The Political Column

17th December 2000

The importance of being SB

By our Political Correspondent

The authorities who are responsible for maintaining law and order are in a deep slumber while others including, the Minister of Justice, are debating whether the death penalty should be reintroduced to stem the ever escalating incidence of crime.

Last week, alone there were three bank robberies in Padalangala, Nittambuwa and Ja-ela. (See our Special Report on Page 6). And it is believed army deserters are largely responsible for committing such robberies and contract killings. One estimate puts that there are about 15,000 army deserters and most of them had run away with their weapons.

With no proper checks on weapons pilfering from the war zone, the underworld is not short of lethal arms. It is also said that the LTTE, in a bid to create chaos in the South, is supplying arms to the underworld.

Whatever it is, the magnitude of the problem is yet to be assessed by the authorities. Police say most of these criminals are operating under the patronage of politicians who had engaged them to unleash violence against their opponents. Some of them even work as their bodyguards.

During the October elections, we heard reports that a hill country politician had employed military deserters armed with sophisticated weapons in his election campaign. We also heard how a son of a politician threatened Kandy's DIG. In these incidents, police were mere onlookers. Even in the case of the politico's son, the police could not or did not have the courage to —muster evidence against him.

In the face of such situations, one would ask Police Chief Lucky Kodituwakku whether the police would act in a similar way if an ordinary citizen is arrested. It is not a secret that even his own son, an ASP, had been transferred out of his station allegedly under political pressure, for discharging his duties efficiently.

With the hands of thepolice tied and the government doing precious little to stem the rot, the judiciary is the only institution that can take effective steps. But it cannot act alone as Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva told a recent seminar.

He bluntly and firmly told the seminar that it would be difficult for the courts to combat the rising wave of crime.

The Chief Justice pointed out that the process required a long-term plan which should be implemented with the aim of achieving its target. What the law courts could do is to control it by discharging its duties efficiently and without delay.

Tracing the history of violence in Sri Lanka, Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva said that vicious violence escalated in 1971 and before that it was less virulent.

He said that in this scenario, rehabilitation of prisoners was important to prevent them from going back to their old habits. But the Chief Justice had reservations about the law enforcement agencies' ability to produce the actual culprits. The Chief Justice said the minnows would be brought before the law while the sharks were left at large.

It is in this context we think that the entire police force should be brought under an independent commission so that they could discharge their duties independently without any fear or favour.

The government appears to be dragging its feet over the appointment of an independent commission to administer the police service, giving lame excuses.

The PA Executive Committee which accepted most of the UNP conditions as part of a deal assuring the UNP support, rejected the suggestion for an independent police commission. It could not give any valid reasons for this rejection, compelling its opponents to believe that the ruling alliance still believes in taking political advantage by keeping the police under its control.

But if the government is keen to create a society where there is justice and fair play, it should set up an independent police commission without any delay.

It is also important that the government should realize that there is an urgent need to de-politicise not only the law-enforcing agencies, but other arms of the government, too. Failure to do so will only create more problems in a larger magnitude which will finally contribute towards the erosion of democracy in the country.

From body politick to real politics. President Chandrika Kumaratunga has undertaken a tour of Europe where she is expected to meet European leaders in anticipation of soliciting assistance to Sri Lanka and to brief them on the peace initiative.

The European Union wants the government to begin talks just before the Development Forum (Aid Group) meeting, but it is unlikely since the government leaders are more inclined towards finding a date which would be favourable for them in relation to the movements of celestial bodies. The government recently issued a statement that there has been misapprehensions regarding the President's tour to London and Paris. But this has not made the UNP to abandon its plans to raise several questions in parliament with regard to the expenses incurred due to the President's long stay in Europe.

Rumour mills are also at work with some saying the President will return to the island at the end of December, making her stay abroad the longest by a Sri Lankan head of state.

In parliament last week, in his winding up speech on the vote on account, UNP's Imtiaz Bakeer Markar referring to the President's visit abroad, drew a parallel with that of Alberto Fujimori, the former President of Peru. He said that President Fujimori also trotted all over the world seeking foreign assistance, but he could not accomplish his mission. He had to end it in Japan, Mr. Bakeer Markar said. "When we look at President Kumaratunga also, we do not know where she will end the tour. I do not know whether she will end it in London or Paris," he said. Commenting on governmental leadership, Mr. Bakeer Markar said that after the President it was the Prime Minister and the Leader of the House who should be running the government. But on the contrary it was Ministers S.B. Dissanayake and Mangala Samaraweera who were doing so. He went on to add that the appointment of Minister S.B. Dissanayake as the Deputy Finance Minister could also be considered as an insult to Minister G.L. Peiris.

Mr. Bakeer Markar referring to the notorious election campaign in the Nuwara Eliya district and how certain senior politicians manipulated vote rigging questioned as to whether the government was sending a similar representation to the Paris Aid Group meeting to obtain aid from the donor countries.

Mr. Bakeer Markar's brilliant speech in Sinhala earned him many accolades, but before Mr. Bakeer Markar made this speech, there were certain objections from his own camp. Wattala parliamentarian John Amaratunga asked UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe whether it would not have been better if Mr. Wickremesinghe wound up the speech. But Mr. Wickremesinghe said he had already allocated the speech to Mr. Bakeer Markar.

Just a few days after the debate on the Vote of Account, the Central Bank adjusted the dollar rate by a further 2% thus confirming the earlier reports that a further devaluation was around the corner.

