Criminal politics

Wednesday 21st December, 2022

There has been an upsurge in violent crimes during the past several months. The police are groping in the dark even where high-profile crimes such as the killing of Dinesh Schaffter are concerned. Is it that they are too busy with political work to be able to carry out their regular duties and functions properly? The only thing they seem keen to do, of their own volition, is to pursue anti-government protesters; they have mastered the art of ingratiating themselves with the powers that be.

The government would have the public believe that it is all out to neutralise the netherworld of crime and narcotics. The Opposition is gaining political mileage by raking the ruling coalition and the police over the coal for the rise in crimes. But what has led to the rapid expansion of crime syndicates is the nexus between criminals and politicians, as is public knowledge. Behind every notorious criminal, there is a powerful politician. The blame for the current situation, where ordinary people have to live in fear of criminals, therefore, should be apportioned to all political parties in the present Parliament save a few. Whether it is advisable to rely on them to protect the public against criminals is the question.

The UNP has a history of sponsoring criminals. The J. R. Jayewardene government, after its victory at the 1977 general election, granted a presidential pardon to Gonawala Sunil, a notorious criminal, who had been serving a prison term for raping a teenage girl. He was made a Justice of the Peace and entrusted with the task of attacking the Opposition. Another thug, Kalu Lucky, not only placed himself above the law thanks to his links to the UNP, but also attacked the houses of the Supreme Court judges at the behest of the UNP leaders, in the early 1980s. Dreaded killer, extortionist and rapist, Soththi Upali, became Sri Lanka’s Al Capone under the Premadasa government, which was dependent on goon squads to keep the then Opposition at bay and win elections. The SLFP, on President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga’s watch, sponsored criminals. Contract killer and extortionist, Beddegana Sanjeewa, was made a Reserve Sub Inspector and attached to the Presidential Security Division. The Mahinda Rajapaksa government made the SLFP even more dependent on criminals to suppress democratic dissent, and Mervyn Silva became the de facto minister in charge of underworld affairs, and enjoyed legal immunity. The JVP will never be able to live down its criminal past. It is demanding that the local government elections be held without further delay, but it went all out to sabotage elections in the late 1980s, and killed many people for exercising their franchise. It committed countless bank heists and plundered money and jewellery from the public besides destroying public property worth billions of rupees. The TNA had no qualms about acting as the mouthpiece of the LTTE, which committed heinous crimes against civilians. Thus, how can one expect the parties currently represented in Parliament to protect the citizenry against criminals?

Meanwhile, one of the main reasons for the collapse of the UNP-led government, in 2019, was its failure to protect public security; the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, which probed the Easter Sunday carnage, has, in its final report (page 471), held the entire Yahapalana government—President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and their Cabinet—accountable for the tragedy. Most of the SJB MPs are former members of the Yahapalana regime, which failed to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks despite warnings from a foreign intelligence outfit. Gotabaya Rajapaksa came forward to protect the public and secured the presidency in 2019. The SLPP also made the most of the Easter Sunday carnage, and claimed the UNP and its leader were incapable of safeguarding public security. Today, Gotabaya and Mahinda have resigned as the President and the Prime Minister, respectively, and the SLPP is depending on UNP leader Wickremesinghe to protect the country!

When lawbreakers become lawmakers with failures masquerading as saviours, it is only natural the rule of law collapses, the crime rate goes through the roof, and the public has to live in fear.