Criminality and law and order

The recent gruesome murder of a woman and her young daughter in Kahawatte in the Ratnapura district compels us to take on the much commented subject of crime and criminality in this country, which, to many, is an enduring and baffling conundrum. Admittedly, even the most perceptive and knowledgeable of our citizenry are shattered by this ghastly phenomenon and are reduced to a position of helplessness.

Not all the crimes which occur in our midst are sparked by poverty and deprivation and are therefore not 'systemic' in character. In fact, Sri Lanka is considered a Middle Income Country where poverty is shrinking fast, yet, criminality and criminal acts of numerous kinds are not registering a corresponding downward trend and this should have the state and the public highly worried. Seeming prosperity brings its ills and this is something which some of the fast-growing economies of East Asia constantly bear out. This, Sri Lanka needs to bear in mind as it forges ahead into the future. The point to remember is that there is no indivisible link between relative and growing prosperity and reduction in crime.

Nevertheless, crime must be contained or managed even as we develop in a material sense and the state has no choice but to enforce the law firmly. Admittedly, this is a highly complex issue and it is gratifying to note that the state has grasped the numerous dimensions to the problem of crime. For instance, yesterday we quoted Child Development and Women's Affairs Minister Tissa Karaliyadde as saying the laws needed to be amended to deal more effectively with the thorny question of rising crimes against women and children. We are also given to understand that stiffer penalties are being contemplated for rapists. This is the way to go - we do not hesitate to say.

It could be seen that law enforcement goes to the heart of the matter, although it is not the only key to containing criminality. Making the Rule of Law reign is a prime factor in managing the crime rate and it is left to the state to ensure that the mechanisms pertaining to law enforcement and the administration of justice operate without a hitch. For instance, these institutions must be enabled to operate both efficiently and impartially and it is the hope of the law-abiding citizenry that these conditions would be met.

There needs to be a complete de-politicization of these institutions and the state is best placed to bring about this satisfactory state of affairs. Unfortunately, not all politicians believe in practising clean politics. One cannot consort with the criminal underworld when engaged in politics, which was originally conceived as an activity which kept the common good in focus, but not all politicians seem to be swearing by this most precious principle. If this golden rule is scrupulously adhered to, the problem of crime-containment would not prove so intractable an issue. But it is with deep concern that we note the linking of criminals with some politicians and this has proved to be true in the case of some recent crimes which have shocked the country.

These and many more issues relevant to the problem of rising crime have been heatedly debated in this country but, apparently, to no avail. The issue of the criminalization of politics is decades old but hardly a dent has been made in the problem over the years. Enforcing the law firmly would help greatly in relieving the polity of this shaming phenomenon.

Besides, these questions need to be debated and continuously researched. We note that not many symposia are held on the subject of crime and its management. This deficiency must be rectified. Life cannot go on as usual after the commissioning of mind-numbing crimes, such as those in the recent past which involved the butchering of entire families. There are also the unsettling acts of criminality against women and children which are proceeding apace and inadequately researched.

If there is one thing which we are not short of in this country it is formal religion. But the crime situation should also make us wonder whether religious institutions are fully effective in inducing in the average individual a conscience with the required degree of sensitivity. It is not at all late for the religions of this land to address these issues with renewed interest.