Protesting the protest sign

The Government demarcating a site near the Presidential Secretariat for protests has drawn the attention of the public, but it would seem not the attention of the protestors. In many ways it is heartening to see the disregard for the protest site as protesting or expressing dissent is a core freedom given in a democracy. As annoying as they may sometimes seem, protests play an important part in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural life of all societies to engage and direct policy.

It is also interesting that the Government is painting this as an effort to mirror “developed and civilised countries” as mentioned by Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena on Thursday. Most developed countries actually champion free speech and encourage vibrant engagement, proactive disclosure of public information, transparency on financial status of public representatives, and whistleblowing. The US for example also enshrines media freedom in its Constitution.

Sri Lanka, in contrast, has a long way to go before genuine transparency and universal application of law and order can be achieved. It is also the unification of power in the Executive, which this Government has actively championed, that brings protestors to the Presidential Secretariat and not other institutions such as Parliament or ministries. Listening to grievances is part of the responsibilities of leadership.

Historically, protests have often inspired positive social change and the advancement of human rights, and they continue to help define and protect civic space in all parts of the world. Protests encourage the development of an engaged and informed citizenry. They strengthen representative democracy by enabling direct participation in public affairs. 

They enable individuals and groups to express dissent and grievances, to share views and opinions, to expose flaws in governance and to publicly demand that the authorities and other powerful entities rectify problems and are accountable for their actions. This is especially important for those whose interests are otherwise poorly represented or marginalised.

The Government and public too often treat protests as either an inconvenience to be controlled or a threat to be extinguished but the reality is the right to protest formally involves the exercise of numerous fundamental human rights, and is essential for securing all human rights. Participating in protests enables all people to individually and collectively express dissent and seek to influence and strengthen governments’ policymaking and governing practices, as well as the actions of other powerful entities in society.The right to protest embodies the exercise of a number of indivisible, interdependent and interconnected human rights, in particular the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the right to strike, the right to take part in cultural life, as well as the rights to life, privacy, liberty and security of the person, and the right to freedom from discrimination

The principles are intended to be used by civil society organisations, activists, human rights defenders, lawyers, judges, elected representatives, public officials and other stakeholders in their efforts to strengthen the protection of the right to protest locally, regionally and globally. 

Sri Lanka has a long history of democracy, flawed as it may be this is held dear by most citizens. The Government might be surprised by how deep this resistance runs.