The ugly spectre of pre-election violence has raised its head again. Last week we had the UNP office of Rohitha Bogollagama burnt down. Yesterday the "Al Capone of Anamaduwa", ex-P.A. MP D. M. Dasanayake has commenced his terror campaign again, intimidating and threatening all and sundry in the Puttalam district. His earlier deeds need no reminding. He has been one of the dreaded exponents of PA terror right through the years. Of course President CBK and Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte must be nabbing their hands in glee. After all they have never done anything during several past elections to appeal to their supporters to desist from violence nor have they held thugs like D. M. Dasanayake in check — as it is not in their best interests to do so.

Senior police officers are being transferred everywhere and most of these transfers have been in areas contested represented by the PA defectors. The IGP, Lucky Kodituwakku remains deaf and dumb to these goings on. SSP Ruzie Perera is reported to have said that these are routine transfers that were in any event to take place and were on the cards even before dissolution of parliament. Tell that to the Marines, SSP Perera!! Give the people a little more credit for their intelligence to believe such drivel! Isn’t there a law stating that police transfers cannot take place once an elections has been gazetted?

It was plainly obvious that when Anuruddha Ratwatte was appointed PA polls organiser that polls violence would be orchestrated in all its ugliness sooner than later. No one needs reminding that Anuruddha Ratwatte was one of those mainly responsible for the mass-scale thuggery, intimidation and terror, polls rigging in the Kandy district during the 1999 and 2000 elections. The result was that the PA claimed the additional seats in these areas and formed a government when they had no moral right to do so as it was the UNP who suffered from this terror campaigns and by rights should have had more seats.

If this present scenario is allowed to continue, then the next month will see terror and intimidation on an unprecedented scale, disrupting all attempts for the holding of a free and fair election.

The IGP appears to be oblivious to all of this and seems to be a pawn in the hands of his bosses — the president and the Deputy Defence Minister. Right thinking people of this country cannot expect any corrective action from the IGP or the police. They, the police, have deteriorated to such an extent! The only thing they appear capable of doing is providing security to politicos and tear gassing innocent protesters who democratically try to protest against government failures!!

It is upto the Elections Commissioner to immediately take over and stop this alarming trend. He can surely do this what with the new powers conferred on him by the recently enacted 17th constitutional amendment. But he had better do it now before things get out of hand. It is reported that he had advised the IGP on how to handle these matters. "Advising" is not going to be enough. He will have to be more forceful than that considering the part played by the IGP and the police in the last few elections.
T. Jayatilleke
Kotte