The Sinhala revolution orchestrated by S.W.R.D Bandaranaike produced several politicians who came into prominence because of divisions in the majority race. The UNP under Kotelawala made a similar resolution of making the Sinhala the national language and lost the confidence of the minorities. The Sinhala race was divided into two camps with the majority fighting for supremacy. In India the divisions were such that the ultimate goal of Mahathma Gandhi of having a unitary India was shattered when India was partitioned, and similar manifestations of separatist demands loom large on the horizon.

After the fall of the UNP government in March 1960, the late Thondaman backed Sirimavo Bandaranaike and in July 1960 Ms. Bandaranaike won a landslide victory. In 1965, Ms. Bandaranaike's government was defeated over the Press Bill and at the elections the same year, the UNP won - but with the help of Mr. Thondaman - and formed the Government known as ''Hath Haula''.

In 1970, Mr. Thondaman again supported Ms. Bandaranaike to another landslide victory. It is interesting that in 1977 when J. R. Jayewardene won with an overwhelming majority he invited Mr. Thondaman to his Cabinet.

Mr. Thondaman groomed his grandson who took over the Ceylon Workers Congress leadership after his death. Thondaman Junior supported the PA government and for no apparent reason resigned his Cabinet portfolio and joined the opposition. He contested and won the December, 2001 elections handsomely to be appointed to the Cabinet by Ranil Wickremesinghe. His vote bank was intact, reflecting how strongly the plantations were united under his leadership.

At the last elections one of the main slogans of the present government was the re-establishment of the rule of law through the establishment of the three independent commissions, one of which was to be the Independent Police Commission.

Every member of civil society was appalled by the breakdown in the law and order situation. It seems that the law is confined to the Statute Book and is used as an instrument to punish the poor. The poor are denied access to justice when the rights of the poor are violated. Litigation has become so expensive that legal aid has become non-existent. The disparities have become so prominent that it reached explosive heights when a private bus and a CTB bus met with a minor accident at Homagama, the commuters of both buses assaulted the private bus driver who was not the actual offender in this instance.

This has now become virtually a way of life. This virus is catching on and is spreading worse than dengue. When Railway Security officers tried to enforce the law relating to ticketless travel and arrested ticketless passengers and handed them over to the Station Master at the Aluthgama Railway Station, the commuters in the train assaulted the Railway officers and caused damage to Railway buildings. Not a culprit was arrested.

As I mentioned in my column last week, the Sri Lanka Police is yet to charge a VVIP for violating traffic laws. The closest they came to that was on July 2. The incident took place around 3 p.m. when a vehicle belonging to the entourage of Minister Thondaman knocked against a Police vehicle causing minor damage. Both the vehicles were taken to the Police Station and it was found that the Minister's driver was at fault and the matter was to be settled amicably by the two drivers involved. However the licence of the driver had been retained by the Police.

Pandemonium ensued when Minister Thondaman, after a party came to the Borella Police Station. He is said to have sat on the OIC's chair and allegedly used the choicest language and the Police officers had to listen in silence. Later, he is said to have sat on another chair and telephoned his supporters in the estate sector to perform a Satyagraha. He allegedly threatened that unless the Prime Minister came to the scene he would unleash a hartal involving the entire estate sector.

Finally Interior Minister John Amaratunga who along with Mahinda Rajapakse rushed to Tangalle to settle the prison riot that day, had to come to Borella Police Station and plead with his Cabinet colleague and settle the dispute. Mr. Thondaman having won the day left the Police Station making a hero of his driver.

We have in this column repeatedly shown how politicians of the previous regime sat on the chairs of OIC's and gave directions to the OIC to return the Kasippu the Police had confiscated and release the suspects who had committed offences. What has happened at Borella Police Station is a classic example of the law and order situation taking a nose dive.

Mr. Wickremesinghe's government has been taken hostage by politically powerful persons who think that all laws in the Statute Book must bend to their will with the Police reduced to mere puppets or servants of politicians.

Adding to their woes, a probe committee has been appointed to find out whether the police were at fault for retaining the driving licence, and whether the police misbehaved on that day.

Even the greatest visionary or the greatest statesman living in the last century would become inarticulate with shock in the face of today's political culture in Sri Lanka.

Arumugam Thondaman is the king or the kingmaker and the maxim goes that "the King can do no wrong''!

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