Now university professors branded as traitors, says UNP

*Two pronged strategy. SB attacks while Basil talks

October 8, 2012, 10:10 pm , The Island


by Zacki Jabbar

 Having failed to resolve the crisis in the universities, which has dragged on for more than 100 days, the government has found an easy way out, by branding senior professors, who were in the forefront of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Presidential campaign, as traitors, the UNP said yesterday.

"The Rajapaksa regime’s philosophy is very simple. Those who play ball are patriots and anyone who takes up issues not to its liking are branded as traitors," UNP Media Spokesman Gayanatha Karunathillake told a news conference in Colombo.

The words "patriot" and "traitor" have been abused and have become meaningless under the Rajapaksas. A two-pronged strategy was being used to handle the striking lecturers. While Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake has been given the task of launching scathing attacks on the strikers, Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa was engaged in superficial talks, he said adding that this was the trade mark strategy of the government regardless of the problems faced by the country.

Karunathilake said that the allocation for education should be increased at least in the forthcoming budget by eliminating waste and corruption which was rampant at the highest levels.

The law and order situation in the country was fast deteriorating and the latest example was Sunday’s attack on Manjula Thilakaratne, Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission. The incident should be investigated speedily and the culprits brought to book, the MP urged.

Karunathillake said that the country was being crucified at international fora due to the Rajapaksa regime’s scant regard for human rights, transparency and good governance.

It was incidents such as the assault on the JSC Secretary and the continuing white van culture that had led to external interference in Sri Lankan affairs. There was no point in blaming the United Nations Human Rights Commission and other bodies for raising accountability issues, if the powers that be could not maintain law and order, he observed.

The MP said that regardless of which quarter the pressure came from, it was ultimately the poor masses that had to bear the brunt of the attack, since sanctions would lead to the cost of living skyrocketing further.