Minister G.L. Peiris told parliament on December 5, quoting the Late Sir Ivor Jennings: "The basic function of Parliament is the control of Finance. Indeed that is the hallmark of a true and vibrant function in democracy. The elected representatives of the people must have total uninhibited control over public finance."

Within that background the Opposition and interested groups including the commercial and business sections in the country are pointing a finger at the Government, for adjusting the parity rate within a few days of the Vote On Account, thus casting a serious doubt on the credibility of the Government.

The government was trying to explain away the parity adjustment, saying it beneficial to exporters, but trade chambers have said that it is only a notional submission. Today, the biggest factor in the export sector is the Apparel Industry which has very little input in terms of local contribution. Cutting and Manufacturing being their main area of work, the garment industry is grudging even the proposed increase of basic salaries to the workers to correspond with the increase in parity rate. The UNP is spearheading a campaign demanding a Rs. 2,000 wage increase in all sectors as stated in its election manifesto. It is also planning to agitate for many more demands, even covering the Plantation Sector and the Tea Trade. It will be interesting to watch in the coming weeks how Arumugam Thondaman is going to play his cards when the breakaway CWC which is now with the UNP reach out to workers with this campaign. It is to the credit of the UNP that some of the main players in the Plantations sector such as M. S. Sellasamy and P. Chandrasekeram, are working with it.

All in all, there is evidence of the emergence of a government lacking in direction. This was also seen not only in the selection of ministers and splitting up of subjects assigned to Ministers and deputy minister, but also in the selection of officials to serve as secretaries. One Senior Minister, who crossed over from the UNP, remarked that he believed his secretary had not even seen the "Hogana Pokuna". Though the subject involves matters connected to that, this is the level of appointments you find today in an administration that speaks of development and settling national issues.

Meanwhile, Minister G.L. Peiris, will take off to Paris, apparently with Minister S.B. Dissanayake, who has become a talking point both during the Elections and in the aftermath of the formation of the Government.

He has become a man of importance because of the portfolios he holds, especially as the minister of parliamentary affairs. It was said in UNP circles that even some senior UNP MPs were prepared to crawl on their knees before S.B. Dissanayake to seek the benefit of a further issuance of duty free vehicles to the re-elected MPs as well. The policy of the Government is to issue the permits only to new MPs, But there was a lot of canvassing going on by some old MPs for a second permit for them.

It is common knowledge that these permits were in the market fetching Rs. 2.5 to Rs. 3 million, for the paper alone and those who have bought it have already started importing those limousines to the country.

Be that as it may, the UNP is now preparing to educate its men on various aspects of parliamentary discipline and etiquette. Over the weekend, they were in for a recluse at Barber Inn Hotel for a workshop with former Mrs. World Rosy Senanayake and film actress Anoja Weerasinghe. The UNP had thought it fit to train the MPs who are expected to be in social gatherings in Colombo and elsewhere.

Some seniors are not happy over this programme and at times they were taking these workshops as a joke. "It is true that you have to discipline the MPs and train them how to debate, but before that we should find a way out of the mess the party is in," one insider said.

However, the UNP is about to get a head start with a new team coming into play from January 1, with Charitha Ratwatte as U.N.P. Chairman and Senarath Kapukotuwa as General Secretary, to run a professional outfit converting Sirikotha into a central office of administration. Whether the UNP. will be a party of professionals or a party of the grassroots is to be seen in the days to come.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wickremesinghe and some UNP MPs were seen on December 13, at the Colombo Club Annual Dinner at the Hotel Lanka Oberoi. The UNP team included Karunasena Kodithuwakku, Rohitha Bogollagama, Ravi Karunanayake and their wives. The gathering that represented a cross section of the business leaders of the country were seen discussing the bleak picture of the country's future. Ken Balendra, recently appointed Chairman, Bank of Ceylon, was amongst the "Glitterati".

Meanwhile, the leadership struggle in the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress cropped up once again last week when the high command of the party met. At a pre-poll meeting in the aftermath of the demise of party leader M. H. M. Ashraff, the members of the high command were told that the party decided to have co-leaders until the completion of the election. The decision taken at that stage was minuted and the minutes of the meeting were read out to refresh the minds of the members.

Thereafter, the Chairman of the party who presided over announced that it is time to elect a new leader.

Out of the 23 members in the high command, 18 members were firmly behind Minister Rauf Hakeem and supported his election as the leader. The five members who opposed him backed the other co-leader, Ferial Ashraff, who is still observing the Idda mourning period.

Ms. Ashraff in any case was not a part of the party machinery and the high command did not feel the necessity to wait until her return to public life after the mourning period. The first meeting however failed to take a firm decision on the leadership and the coterie around Ms. Ashraff rushed to senior lawyer Faiz Musthapha requesting him to intervene in the matter.

Mr. Musthapha after having studied the matter was convinced that Mr. Hakeem would be the undisputed leader of the party, but under pressure from the few supporters of Ms. Ashraff requested the party high command to put off the election of the leader until the return of Ms. Ashraff to public life.

Mr. Mushthapha told Mr. Hakeem that a section who supports Mrs. Ashraff was trying to drag this issue to courts and warned him of the impending danger. He told Mr. Hakeem in such a situation the ruling party and the opposition would try to make use of a possible division in the party for their own advantage.

Thereafter, the high command decided to put off the election of the leader until February 11.

However, it appears now that there is a great deal of support for Mr. Hakeem from the grassroots and the supporters of Ms. Ashraff have no alternative but to fall in line with the party whip.

Situation Report

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