Too little, too late?

The Government is taking tough measures after the election day shootout, but the question is whether it is too little, too late. The Government has started cracking down on illegal arms and has prohibited politicians from having private security following Saturday’s incident that killed four, including Presidential Advisor Baratha Lakshman Premachandra.

Government Spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told media that the decision had been taken after a special National Security Council meeting chaired by President Mahinda Rajapaksa met on Wednesday evening.

Under the new programme, the Government has commenced arresting underworld members, drug dealers and holders of illegal weapons. Citizens who may be in possession of a weapon have been told to hand over their arms at the nearest Police office or Army camp.

Politicians are also not allowed to keep any private security and those allowed by the State must wear their uniforms when on duty, according to new regulations. The Government has even worked to catch and repatriate two suspects who had fled to India only days after the incident. By Sri Lankan standards, these are wondrous developments indeed.

The Special Forces together with the Police will conduct special surveillance programmes and arrest offenders, the Minister warned. The Defence Ministry is also formulating a mechanism to gather information from people regarding illegal arms and drug dealing, he said. The Minister admitted that the Government could not stamp out the gun culture in the country overnight since it has been fostered over many decades.

He also acknowledged that the preferential voting system needed to be changed so that candidates fighting each other could be minimised. Nonetheless, by the look of things, there is much more that can be done to clean up politics in this country.

For starters, candidates who resort to violence even when it is for the benefit of the Government must be stopped and severe steps must be taken. The idea that gun politics is acceptable because it is done for the benefits of rulers does not justify its existence. The law must be strengthened and the Police allowed to carry out its duty independently. Politicians cannot be allowed to grow their own private armies to do what the State’s Army cannot, namely the suppression of civilians. There have been instances when Government-backed goons have been spotted openly intimidating civilians and nothing has been done about it because the Government protects these wrongdoers on the misguided notion that they strengthen it.

But in reality, they undermine the entire structure of democracy, transparency, accountability and justice that this county should be based on. Even Government leaders who foster them find that the short-sighted action results in the overall atmosphere of the country degrading.

President Rajapaksa during his breakfast meeting with Editors said that politicians used various groups for their security in the then political culture that propagated the idea that one’s security should be provided by oneself. Due to the threats from Tiger terrorists and the terror waged by the JVP, politicians started using personal bodyguards.

“Under these circumstances, sometimes underworld gangs also joined VIP security during this period. Even though there is no terror at present, the same political culture still prevails. Now it is time to change this culture and mindset,” the President reiterated.

Affecting every point of society and development, a gun culture fosters corruption, wastage, mismanagement and bribery. In short it can derail an entire nation unless the right institutions are empowered to protect law and order. In many ways this spills over from politics into many other socioeconomic spheres. If the country is to have a future, then Government tolerance and protection of this menace must end.