Sri Lanka: Is It Good Bye To ‘Good Governance’?

By R Hariharan –November 2, 2016

Col. (retd) R.Hariharan

People who overwhelmingly voted the President Maithripala Sirisena-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe alliance to power expecting it to fulfill their promise of yahapalana (good governance) have been shocked by President Sirisena’s strident comments questioning the integrity of the agencies carrying out investigations into cases of corruption, bribery, criminal and financial misconduct.

The President speaking at a function at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute warned that he would take action against Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for working to political agendas at the cost of justice. The President seems to have been irked at the agencies giving cause to the opposition to accuse him of political witch hunt; obviously, this referred to the large number of corruption and criminal investigations now going against politicians and armed forces officers. According to the Island newspaper, the President also said that hauling up the former naval chiefs and former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa before the court in connection with the arms storage company Avant Garde Maritime Services (AGMS) case.

He accused those in charge of investigations of misleading him. Referring to the indefinite custody of members of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) held in connection with the disappearance of cartoonist Ekneligoda and the killing of Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunga, the President said the courts should be moved to get them released or given bail pending court proceedings. It is significant that soon after the President’s tirade, the court released on bail Udalagam
a, an army intelligence officer accused of assassinating Lasantha Wickrematunge.

President Sirisena’s reference to cases connected with armed forces was perhaps made to reaffirm his support to the armed forces which have been perturbed ever since Sri Lanka agreed to conduct a judicial probe into alleged war crimes committed during the Eelam war. The issue war crimes issue would again come up at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in March 2017.

In a stinging attack on “certain media organizations, journalists and NGOs” and “traitorous forces,” President Sirisena reaffirmed his confidence in armed forces “no matter how much they criticize, oppose or attack me, I will never lose confidence in the armed forces and will always be committed to do the utmost for the welfare, honour and dignity of the three armed forces and our heroic soldiers.” He added that “he was not ready to compromise national security in order to please NGOs.”

The President said though the government had successfully promoted reconciliation between the communities to create an environment that strengthens inter-communal harmony during the last one and half years, certain groups and organizations ideologically in favour of separatism have not been destroyed. And they were waiting for an opportunity to create trouble for Sri Lanka and people must be on guard.

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