A strong govt. shouldn’t fear freedom of expression - Levy

High Commissioner of Canada, Bruce Levy praised the steps taken by the Sri Lankan government to address the tensions that have fuelled the conflict in the past but claimed that a truly strong government has nothing to fear by affording its citizens a full range of expression.

Addressing a gathering at the PAFFREL awards ceremony, Levy said that the Canadian people were heartened by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and the government and minority leadership.

Levy added that it would be a grievous mistake for a government leading a country emerging from years of tragic loss to solely focus on economic issues.

“Sri Lankans must continue to nurture their proud democratic traditions, including impressive freedoms for assembly and speech.  A truly strong Government has nothing to fear from allowing its citizenry to exercise a full range of expression.  On the other hand, history shows us that if these freedoms are chipped away, they can be extremely difficult to re-establish,” he stated.