In a newspaper article on Tuesday, January 23 and a subsequent
article in the magazine section of the same newspaper, Justice Rohini
Perera has stated the death penalty is not the answer to rising crime
and violence in Sri Lanka. The death penalty has not been carried out
since 1977 in Sri Lanka and crime rates have escalated beyond
comprehension.
In Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern
countries the death penalty is carried out on criminal proscribed
offences, and their crime rate is amongst the lowest in the world. There
have been no miscarriages of justice either. On the contrary, Western
soft societies, because of the do-gooders campaigns, have had an
enormous increase of violent crimes.
It is about time that such irresponsible statements are not made by
authorities who administer justice, to the detriment of the vast
majority of the population who are suffering from violence caused by
criminal elements of society. Convicted criminals laugh openly in the
courts today when they are found guilty and sentenced to death, because
they know they will never hang for their crimes.
Instead they will be released on spurious grounds like good behaviour,
so that they can go back to killing again or peddling death and
destruction by drug-dealing.
It is the duty of those who govern society and its activities to do
so to help the vast majority of the people who are suffering under the
yoke of tyranny by these criminal elements. No amount of jail
inspections as suggested by Judge Perera can achieve what one death
penalty being carried out on one criminal will.
Grow up, Judge Perera, and do the right thing by the people of this
country. If your own child is murdered by a drug addict, you will speak
differently.
M. D. de Silva, Battaramulla.
In Sri Lanka in most of the government department where you cannot
get a simple job done without bribing. It may be a minor matter like
getting a copy of a birth certificate or to get a building plan
approved. It is done in every office because it is 'allowed'. Every head
of an institution and all the 'high' authorities are well aware of this.
It would be appreciated very much if the relevant institutions charge
a 'nominal fee' in addition to the stamps so that this money could be
divided among the staff with honour as 'service charge' and not as 'jarava'
and thus save the taxpayer from being fleeced.
P. A. Binduhewa, Panadura.
The law and its enforcement in this country has deviated somewhere
and taken a direction leading to chaos. Successive governments
floundering in a mire of conflicting interests have sacrificed the
silent law-abiding citizen and the country on the altar of party
politics to court the law breakers' votes and readily available manpower
for political or sometimes illegal activities.
It is very often amusing but exasperating to watch Ministers, MPs and
other politicians (our so-called "Law makers") scrambling over each
other to pour their syrup of sympathy over those who make a mockery of
the law.
The lucrative law braking industry resulting from all this should be
the envy of the world, ably developed with Govt. assistance, incentives
and honours to terrorise and defraud the law-abiding citizen and the
country.
Squatting on State land is a case in point. These squatters are
rewarded with land and houses worth hundreds of thousands of rupees
causing wave after wave of squatters to occupy public property often
with political patronage with the next election in view.
Sidewalks of roads, bridges, bus shelters, reservations of waterways,
forests, nothing is spared. The environment is degraded, health problems
are propagated, but who cares?
These are prospective votes for somebody who will provide them with
tap water and electric lights at the expense of the law abiding
taxpayer!
When these accumulated sins ultimately come to crisis point like the
havoc of recent floods in Colombo, millions of tax-payers' money is
spent to "relocate" these people who have been encouraged to "Locate"
themselves on State land reserved by law to safeguard the environment or
for some important utility purpose. Each step in this game is bribery
for votes
A related menace is encroachment of public and private roads, ignored
by officials, supported by interested politicians, even deviating public
services and drains to accommodate encroachers. The victims on private
roads dare not complain for fear of repercussions.
Squatting on private land has become a very paying business claiming
prescription to grab the land demanding several lakhs of rupees to
vacate. Murder, rape, robbery, smuggling and sale of narcotics have
escalated due to commuting of the death sentence, "Suspended Sentences",
etc. which have wiped out the deterrent potential of the law and bred
specialist contract killers, contract burglars, contract smugglers.
Whenever a criminal is arrested, who rushes to his rescue? A "Law maker"
M.P.
It is time the Government and the opposition united to take a hard
look at the facts and deal with a situation inherent in party politics,
as no party would dare on its own to tackle it for fear of losing
political mileage. This discrimination against the law abiding people
must stop.
Time tested penalties imposed in the Middle East and Singapore should
be seriously considered.
Public executions, amputation of limbs and whipping would drastically
reduce all crime, empty the prisons and court houses, clean up public
life and release billions saved thereby for development and welfare. Law
abiding citizens would be able to breathe freely again.
Will our politicians have the guts to put aside partisan politics and
unite for a common cause, for which they were elected: to make our
country a better place to live in?
Lincoln Wijeyesinghe, Dehiwala. |
