A sign of the times?

Universities and the Government have had tense relations for a number of reasons, but the recent inclusion of the security force manned under the Defence Ministry raises disturbing questions.

Hot on the heels of the successful strike action for better pay by the dons, the fiasco of military training for university entrants, the assault on the Jaffna Union student leader and fisticuffs among student at Colombo University campus, is the controversial proposal to man university security with ex-military personnel.

That the Government has resorted to an ambiguous vehicle for the purpose, a fully-owned private company identical to the vehicle it uses for its arms purchases, is noteworthy and coincidentally falls under the purview of the Ministry of Defence.

Its justifications are the same as those used to justify the introduction of the Army into matters falling under the purview of the Police. The justification is that existing entities cannot to the job properly. However, the irregular transfer in services outside standard tender procedure has fuelled contention that this is deliberate effort to control university life and the freedom of thought and expression.

There is no clear reasoning or justification for the introduction of a “militarised” security system to the university system. If it is to quell the violence associated with university life in Sri Lanka, then the introduction of a militarised security system would merely be a superficial solution.

The fact that the Defence Ministry claims that this is a good way to reintegrate former combatants into civil society does not hold water as there are many other, less disruptive methods, of achieving this goal.

If there is a desire to promote its own purported vision of Sri Lanka as a knowledge hub, a better student experience, better thought out syllabi, taught by better lecturers, in an environment conducive to the vibrant exchange of ideas would be higher on the list of Government’s priorities than having Ratna Lanka Limited and L.R.D.C. Private Limited running university security.

These are the points that the Government should be concentrating on with the input of the academic staff and students. Not adding pressure to an already tense situation by sending in security personnel clearly under the influence of the Government.

Vierite Research, a media analysis centre, points out that this is a clear sign of a regime hunkering down for a long stay in power that “would be more than keen to take firm and early control of the progenitor of all the political uprising in post-independent Sri Lanka”.

It goes on to observe that the move is both unprecedented and excessive. The question is whether a ‘military presence’ is the solution to problems including ragging and inter-student clashes, where there has been no effort to understand and investigate the sociopolitical causes behind such violence.

In keeping with the need for sociable atmosphere, other jurisdictions employ ‘community policing’ to meet the security requirements of universities. Where a ‘gentler’ form of effective policing is required, it is unfortunate that Sri Lankan authorities have seen fit to employ means that seem ‘harsh’ for the purpose.

The more cornered student unions and their sympathisers feel the more volatile the situation will become and even more worryingly the more easily pertinent issues of privatising Sri Lanka’s university system will be suppressed.