The silver lining in the crime cloud

It is just too bad that amid the ongoing campaigning for three Provincial Council polls, there has to be a spate of crime centering on members of Pradeshiya Sabhas and kindred local-level ‘people’s representatives’. As this commentary is being written, scores of such personnel are standing accused of committing a plethora of heinous crimes, including child rape and the obstruction of police officials carrying out their duties.

The news that the Health Minister of the North Central Provincial Council is in remand imprisonment over a physical assault he had allegedly unleashed on a doctor attached to a Central Province health institution, should make the authorities blush crimson. Clearly, some of our ‘representatives’ are projecting themselves in the worst light.

The ‘people’s representatives’ who are thus standing accused of committing crimes of the first magnitude are believed to be running into the dozens or more and quite a few of them are chairmen of Pradeshiya Sabhas. We do not intend to gloss over these deeply disconcerting trends in our body politic. To do so, would be tantamount to collaborating with the forces which are inclining sections of local society in the direction of lawlessness and moral decadence. Instead, we call for a swift arresting of these dark and deleterious trends.

There is ample material for research here for our social scientists. Why are some of our ‘representatives’ so suddenly in the thick of the worst controversies? How is it that they seem to be acting with the greatest disdain for the law, so precipitously? In short, why is it that some sections of our ‘representatives’ are projecting themselves as being above the law?

In this commentary, we have taken-up these and scores of kindred issues. One of the conclusions that we have drawn is that the law is not being applied with the required rigour to our political elite, some sections of which seem to be interpreting this as a sign of weakness.

No-one is above the law, and this principle should never be compromised. The ‘big’ and the ‘small’ of this country must be made to bow to the law and the necessary checks and balances must be instituted to ensure this most desirable state of affairs. However, we hope that more research would be conducted into these and many more troubling socio-political issues which have been bedeviling Sri Lanka over the years.

These are matters for our academics and we hope they would take on these questions as research issues, although somewhat late in the day. What is befuddling is that although this country abounds with what are called ‘research questions’, not many are probed by our academics. Perhaps, if they did, their demand for fatter pay packets would have struck a responsive chord in the hearts of the public and the polity.

However, there seems to be a silver lining in this dark cloud which is the local law and order situation. This consists in the swiftness with which some of our law enforcers have swooped on many of the seeming transgressors in ‘high positions’. Thus far, it seems, the majority of the law breakers of this category have been brought to justice. In fact, they have been brought to book in almost double-quick time. Some relief could be derived from this fact and we urge the continuance of this positive trend.

We would be most unjust if this aspect of the law and order situation is lost sight of, although there could be much gloom around us which justifies prolonged lamenting and groaning.

Although generally unsung, there are sections among our Police who carry out there duties very conscientiously. May their tribe increase, is our wish.

But we must also move on to long term measures in crime curbing. We need the constitutional checks and balances which would make power abuse impossible. If those wielding authority and power are compelled to do so in a rigidly accountable manner, the seeming high and mighty could be brought to heel.