A sad state of affairs

Wednesday, 2 November 2011 01:13 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

ANOTHER day, another incident of people taking the law into their own hands. The events in Karandeniya have proved yet again that people have no confidence in the law and therefore prefer to resolve matters their own way.

This latest incident follows in a long line of similar events, several of which unfolded just last month. Large crowds attacking the Dompe Police Station and setting fire to it is one situation that grabbed headlines but did little else. Here the people seem to have crossed out the Police and taken justice into their own hands – perhaps even more disturbing than attacking Police stations.

With complete disregard for law and order right from the top of Government, there is nowadays lesser reason to trust the law. Perhaps it is the fact that a former Kandy Mayor who was convicted of wrongdoing, a rarity in this day and age, was set free by a Presidential pardon. Maybe it is the fact that a Member of Parliament is not arrested even after eyewitnesses saw him shooting another prominent politician.

Then there is of course the fact that suspects die in Police custody or 10 Policemen are arrested under suspicion for taking a contract to kill a youth in Grandpass. The very fact that an Army Captain felt that he had the power to undertake an assassination contract and use people under him to shoot an innocent doctor highlights the deterioration of law and order in the country. The environment of impunity has passed down from the top echelons of Government to people on the street. It is a grave situation indeed.

Drug barons operate quite freely as long as they toe the line of the Government. In fact even WikiLeaks has mentioned Public Relations Minister Meryn Silva as a drug kingpin, but the law remains ineffectual. Political patronage has become more important than following the law. Retribution is discarded because the law is not implemented impartially across the board.

As always, a firm eye must be kept on the big picture. There are clearly many contributing causes to the increasing acts of violence by the public. Used to a long culture of war, violence has almost become the norm in Sri Lanka. Due to the complete loss of faith in law and order, people feel justified in taking the law into their own hands and acting as they feel is best. The masses stand by and in most cases support the violence.

Let it be noted that the people who attacked the homes are not the only ones to blame. Their actions were provoked by a political system that has eroded justice and a legislature that does not inspire confidence among the people. The court system is so beset by delays and legal dogma that it rarely serves the people. Often, the powerful do not even come within the precincts of the law and Police in this country. So who is really to blame?

If a country argues enough about its past, it will not have a future. Sustainable peace starts with reliable law and order, basics that Sri Lanka, which is aiming to double per capita income by 2016, cannot get right yet. Everyone has a responsibility to follow a system of law, but it must first do its job.