics of tribalism and race. Such negative politics must end. An individual however, needs an identity. S/he must NOT forego their individual history. 

For an individual person, that is what shapes and moulds their understanding of who they are.

Tamils, Batticaloa- early ‘60s. 

Hitler took away individuality of the inmates of the Concentration Camps. The Nazis tattooed a number. The person, lost his name and was barked at day and night. The person becomes a set of digits. Eventually you become a subhuman and completely de-humanised. In the interest of the collective – call it one Nation or whatever, one cannot liquidate one’s individuality. This is where grace plays a vital role in politics. Graceful expression in not only exquisite but it is the sign of decent governance.

It is said it was Sir John who demanded that the political Bhikshus must be sent back to their temples and monasteries where they belong. If not, religion will distract national politics. SWRD who even spoke like an Englishman, wanting to manipulate power chose to bring out the bhikkus to dabble in politics and the gun shot was heard on November 26, 1959. Banda was no more. 

Yet even today the words of Sir John remains prophetic:

Free speech and free expression are not only our fundamental human rights but it is most importantly human privilege and responsibility. Any government in power mesmerizes the poor masses with promises of prosperity. Inevitably there is always duplicity.

TRAP

A responsible government refuses to sell away their coming generations to slavery. That is debt-trap. Buildings, skyscrapers. might go up and will give the pretense of hopeful prosperity while its citizens are trapped like rats in a dystopian nightmare, very well concealed. For carrion this is their salivating chance to feed on… The shrewd deal-cutters will prey on best percentage cuts and bribery. It is party-time until the ship in the fog, hits on the death-trap of an iceberg.

Democracy’s contradiction, the State machinery is geared towards acting in the name of majority. Through dictatorial means, rule of the jungle, a State can certainly rule by suppression of free speech, censorship can curtail freedom of expression. That is usual way of lumping individual identity to emerge as a whole under the banner of One Nation. As Colvin R de Silva, of the bygone era proclaimed in Parliament, Two nations. One country. Respect the Other for who they are. Recognize them as traditional neighbours, sharing histories, and stories and cultures. 

That will be considered a true victory over hearts and minds.  That is, one could say, human development, decency and thriving grace. 

So the cry of the nations would be: Be Human! Let all know what it means to be free. 

    @CivaChandi

I love blackness., but not enough to blind me.”

‘Le Obscurist’