UJTA condemns Jaffna University’s decision

Cancellation of Swasthika’s lecture on Judicial Independence

The University of Jaffna Teachers’ Association has decided to engage in a dialogue with the students and students’ associations at the university on freedom of speech, academic freedom and the space for dissent within the university

The University of Jaffna Teachers’ Association (UJTA) condemns the cancellation of a lecture scheduled to be conducted by Ms. Swasthika Arulingam, Attorney-at-Law on October 31. 
In a statement issued, the association said that Ms. Arulingam was going to speak on the topic “Judicial Independence in Times of Crisis” at an event organized by the Department of Law at the University of Jaffna. This event was cancelled at the last minute due to pressure by a section of the undergraduates of the University of Jaffna. The students cited a previous speech made by Ms. Arulingam in the South where she had described the Liberation of Tigers of Tamil Eelam as a fascist organisation as the reason for their opposition to her talk. The UJTA wishes to place on record that it is wrong on the part of the students to have put pressure on the administration of the university to cancel the lecture of a person based on a political opinion she had expressed earlier in her personal capacity. It is also wrong that the administration of the university caved in to the pressure exerted by the students. It is important that both the students and the administration ensure that similar occurrences do not happen in the future. 

The university is an intellectual space that facilitates exchange of ideas. It is important that there is space and freedom within a university to discuss and debate diverse political and economic beliefs and positions without any hindrance. Such freedom is indispensable for the intellectual processes that take place inside the university. We are aware that the students of the University of Jaffna are faced with obstacles to express their political views, engage in memorialization activities and participate in protests due to intense surveillance and control by the Sri Lankan state and its military apparatuses. The most recent repression they faced is the arrest of several of them earlier this week when they were engaged in a democratic protest against the land grabs of grazing lands at Mayilathamadu in Batticaloa. That a section of the student community that regularly faces intimidation and repression from the state and the military decided to block Ms. Swasthika Arulingam’s speech has disappointed and saddened us. We are worried that this incident will set a bad precedent at the University of Jaffna.  

It is the collective responsibility of the students, teachers and the administrators of the University of Jaffna to ensure that there is academic freedom and uninhibited space for exchange of ideas and expression of dissent within the university. We should never shy away from this responsibility. None of these groups should exert pressure on the others in ways that are harmful to academic freedom. Likewise, we have to face the threats to academic freedom that come from outside in a collective manner. Regardless of our political views, it is when we act with a sense of collective responsibility that we can overcome all forms of intimidation that undermine freedom of expression within the University of Jaffna. 

The Jaffna University Students’ Union, the teachers and the administration of the university should take immediate steps to re-invite Ms. Swasthika Arulingam to give her lecture at the Department of Law. The University of Jaffna Teachers’ Association has decided to engage in a dialogue with the students and students’ associations at the University on freedom of speech, academic freedom and the space for dissent within the University. The Association will soon initiate some activities in this regard.