Editorial - VIP Children

At a time when the offspring of certain ministers have become a threat to national security, the country no doubt was pleasantly surprised when the daughter of a cabinet minister made it to the top three slots at the GCE (O/L) ranking out of 542,260 candidates.

This achievement by Ama Ranawaka of Visakha Vidyalaya, the first child of a minister to make it to the top ranking at a national exam, came at a time when the electorate was wondering what it should do with the pistol-brandishing children of politicians.

It was also a couple of years ago that the daughter of the then Minister of Education failed the ordinary level examination when her father was the incumbent minister.
Over the years the countrymen had been watching with apathy how the ‘boys will be boys’ culture of impunity, accorded to the VIP children by the respective governments, had continued with the number of incidents of violence by the VIP sons increasing.

While the public is still questioning the logic behind the maintenance of large security contingents for certain ministers, post-war, it is shocking to see the number of security personnel assigned to their immediate families. These contingents that often comprise both state and private security guards have made it almost impossible for the ‘lesser mortals’ to enjoy the perks of post-war freedom.

In a recent interview with Daily Mirror, a member of the Human Rights Commission speaking on the deterioration of the law and order situation in the country proposed the introduction of a code of conduct for each political segment covering even the relatives of politicians.

Meanwhile, the police have been reiterating the perils of the use of weapons by MSD personnel when providing security to relatives of ministers and MPs. They had also expressed concern over the manner in which the proliferation of ‘illegal weapons’ among private bodyguards contributed to the rise in the crime rate.

The public is unanimous that the political culture of extravagance and vulgarity created by the new breed of politicians and their relatives has made a mockery of public safety. As things stand now even an accidental brushing up against a VIP son may spell death for an innocent bystander.

Felicitating those who have done well at the GCE ordinary level examination is certainly commendable, however what is perhaps more important is to create a culture where education is given its due place over muscle power.