Lohan: Only a symptom; not the disease

The members of the Taliban in Afghanistan had broken into prisons in the country after they entered Capital Kabul on August 15 and shot dead a number of prisoners including Abu Omar Khorasani, the head of Islamic State in South Asia while freeing thousands of members of various armed groups, including the Al-Qaida.

Though the incident where State Minister Lohan Ratwatte had threatened the LTTE detainees at the Anuradhapura prison on September 12 cannot be compared with the Killing of Khorasani at the high security Pul-i-Charkhi prison in Kabul, it would have been a near similar incident, had the allegedly drunken State Minister’s gun gone off, killing several LTTE inmates.   

It was during the tenure of President J.R.Jayewardene that the politicians largely engaged in crimes in person

It was amusing to note that the State Minister for Prison Management Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Gem and Jewellary related Industries had resigned only from the Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation portfolio, retaining the subjects of Gem and Jewellary related Industries and the ministerial perks with him. 

Further amusing was the response by Industries Minister Wimal Weerawansa, a former revolutionary who while replying to a journalist had stated that the State minister should have given up the rest of the subjects of his ministry if he had only barged into a jewellary shop. Going by his argument, Ratwatte would go scot free even if he run riot at the Government Factory at Kolonnawa which comes under Weerawansa’s ministry, and not under his ministry.

Although the initial denial of knowledge on the incident by the Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya and the prisons spokesman  Chandana Ekanayake was similarly amusing one has to accept that they would have earned wrath of the politicians of the government had they responded otherwise. 

Although the  initial denial of knowledge on the incident by the Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya and the prisons spokesman  Chandana Ekanayake was amusing one has to accept that they would have earned wrath of the politicians of the government had they responded otherwise

Earlier, last week, Ratwatte had allegedly broken into the Welikada Prison as well and showed the gallows to some of his friends, including a woman. However, the State minister had denied stories about both incidents, despite his resignation. Yet, even Weerawansa, to his credit, had not denied the incident having taken place, though he belittled it and suggested by implication that everything with regard to it must come to a close.

Justice Minister Ali Sabry condemned the incident while calling it a disgrace and went on even to apologize the prisoners humiliated by the State Minister and their families during a speech in the Parliament on Wednesday. No any other politician or even the educated supporters of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) seemed to be ashamed of the incident who either denied the incident or attempted to shower praise on Ratwatte for resignation from one of his portfolios. 

One cannot deem these antics by the State Minister to be isolated incidents in the Sri Lankan political history. And also almost all leaders of past governments at least after 1970 have nurtured, used, condoned, defended, and justified political criminals of their parties while condemning those of others. Even during the United Front government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, thugs had their share of say in politics, despite them not being famous underworld figures like Choppe, Soththi Upali Wambotta, Beddagane Sanjeewa etc. 

It was during the tenure of President J.R.Jayewardene that the politicians largely engaged in crimes in person. There was a time when no Opposition parties dared to hold rallies in Mahiyangana where Captain C.P.J.Seneviratne ruled the roost. District Minister G.D.Mahindasoma had personally been involved in an attack on a group of JVP cadres erecting a stage for a meeting in Kekirawa and was severely injured when a JVP cadre retaliated. A ruling party (UNP) Parliamentarian, Anura Daniel had reportedly stuffed the ballot boxes in polling booths in Hewaheta after chasing away the polling agents of other parties during the 1982 presidential election and the referendum. Six ballot boxes had gone missing during the first and only DDC election in 1981 when politicians from the south had stormed many polling booths in Jaffna.  

10 members of the SLMC were shot dead at in the Kandy District in 2001, during Chandrika Kumaratunga’s Presidency for which Lohan, his brother Chanuka and their father Anuruddha Ratwatte were accused along with several armed forces personnel. Later the Ratwattes were acquitted by the Colombo High Court and the armed forces personnel by the Supreme Court.

Former minister Mangala Samaraweera who was praised by many for his liberal thinking during his last days was accused for planning the attack on a demonstration by the UNP and the media personnel who covered the event on July 15, 1997. 

Mervin Silva was the man for dirty works during President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure. Silva stormed the Rupavahini Corporation with his thugs but only to taste his own medicine when the employees of the corporation retaliated. He publicly tied a government employee, a Samurdhi Officer to a tree for failing to attend a dengue eradication programme. Interestingly, it was none other than former President Maithripala Sirisena, as the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the chairman of the disciplinary committee of the party who exonerated him from the charges accepting the claim that the officer concerned had tied himself to a tree. Mervyn Silva was encouraged to carry on with his antics when he was appointed the State Minister for Media, despite allegations that he had attacked journalists and media institutions.

There were allegations of politicians bringing LTTE suicide bombers to show the places where the country’s President used to jog with least security arrangements. Later, the hunter and the hunted were seen in the same political camp. 

The degeneration of morality of the general public has been one of the major factors that has been contributing to the criminal behavior of politicians. Majority of people love thugs in politics if they are on their side. They love Rambos in politics who make life difficult for opponents. Thus Mervyn Silva drew more than 150,000 preferential votes at the last Parliamentary election he contested. Had he been nominated by the SLPP for the last year’s general election, the possibility of him being elected was very high. 

Premalal Jayasekara was twice elected to Parliament in spite of him having accused first time of committing a murder, and interestingly the second time after he was convicted by the courts. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna was not ashamed to nominate him for the election despite allegations. Captain Seneviratna, Mahindasoma, Anura Daniel, D.M.Dasanayake and many such politicians were very popular among their party ranks. In this context, one criminal incident committed by a politician in a prison is just a symptom of the malady and not the malady that has engulfed the society.

Unless and until people look at the events objectively and with an open mind without looking at them through prisms of party politics and ideologies, criminals will have a huge voice in politics.