The indiscriminate closing down of news websites, purported to be critical of Sri Lankan government officials and even the president, does not show the authorities in good light. More tolerance and flexibility needs to be shown, especially towards the opposition, and a failure to do this will lead to President Mahinda Rajapakse being defined as ‘undemocratic' in his approach.
Politicians are after all public figures and there will always be close scrutiny of their actions so long as there is no unjustified character assassination. This is necessary and even healthy for a flourishing system. The steps to curb freedom of expression have not shown the government in good light. It only multiplies the charges against it, chief among which are the stifling of freedom and human rights abuses.
Freedom of expression is a relevant part of a democracy, therefore the government must specify what kind of content it is opposed to and how the closed websites can challenge the action taken against them.