Sunday Times 2
How good is less bad?
Good and bad are opposites relative to each other. Less bad is not necessarily good. It depends on the degree of lessening and the type of what is bad.
In terms of corruption at Cabinet level, I remember President J. R. Jayewardene’s attitude on the subject. When briefed by his confidantes about corruption on the part of some cabinet ministers, his position was that he would pass it on to a 25% for wastage. His explanation was that if he were to devote his time to total elimination of corruption he would not be able to get the job done. However he laid down a degree of permissiveness.
The police has increasingly come under interference.
On the other hand for instance, if one were to consider the dengue epidemic, eliminating dengue mosquitos by even 90% will not help because they breed extremely fast and are equally virulent. Dengue mosquitos must be completely eliminated like in the case of the malaria mosquito, or else it will spread again in next to no time.
What prompted me to bring in these comparisons is a news item published in the Daily Mirror of Friday July 14, 2017 on page A 16. It carried the heading ‘Law enforcement agencies must act forthwith’. In this news item human rights lawyer J.C. Weliamuna PC is quoted saying “We see less political interference under this Government”.
During the time of the previous Government that Weliamuna compares the present government with, it was not a case of political interference but complete political control of the law enforcement agencies – certainly not a yard-stick to go by. The present Government has to be judged on its promises of good governance, on which promises people power that toppled the previous Government, installed it.
Talking of law enforcement agencies in the present government, we are aware of the blatant interference by the Law and Order Minister and the ever willing Inspector General of Police to accommodate such interference, as transpired during a media briefing of the Inspector General of Police. That instance came to light because it took place during a media briefing and was heard over the air waves. We can quite justifiably presume that this is the order of the day.
Moreover no lesser person than President Maithripala Sirisena has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction of the Law and Order Ministry and the Attorney General’s Department and wishes to have them under his purview. This speaks volumes about the prevailing bad governance, although a change of hands may only be a change of political colours for political mileage. Political interference like the dengue mosquito is very virulent and breeds as fast, spreading the deadly virus.
Those of us colleagues of Weliamuna who joined forces in the People Power Movement for Good Governance, are wondering whether Weliamuna has got himself into a situation where he has to sing for his supper. These hiccups notwithstanding, the People Power Movement for Good Governance will have to keep pressing forward relentlessly and with utmost vigilance.
(The writer is a retired Senior Superintendent of Police and human rights activist.)