The headteacher of a school in Galle, E.K. Premasiri, was served an interdiction last week by none other than the Ministry of Education, after it emerged students at the school had performed a short school play with a comical portrayal of Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Premasiri however, has protested his innocence, stating that he was the one who sensing imminent danger to the reputation and character of the president, not only intervened, bring the play to an abrupt end, but also reported the incident to the police.
Premasiri explained,
“Since the teachers were busy correcting term test papers as most schools do, the students are given some extra activities. We had asked the students to enact short dramas or some performance. Small groups teamed up and practiced for about three to four days. There were no scripts as such,”
“On the final day I was invited as the chief guest for the event. One of the items on the programme was a short drama. I saw a student dressed in a national costume with a Satakaya coming up on stage and kissing the floor. He was addressed as ‘Nayakathuma’ (leader),”
“I thought since the teacher had seen a rehearsal there shouldn’t be a problem, but within a few minutes I felt suspicious and feared that the President could be insulted. I immediately called the teacher who was conducting the programme and got the act stopped,”
“They told me during rehearsals the drama was a comedy with the main actor being a director. I was told that the costume and the Satakaya too were additions,”
According to Sri Lanka's Sunday Times newspaper, the headteacher's misfortune is part of a wider smear campaign intigated against him since he refused entry to 11 children sent by a MP from the district.
Premasiri lamented,
"What I want is an impartial inquiry into the incident. It is I who complained to the Provincial Education Director and the Police that the mini play staged with the character of the President was a conspiracy. But instead of carrying out a full investigation I have been interdicted”.
Sadly, when you've upset one of the king's henchmen or been party to such sacrilege against Rajapaksa, no good deed goes unpunished.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
