Has our democracy been sold for a “bath packet and arakku kala?”

Yes that was what happened yesterday, December 4^th, when “kana mile” the Mayor of Peliyagoda, shipped in a bunch of people with the above promise to hold placards at the Parliament square with banners and placards saying “lajjai” which means ‘shameful’ for the arrival of the Chief Justice for the second time to Parliament to be present at the impeachment proceedings against her by the Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to investigate the motion.

It is shameful these people shipped in buses to demonstrate on a subject they have no clue as they are generally people with little to do and easily swayed by the promise of some goodies to do the beckoning on behalf of someone else. If I told them that in effect they were supporting the Govt. they would say no! That is the extent of the eye wash created for the Media.

It was correct of the Leader of the Opposition to ask the Speaker, why this was going on when there should be no threats against anyone in a hearing of the PSC in Parliament and this action usurped the sovereignty of Parliament.

Further it is obvious when the petitioners are themselves the ones hearing the case against the CJ, that there is a miscarriage of justice and that it should be open to independent observers like the BASL or an overseas UN Legal Group to see if ANY judicial ruling can take place in such a biased arena and if there is any presumption of lack of prejudice on the part of the quasi court!

The principles of Natural Justice not being accorded the CJ is an insult to Sri Lanka if we maintain that we have a democracy that the overall sovereignty of the people has been enshrined in the Constitution by the separation of the Legislature and the Judiciary, and both from the Executive!

It is also unseemly for a President to force the issue, especially as he was implicated in the Helping Hambantota scandal of purloining Tsunami funds for personal use. We now know his guilt was admitted by the then CJ as a mistake in his 2004 ruling. Had he ruled then as he says he should have, the President being a convicted criminal would not have been permitted to contest the election.

Bearing all this in mind, the order paper yesterday (available in www.parliament.lk) in Parliament again was the list of the 14 point impeachment motion with the list of MPs signing it, just for good measure!