Don’t let political bickering compromise national security

With Easter Sunday around the corner, memories of the senseless slaughter of close to 300 innocent people comes to mind. The multiple terrorist attacks on churches and several star class hotels on 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, also injured more than 500 others, many of them seriously. In 2021, the Attorney General’s Department filed charges against 25 persons in connection with the attacks. The cases are pending in court.

Additionally, in 2021, the US Justice Department announced that three Sri Lankan citizens have been charged with terrorism offenses, including conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation (ISIS) and these men are a part of a group of ISIS supporters which called itself “ISIS in Sri Lanka.” The men are currently in detention in Sri Lanka. 

This is the legal status which is the outcome of exhaustive investigations into the terrorist attacks in which several foreign intelligence personnel also took part along with the Sri Lanka Police/intelligence. This outcome sounds too sober and straightforward for many in the country given the overload of conspiracy theories linked to the attacks thrust on them in the past five years. This trend does not seem to be on the wane with former President Maithripala Sirisena, who was president when the attacks took place, adding more fuel to the conspiracy fire by stating a few days ago that he is aware of the identity of the mastermind behind the attacks.

Sirisena is known for making sensational claims, mainly to remain relevant at a time his political fortunes have hit rock bottom.

The obvious question many are asking is why he kept silent if he had information relating to the attacks, but his defence is he was given the information only three weeks ago. Sirisena has come across as an unreliable and deceptive individual, but his claims have once again fuelled the conspiracy theory mill.

Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has unfortunately contributed to the conspiracy theories that get peddled all too often. Former AG Dappula de Livera also made a sensational claim on the eve of his retirement claiming there was a conspiracy behind the attacks but has yet to substantiate his claim. 

When one expects a level headed and sober look into the facts and not more sensationalism, it is sorely absent even from those who should be assisting the authorities in the investigations instead of trying to undo months of investigations that were done by both the local police with the assistance of several international agencies.

The fact is that terrorism is very much alive in the world and no country is immune from it. The recent terror attack on a concert hall in the Russian capital Moscow in which close to 140 people were killed has been linked to the IS. It is a wakeup call to the world as well as Sri Lanka. What is needed is for relevant authorities to remain alert to future terror threats and not allow political bickering to compromise national security as it happened in 2019 with tragic results. Also political parties in particular should stop using the 2019 attacks as a springboard to power at least now. In all this little thought is given to the families of the victims and survivors of these heinous terrorist attacks. The country and other nations whose nationals were killed in these attacks must unite to punish those who planned and carried out these attacks. Continuing to politicise this terrible tragedy is the worst injustice that is being done to the victims and their family members.