The war; the law; and the Press

The judgment this week, in the criminal intimidation of a very senior journalist in Mr. Iqbal Athas by a group of men of the special airborne unit of the Sri Lanka Air Force in 1998, was in many ways resultant from these side effects.

Mr. Iqbal Athas exposed corrupt arms deals, but the corrupt government of the day chose to ignore these issues. Angered by the publication of details, men in uniform thought they could hold a gun to Mr. Athas' head, and get him to stop writing.

This cocktail of corrupt arms dealers in cahoots with top brass, can make a heady mix. These men sometimes forget that they are not only officers but gentlemen. Unfortunate young men who opt to serve corrupt individuals rather than honorable institutions sometimes have to pay the price for their indiscretions.

On this occasion the law took its course. This was the one solitary act of the previous government, in the defense of a journalist in an otherwise disastrous era of suppression of press freedom.

The prosecuting officer of the Attorney General's department made one point very clear. It was that however senior in rank a person is, in the supposedly disciplined forces, the law applies equally to all.

This is a clear case where two officers who went to jail this week for undertaking illegal orders from their high command. The courts or the media does not take kindly to men going after promotions medals and kudos this way.

However, the bigger offenders, are the men who gave the illegal orders. Their identities are known to the world at large, even if there was no evidence found against them that would stand to test in a court of law.

While the two young men now begin a long and rigorous stint in prison, the senior citizens who gave those orders can spend the rest of their days leisurely in the comfort of their ill gotten wealth prisoners of their conscience.

Men in uniform were once admired by the public. They were looked upto with respect and awe. The 20 year old insurgency in this country has however taken its toll on the conduct of the armed forces, and some repeat some, senior military personnel are shamelessly prostituting their uniform at the feet of arms dealers and putrid politicians. It is for a mess of pottage, usually in the form of sticking to office, getting diplomatic assignments to for away places, and earning a buck in the process. Others, the many decent and honorable ones – get disgusted and either leave the forces, or suffer in silence at the doings of their colleagues.

The malady that faces the armed forces and the men and women who are safeguarding the integrity of our nation with their lives and limbs, is one of the bigger maladies facing society in general.

The learned High Court judge who upheld the state prosecutor's case this week against the errant officers, seem to say this. This government came to office on the platform that this is the last chance to put all of this right. It's not an easy task, but somebody has to do the job.