Easter Sunday Critiques:In amateurish isolation!

By I. P. C. MENDIS

Some 60 plus years ago, the country was shocked and shaken over the news of the murder of the wife of a star cricketer, M. Sathasivam. Husband Satha was eventually arraigned before the law and was eventually acquitted by a unanimous verdict. By and large, the public was confused, non-plussed and tossed up with the thought as to whether, in fact, the law is an ass! The common question that followed was – “Did the mortar kill Mrs Sathasivam? Such sensation and legal upsets, Sri Lanka seems to revel in and can well be touted as a tourist attraction in the future. We are now treated with another sensation, to wit, the Easter Sunday episode – regarding which the Presidential Commission of Inquiry has produced its Report and which has raised a hornet’s nest. It has drawn heavy flak, understandably from some of those faulted, and their supporters. The whole thing is being given a political twist and rather than face charges in court, the agitation is for the whole report to be discarded. Democracy thrives on the tripod of the Legislature, the Judiciary and the Executive and all those who hold positions in these areas have necessarily to be like Caesar’s wife – above board. The fact that a President, Parliamentarian or other public officer has been faulted is no cogent reason to criticize, agitate and condemn a Report of an Independent Commission of Inquiry to be unceremoniously thrown away, based on prejudiced subjective arguments in favour of those faulted. By extension, it will be a very sad day if public criticisms and demonstrations were to be permitted to influence the judiciary or the administration. Such tendencies need to be nipped in the bud if chaos is to be avoided. Some of these specious arguments can be repeated in court if and when they are arraigned. The ‘modus operandi’ for ditching the Report is a short-cut’ to freedom. It will be a contradiction in terms if we are only at selected, convenient times vociferous in the fact of the independence of the judiciary and at other times condemn members of the judiciary (in office or retired) who are compelled to act on evidence, however unpalatable it may be, and give in to unfair demands. It will be a very sad day, if experienced, decent people refuse to be victims of such irresponsible harangue, often let loose under parliamentary privilege and otherwise. Indeed, the Easter Sunday debacle should not be permitted to be equated to the mortar in the Sathasivam case, eventually making the bomb, the perpetrator of the crime in the Easter Sunday attack!

The Yahapalana Inaction

The Presidential Commission of Inqury has, as far as it is discernible, reiterates and confirms the mind-set of the people anent the contemptible and complete inaction, indolence, indifference, and ‘devil-may-care’ attitude of the yahapalana regime, headed by President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in effectively utilising the intelligence services and security forces and dealing promptly and effectively with the intelligence information, particularly the reports from foreign agencies. The security outfits appear to have been conducting themselves as complete headless novices and not professionals. Their conduct appears to have been influenced by the in-fighting and conduct of those at the top. As for the findings of the PCOI in regard to inaction, the public of this country can well respond with the old expression “Queen Anne is Dead” as they had already made up their minds about the “Open Sesame” made available to the terrorists and that it was practically a local version of “Nero fiddling while Rome was burning” with no acting appointment being made for the position of Minister of Defence, in the absence of the President, abroad on medical grounds, and if the evidence is anything to go by, the President remaining mostly incommunicado. To take up the position now that President Sirisena has been targeted is far-fetched and preposterous. The Commissioners were picked by him. Nor can the then Prime Minister Wickremasinghe, as Head of Government, shun responsibility, absence of the Minister of Defence notwithstanding. Defence Secretary, Hemasiri Fernando’s claim made to the foreign media that a calamity “of such magnitude” was not expected speaks volumes! People are entitled to ask whether they were playing “football” with national security!

Taking the wind off the sails

The parliamentary debate, taken up on 10th March 2021, had afforded the present government the opportunity to respond to the main slogan or accusation that the origin of the terrorist outfit had not been identified nor any action taken to apprehend those responsible. Minister Sarath Weerasekera narrated the action taken to date and what is intended to be taken which appears to have appeased. His was a very wise step considering the fact that there were various organizations, parties and groups which were, without invitation gleefully ever ready to gatecrash to eventually gain political mileage with anti-government propaganda which idea was far from the agenda of the Cardinal and aggrieved Roman Catholics. Indeed, wiser counsel had prevailed and those who were waiting on the wings to turbo-fly their way through over dead bodies forestalled. Those who were accomplices in the crime by their avowed silence in the face of complete and studied inaction then, now seek to masquerade as saviours of the nation using the tragedy as a weapon and the aggrieved as a tool in a desperate endeavour for power.