Political Violence in Sri Lanka

‘The function of a leader is to make his people free of fear’ – Pundit Nehru in Discovery of India

This column dedicated to the notion of making Sri Lanka the Wonder of Asia turns its spotlight today on another malpractice: Political Violence and Fear Psychosis, that is affecting the aspirations of Sri Lankan society to live in a fear free environment.

Fear psychosis

President Mahinda Rajapakse has followed the abovementioned statement of Pandit Nehru and given the leadership to our armed forces to free the

Sri Lankan Nation from three decades of fear psychosis created by the barbaric activities of the ruthless LTTE for which the entire Sri Lankan Nation is ever so grateful. The fear psychosis created by political violence appears to have replaced that created by the LTTE.

LTTE violence replaced by political violence

The Sri Lanka Medical Council in a Notice to the Public published in the media last week referring to the physical attack on Dr.N.J.Nonis, Registrar of the Council inter alia stated thus: ‘No problem can be resolved through violence and without due process. The SLMC remains committed to this principle. It further stated: ‘The attack on Dr.Nonis is not just an assault on a private individual but constitutes an assault on the most cherished and basic tenets of the Rule of Law.’ The South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SATIM) published a similar notice condemning the attack. Both notices called for an inquiry. The motivation for the attack and persons behind it are yet to be revealed in an impartial investigation. There is speculation that the motive may have been the refusal of the SLMC to recognize the private medical college set up at Malabe. Similar incidents of assault and even murder of journalists and editors of newspapers come to mind.

Gun Battle in Mulleriyawa

Last week another unfortunate incident occurred on the streets at Mulleriyawa, in which a presidential advisor and a few others met with their untimely deaths and another parliamentarian suffered grave head injuries which the doctors say would lead to hospitalization for a further three months. The gun battle that occurred involved some characters of the underworld, who were reported to be active in the drug trade as revealed in

investigations by the C.I.D. The manner in which such persons came to be in the company of parliamentarians is a mystery. The Inspector General of Police in his wisdom has ordered that all police officers engaged in security functions of the parliamentarians and other V.I.Ps must henceforth be clad in their official uniforms when they bear arms. The said gun battle was the result of the preferential vote system which leads to infighting among candidates of the same party. This system should be done away with. The presence of a large number of unlicensed weapons in the hands of the strongmen or unofficial bodyguards engaged by the parliamentarians poses a grave threat to the peace and tranquility of our society. The Inspector General of Police under the guidance of the Secretary of the Ministry of Defense should take the necessary action to remove such illegal weapons and prosecute the possessors under the law.The police officers providing security to parliamentarians should confine themselves to their assigned lawful functions and refrain from carrying out illegal orders given by such parliamentarians, which would result in the eradication or reduction of political violence.

The supreme law of Sri Lanka is the Constitution, under which powers are granted to make all other laws. The second paragraph of the Preamble to the Constitution incorporates a pledge given by the Parliamentarians to the People of Sri Lanka thus: We, the freely elected representatives of the People of Sri Lanka in pursuance of such Mandate, humbly acknowledging our obligation to our People and gratefully remembering their heroic and

unremitting struggle to regain and preserve their rights and privileges so that the Dignity and Freedom of the Individual may be assured, Just, Social, Economic and Cultural Order attained, the Unity of the Country restored, and Concord established with other Nations, do hereby adopt and enact this Constitution the Supreme Law of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.’ Article 3 confers inalienable sovereignty on the People and Article 4 confers such sovereignty to legislate to the Parliament, executive power to the President and judicial power to the courts, tribunals and other institutions created, established or recognized by the Constitution. Thus it is seen that the Doctrine of Separation of Powers advocated by Dicey has been incorporated in our Constitution through the wisdom of its makers.

Thus a politician cannot purport to assume judicial powers and hear, pass summary judgement and deliver instant punishment without even a right of appeal on any individual citizen of this country. Such an action constitutes a criminal offence and the Police who are the law enforcement officers should not permit such actions to take place in their presence making a mockery of our legal system resulting in the erosion of public confidence in the supremacy of the law which is detrimental to the maintenance of the pristine principle of the Rule of Law enshrined in our Constitution. Final result of such actions would be anarchy or the law of the jungle where the public would retaliate by attacking the police as seen in the recent spate of attacks on police stations in Angulana, Katunayaka and Dompe caused due to police brutality and indiscipline discussed in this column last week.

