An unidentified gunman opened fire at a prisoner who was being taken back to jail after a court case in a high security zone. Another incident took place where a woman had been shot dead outside the prison headquarters in Borella.
The most recent killing was opposite Mahara court premises. There are similar incidents where men, women and children had been killed,wounded, raped etc. due to lawlessness throughout the country. President in a speech prior to election had said: “The nation is suffering from authoritarianism, through massive waste and abuse and corruption and absolute impunity. We need therefore to provide immediate relief to those who are oppressed, and embark on social and economic reforms that will restore normalcy and lead to prosperity for all”.
The Unity government had been in power for nearly 18 months. Civil Society organisation activists that supported the present government to come to power at a meeting held last week said that they are unable to endorse all what is happening and that they would therefore not hesitate to work against the government unless the President and the Prime Minister do the needful to take meaningful steps to fulfil the promises they had made to the people prior to elections. They accused the present leadership for poor performance in certain areas and urged that the leaders should take note of their warnings seriously.
The people have suffered long enough in this country. The neglected, weak and the desperate people in villages and towns are beleaguered and now becoming violent. The majority of people have lost the human values they possessed and do not respect law and order and even humanity now.There seem to be no end to killings, rapes, etc. taking place in the country. Why is that there is so much of violence, anger, rage and aggression in the masses unlike in the past?
Government is also presently under severe pressure for increasing VAT. Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance had pointed out that they need money to run the government for the benefit of the people. Could this be true? Shouldn’t they really make a dent in terms of government expenditure? Shouldn’t they reduce the number of Ministers, merge those that share similarities and eliminate the unnecessary departments and reduce waste and corruption. Shouldn’t the Minister of Finance also issue a circular to cut down 25% fuel used by everyone, whether they are politicians or bureaucrats, irrespective of the position they hold, including pool vehicles for a trial?Shouldn’t they cut down on travel costs for delegations? I have no doubt they could collect billions if they could do so through a similar savings without burdening the masses.
Are the people violent due to unjust systems and due to broken promises by politicians? How is that a new culture where they do not respect other human beings and human dignity come about? Are we now reaping the fruits of war, broken promises, neglect, deceit, violence, rape, murder anger, bloodshed, arrogance etc.?
For the first time in this country, Gangodawila Magistrate, had granted bail without the necessary cash deposit to Thilina Gamage, another Magistrate, who is presently under interdiction. The relevant cash deposit required by law had been furnished only on the next day, which is contrary to the law. Is this sufficient proof that powerful people manipulate the law for their own benefit? Glaring irregularities of this nature take place in every government institution. The powerless are harassed. They are thrown from pillar to post They therefore become violent and resort to immoral practices. These have become a part and parcel of our daily life. Shouldn’t the government ensure delivery of tangible, meaningful results for the benefit of the people? Due to the government’s inability to do so, we now hear more about Sathyagrahas, protest campaigns, demonstrations, killings, rape etc. all over the country almost daily.
Parliament too is not an exception and in a big mess. English daily had reported that a Joint Opposition Kandy District MP and UNP Gampaha district parliamentarian and deputy minister had exchanged blows in Parliament, having slandered each other using obscene language, which had been denied by both of them subsequently.Thousands of people very often take to the streets similarly in various places against government policies etc.
Politicians have been openly condoning and encouraging violence in the past several decades. They used violence against opponents and supporters of the opposite camp. Haven’t all that ultimately created a culture that reverberates far beyond? They have created an environment for people also to break basic social norms of discourse and democracy without batting an eyelid? Elected representatives have set such bad examples by breaking the laws, rules, regulations. They have paved the way to break rules etc. applicable to numerous institutions in the country. Most of the institutions have ultimately been broken down. Accordingly, they have created a vicious circle. They have made governance impossible.Increased tension, deep rooted political rivalry, lack of law and order and impunity could lead to create a failed state in Sri Lanka speedily unless it is corrected. Corrupt leaders who claimed to govern by democratic principles have manipulated the systems to achieve personal political benefits. They have widened the gap between the rich and the poor and created endless problems. Owing to these reasons, there is disrespect for humanity and people commit senseless murders, physical harm and injuries to other human beings. It is frustration that ultimately yields anger which leads to violent acts.
The LTTE made use of frustrated youth for their own benefit and established a group of human bombs – suicide bombers. LTTE used suicide bombers to kill large numbers. Suicide bombers were used to create violence. LTTE used weak, desperate youth to create violence. According to a sociologist: “dysfunctional deflective violence increases as poverty and exclusion feed despair, and as communities break down”.
