Thursday, 31 July 2003  
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The delisting dilemma

With the Sri Lanka Army taking the difficult decision to delist its deserters, numbering 50,000, including some 500 officers, a deeply-troubling months-long dilemma seems to have been resolved. Admittedly, this measure wouldn't have proved easy to moot but the choice, as we see it, is to keep these errant personnel nominally in the army, and continue to be witness to a rising crime wave or delist them and help in bringing down the crime rate to containable limits.

As is well-known, very many Army deserters are involved in crime perpetration including contract killings which have reached monstrous proportions. It is learnt that some of these killers are so desperate for some means of living that they even accept payments for murders on an instalment basis. Accordingly, the underlying rationale of the delisting seems to be that the deserters would be enabled to return to civilian life if they pay up all their dues to the army. This in turn would, hopefully, lead to gainful employment and normal living.

On the other hand, it should be recognised that the Sri Lanka Army is paying a high price for this decision.

At risk is Army morale and discipline - the veritable life-blood of this institution which has served the country through thick and thin. Allowing cadres who have violated the golden rules of army discipline by deserting rank and relinquishing duties in the most irregular fashion, is tantamount to condoning indiscipline in this institution where rigid discipline is, rightly, seen as essential - but there doesn't seem to be an alternative to this course of action.

As mentioned before, the choice is between seeing the law and order problem veer out of control or reducing it to controllable limits. It is hoped that the prospect of leading a normal life would enable these deserters to cooperate with the authorities in having themselves delisted. By accepting this offer these personnel on the run would help in defusing a dangerous crisis.

However, some residual problems should be expected even after the delisting is effected. Chief among these is providing employment for the one-time rogue elements. Secondly, their psychological rehabilitation is likely to emerge as a prime need.

While all those who have engaged in crime, in the interim between deserting the Army and the delisting should be brought to justice, the rest would need sound counselling services, for instance, to enable them to rejoin the mainstream of life. This burden on the State would be in addition to the needs of those one-time servicemen who are currently immobilised by injury.

We see here, the countless worries and responsibilities war and violence breeds. The lesson which ought to be learnt is that war is always a non-option. War blights entire societies and states. This seems quite clear.

There is no alternative, therefore, to enduring on the road to peace. Any delays on this score would only help create more and more burdens for the State and, ultimately, for the people.

Over the years, the Army has grown in terms of quantity but the rate of desertion points to the extent to which this institution has suffered qualitatively. Rushed recruitment and training brings its own negative fallout. Are those who are advocating war alert to these realities? Certainly, the more cost-effective way out of our conflict is to negotiate a political solution to it.

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