Learning the right lessons

Fear is the goal of terrorism. Sri Lanka knows what terror feels like and was familiar with it for decades. The emotions that have burst to the surface since the Easter Sunday attacks are understandably intense but they are not unfamiliar. There is massive pressure on the Government to make swift changes to laws, regulations and governance to restore some level of public faith but in the rush to do so it is also important not to feed into intolerance and sidestep the inalienable rights of all citizens.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has made an appeal to the Opposition to fast track the Counter Terrorism Act (CTA). He has made public statements that it would have been possible to arrest suspected returnees from Syria if the legislation had been adopted into law last year. 

However, the CTA was put before an oversight committee for national security to address concerns that it could impact some groups such as protesting workers. The Parliament gridlock during the Constitutional crisis did not help but there is still a need to understand what long term impacts legislation can have before it is passed by Parliament. 

The Government should not give into kneejerk reactions as it can have deep communal and economic repercussions further down the line. The CTA in particular has been tied to GSP+ where the EU has repeatedly stated that it is keeping a close eye on Sri Lanka adhering to international standards on its new anti-terror law. 

Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith this week went on record suggesting that amending the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) would be a more sensible move to address the current security situation. Perhaps that could give breathing space for the Government to address concerns regarding the CTA and pass that in Parliament at a later date. 

President Maithripala Sirisena in another sudden move banned all face covering garments on Sunday. The carefully worded statement clearly states that it is not directed at any specific communal group and is intended to promote security under State of Emergency regulations. But the reaction on the ground has been mixed. 

While there have been people who have tried to place the decision on secular ground there are photos of people pasting stickers with Muslim garments crossed out on Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) busses. Images such as these are going viral along with endless threads of people calling for boycott Muslim shops and other businesses and demanding these measures become permanent laws. Many are the posts that are also vindicating extremist Buddhist elements such as the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) are deepening communal tensions. This is not a good sign.  

There is danger of the aftermath of these attacks veering away from fact-based decision making. There was clearly a lapse of intelligence coordination and action taking at the very top of Government. These cannot be addressed by ad hoc measures. A well-organised, well-funded and knowledgeable group carried out these attacks and they must be held responsible. 

The Muslim community cannot be victimised and Sri Lanka cannot spiral into divisions that has already cost it so much. One of the best ways to ensuring that these terrorists are not successful is to promote robust relationships with the Muslim community. Sri Lanka should promote security but citizen rights cannot be tossed out in the process.