People have such short memories

It has become fashionable to blame the government for failing to curb the crime wave. The murder of a provincial counsellor sparked more outrage and critics are lambasting the government. But I fear these are people with very short memories. I’d like to remind such critics that the crime wave didn’t start yesterday, or last month. Crime has a way of peaking and abating. After a relatively quiet period, it is again on the rise.

But is it fair to blame the government? I don’t think so. This government has many failings and is fast losing its popularity. But one has to say that none of its leading members have resorted to thuggery, or can be accused of nurturing mafia figures for their own ends. This inglorious tradition was launched and established in President J. R. Jayewardene’s time by his party members. He himself gave a presidential pardon to a killer and rapist. The tradition of nurturing and using underworld figures was carried under all ensuing presidencies to a greater or lesser degree. In other words, these politicians taught an entire generation that it pays to get into crime.

Coming back to the counsellor’s murder, one critic even asked why intelligence services failed to get prior information. It beats me how anyone can get prior intelligence of every murder planned in the country, political or otherwise. I can see that the government is doing its best to curb the crime wave. There is a police presence in the streets, and co-operation with foreign countries led to the arrest of several key mafia figures. Eventually, the crime wave will subside due to security efforts and other factors. It will raise its head again later, this is the pattern. Besides, we are not the only country suffering from crime waves and narcotics. There must be a sense of fairness when assessing the situation. 

Citizen with long memory