The time for privileged protection

Light Refractions by Lucien Rajakarunanayake

Ceasefire monitors to be given helmets and bullet-proof vests - News item

The ceasefire monitors are here to do a job of work, hazardous though it may be. Although under threat from attacks by the LTTE that has more than once told them where they got off; considering themselves as specially privileged people who can keep their heads and bodies safe from missiles, is bound to create demands for such protection from important sections of Sri Lankan society.

Some members of parliament are expected to raise this as a matter of privilege at the very next sitting of parliament. It's a cross-party group from both government and opposition benches, who intend asking the Speaker to rule on whether members of the SLMM can have more privileges than MPs already enjoy.

A member of this new Helmet Group of MPs told me that considering the protection given to ceasefire monitors, it will be necessary to give MPs too the same privilege, to be used especially when they visit the deadly political war zones known as their electorates.

Although, there are no MPs directly representing electorates under the manaapey system of election, every one of them has been nursing or rather fooling an electorate as its organiser prior to election.

These are areas where many of them are under grave threat from voters who have found out more than what they should know about their elected representatives, and are "no go" zones for these politicians.

Therefore, argue these MPs, they should also be automatically entitled to helmets and bullet-proof vests to protect themselves when they whiz through their electorates in the duty free luxury vehicles given to them as a special privilege.

There are several representatives of the people who have been afraid of visiting their electorates for the past several months, for fear of attack by a hail of stones and other hard missiles directed at them by the people. It is these MPs who are spearheading the demand that helmets and bullet-proof vests are de rigueur for those privileged to sit in parliament.

It is the accepted norm today that MPs will always obtain what they want on matters such as salaries and allowances, pensions, vehicles, salaries for family members as personal staff etc., with unanimity and consensus not found over other burning national issues, such as devolution of power and the ethnic crisis; the reduction of waste in public expenditure, and more transparency about personal enrichment.

Therefore, most political analysts consider it a bygone conclusion that all MPs will soon be provided with helmets and bullet-proof vests, and even more body armour if necessary for protection from their electors, paid for by the same electors.

Once successful politicians get this privilege, it won't be long before such protection is made easily available to members of the underground, the existence of which the IGP strongly denies, whose regular employment is violence and crime, often under the patronage of successful politicians.

The underground is where many politicians get their clout from, especially under proportional representation and the manaapey. It is, therefore, only to be expected that soon there will be a chit system in place for the favourite supporters of politicians from the underground to obtain body helmets, bullet-proof vests and other body armour to help them in their above ground activities for their political patrons.

This is very much like firearms issued for the protection of MPs and other politicians, who perceived a threat to their lives, which have not been returned for many years since they left the political arena, adding to the turnover of illicit weapons in the country.

Judging from recent reports, the demand for helmets and bullet-proof vests and other protection will be made by provincial politicians, as well as elected members of local authorities. Some of them, especially high profile provincial politicians will need them for protection at the regular brawls they are involved in at night clubs, even while they are enlarged on bail for other serious offences.

There will also be a demand for such protective body armour from politicians elected from one symbol to local bodies such as the Colombo Municipal Council, who seek to resign en masse to pave the way for those with another symbol, who never contested the election to take their places. It is said these people will seek reinforced goggles for protection of the spectacles under which they contested cannot provide.

I don't believe that helmets and bullet or knife-proof vests should be a privilege provided only to politicians of whatever grade.

There are other sections of the public too who should be considered suitable to have such protection. One such group is undergraduates in universities who should be required to wear them at all times they move about their campuses, to enable clashes between rival student gangs to take place, with the least injury.

It is possible that the reduction of injury and bleeding, which obviously gives special delight to these students, may help bring down the incidence of violence in the campuses too.

One more group that will greatly benefit from such armour, especially helmets and protective vests, not necessarily bullet-proof are passengers in private buses, so often at the mercy of drivers whose main skill is to kill and maim passengers and others who happen to be in their way.

There's no space to list out those who can benefit from helmets and protective vests, but very soon it can be the subject of yet another ministry, complete with minister, deputy minister and minister of state to administer to this need.