{"id":159058,"date":"2016-03-11T14:28:57","date_gmt":"2016-03-11T08:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=159058"},"modified":"2016-03-14T16:18:24","modified_gmt":"2016-03-14T10:48:24","slug":"the-rise-of-the-underworld-the-future-of-good-governance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-rise-of-the-underworld-the-future-of-good-governance\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rise Of The Underworld & The Future Of Good Governance"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Basil Fernando<\/span><\/a> –<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Basil<\/a>

Basil Fernando<\/p><\/div>\n

Reports of a series of killings attributed to underworld elements<\/span><\/a> have\u00a0sent shockwaves amongst all Sri Lankans, whether living in Sri Lanka\u00a0or outside. Almost everyone was speculating as to what these killings\u00a0aimed to achieve. Some thought the killings were mainly directed\u00a0towards witnesses of serious crimes being investigated, or already\u00a0brought to court. There was also speculation that the rise of the\u00a0underworld could lead to further crimes, including attacks by various\u00a0political factions against their enemies, and also that it could\u00a0spread into the economic realm, as well as to illegal businesses such\u00a0as the drugs trade.<\/p>\n

President Maithripala Sirisena himself, a short while ago, spoke about\u00a0the demand for illegal payments from those involved in the transport\u00a0trade. He mentioned this was a serious problem that needed to be\u00a0addressed soon.<\/p>\n

The Government\u2019s own admission in this area, coupled with daily\u00a0experiences of very serious crimes, has put to test its promise to\u00a0bring about good governance throughout the country. The Government\u00a0promised to end the period of bad governance prevailing in Sri Lanka\u00a0for many decades, and to bring about orderly governance that will\u00a0ensure accountability and transparency. The present situation\u00a0demonstrates however, that there is a serious governance crisis in Sri\u00a0Lanka, and the spread of disorder has not been altered.<\/p>\n

While the Government\u2019s attempt to develop various units of the\u00a0police to deal with this issue should be welcomed, such measures alone\u00a0cannot hope to effectively address the problem of lawlessness, which\u00a0is a breeding ground for criminal elements.<\/p>\n

Despite being fully aware of a 40-year legacy of uncontrolled\u00a0criminality and disorder, the present Government did not give serious\u00a0attention to developing a policy to undo this situation and bring\u00a0about the enforcement of law within a rule of law framework. In fact,\u00a0rule of law was nearly absent in the vocabulary of the leaders. Thus,\u00a0criminal gangs and those who exploit them were not dealt with in the\u00a0manner of overcoming the problems left over by the previous government\u00a0in the area of law and order and the protection of the people.<\/p>\n

The only policy that could answer the level of the collapse of all the\u00a0protection mechanisms in the country is serious reform of the Sri\u00a0Lankan police service. It is publicly admitted that the Sri Lankan\u00a0police was dragged into military work, and used for causing\u00a0disappearances, illegal arrests, detentions and other illegalities.\u00a0The issue now, is when the police will begin to be restored as a\u00a0credible institution in Sri Lanka. That question has not been\u00a0answered; in fact, the Government leaders are silent about the serious\u00a0reform of the policing service as a first step towards the development\u00a0of good governance within Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

This issue must be squarely placed with the government think tanks. It\u00a0is hoped that such think tanks do exist, and that the President and\u00a0Prime Minister are encouraging them to come up with ideas to solve the\u00a0problems bedeviling all aspects of life in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

In particular, it is time for the President and Prime Minister to\u00a0speak out about the future of the policing service in Sri Lanka, and\u00a0answer whether the government intends to modernize the policing force\u00a0as befits a modern democracy. This is an issue on which the Government\u00a0has no right to remain silent. We urge the Government to speak out,\u00a0and to let the nation know what plans for modernization of the police\u00a0are being envisaged, as well as the time frame within which such\u00a0reforms will be put into effect.<\/p>\n

The Government thus has to think in terms of providing human and\u00a0financial resources for the running of a modernized policing system in\u00a0Sri Lanka. It is only when the Government can explain its plans to\u00a0allocate resources for developing an institution capable of dealing\u00a0with the law and order crisis that people will believe the Government\u00a0is taking their protection seriously.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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