Ceylon Today Editorial

To The incoming Head of Intelligence...

09 December 2016

The usual saying goes as "Better the devil we know, than the angel we don't", which might not be applicable for the Head of State Intelligence in Sri Lanka. Undoubtedly, a job and a position that only a devil of a man could handle, the position of the Head of State Intelligence recently became a controversial debate topic at Parliament, when the matter of the country's defence budget was discussed.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing Parliament, noted the crucial need to appoint an individual from outside the intelligence apparatus to head the country's intelligence services as it would ensure an impartial leader who would not be influenced by others.

The Premier of the country went on to explain how State Intelligence Services can become a 'profitable business' if the numbers are increased, the service improves under an outsider who has not been part of the intelligence services before.

Of course, the Premier's logic is irrefutable. While the general public and respectively the mainstream media are mostly unaware of the activities of the State Intelligence Services, it seems as if, from a financial aspect, it is not doing quite well; thus, the Prime Minister's motions of making it a more "profitable business".

Appointing an outsider itself might come with an added bonus of impartiality, however, that itself, does not guarantee that the new comer will be impartial. A new face to the State Intelligence Services should not be yet another puppet of another. He or she should be a headstrong individual with the proper education and the common sense to manage national security. He or she should not be the type to make silly mistakes that will put the country at risk. It is of utmost importance the newcomer, whoever it is, should know what he/she is doing. After all, we cannot let the country's security be put to risk, by appointing the village idiot as the Head of Intelligence.

We cannot stress the significance of appointing an individual, outsider or otherwise, who knows what to do. Security is a fundamental goal of all countries in contemporary world affairs. To support the search for security, all nations collect intelligence. The term 'intelligence' itself refers to the collection, analysis, production and utilisation of information about potentially hostile States, groups, individuals or activities.

It is also important to know where the potential newcomer's allegiance lies with. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has to walk the walk and talk the talk with this – him highlighting the necessity of an impartial Head of Intelligence, obviously includes him as well-meaning, that the Premier won't be allowed to manipulate and puppeteer the newcomer in anyway.

Likewise, the newcomer should also keep in mind that once he or she becomes a part of the Intelligence Services, he/she will have to make some difficult choices; choices that will have an important outcome with crucial circumstances and choices that will result in dire backlashing and criticism. Hopefully, the newcomer is up to the task.

Currently there are two authorities who lead the country's intelligence factions; Brigadier Wijendra Goonatileke as the Army Director of Intelligence and former DIG Sisira Mendis as the Chief of National Intelligence. It is logical that both these factions are brought together under one leadership. Essentially that would incorporate more resources in the service and ultimately, improve the service it does to the country. The country's security depends upon the newcomer's strength and judgement and to his preference for inclusion and partnership over partisanship.

Late US Senator William Proxmire once noted, "Power always has to be kept in check; power exercised in secret, especially under the cloak of national security, is doubly dangerous." Whoever is appointed as the new Head of Intelligence he/she has an immense responsibility at his/her hands. Protecting a country from becoming a victim to a world that is on its way to achieving complete self-destruction is an immense task. No pressure whatsoever; we just hope you will do your duty properly. Otherwise, we really hope that you will be able to live yourself with the consequences.

Daily News Editorial

Time to act

09 December 2016

The revelation by UNP National List Parliamentarian Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne that he was at the receiving end of death threats over the phone by a caller who demanded that he steers clear of the constitution making process should engage the serious attention of the authorities. Raising a privilege issue in parliament the MP said the threat covered his entire family and that he had lodged a complaint with the Welikada Police.

Death threats to members of parliament is nothing new in this country. During the second JVP uprising many members of the then UNP government was asked to resign their parliament seats on pain of death and some of them in fact were victims of JVP bullets, such as Merryl Kariyawasam, G.V.S. De Silva and Lionel Jayatillake. Local level people’s representatives resigned in their droves displaying banners announcing their decision while a host of them were ruthlessly gunned downed for opting to go against the tide. Many MPs of the Tamil parties too resigned under LTTE threat. In fact the length of the parliamentary tenure of most were decided by the Tigers.

This though was during unusual times when both ends of the ethnic divide was aflame. But today things are different, with peace and tranquility reigning and a government has been changed through democratic elections. It is certainly not the backdrop in which a politician should receive death threats. Dr. Wickramaratne is not alone in this respect. Some months ago no less a personage than Speaker Karu Jayasuriya complained of a death threat to him, similarly conveyed over the phone. The Speaker had reported the matter to the IGP and whatever happened to that investigation no one knows.

Dr. Wickramaratne, though, has stuck to his guns. As a former member of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, which has a minority friendly ideology, he has vowed not to be cowed by the threat on his life and will continue to engage in the constitution making process which according to him is of utmost importance to the nation.

One need not be a rocket scientist to fathom from which quarter this threat emanated. The Joint Opposition is currently engaged in a most virulent campaign, replete with extremist nationalist rhetoric, against the proposed new constitution, despite the group being very much involved in the whole exercise as participants in the steering committees. It has evoked the bogey of separatism and division of the country, when the whole constitution making process is still in its embryonic stage. Various Buddhist monks, known for their hard line stand, are being paraded at media conferences, to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of the public, the argument peddled being the unitary status will be retained only in name.

