In Defense Of Solangaarachchi And Others

By Hema Senanayake –

Hema Senanayake

President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently said “My hands are not tainted with blood or dirt.” He further said that, “On the day my hands are got tainted, I would cut them off.” From the gesture he made while saying this, anybody would think that he was going to cut his hands off below the elbow if they got tainted. This was a serious statement. Why?

It is because the word “blood” mentioned in his comments refers to “killing of human beings” and the word “dirt” must be referring to “corruptions.” Therefore, Sir, I believe you. But believe me too. It is certain that somebody’s hands in your administration are tainted with “blood.” Yet, I plead you not to cut his “hands off” but cut him off from the administration.

Can any reader of this article ever imagine of a killing of a man by you yourself? I tried to think of myself. I am close to 60 years now. I do not remember that even a thought of killing a man ever crossed my mind. Unpremeditated killing for self-defence is not treated as a crime by law. Still, when I think about it, I feel that I would not kill even in self-defense. However, this does not mean to suggest that you should abstain from using your right to self-defence if you choose to do so. Instead I want to say is that it is extremely difficult for a cultured man to kill or conspire to kill a human being. But such killings do happen in our country.

Prasanna Solangaarachchi

Prasanna Solangaarachchi is the former Chairman, Kotkawatte-Mulleriyawa Pradeshiya Sabha. He now says that some people are conspiring to kill him for changing his political allegiance from the President’s party to the common opposition candidate. Since he blames the politicos for the conspiracy, those people who seek his death should fall into the category of “cultured men.” Unfortunately cultured men opted to do cold blooded killings.

By any definition Lasantha Wickrematunge and Prageeth Ekneligoda were not criminals. Some “cultured men” should behind the crimes. Why do they do such crimes? I can’t ever imagine that some “cultured men” do have a hand in those crimes. I guess that they do not have a criminal mindset. Then how those killings happened and possibly could happen in the run up to the polls and after the presidential election?

I am not a psychologist to answer the above question. But I am inclined to believe one important data presented by Newsweek report on the school shooters in USA. Out of all school shooters the report says that, “a staggering 98 percent had recently experienced what they considered a significant failure or loss” (The Bottom Line).

I opted to select this data because almost all shootings were premeditated. So is all politically instigated killings, both the killer and the boss must have premeditated the killing. Accordingly there is a common element in both kinds of killings. If Solangaarachchi was to be killed, the boss of the killer should have premeditated it. He might be identified as a cultured man but definitely he should have experienced a “significant failure or loss.” Such feelings might be a reason behind all mass murders planned and executed. I earnestly request the “cultured political bosses” not to feel that way. Let us stop premeditated politically instigated killings. We can save lives and the country’s dignity. The Pope is also coming soon.