Illicit liquor menace

The rising death toll in the Weliweriya liquor poisoning episode should force the authorities to take serious cognisance of the dangers posed by the yet thriving illicit liquor industry in the country despite the Government's all out battle against alcohol consumption under its Mathata Thitha programme.

The incident also underscores the necessity of additional measures to deal more firmly with the illicit liquor trade that is flourishing in many instances under police/political patronage.

Upto yesterday 19 persons had died after consuming the deadly brew believed to have been stored in barrels containing a poisonous substance.

A further 62 persons have been hospitalised and are lying in various degrees of agony after being ingested with the toxic substance. Interestingly two of the victims were women in their 60s.

This shows how widespread the hold moonshine has on communities. It should open the eyes of the authorities to act fast to eradicate the menace. This though is easily said than done.

What is needed is a firm commitment on the part of the Government to tackle the problem. No serious measures had been taken by successive Governments with regard to the illicit liquor industry.

All Governments in the past have been rather circumspect in dealing with the issue. For starters it did not want to upset the status quo in many constituencies particularly the coastal belt in the North Western Provinces where kasippu was almost a cottage industry.

But the problem has assumed grave proportions as the Weliweriya incident demonstrates.

Today due to the high price of regular alcohol many habitual imbibers have been driven to the rot gut. This, while denying the Government of excise revenue also imposes a drain on the country's health budget in the treatment of a large army of addicts .

It is time the full force of the state machinery is deployed to smash all illicit liquor operations in the country. Besides this has now become a social problem which is bound to impact on the national well being.

For too long has the State turned a blind eye to the underground liquor industry which has grown today to become a deadly monster. It is no secret that the industry receives the patronage of politicians and all that the authorities need to do is break this nexus of the politician, police and the Kasippu mudalali and half the battle would be won.

Considering the social impact of this phenomenon it is incumbent on the Government go out with its full might to eradicate the menace. It is no secret that Kasippu mudalalis have even turned out be major financiers of political campaigns and hence wield enormous clout.

The law should be applied with vigour to bring such elements to book. This task should be undertaken with all seriousness by the Government before this evil starts eating deeper into the moral fabric of our society.

While the Government's effort to wean the youth from alcohol through its Mathata Thitha programme has been successful to a great extent as shown by statistics, it should go ahead with equal vigour to deal with the massive moonshine industry.

Mere arrests of suspects would not suffice. Stiff penalties including lengthy prison terms should be imposed on offenders as a deterrent. Steps should be taken to dismantle the entire infrastructure including the distribution system.

Some areas today are well known as moonshine colonies. These operate under the very nose of law enforcement agencies. Politicians too tend to look the other way not least because the industry offers employment to many thousands. Today even the clergy and religious leaders are silent on this anti-social operation.

A collective voice should be made by all religious leaders for maximum impact. They should come out of their cloistered abodes and take to the streets if necessary to fight against this evil.

While appreciating the Government's firm stand to combat alcoholism it should also make a practical appraisal of excise policies. Today regular alcohol is out of reach of the average income earner and they are forced to seek out the illicit stuff.

It would therefore be wise if some of the popular brands are more realistically priced.

This while being less injurious to health could also garner revenue to State coffers. But the Government should act with a firm resolve to deal with the illicit liquor industry. If this treads on certain political corns so be it. It owes this much to the future generation.