An emerging danger

Monday, 18 June 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka is no stranger to political violence. As elections roll around there is a general anticipation and preparation to toll up incidents of attacks and killings but as an incident on Friday proved, they can still come as an appalling shock.

It was reported that a shooting at a political rally, held by the JVP in Hambantota, resulted in the killing of two, including a woman.

This event is all the more shocking as it comes at a time when elections have not been officially dated and the public were under the impression that gatherings were permitted in this atmosphere of peace.

But the peace has been disturbed and the JVP as well as the Government have promptly started trading dialogue. Government ranks have been quoted as putting the blame on inter-party issues insisting that the breakaway faction of the JVP was responsible for the shooting. Their argument is, to a certain, extent backed by the previous power that the party held in the south and its hinted militant nature even though no aspect of that has been exhibited in the near past.

The JVP has vociferously denied this by stressing that since Hambantota is the electorate of the President, there is no possibility for the shooting to be done by anyone other than some faction supported by the Government. They have assured that the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) does not have the political clout to plan and execute such a shooting and therefore internal issues between the two parties cannot be blamed.

Be that as it may there can be little doubt that the main concern here is for the further breakdown in law and order as well as the freedom for political discussion and engagement. The fact that a shooting happened at a political rally in broad daylight killing two is a shocking denunciation of the violence linked political culture that prevails in Sri Lanka.

Rather than trading opinions of who may or may not be responsible for it the Government must conduct a fair and transparent investigation into the incident and bring the correct offenders to book. In incidents of this nature the speculation and public debate can outshine the larger issue at stake that of democracy and the freedom to campaign freely and for the public to make up their minds without facing physical danger.

Repression is a dangerous result of prolonged complacency. At this point party politics are immaterial. The Government itself as admitted that the ferocity and ruthlessness of criminals in the country has increased and this shooting is merely another example of how serious the environment has become. If such an incident is allowed to go unaddressed then eventually all political parties will have to face the same danger.

Many politicians have died in Sri Lanka’s violent past but not all from political violence. Yet without a war and three years of peace the fact that this culture should rear its head again is as much a threat for the future as well as for political engagement. This is about the freedom of everyone, to choose their representatives of choice and support whatever cause they believe in. in short it is a threat to Sri Lanka’s hard won freedom.