Deserters and the underworld

Many incidents of crime have been reported in the last few weeks. Last week alone there were over twelve such incidents in areas such as Homagama, Rattota, Chilaw, Maligawatta, Morawaka, Maradana, Wattala, Kandy and Dematagoda. Notwithstanding the figures provided by the government, there is obviously a crime wave sweeping across the country and the high incidence of crime reported daily is proof that the underworld is far from affected by the so-called crackdown the government is said to have launched against it.

Most of the crimes syndicates are said to consist of military deserters hired by the underworld kingpins. When the war is not properly prosecuted and the morale of the troops sag, desertion becomes the outcome. The government’s war effort is on the other hand thwarted by the professional NGO peace lobby, which projects the war as being ‘unwinnable’. The government is fighting the war half-heartedly despite clear indications that the LTTE has been wrong-footed on the warfront - as manifest in their unilateral ceasefire now extended for the third time. Corruption in the defence establishment (and we are debarred from elaborating on this by the on-going censorship), political interference with military decision-making, disastrous cost cutting exercises at the expense of vital military equipment, are some of the factors that have led to the protraction of the war and the growing number of desertions.

What has the government done to prevent desertions? And what actions has it taken to lure these deserters back? The government policy towards the war has apparently undergone a sea change as evident from its shift from Sudu Nelum (anti-war campaign) to Rana Viru Upahara aimed at boosting the morale of the troops and the police. While programmes of this nature serve a useful function, what is essential to prevent desertions is to fight the war with the single-minded pursuit of winning it so that the troops will feel wanted on the front. Succumbing to the pressure mounted on the government by the dollar-driven peace lobby, all out to sabotage the war effort to go slow on the warfront is sure to cause more and more desertions and make the south a fertile recruiting ground for the underworld. Everything possible must be done to retain troops on the front.

Just the last year the country was put on a war-footing following the Elephant Pass debacle. But going by what is going on in the south, it looks as if the country had again been put on a carnival footing. There are again talks of talks. The adverse impact the government’s dilly dallying will have on the morale of the troops is not difficult to understand. Is the government asking for more desertions?

However on no ground could it be justified that the deserters are involved in criminal activities. All these elements must be brought to book by whatever possible means lest thousands of others of their ilk should want to emulate them. Most of these deserters are said to be battle-hardened soldiers to whom robbing a bank or gunning down a person is child’s play.

It is unfortunate that some of these deserters have ended up being pliable tools in the hands of certain ruling party politicians. We saw the havoc they wreaked in Kandy during the last general election at the bidding of their political bosses. This is a pointer that these deserters enjoy political patronage and therefore consider themselves as being above the law. That the underworld elements are in league with politicians and enjoy the same protection goes without saying. It is this network that must be busted by the police as the first step towards stemming the crime wave.

There has been set up a special police unit to fight the underworld. It conducted a series of successful raids and netted a number of criminals. But it is no longer in the news. Why is it? Did they tread on the corns of a ruling party politician?

Politicians taking refuge in statistics and comparisons to downplay the high incidence of crime - as was done by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga herself in a television interview recently - will be of little use in combating crime. The government must come to terms with reality and realise the need to wage war in the south on the underworld.

Your comments to the Editor