FUTA urges govt. to stop suppressing people’s rights
The Federation of University Teacher’s Association says the government has launched a capaign to suppress political dissent and that reminds it of the dark days of the ‘bheeshanaya’ (terror) in the 1987-89 period and the suppression of fundamental freedoms of the people during the 2009-15 period.
“It is truly ironic that this repression has been unleashed by a government led by Ranil Wickremasinghe who fashioned his entire political career on the basis of his so-called ‘liberality’,” FUTA says in a statement.
Full text of the statement:
“As a professional trade union which has historically stood for social justice in Sri Lanka FUTA is appalled by the massive repression unleashed on leading Aragalya activists by the illegitimate Wickremesinghe-Pohottuwa government. FUTA as a organization identifies itself with the spirit of the Aragalaya. We stand by the brave youth and activists drawn from all quarters of Sri Lankan society who, for more than one hundred days, led a highly successful and internationally admired campaign to demand accountable and democratic governance. The aragalaya was one of the most significant events in Sri Lanka’s social and political history and achieved many democratic gains – challenging the entrenched patron-client political system in the country and succeeded in sending home a deeply unpopular cabinet of ministers dominated by the dynastic Rajapaksa family, the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa himself and finally President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“The FUTA sees all of these as historic gains that represent a rare moment when the Sri Lankan public acted as true democratic citizens rather than servile subjects subservient to party politics. However, with the election of Ranil Wickremasinghe as president, many of these gains are being rapidly reversed. From the time he assumed office, Wickremesinghe has engaged in a political witch hunt, targeting Aragalaya leaders and at the same time attempting to characterize the aragalaya as a form of anarchy. However, this spurious discourse by the Wickremesinghe-Pohottuwa government has been roundly criticized by international observers, liberal governments across the world, progressive media, and a range of domestic and international rights activists and organizations. FUTA sees this campaign of repression by the government as an attempt to recall the dark days of the ‘bheeshanaya’ (terror) that existed in the 1987-89 period and more recently the suppression of fundamental freedoms of the people during the 2009-15 period. It is truly ironic that this repression has been unleashed by a government led by Wickremesinghe who fashioned his entire political career on the basis of his so-called ‘liberality’.
“Given this context, the FUTA has decided to play an active role to both protect the youth and aragalaya leadership and at the same time to safeguard and nurture the democratic spirit of the aragalaya. To this end, FUTA has planned a series of interventions to safeguard the fundamental freedoms of the citizenry of this country.”
