Tuesday, January 8 marked a series of significant events. It was the 120th birth anniversary of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, the country’s fourth Prime Minister and founder of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). It was also the fourth anniversary of the election of President Maithripala Sirisena as President. Finally, it was the tenth death anniversary of the assassination of journalist and Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunge.
The first two events were commemorated with a sense of celebration. The third gives cause not only for sadness and remembrance but also for solemn reflection- not only of Lasantha Wickrematunge’s brutal assassination in broad daylight but also about the fact that his killers and the masterminds behind them have not yet been brought to justice, a decade after the event.
Lasantha Wickrematunge was an unusual but outstanding journalist. He had the knack of winning friends and influencing people. While being in journalism, he also dabbled in a bit of politics, a world where there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies. At times, he not only reported news, he also made news. Because of this, while Wickrematunge had many friends, he probably had more enemies.
However, even his harshest critics would concede that Wickrematunge was clever. The political column he wrote in The Sunday Times- titled ‘Suranimala’- was outstanding because it contained information that politicians themselves did not know, about the inner workings of the government. Later on, as editor of The Sunday Leader, he almost became the voice of the Opposition and fought long battles with successive governments.
As a person, ‘modest’ and ‘unassuming’ would not be adjectives that would be used to describe Wickrematunge. Some would say that ‘brash’ and ‘cocky’ would be more apt. He knew he was smart and was head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. He made little attempt to hide that and, sometimes went out of his way to make it known. But, those who knew him closely describe him as a warm and kind man who was sensitive to the plight of his fellow human beings.
Nothing would, however, condone or diminish the fact that a person was killed for doing his job- the important job of being a journalist who uncovered scandal after scandal and believed in exposing those responsible for them. Wickrematunge had more than a right to do what he was doing- he had a duty and responsibility to society to do so and he held that duty to be sacred.
The manner of his killing- brutally battered with weapons, it seemed- was horrific. That it occurred in broad daylight on a working day in a busy suburb in the outskirts of Colombo is horrendous. That the identity of his killers and those who plotted to kill him still remain at large ten years after the event is an indictment on our law enforcement agencies, criminal justice system and the politicians who oversee them.
Wickrematunge’s killing occurred in January 2009, during the previous regime. At the time, it raised eyebrows and howls of protest both locally and internationally. There were calls for independent investigations and commissions of inquiry.
Most held the then Government responsible, if not culpable, simply because no one else would have had the wherewithal to carry out the killing with such brazen impunity, without the blessings of the authorities. There was condemnation from all quarters.
In May 2009 however, the military defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the fanatical terror group which had fomented war on Sri Lankan soil for thirty long years. The nation heaved a sigh of relief. The architects of the war victory- the leaders of the then Government and the armed forces- were hailed as heroes.
Ironically, they were the same groups which had, in the opinion of many, been alleged culprits by default in Wickrematunge’s assassination four months earlier. Now though, in the eyes of the public who were partially blinded by the euphoria of war victory, they were their new heroes. As such, they could do no wrong. Little wonder then that Wickrematunge’s assassination didn’t attract that many headlines or the attention it deserved thereafter.
Since then, much has happened. There has been what is fashionably called ‘regime change’.
The Government which governed at the time of Wickrematunge’s assassination has been ousted and replaced by another which promised, among other things such as good governance, to bring to book the culprits of assorted offences. Unfortunately, that has not happened, at least with regard to the assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunge.
Now, the wheel appears to be turning full circle. Due to a multitude of factors, including the lacklustre performance of the incumbent Government, the regime that was ousted is planning a comeback. That is, of course, their prerogative.
If that becomes a reality, those who would have played a part in Wickrematunge’s assassination may well be back at the helm of affairs because law enforcement agencies have not pursued or prosecuted Wickrematunge’s case with sufficient enthusiasm, for whatever reason. That would mean, Wickrematunge’s killing will remain a mystery for another five years- and possibly forever.
The incumbent government has many flaws but a look at the media now would show that, whatever those faults are, repression of the media is not among them. The media is having a field day. The Government is being flayed from all sides. Privately owned media outlets are openly siding with the Opposition and promoting their cause without any hindrance. The Government is struggling to have total control of its own state media outlets.
Those are salutary changes, but they are not enough. That is because those changes would not be sustained if there is another ‘regime change’. Then, the status quo would return and journalists of Wickrematunge’s calibre would become an endangered species once again.
For that not to happen, Wickrematunge’s killers- and those who gave the orders to kill- must be found and brought to justice. In this instance, justice delayed would not be justice denied.
If not, unfortunately, Lasantha Wickrematunge may have died in vain.