The Island Editorial

Goebbels doing backflips in his grave

18 November 2016

 

Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, would spin, nay, do backflips, in his grave if he knew some Sri Lankan ministers have overtaken him posthumously. (The Fuhrer would also turn somersaults in his grave—for want of a carpet to bite; his Gestapo has been resurrected and legitimised here so much so that it has the backing of his western enemies who destroyed his secret police service, among other things, and drove him to suicide in 1945! Sri Lankan Gestapo spies on judges and taps their phones and hack their emails.) Goebbels, however, is not a patch on our government spokesmen who have got uttering half truths and blatant lies to mislead the public down to a fine art.

We quoted Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka yesterday as having said the ever increasing number of road accidents prompted the government to jack up the minimum fine for traffic offences to Rs. 2,500. Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, too, tries to have us believe that fines for traffic offences are inversely proportional to road accidents and, therefore, an increase in the former would automatically lead to a decrease in the latter.

The government seems to think that increasing fines is the only way it can arrest the ever increasing rate of accidents. The Finance Minister has used some statistics related to road mishaps the way a drunkard uses a lamppost—for support rather than illumination. If his argument is tenable then the government should be able to halve the number of road deaths overnight just by increasing the minimum traffic fine to, say, Rs. 100,000.

Private bus owners have succeeded in railroading the government into reconsidering the fine hike. They threatened a bus strike and the Finance Minister gave in; the matter has been referred back to the Cabinet, we are told. Going by the government’s claim that higher fines help bring down the loss of lives on roads, if the Cabinet, by any chance, decides to reduce the 2,500-rupee minimum fine, such action will be tantamount to scuttling the Finance Minister’s effort to reduce road accidents through his controversial budget proposal.

Meanwhile, the government argues that our roads are chaotic, with about six lives lost thereon daily, solely because of indiscipline among motorists and the proposed fine increase will help improve the situation. If so, ministers and other such undisciplined, self-important persons must be stripped of the privilege of having congested roads cleared for travel. They must also be prevented from jumping lanes and colour lights. There is no reason why security convoys should be deployed any longer to protect the politicians who have declared that terrorism will never raise its ugly head ever again in this country. They should be made to heed the advice an Indian court gave their counterparts in India nine years ago. In Oct, 2007, according to a Times of India report, the Delhi High Court, observing they [politicians] were not a ‘national asset’, lashed out at the politicians, surrounded by their security guards much to the inconvenience of the public; the court asked them to remain in the confines of their homes and offices if they felt threatened by the public. The respected Indian judges have spoken for all the people in the developing world, troubled by various thugs in the garb of politicians.

If fines are really an antidote to indiscipline then let Parliament be urged to amend its Standing Orders to provide for huge penalties for serious breaches of discipline in the House so that all MPs will have to behave. The same method may be adopted to discipline provincial councillors and local government members.

Finally, a government pundit has said the law-abiding motorists need not worry about the massive traffic fine hike as it won’t affect them. If so, why is the government wary of re-implementing the death penalty, which would not affect the law-abiding citizens?