This, despite the assurance given by the Mahanayakas to JO firebrand Wimal Weerawansa, some time ago, that they had received a guarantee from both the President and the Prime Minister that the unitary status and the pride of place given to Buddhism will remain intact in the new constitution. It was only on Wednesday that President Maithripala Sirisena reiterated this assurance in parliament.

Speaking under the Defence Ministry expenditure Heads, in the committee stage debate of Budget 2017, the President enjoined the Opposition not to propagate misinformation about the new constitution to instigate the people and grab power. He asserted that no agreement has yet been ever reached on any issue in the constitution making process, adding that all points of view and opinions are being discussed at length and subject to amendments. He reiterated that a new constitution will be introduced only after considering all aspects that protect the national interest.

Giving credence to the President’s assurance is the fact that what we have today is a unity government comprising the UNP and the SLFP. There would have been cause for concern if it was only a UNP government, given the popular perception of it being always receptive to minorities and is only too willing to cede concessions - at least this is what has been planted in the minds of the majority by its opponents. But now, with the SLFP too very much a part and parcel of the government, plus the inputs of all stakeholders, including the Joint Opposition the JO’s attempt to mislead the public is bound to come a cropper.

Besides, any new constitution has to be passed by a two thirds majority in parliament, plus a referendum. Hence there can be no question of provisions being secretly smuggled into the document to upset the status quo as regards the unitary state or the preeminent place granted to Buddhism. Therefore it is clear that the JO is clearly opening yet another flank to attack the government and in the process its leading lights such as Udaya Gammanpila and Wimal Weerawansa are making incendiary speeches, to trigger yet another ethnic conflagration.

The country has gone through enough. The government should take stringent measures to prevent the nation plunging into yet another precipice, all because of the thirst for power of a few bankrupt politicians. The government has already declared it will come down hard against hate speech. It is time to act.

The Island Editorial

FM holding a lamppost

09 December 2016

 

Finance Minister (FM) Ravi Karunanayake is using statistics as a drunkard uses a lamppost—for support rather than illumination—as we recently pointed out in this space. He has used accident related statistics, provided by the police and the health authorities for the last two weeks, to claim that the benefits of unconscionable increases in fines for some traffic offences are already kicking in. He tells us there has been a discernible decrease in road mishaps since the announcement of the fine hikes.

If what the FM tells us is true, then there is no reason why the Road Development Authority (RDA) should take the trouble of repainting pedestrian crossings etc in white at an enormous cost to the public purse. Motorists, according to the FM, will behave hereafter in view of massive fines with or without road signs. They are so scared that they may see pedestrian crossings even where there are actually none! Moreover, all outfits tasked with ensuring road safety can now be dissolved forthwith because at the rate the government is increasing fines road mishaps will be a thing of the past before long!

The FM’s ‘fine’ method can be adopted to tackle other problems as well. Fines which are huge enough to send a chill down any crook’s spine can be introduced for offences such as bribery and corruption so that those social evils will disappear overnight. An exponential increase in fines for burglary, chain snatching, sexual crimes etc will help rid the country of those offences in next to no time.

As the incidence of an offence is in inverse proportion to the severity of punishment, according to the FM, the question is why the government does not seriously consider replacing the death penalty which is commuted to life imprisonment at present, with a huge fine to the tune of, say, one billion rupees, to minimise grave crimes. If fines are increased exponentially all round, nobody will want to break the law. But, there is bound to be a problem in such an eventuality. For, everybody will want to rob the Central Bank of treasury bonds because that is the only offence which does not carry any punishment according to yahapalanaya (good governance) currently being practised!

The FM and other UNP ministers have adroitly trapped President Maithripala Sirisena, who has undertaken to re-examine the wisdom of massive traffic fine hikes. Now that they have claimed the fine increases have already helped reduce road mishaps and the attendant deaths and disabilities, if the President, by any chance, intervenes to reduce the fines in response to protests against them, he will be seen to be a bad guy trying to scuttle the government’s ‘successful’ strategy to make roads safe.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne called for an increase in sugar price to bring down the extremely high national consumption of the sweet poison responsible for the high incidence of diabetes. But, the FM has, in his wisdom, reduced the sugar price. One can argue, using the FM’s logic pertaining to road accidents, that the government has sought to increase the incidence of diabetes with a sugar price reduction!

As Jeff points out in his cartoon today, the unprecedented fine hike may stand traffic policemen faced with pecuniary difficulties in good stead; the venal cops who have no qualms about having their palms oiled to let errant drivers off the hook may even be able to complete their half-built houses in record time or raise funds for dowries to marry off their daughters.

We also have a suggestion to raise the standards of Parliament, which has hit rock bottom as is public knowledge. Let massive fines be introduced for misbehaving in the House and absenteeism. We suggest that at least Rs. 1000,000 be imposed for the offence of exchanging blows, using unparliamentary language and causing affronts to others inside Parliament. MPs who protest in the well of the House can be fined at the rate of Rs. 500,000 each. If this is done the Speaker would be able to bring order out of chaos in the House in next to no time and have some peace of mind. This method should work; anyone who has doubts about its efficacy can ask the FM, who knows best.