I wish to recount a story depicting the exemplary conduct of the politicians of a by gone era. As an officer of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation at that time, stationed at the Refinery in Sapugaskanda I had to get an endorsement on a letter from the Deputy Minister Hon.Senapala Samarasekera. The Minister informed me to meet him at the Fort Railway Station as he was arriving in Colombo from Galle in the Ruhunu Kumari train. I met him on the platform where he kept the letter on his black leather brief case carried by all Government officers at that time, made the endorsement, applied his official seal and walked out got into a bus and went away. A galaxy of security officers or armed bodyguards and a limousine were conspicuous by their absence. The politicians of the by gone era were really the servants of the people while today the converse appears to be true.

Violence is the preserve of the uneducated

Violence is the preserve of uneducated, uncivilized people and abhorred by all right thinking civilized people. All great personages in the World including Lord Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi and others advocated the virtues of non violence. Civilized people settle their disputes through a process of consultation, compromise and consensus. Using of un-parliamentary language in the hallowed precincts of the Parliament was unheard of in the good old days when gentlemen debated matters, maintaining proper decorum and mutual respect. Criticism should be met with suitable response. People who tend to resort to violence display their inability to make a proper intelligent response to such criticism. Parliamentarians should be conscious of the fact that they have taken a pledge to preserve the dignity, freedom, rights and privileges of the individual citizen as stated in the Constitution recounted above.

Yesterday we were campaigning

The People look up to their President as their leader to establish a non violent political culture in our beautiful little island, the pearl of the Indian ocean. The rule of law has to be applied equally to all as no one is above the law. The President who has now embarked on the goal of economic prosperity to our country would no doubt take the necessary measures to create a peaceful non violent environment for our people to live in peace and tranquility. We hope and pray that our leader, His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapakse would have the necessary strength, courage and wisdom to achieve that goal too.Let me recount in lighter vein an episode involving Mahatma Gandhi and an Englishman thus:

When Mahatma Gandhi was in London, an Englishman asked Gandhi,

“Why do you Indians have different coloured skins? Look at us, we all have the same colour”.

Gandhi replied, “Thoroughbred Horses have different colours, but all Donkeys have the same colour!” (Courtesy: The Internet)

The moral of this story is ‘If we, Sri Lankans are to make our country the Miracle of Asia in the near future, are we smart enough to send the first category mentioned by Mahatma Gandhi to our Parliament?’

A story that depicts the true nature of the present Sri Lankan political culture is as follows:

‘While walking down the street one day a “Member of Parliament” is tragically hit by a truck and dies.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

‘Welcome to heaven,’ says St. Peter.

‘Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we’re not sure what to do with you.’

‘No problem, just let me in,’ says the man.

‘Well, I’d like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we’ll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.’

‘Really, I’ve made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,’ says the MP.

‘I’m sorry, but we have our rules.’

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him. Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne. Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly& nice guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises. The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.

‘Now it’s time to visit heaven.’

So, 24 hours pass with the MP joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St.Peter returns.

‘Well, then, you’ve spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.’

The MP reflects for a minute, then he answers: ‘Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.’

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he’s in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above. The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder. ‘ ‘I don’t understand,’ stammers the MP.

‘Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there’s just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened? ‘

The devil looks at him, smiles and says, ‘ Yesterday we were campaigning. Today you voted.’ (Courtesy: The Internet)

As Sir Ivor Jennings stated, the difference between a politician and a statesman is that politicians have the selfish motive of coming to power at the next election while statesmen think selflessly of the welfare of the next generation. When a former Prime Minister Hon. Dudley Senanayake passed away it was reported in the media that he had only Rs.100/- in his bank account. The ruling given by the Election Commissioner last week that all those candidates elected at the last Provincial / Municipal Council Elections must declare their assets before assuming duties seems laudable in that sense. Readers are most welcome to send in their valuable comments and further suggestions in their letters to the Editor.

 

4 Comments to “Political Violence in Sri Lanka”

• Amali Samaranayake
  October 18, 2011 at 5:55 am

  I like the one about the devil
  • Millicent
    November 13, 2011 at 1:49 am

    Too many compliments too ltitle space, thanks!
• Sumana Pathirana
  October 18, 2011 at 5:54 am

  Yers but we know the cancer that is spreading we know who is spreading it why talk in circles
• pamitha silva
  October 18, 2011 at 5:53 am

  Good one Mr Keerthisinghe