On the honking of horns in protest and absurdities of a state gone berserk View(s):Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, I suppose, must count himself incredibly fortunate that a foreign visitor to Sri Lanka’s shores was not passing by when, as an opposition parliamentarian, he was ferociously blowing on a trumpet during the famous ‘JanaGosha’ protest (1993). Second, the police spokesperson has, for reasons best known to himself, dragged in the Vienna Convention to justify the arrest. Indeed, how many of our local politicians have thoroughly embarrassed visiting dignitaries including from the United Nations far more seriously than merely honking horns? That failure to critically question without bias allows the State to treat citizens like featherless chickens. The Court upheld the right of Prime Minister Rajapaksa to protest in 1993 precisely on that basis.

Source: Sunday Times May 02, 2021 00:54 UTC