Columns

There is never a dull moment in this Resplendent Isle. If politicians do not hurl chairs at each other or spray parliamentary opponents with chilli powder in the best Westminster traditions as extolled recently by the Government’s Chief Whip and Housing Minister, they crisscross the political floor and double-cross their parties with impunity in self-serving exercises.

While their corrupt and wanton conduct has brought Sri Lanka to its knees and denigrated it in the eyes of the world, their progeny have over the years disgraced what was once a respected nation with their despicable and high-handed conduct that has resulted in a mass public demand for system change and a thorough cleansing of the political stables.

Sons of past ministers have engaged in brawls in Colombo nightclubs and elsewhere, assaulted foreign tourists and other customers, and caused mayhem on more than one occasion. Still, such public thuggery has, by and large, gone unpunished because this is one country with more than one law, depending on who is on the wrong side of the law.

Now we have reports of a brazen violation of several laws, allegedly involving a minister’s son and relatives and friends, inside a wildlife sanctuary, where they behaved worse than the animals, to which the park was home.

By a curious coincidence, the minister referred to is the Wildlife and Forest Reserves Minister, who was abroad at the time, possibly enjoying some wildlife wherever he was. Minister Mahinda Amaraweera on hearing of wild behaviour inside the wildlife sanctuary and probably seeing some videos of the rowdy conduct, appear to have promptly contacted his son who pleaded he had not left Colombo in 10 days and so was not part of this law-breaking fiasco.

Why, the distraught minister even contacted his personal driver in Colombo to corroborate his son’s story, showing how conscientious the minister was to clear his progeny of such misdemeanours. He is also said to have contacted ministry and department officials and ordered a prompt investigation into the wild behaviour in the wildlife park.

Oh no! He certainly did not stop at that. Though these wild happenings might have intervened to spoil his days abroad, he had the presence of mind to call the IGP and order him to arrest the culprits.

The IGP does seem to have acted immediately if the wild story that I heard is true. I was told that the police had arrested three water buffaloes, two wild bores and a passing elephant who had stopped to see what the ruckus was about and marched them to the Tissamaharama Police Station until they were produced in court the next day for trespass, violation of freedom of movement, of association and peaceful assembly of the convoy of luxury vehicles and passengers.

All this might have happened more expeditiously had the Hindu festival of Deepavali or Diwali as it is called in Britain which now has a Hindu prime minister for the first time in its history, not intervened and interrupted the lawful activity of the police.

Add to it the IGP’s recent confession that the police force has 4000 law enforces that are unfit to be in uniform. Now that is a serious statement to make. That is probably why some of those roaming around in civvies and turning up to arrest peaceful protesters and passers-by accompanied by children who have come to watch the protest marchers, are rounded up by unknown and unidentified persons and loaded into buses for free rides to wherever.

That is not all of course. It was not too long ago the IGP made another startling revelation. He said that most appointments as Officers-in-Charge of police stations were made on the recommendations of politicians and not selected on the basis of merit, experience, or other criteria. In fact, the IGP said, some of them had not even been interviewed or were not qualified to be interviewed but passed by political diktat.

News reports last week said nine persons had been arrested and seven vehicles taken into custody. That might appear like a real crackdown on lawbreakers. But it does raise many questions, not least of which is Sri Lankan expertise in advanced maths.

It may be recalled that after the last two sessions of the UN Human Rights Council where resolutions on Sri Lanka were passed, some Sri Lankan ministers and other odd-bods tried to make out that, in fact, Sri Lanka had gained more votes than those who sponsored the resolutions.

And how did they reach those magical figures? Why very simple, if you look at it. Add the votes of the countries which abstained — which on both occasions were more than those received by Sri Lanka and add them to your own and make a bigger tally.

News reports said that around 35 vehicles entered Yala National Park. So there should have been at least 35 drivers — at least one for each — unless there were driverless vehicles. The registration numbers of these vehicles would surely have been noted at the entrance to the park. Where are those vehicles? The police should have no difficulty in tracing them. Have they done so or even made an effort to do so?

Also what about the number of people in those vehicles? Why has the police produced only seven? Are they the persons who are finally going to take the rap, the scapegoats who will take whatever punishment ultimately meted out while those with political connections and the money will laugh their way out?

I read somewhere that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has ordered an impartial inquiry and never mind whose who is involved.

One thing that must be said of this country like no other is that it is full of commissions and committees. One is reminded of Noah’s instructions to the animals on the boat. “Go forth and multiply,” he ordered. And like the animals, they multiply like rabbits.

That is what government-appointed commissions and committees are told — go forth and investigate. And don’t forget to be impartial.

Sri Lankan people are starving — or at least they do not have regular meals as they used to. Already some 45 percent of them are living in poverty and the percentage will rise when the IMF’s recipe to rescue the nation from the misguided and corrupt policies of political leaders and their cronies that led Sri Lanka to its current plight, is imposed on the people before long.

And as the ruling class unleashes its teargas and water cannon against its own people, those who face the brunt will still be laughing about impartial investigations and no accountability.

(Neville de Silva is a veteran Sri Lankan journalist who was Assistant Editor of the Hong Kong Standard and worked for Gemini News Service in London. Later he was Deputy Chief-of-Mission in Bangkok and Deputy High Commissioner in London)