Financial Times

As we enter 2006
Violence, devil and the deep blue sea
The dawn of the New Year brings with it many new hopes and commitments to the private sector. A new leadership in the nation, a new “Chinthana” – a philosophy that assures a new culture of fair play, justice law and order, safety and security, an address to the nation by the new chief executive on assumption of duty promising good governance, eradication of crime, violence, the drug menace, corruption and nepotism and a reactivated police chief promising to wipe out the dangerous elements in the underworld.

The private sector and chamber bosses took a deep breadth and reflected upon the benefits the citizens and business can enjoy with the new breeze blowing in a culture similar to that under Mayor Julliani’s administration in New York.

What a story the private sector could spin then before the foreign investors that will flock to Sri Lanka with this change management, bringing with them one billion green bucks, the new minister for investment promotion dreams of and the citizens look forward to attendant new jobs and economic growth.
The dreams appear short lived and even unable to remain as dreams, as the last weeks of the last year roll by and the first week of the New Year rolls on.

Despite the powers of “King Triton”, who rules the Nation and its waters, the dreams of “Ariel”, the Little Mermaid Sri Lanka supported by her three companions, “Sebastian”, the crab from the neighbouring big land, “Flounder”, the fish from the co-chair nations and, ”Scuttle” the sea gull from the Scandinavian facilitation and monitoring teams, the devil ruling the Northern territory and waters, more wicked than “Ursula” the sea witch, began to unleash a well planned and executed strategy of terror and violence.

Towards achieving her dreams of a carved portion from the nation and its territorial waters, bombs buried deep in the sea, guns and grenades and other violent action have taken away nearly one hundred lives. She appears to target and restrict the movement of the armed services, take away the spaces created for education in schools and universities to continue without disruption, limits interactions by business and citizens, drives, financial services system to collapse and E-financial services to replace it.

Terror scenario likely, in the minds of both the minority and majority communities yields good business for outward bound flights as children fly away and add to the future scarcity of talent. The ministers, advisors and the armed service leaders surrounding “King Triton” are all blowing the bugle song of war. The king himself remains shrewdly silent. The chamber leaders are copying “the monkey stance” and see no evil, hear no evil and remain silent whilst others speak evil. Civil society is watching the “bioscope” film role by repeating history of missed opportunities.

True to his word the police chief is conducting raids at midnight and at dawn and is taking in hundreds of suspects and releasing many of them later. Yet in these weeks, the vehicle thefts have increased beyond belief. In one small residential area alone the loss of six new cars were reported. The state of play is so advanced that vehicles parked opposite supermarkets are driven away in broad daylight; strangers walk into houses open locked cars and drive out with the shocked owners looking on; and army deserters engaged as drivers drive away vehicles depositing the owners on the road side after threatening them with guns. An interesting crime film is unfolding before the citizen’s eyes, better than the best of mafia films.

The kids of ministers have again begun their antics of assault, club terror and pulling out pistols at their whim and fancy. Violence against women are at such a high level that even a 6 year-old kid or a 60 year-old grandmother cannot walk in safety on the roads, in public transport or even stay in front of their own houses.

The New Year 2006 made another headline. Over 80 percent of the victims of accidents, seeking treatment in the national hospital, were as a consequence of violence and reduced the usual causes of fire crackers and road accident to a significant minority. Drugs and illicit alcohol created disasters and violence are also at their peak.

To cap it all, an expose in a Sunday newspaper describes allegations of a contract on the life of a top business magnate, intermediated by a key minister with a heavy reputation for all that is evil. It is appropriate to review risk exposures and management options. No further new investments may be the result. Citizens pass the hat around to buy a “two way mirror” for leaders in governance and business to see themselves and the picture of violence around them.

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