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| Sunday, 16 January 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Greetings & sufferings of Sakala Banda Light Refractions by Lucien Rajakarunanayake
A gold bracelet is seen on one hand, under the manacle of the other hand the gold strap of a Rolex or other costly wristwatch is also seen. The message on the cover accompanying this picture said: "Let Justice and Truth be Crowned in this New Year". The sender was S. B. Dissanayake, and the message called us to join hands to "Let tomorrow be a Day of the People who Aspire for the independence of this land". At the bottom it said the greeting was sent from within the Welikade Prison. I do not think this card was designed or printed at the printing section of the Welikade Prison to which S. B. Dissanayake is now detailed. It also enclosed a letter addressed to Mahanayake Theras, members of the clergy, to mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters appealing to all to offer succour to the people who have been stranded in the current national disaster. What a great thought indeed. It even called on those to whom the letter was addressed to put on hold the struggle for his release from prison, and do everything possible to help those who have been made helpless in whatever manner possible. The letter concluded that this helping hand be extended on his behalf. I am not impressed by Dissanayake's great pretensions to philanthropy at this time. But it is necessary to remind him that there was no great struggle to have him released that requires to be put on hold because of this disaster, and there will not be any such struggle either. It would be good if he even spared a thought for those stray dogs that were treated and exhibited in such a cruel manner, in what was said to be a public rally to demand his release from prison. If that is the quality of the struggle he wants to be put on hold well and good. Whatever the image of those manacled hands may mean to some, Dissanayake remains a prisoner convicted by this country's Supreme Court of an offence punishable by imprisonment, for an offence to which he pleaded guilty, as a second time offender. His plight brought upon by himself fails to raise the sympathy that he and some of his political friends outside look for. Even without his pleading for his suffering to be ignored at this time of tragedy, he must surely be aware that there are other, more tragic things that have captured the minds of the people. It is indeed strange, if not funny, to learn that his incarceration in this manner is any threat to the country's independence, so that he has to ask us join hands now for the independence of this land. This land remains free, although sadly battered by nature. We remain bedeviled by some of the divisions and mistrust that he too contributed to create as a free man outside the walls of Welikada. Suffering with Buriyani His letter says the duty of everyone today is to help those who have been forced into suffering and helplessness as he is. His is indeed a strange suffering when an inquiry is under way as to how he and his other 47 dormitory inmates were served Buriyani on January 7, 2005. His so-called suffering in prison where the peon of a senior prison officer can bring in Buriyani for dinner for him and his new friends, and the officer himself coming to see whether the food had indeed been delivered, can hardly be compared to the suffering of all those victims of the tsunami now in refugee camps and others still trying to overcome the aftershocks of this great national tragedy. Most of them still live on meals made of dry rations issued as relief. Dissanayake could well have asked his friend to spend the money for Buriyani for him and his inmate friends, to buying at least 100 simple meals for those in refugee camps. But he is obviously not made of the stuff that would evoke such sympathy for the suffering. The sting of this story is really in its tail. The envelope in which this greetings card came had the frank of Saliya Bandara Dissanayake, Member of the Central Provincial Council and its Chief Opposition Organizer. This member of the UNP is none other than the brother of the prisoner S. B. Dissanayake who sends his greetings from Welikada Prison. With the use of his official frank on the envelope, the cost of mailing this greeting was not paid by Saliya Bandara Dissanayake of the Central Provincial Council or his brother at Welikada Prison. It was paid for by public funds of the CPC. At its simplest this is the abuse of public funds for a private purpose. It appears that S. B. Dissanayake who preaches philanthropy to all others from the confines of the Welikade Prison is unable to teach his own brother not to misuse public funds for the so-called struggle to ensure his freedom, or even to put in on hold. Obviously, cheating the public is something that comes very easy to both Dissanayake brothers. It would be good if the Chief Minister of the CPC inquires as to how much was spent as official postage for this entirely private matter. It is indeed a mockery of all that is decent for a message that says: "Let Justice and Truth be Crowned in this New Year", which seeks personal advantage and benefit, to be sent at public expense. It is only an indication of the lifestyle of duplicity of the one who yearns for freedom from the bars that confine him at Welikada. It is bad enough that the public has to bear the cost of maintaining this offender in prison, he and his brother are also making the public pay for the devious method of raising public sympathy to have him released. When will people such as these ever learn that public funds are not meant for private misuse? When even the massive tragedy of the tsunami is made use of for such gross irresponsibility and misuse of public funds, does this man deserve to be set free even a day before the Court decided he should complete serving his sentence? |
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| Produced by Lake House |
A few days after the dawn of the New Year I received a big surprise in
the form of a New Year greetings card. The glossy card printed on good
quality paper opened with a photograph of a pair of manacled hands held up
against a bright blue sky.
