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Combatting illicit liquor

That fines added up to a staggering Rs. 100.4 million collected from the illicit liquor trade certainly is a cause for alarm particularly at a time the Government has waged an all out war on alcohol and drug abuse in the country.

According to our lead story yesterday this is a record sum. What is even more alarming is the discovery that illicit liquor accounted for 65 percent of the total market share with the legalised and soft liquor accounting for the rest.

Leaving aside the revenue loss to the State this also shows the degree to which the illicit liquor trade is flourishing in our midst and if not contained is certainly going to have grave consequences to the country. For, it will not only rob the nation of the flower of it’s youth to drugs and alcohol but also the vital manpower at a time we are emerging as a new nation having just seen the end of three decades of war.

It is therefore vital that all stay healthy and fit to undertake this gigantic task of nation building. A nation addicted to illicit liquor is the last thing that the Government would want at this stage.

Although the President’s mathata titha program has shown positive results the decline in the liquor consumption trend was garnered only from the statistics of the legal liquor trade. No tabs were kept on the bootlegging industry to ascertain the extent of liquor addiction in the country. A true picture has now emerged.

It is only through the fines that such a trend came to light. That these fines have amounted to Rs. 100.4 million during a seven month period is shocking to say the least. What is more, these fines are only in connection with the Excise raids, with the detections made by the Police not included. One shudders to think what the final tally would be if these too were taken into account.

It goes without saying that it is a difficult task to wean away habitual drinkers from the bottle whatever programs may be introduced by the Government. Periodic increase in the price of liquor can only drive the addict to cheaper sources of hard liquor. All Governments have used the excise tax as a steady source of income although preaching abstinence. But the figures show that the State had been receiving this tax only from 35 percent of the market share.

In fact the State for all intents and purposes may be the loser considering the extra allocations it will have to make to the health budget to cure alcohol related diseases resulting from the consumption of the deadly brew. It would be prudent therefore to refrain from resorting to periodic increases in the prices on regular brands, so that the committed drinker would not be driven to illicit liquor. This, while recouping the lost revenue for the State could also reduce the health risk to the drinkers.

Of course the Government’s mathata titha program was based on the moral aspect of the matter. It wanted to wean the public from the drinking habit in toto and thus launched programs to educate the people on the evils of alcohol. While it can be happy at the results of it’s efforts with the liquor consumption showing a marked drop, steps should also be taken to do something about the alarming increase in the illicit liquor consumption which does not figure in the statistics.

Nothing short of an all out war on the illicit liquor trade would help eradicate the menace. Today it is no secret that the moonshine business is being carried out with impunity under the very nose of the law enforcement officers, who are either in cahoots with the kassippu mudalalis or fear action due to political pressure. Half the battle would be won if this nexus is broken and the country rid of a cancerous growth which is eating into the vitals of the nation.

President Rajapaksa has defeated the scourge of terrorism that defied all his predecessors and ushered in a new independence for the country. He should now start from scratch and rid the country of all other evils in the same way he confronted the terrorist problem. Like he did not waver in his commitment to see the war to a finish, he should apply the same will to rid the country of the illicit liquor menace.

President Rajapaksa has reiterated that he wants to use home grown human resources in the massive development projects the country is about to embark on in the post war era. Therefore he should take steps to wipe out all the impediments that stand in the way to the blossoming of human resources. It is gratifying to note his pledge to rid the country of the drug and alcohol menace in the same manner he rid the country of terrorism. Hopefully all arms of law would embark on their mission in earnest to realize the President’s goal.

Muslims in East resisted ‘Eelam’!
 

King Senerath, who in 1626 settled nearly 4,000 Muslims in the East of Sri Lanka following their expulsion from the Western coastal belt by the Portuguese led by Captain de Saa, must be the most delighted to hear, if the dead king could, that the descendants of those whom he settled in the then Batticaloa regions had reciprocated to their Motherland his benevolent gesture. King Senerath, who in 1626 settled nearly 4,000 Muslims in the East of Sri Lanka following their expulsion from the Western coastal belt by the Portuguese led by Captain de Saa, must be the most delighted to hear, if the dead king could, that the descendants of those whom he settled in the then Batticaloa regions had reciprocated to their Motherland his benevolent gesture.

Full Story

Internal governance of the universities in Sri Lanka - Part II:

Role of University Grants Commission

It enjoyed the final authority in making academic appointments. It, then as today, consisted of representatives of the academic staff, again mainly Deans and Professors and members appointed by the Court - which function is now in the hands of the University Grants Commission.

Full Story

Police, the citizen and the public’s role

Government fixes primary goals for the Police, such as maintenance of law and order, prevention and detection of crime. These are prime requirements which lead to the fulfilment of the vital objectives of the organization.

Full Story

 

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