Editorial

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made three important public addresses during the last month, and all attracted and generated criticism, some justified, some not so. All have gone viral. With the 100-day ‘honeymoon period’ since assuming high office now over, he is fair game for public scrutiny.

The first were his comments from platforms around the country during the local government election campaign where he said that the central government, which was in his charge, would cut off funds for local councils if his party was not in charge. Was this the ‘Dissanayake Doctrine’ that came very close to announcing a policy akin to a one-party state?

Then came his firebrand speech as party leader during the 60th anniversary of the JVP. He went beyond his pre-local election threat by saying he would use his party’s two-thirds majority powers to scuttle the Joint Opposition if they formed councils where his own party was the single largest party. This triggered speculation that what was being talked about was to dissolve the councils and appoint special commissioners like had been done sometimes in the past. But that would amount to giving a kick to the people’s mandate and free elections.

Thirdly, it was the President’s address last Monday on the anniversary commemorating the end of the Northern insurgency, often misrepresented as a ‘civil war’. It resulted in a heavy dose of critical comment, much misplaced, due to his government’s admitted miscommunication (whether he was attending the memorial ceremony or not), which exposed the President to questions about his own patriotism. Critics, many with animus, roasted him on social media for what they called his wrong terminology of a ‘war hero’ and refusal to use the word ‘terrorism’, forcing his party hierarchy into explanations thereafter. “Yes, we are different,” some said, aggravating an already volatile situation.

The President made a meal out of his salute to the fallen soldiers and the grievously wounded. On the one hand, he made a moving, emotive eulogy to those who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure victory on the battlefield. He extended this to the families that faced the brunt of these sacrifices. He spoke of the country’s “blood-filled history”, “rivers of blood” and the soil “soaked in blood”—for which his party was also responsible by firing the first shot in 1971. Then, he veered to seemingly ‘balance’ his speech to resonate in the North and East, where the separatist insurgency took the heaviest toll, but ultimately could not resist the itch to give a political message. He said the ‘war victory’ was all about triumphalism and political power and slammed the former (Rajapaksa) administrations for exploiting ‘war’ for their continuation in office. That last segment was best left for another day—not at this solemn occasion.

All in all, these three recent public addresses betray the fact that the President is entertaining no qualms in exercising his party’s legislative majority—if not his executive powers, is rattled by the drop in his party’s popularity with the masses, finding it difficult to cohabit with the Opposition in a multi-party democracy, and is still locked in combat ‘fighting dragons’ with miles to go and unfinished business on his plate.

Serial killers behind wheels

There has been an alarmingly high incidence of road traffic accidents in recent weeks, the fatalities outnumbering even the high rate of killings by organised crime and gang violence. Overall, the number of deaths due to road accidents is the second highest cause of all deaths in the country. More than 2,000 lives are lost each year. Other motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are the most vulnerable.

Most motor ‘accidents’ are not accidental but preventable. They are the leading cause of deaths of children and young adults aged 5 to 29 years. The UN head in Colombo, in a message for UN Global Road Safety Week, says there are 1.2 million deaths worldwide, and 50 million more suffer injuries each year. He adds the UN is committed to supporting Sri Lanka’s efforts to reduce road traffic fatalities and injuries.

Road ‘accidents’ originate off-road. The starting point is the DMT (Department of Motor Traffic), where licences have long been issued also for those who can barely drive. Many attempts to rein in the corruption have not succeeded. When driving licences (DL) are issued to incompetent individuals for heavy vehicles like trucks and buses, the danger posed to other motorists is grave. Private bus companies—even the state-run Sri Lanka Transport Board—recruit these drivers, arguing they are short of staff.

These drivers are rarely disciplined. Sans uniform, some just clad in a banian and baseball cap, and some on the narcotic ‘ice’ while behind the wheel (now with power steering), they are like the mahout on an elephant—feeling on top of the world until the elephant runs amok; in this case, the bus goes off the road.

Most vehicles are not roadworthy with faulty brakes and bald tyres. But the driver has a feeling of invincibility and impunity not only just because he’s driving a big vehicle that dwarfs others but also because of two other fundamental factors, viz., 1) the bribery of the traffic policemen and 2) the country’s insurance law relating to road accidents.

The Police have the dubious record of being the most corrupt department in the country, and their statistics will reveal how many errant bus drivers they have booked compared to other, more minor offences. The insurance laws are clearly a contributory factor to errant driving when they allow a victim, for convenience, to make a claim for damages through the insurance company and the matter is closed, while the offender gets off scot-free, knowing only too well the victim will not waste time going through the police and courts process.

The bus owners, under pressure from finance companies, are only after the day’s collection. Those in the Transport Ministry, if they are really interested in reform, must ask the insurance companies how much they dole out for accidents caused by heavy vehicles, especially buses that are a law unto themselves on the road. That will give them a clue to errant driving.

The recent multiple accidents involving buses, both state-owned and private, don’t distinguish between the two. At one time the SLTB had a better record of road safety because it did not have to go chasing passengers.

Today, the highway is the racetrack for these drivers with a licence to kill. The issue of road safety surfaces only to be forgotten until the next deadly accident and is then forgotten again.