Laudable stand on law and order

We unreservedly welcome IGP Victor Perera’s statement that appropriate law and order measures would be taken against anyone - irrespective of their ethnic, political and social background - who violate the law of the land.

This is the way it should be and we call on our law enforcers to go boldly ahead with their plans to enforce the Rule of Law. In fact the IGP was summing up for us the Rule of Law which envisaged law enforcement irrespective of a person’s or group’s standing in society or their special identity markers - such as ethnicity, language and religion. In other words, the law must be enforced impartially and we call for the strict observation of the principle of impartiality and the equal administration of justice.

Given the ethnic dimension to our problems, this is the correct approach to adopt in law enforcement.

Over the years, it was the belief among some that the law was not being enforced equally that drove them to take up arms against the State. The equal and impartial enforcement of the law would put an end to beliefs of this kind which have proved very costly in the form of social and political turbulence.

Besides the general backdrop of ethnic unrest, the country is also now faced with a quickening of crimes such as killings and abductions. These developments have prompted the knee-jerk reaction among some that the State is in some way responsible for them. The most effective rebuttal of this allegation is the firm and impartial enforcement of the law and we are glad that the law enforcers are rising to this challenge.

In fact, the recent arrest of some journalists said to be members of a Southern insurrectionary group with LTTE links, proved beyond any doubt that our law enforcers are carrying out their duties, irrespective of a suspect’s ethnic and cultural background. We call on our law enforcers to keep up the good work because it is the firm enthronement of the Rule of Law which would help in establishing a degree of peace and internal harmony.

A closely related issue is transparency in law enforcement. That is, all suspects should be subjected to the due process of law and publicly tried and punished. It is a commitment to these procedures which would convince one and all that the standard of transparency is being met in law enforcement. Besides, law enforcement should be swift and implemented with no delays whatsoever.

It is also very vital in situations such as this that no one is considered as being above the law. This applies in particular to those holding political office. In times past, it was most discouraging to find that some politicians were given the licence to function as a special breed of citizens who are above the law.

Thus crept in a culture of impunity which enabled some power wielders to commit the gravest of crimes and get away with it. They were even in a position to abuse the law and order machinery to remain in power.

This should not be permitted once again. Anyone committing a crime should be brought to book. If this is achieved, law and order would not prove difficult to enthrone in full.

We need hardly say that Sri Lanka has had grave law and order situations on its hands in the past. On those occasions, the law and order situation was allowed to degenerate and get out of hand.

However, we could be glad that this would not be the case at present. The Police are taking no chances and it is heartening to see this.

What Makes Sri Lankans One? - Highlights of and Reflections on K. Indrapala’s...:

The evolution of an ethnic identity

Significantly Prof. Indrapala has dedicated his book ‘To the innocents who lost their lives as a direct consequence of misinterpretations of history’. We could interpret this dedication to include all human beings, irrespective of time and place, who have lost their lives due to misinterpreted history no less than to those Sri Lankans who have suffered such irreparable loss in recent years in particular.

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The spirit of comradeship

Ex-Army Women and International Women’s Day:

It was an evening filled with pride and, comradeship. There were no sorrow but only a tinge of emotion and regret. It was organised by a group of ex Army women who did not think they were a spent force after retirement. Their motto was to serve the nation in a crisis even in a small way and give of their best to be as one with their comrades in active service.

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