Will public officials learn from Thennakoon’s fall from grace?

The unfolding story around suspended Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Thennakoon, currently prevented by a Supreme Court from performing the duties and functions of the office, is a clear example of what ails not only the country’s police service but the public sector in general. Thennakoon, who was remanded on Thursday till 3 April by the Matara Magistrate’s Court in connection with his role in a shooting incident near a hotel in Weligama area in 2023, surrendered to Court on Wednesday after evading arrest for nearly 20 days.

Since then Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala has gone public with details of how many liquor bottles were in Thennakoon’s house and it was threats of confiscation of his property that made him surrender, all adding to the juicy story with which the public are enthralled at the moment. It’ll be so for a few days until the new drama begins to unfold. The public had the Batalanda report to keep them engrossed for a few days followed by the unfortunate incident of the rape of a lady doctor at the Anuradhapura hospital and now Thennakoon is providing them with the much needed relief from concentrating on more dreary matters they have to face on a daily basis including dealing with an inefficient and lethargic public and police service, which at most times is far from deserving of being called a ‘service.’

For years, the Sri Lanka state sector has been plagued by corruption, inefficiency and political interference and the trend continues under this Government as well, though seemingly to a lesser degree now. Thennakoon is but a snapshot of the emblematic nature of the conduct of the Sri Lanka police, for many of those in senior ranks rubbing shoulders with politicians is more important than ensuring the public are treated with the respect and attention they deserve when they need the assistance of the police.

The current acting IGP Priyantha Weerasuriya, at a press briefing a few weeks ago, overstepped his role as a public official and began a critique of those who held political office and got himself into a collision with the National Police Commission. We’ve seen the transfer of a large number of policemen including after the announcement of the local government elections which shows this Government is following its predecessors in making the Police Department a tool to further its interests. Worrying questions have been raised about the transfer of officers in the intelligence services which could jeopardise the entire service but politicians rarely think on those lines unless and until the country suffers due to these failures.

In Thennakoon’s case, for him it was more necessary to serve his political masters than do his job as a policeman and where he is today shows that all positions of power are temporary and fleeting.

The onetime Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga was one who also had to pay a price for caving into orders from politicians. There are a number of public officials who are either in jail or on bail due to using their powers in an illegal manner and for failing to stand up to politicians. Those who join the State sector usually remain in service for three decades or more unlike politicians who are elected for a few years and may or may not return to office. Which is why public officials should think twice about heeding the words of politicians and ensure that they do their job in a legal manner and according to the laid down laws.

We often see a policeman who sought a bribe of Rs. 500 being given disproportionately harsh sentences like jail time of five years while those who engage in big time corruption go free. If the attempt is to send a message that bribery will not be tolerated, it does little to dissuade those on the top as they know they can get away with their misdemeanours through their contacts in high places.

What the men and women at the head of the ministries, departments, etc. should do is lead by example, by being honest and hardworking and by not aligning themselves with different political parties. Otherwise the vicious circle continues and the country and the public both suffer.