The Government and pro-Government authorities have dealt with protests long enough to know that the expression of dissent can be suppressed only to a limited extent, and more importantly, that attempting to suppress such results in more dissent. As the country witnessed, and is still witnessing, regardless of both lawful and unlawful steps taken to suppress protests and protestors, groups that want to remind those in power of the latter's unacceptable conduct keep coming back.

While several categories of professionals have declared this week as a “black week” in protest of the proposed tax revisions, the Police stated that the raising of black flags has been prohibited in the Colombo Fort Police area, as the Independence Day ceremony will be held on 4 February.

In view of the “black week” protest, a group of officers of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) had hoisted some black flags at the CBSL premises. However, a heated argument erupted between the CBSL officers and a group of Police officers when the latter group worked to remove the hoisted black flags and take them away. Several Police officers who arrived at the CBSL premises on Wednesday (25) morning worked to remove the black flags hanging on a fence and take them away. However, the related videos showed the CBSL officers telling the Police officers to return the flags to them, as they had paid for the flags. The CBSL officers also asked the Police officers as to who had instructed them to remove the flags hanging there. They said that by hoisting black flags, they were launching a protest and that no one would be harmed through this action. They were seen asking the Police if there is no permission under the current Government to raise a black flag and stage a protest. To that, a high-ranking Police officer who was present said: “Hoisting flags cannot be allowed. If you want, hang them inside.” The Police officers were then seen returning the flags to the CBSL officers, and instructing them to hang them inside the premises. 

When contacted by The Daily Morning to inquire about the matter, an officer from the Colombo Fort Police Station stated that since the Independence Day celebration will be held on 4 February, the hoisting of black flags has been prohibited within the Colombo Fort Police jurisdiction.

The “black week” declared by the trade unions representing several categories of professionals including doctors, engineers, university teachers, and bankers against the proposed tax policies started on Monday (23). On that day, employees of many public institutions had reported for duty in black attire and wearing black armbands, while black flags and banners had been hoisted at several State institution premises. 

One thing that the Government and the pro-Government authorities should understand is that these protests are not against the Government, but against its displays of incompetence, arbitrary decisions, unlawful acts, and against having given power to certain politicians that have a disgraceful track record and have not used their power in favour of the people. Instead of taking protests personally and acting as if protestors are trying to forcefully seize something that belongs to the Government, the latter should seek to understand what it did and is doing wrong. The first step in doing so is coming to terms with the reality that it cannot suppress dissent forever. Unless and until the aforesaid inadequacies on the part of the Government are addressed, the protests will continue in one form or another, and the Government’s attempts to use the Police, the military, and pro-Government authorities will not be able to control protests forever.

The arbitrary and unlawful suppression of dissent must stop. Needless to say, the said protest is one of a myriad such events that took place during the past few months, especially in the context of the “aragalaya” movement. The Police is acting as if it has the power to make laws, or to enforce laws that do not exist, while the Government seems to have become the one that gives the Police orders on how to deal with protestors as if there are no existing laws for that purpose. Instead of seeing protests as the problem, the Government should look at what leads to protests and what the protestors are demanding. In a democracy, a Government that does not listen to the public voice and fails to fulfil the public’s best interests is not a Government that should be in power.

A number of protests have been organised by several parties in the coming few weeks, and many of them are against the aforesaid inadequacies of the Government. At some point, the Government will have to ask itself what it is going to do when the officials it is using to protect itself from protestors finally understand that the Government needs to be reminded of its prime duty to fulfil the public’s best interests.