Ceylon Today Editorial

Mafia, Politicians behind NDDCB chair issue?

Wednesday 11th November 2015

 
"If you look at the drug war from a purely economic point of view, the role of the government is to protect the drug cartel. That's literally true."

These words of wisdom from American economist Milton Friedman ring as a truism with news reports of the tug-o-war for the chair of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB). Reports came in last week of the simmering tug-o-war between Dr. Chamira Nilanga Samarasinghe and former DIG Sirisena Herath for the chairmanship of the NDDCB.

The strife between the two persists with no solution in sight. The newly appointed Chairman, former DIG Hearth, is unable to assume duties because incumbent Chairman Nilanga Samarasinghe is refusing to vacate his post.

Both parties have now gone to the media with the complaint that they had not received any intimation either in writing or orally about the appointment of a new chairman or the removal of the incumbent.

Dr. Samarasinghe has asserted that he would continue to function in the capacity of Chairman until he gets written or oral confirmation from the President or the Prime Minister. He has further claimed that he will continue to function as Chairman as instructed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickeremesinge. The newly appointed Chairman former DIG Herath is having a hard time answering questions about his predicament.

Dr. Samarasinghe, under close scrutiny appears to make peculiar claims. He claims to have carried out a massive campaign against the illegal drugs and narcotics trade in the country for more than ten years. However, he became known to the general public only this year. If anyone checks his credentials on a Google search, we are pretty sure that he will not turn up any search results dating beyond 2015.

He has been at the receiving end of death threats from unknown individuals and played a key role in the 2015 Presidential Election supporting Common Candidate Maithriapala Sirisena and campaigning against the drug industry in the country. Then, after the Common Candidate became the President of the country, Dr. Samarasinghe became the Head of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board where he made several startling changes which brought him media prominence. He even made Cricket Legend Kumar Sangakkara the brand Ambassador for the NDDCB recently.

The other candidate for the Chairmanship of the NDDCB is former DIG Sirisena Herath who has been responsible for the arrest and detection of a hard drugs dealer who had in his possession 1100 kilograms of hashish which is considered to be the largest haul of narcotics in Sri Lanka since early 2000.

The tug-o-war is obvious. But who created it in the first place?

According to Dr. Samarasinghe, this is a conspiracy against him scripted by the racketeers whom he had fought against, to oust him from his position. He has also pointed the finger of blame at the Law and Order Ministry Secretary Jagath Wijeweera for misusing his powers to appoint former DIG Herath as the Chairman, while he was attending an international conference abroad.

The drive against the illegal narcotics trade is of vital importance because statistics indicate a rise in drug use in the country.

While the competition for the Chairmanship of the NDDCB goes on, there is effectively no one at the top to direct the battle against drug cartels. Who will be the mediator between the Police Narcotics Department and the NDDCB when it comes to conducting investigations and raids into the narcotics trade?

With the controversies that surround Tilak Marapana, the former Minister of Law and Order, the possibility of government officials being involved in this tug-o-war for ulterior purposes seems obvious. Creating a chaotic environment would definitely put current investigations and projects of the NDDCB on ice until this issue is resolved. With our snail-paced 'due processes' and long drawn legal procedures, these matters will forever be stuck in ice and with time, be eventually forgotten.

The onus is on the government to address this matter as a matter of national urgency and ensure that it is brought to an end. But if the government is behind this, who can we turn to for justice? A thorough investigation is called for, to ensure that justice is meted out and to expose any underworld scheme behind all of this. The people would want to know what the big picture is. After all there is the possibility that we are not seeing the trees for the forest.