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The constitution of a country defines the fundamental rights of the people. The people are sovereign. The Members of Parliament are elected by the people. Therefore, Parliament represents the people.

Within Parliament there is a government whose duty is to frame laws to protect the citizen from suffering, fear and loss of property. The laws so framed are Acts of Parliament.

Every citizen, whatever position he holds, should be equal before the law. This is not so now in Sri Lanka because the fundamental rights of the citizen are denied.

Section 12 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka says, "All persons are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection of the law.” However, Section 35 of the Constitution states “while any person holds the office as president, no proceedings shall be instituted or continued against him in any court or tribunal in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by him either in his official or private capacity”.

By the provisions in Section 35 the people (sovereign) are denied equal rights before the law.

The people are sovereign, therefore the government elected by the people has no right to deny the people of their fundamental rights.

Section 42 of the said Constitution states: “The President shall be responsible to parliament for the due exercise, performance and discharge of his powers, duties and functions under the constitution and any written law, including the law for the time being relative to public security.”

As the President is responsible to Parliament, which represents the sovereign, the President should not be immune to the law of the land. The government should delete Section 35 of the Constitution. The President should be subject to the law of the land because it is the law that made him President. The fundamental rights of the people override the legislative powers of the state. An individual should have the right to enforce rights against the President through the courts. The President should not be subject to the citizen but subject to the law.

Reading and watching
Violence and hatred
Polluting the atmosphere -
Watching a child cry in terror –
As she flees the fighting –
Where even private family cars –
Are regarded legitimate targets –
Watching those with no basements to hide -
Run shrieking along streets
Polluted with black smoke
Anxious to escape the falling debris
Of once proud high–rises reaching for the sky.
‘Blow up my city and I will blow up yours.’
Is it the motto of today?
But why is it that only civilians run
For their lives?
Is this a game of chess
Where pawns are moved here and there
On a black and white chess board?
Power politics played
By world leaders –
Moving pawns to save kings and queens
Safe upon their thrones –
Moving the pawns –
Two soldiers
In exchange for ten pawns?
Who will win this new game of chess?
‘Blow up my city and I will blow up yours?

I am in the habit of preserving bits of writing that are significant. I came across one such piece recently. It had been attached to a gift I had received from a group of students whom I had taught at the University of Kelaniya. It went as follows:

Dearest Teacher,
During the past short time, we were very much attached to each other, and that is everlasting.
Your Kindness,
Pure Love and Guidance,
Are in our hearts
For Ever.
I was so moved when I read it that tears came to my eyes.
This was from a group of students and its compilation speaks volumes about the sincerity, goodwill and gratitude in their hearts. This is why I had preserved the note.
And to this date it is more valuable to me than a piece of gold.

Mighty, majestic and beautiful falls,
The cynosure of all eyes,
for you, I am shedding tears,
sacrificed you are, for personal gains,
throwing aside public opinions,
you are being ‘dam’ned
soon, under the water, you will be submerged
you will be lost, forever, dear St. Clair falls

Nature’s gift bequeathed on mankind,
Is being destroyed by the warped mind.

Oh, my sweet damsel!!
Since childhood I have watched you
Roaring, yet gently rolling by..
Throwing up the mist to the blue sky
What a lot of fun we had together
Fishing, swimming, picnicking!
I know one day you will rise up
From your watery grave
Surge ahead, with all your pent-up
fury
Destroying everything in your way
Making chain reactions, to everyone’s dismay
Will come one day,
for the second ‘tsunami’ to be on its way,
You humans,
For your avariciousness
Dearly going to pay !!!

We the general public cannot understand why corrupt officials, people in public life and so on within the government are given more avenues for corruption, and promoted. We feel it could be due to one of the following:

1. The government does not want to accept these people as corrupt unless proven beyond reasonable doubt after a lengthy procrastination of justice.

2. The government does not have more suitable people to take over the positions of the corrupt.

3. The bosses have also enjoyed the fruits of the corrupt officials in their election campaigns, hence it is difficult to get them off the scene.

4.The bosses are scared they themselves will be exposed.

I have suffered the loudspeaker menace sometimes in silence and sometimes not. Once during Vesak, I complained about a loudspeaker to the H.Q.I. and the response I got was, “This is only once a year”. I got the same response from a priest, when I complained about the noise from loudspeakers on several lamp posts away from the church. Don’t they realize that some people cannot bear loud noise even for five minutes?

Lord Buddha preached about maithri – then why do these Buddhist temples have the loudspeakers on right throughout the night, oblivious to the fact that there are old and sick people, who suffer without sleep. This doesn’t only occur in temples. Sometimes even when there is a pirith ceremony at a home or a shop, loudspeakers are fixed on several lampposts in the vicinity to relay the pirith. Is this maithri?

Jesus said, ‘Love thy neighbour’. Then why do priests have loudspeakers during services and church feasts? Even during processions the volume of the hymns and prayers is so loud that we are filled with irritation and not piety. Is not there anyone sensible enough or bold enough to control the volume?

Did Allah preach to his followers to bombard the eardrums of the people who live close to the mosques with loud speakers several times a day? I hope not.

Let us hope that more people come out with their views, so that the people in power are obliged to enact a law before some of us lose our hearing.

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