No role for the military

There is no doubt Sri Lanka is now in the throes of a full-blown crisis of governance. The economy is teetering on the edge of collapse and the political leadership has become dysfunctional and ineffective. Despite having secured the most powerful executive through the 20th amendment to the constitution, the administration of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has become dysfunctional and impotent in the wake of countrywide protests against his presidency.

Despite this chaotic situation, there are many democratic options available to ensure a non-violent transition out of the current impasse.  The prospect of abolishing the executive presidency on an urgent basis remains one such option, and possibly the best way forward. What is necessary is a solution that would curb popular anger and get the country back on track towards economic recovery.

In the midst of this crisis, there are troubling signs emerging. While a vast majority of protests have been peaceful, even taking on a jovial, celebratory atmosphere, on rare occasions sporadic incidents of violence have been reported. The Government's incompetence and failed policy has undoubtedly pushed people beyond their limits of endurance and the public mood is seething. Yet it is hoped that the demonstrators will refuse to allow the anger to spill over into violence against individuals and property. Such incidents delegitimise and erode the groundswell of public sentiment that has risen to demand genuine change in a corrupt, inefficient and incompetent system.

The even more disturbing development is the overreaction of the county’s powerful military to the protests. Days ago, the army’s Special Forces, geared for military combat in unmarked motorcycles and face coverings were sent to the midst of an anti-government demonstration. Police officers on duty at the site turned these individuals away and prevented any escalation of the situation.

In an outrageous development, the Army Commander has now demanded that the IGP hold an inquiry into the conduct of the police officers. This comes in the wake of Secretary to the Ministry of Defence retired Major General Kamal Gunaratne issuing a chilling statement recently that in his view the protests have gone beyond the democratic framework and informing the public that the military stands ready to safeguard law and order and public security.

First and foremost it is not the role of the secretary to the ministry of defence, a mere public servant to determine what is democratic and what is not nor is it the duty of the military to protect law and order or the public security. There are police to do that job which also has specialised units to handle riots and the Special Task Force (STF) for more severe threats. 

On occasion the military is required to intervene; it should be done on a specific request of a senior police officer. Therefore, such intimidation tactics as witnessed with the ‘hooded men’ should be condemned. Military officers carrying out such orders should recall the incident at Rathupaswala in 2013, where public unrest was put down by the military by shooting at the protesters and killing three people. Even though no one was held accountable for that crime, officers with command responsibility should not assume that will be the case in the future.

Now that the president has rescinded declaration of emergency the role of the military should further deescalate. The Sri Lankan military is on thin ice with its human rights record. It faces multiple allegations and there are several moves towards international jurisdiction against military officers involved in the final stage of the armed conflict. Unlike incidents that happened in the war zone, the current incidents are happening in the full glare of local and international media and ‘citizen journalists’ with smartphones. The recent incident involving the police and the army was on social media within minutes of it happening. Therefore, every military officer should be aware of carrying out unconstitutional orders and in violation of the rights of the people.

Sri Lanka is a country with a history of 90-year continuous democracy. The people and their elected leaders are quite able to resolve the current impasse through democratic means. The best role the Sri Lankan military could play at this juncture is to comprehend its role within a democracy and stay out of the fray.