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Blurb
An influential and successful group of 62 business leaders and professionals, along with four major trade chambers, handed over an urgent action plan to strengthen security as well as harmony in the country to President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday.
In their joint signed petition, the group, comprising individuals from all ethnicities, emphasised that the Easter Sunday mayhem confirmed that Sri Lanka is no longer excluded from Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. They pointed out that the President, the Prime Minister and the Government of Sri Lanka have grossly failed in their collective primary duty, which is to ensure the safety and security of its citizens, by underestimating the threat posed by these terrorists, and by being totally unprepared to respond in a timely manner.
Identifying themselves as patriots, the group listed five immediate actions as well as related initiatives, which they believe will help prevent any further damage to the nation, and safeguard the process of rebuilding.
The first of the five recommendations has already been implemented, being related to the appointment of a person with military experience to the position of Secretary of the Ministry of Defence. The other four are:
Given the critical importance of their timely initiative, the Daily FT publishes their letter in full, along with the signatories. The Group has published a Google form which can be shared, to allow those keen to register their support for this action to add their signatures to the petition. Please visit http://bit.ly/saveSL and fill in the form. The form only has the English document currently. The Sinhala and Tamil translations are in progress and will be updated shortly.
Sri Lanka has had many years of inter-religious strife. We do need to address those issues, but it is not acceptable to use this attack as a scapegoat to exacerbate those problems against the Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, or any other community of our people. We already see various groups attempting to do that, and it’s critical that the President and Prime Minister repeatedly make clear statements that this war is not about us, but rather Sri Lanka vs. international terrorist actors.
The Easter Sunday attacks bear testament to the alarming reality that Sri Lanka is no longer excluded from the effects of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. What became clear in the aftermath of this tragedy is that the President, the Prime Minister and the Government of Sri Lanka have grossly failed in their collective primary duty, which is to ensure the safety and security of its citizens, by underestimating the threat posed by these terrorists, and by being totally unprepared to respond in a timely manner. This resulted in an inability to prevent and mitigate the tragic loss of life and limb that occurred on Sunday 21 April. In the chaos that ensued following this tragedy, senior officials in the Government have continuously made irresponsible, conflicting, and callous statements. It is truly a reason for alarm that terrorists were able to orchestrate an attack of this enormity, despite the Sri Lankan Government having had prior intelligence of a potential significant threat to national security.
The complete lack of accountability, transparency, and the irresponsible disregarding of intelligence reports towards the fundamental protection of Sri Lankan citizens and businesses, has left citizens across the country shaken and without confidence in the elected Government. It is clear that the need of the hour is strong intelligence gathering and security infrastructure, decisive and accountable leadership, and strong communication to combat this continued threat, while subduing any unrest and ensuring the unabated freedom and rights of Sri Lankan citizens.
As citizens, we have experienced first-hand the devastating effects of the Government’s inability to provide clear, consistent, and coherent communications to the public. With no communication from the Government on security protocols to be followed, or what is expected of its citizens at this crucial time, reliance is placed on unverified documents, and speculation circulating via social media and other means. This is not only wholly unacceptable, but also the terrifying reality for the people of this country.
The Government has Ministers making ad hoc and often poorly informed statements, likely with the desired goal of gaining local political mileage and international visibility. This is confusing Sri Lankans, and embarrassing Sri Lanka on the international stage. It causes anguish among different communities, and also deteriorates trust in the Government. Appoint a single Government authority to speak on national security matters, similar to the ‘Media Centre for National Security’ that existed during the war. Within this, there should be only one key spokesperson authorised to comment to the media, and that person should be a member of the NSC. This could be structured as a ‘NSC Media Centre’, for instance.
We believe the country needs immediate action to address the following vital issues to prevent any further damage to our nation and to safeguard the process of rebuilding:
1. Appoint a person with military experience to the position of Secretary of Defense
It is imperative that a person who has extensive knowledge of national security and military affairs, and who commands the respect of the heads of the armed forces, be appointed urgently to this position. The person should have National Defense College or equivalent level of military education.
2. Strengthen the National Security Council
As the body that is responsible for the security and safety of the nation, the National Security Council (NSC) is currently dysfunctional and divided. It is clear upon closer examination and reinforced by the statements of Government officials that this vital state organ has become politicised, and no longer serves its primary mandate of protecting national interests.
The following changes must be made with immediate effect:
Change the membership to consist of the President, the Prime Minister, relevant Ministers (Defense and Law & Order in particular), two Members of Parliament with prior military/police experience, and the Leader of the Opposition, in addition to other officials that are compulsorily required in the Security Council.
The differences of opinion between the President and Prime Minister are well known. However, given the security situation in the country and the critical role the NSC plays in managing it, this is not the time for your differences to be an issue with regards to the proper functioning of the NSC. It is imperative that you both put your differences aside and work together at least in the NSC: The nation must not be held to ransom due to the inability of its elected officials to discharge their sworn duty.
3. Establish a single source of communication regarding national security matters
Today, the Government has Ministers making ad hoc and often poorly informed statements, likely with the desired goal of gaining local political mileage and international visibility. This is confusing Sri Lankans, and embarrassing Sri Lanka on the international stage. It causes anguish among different communities, and also deteriorates trust in the Government.
The country needs the following with immediate effect:
Change the membership of the NSC to consist of the President, the Prime Minister, relevant Ministers (Defense and Law & Order in particular), two Members of Parliament with prior military/police experience, and the Leader of the Opposition, in addition to other officials that are compulsorily required in the Security Council. The differences of opinion between the President and Prime Minister are well-known. However, given the security situation in the country and the critical role the NSC plays in managing it, this is not the time for your differences to be an issue with regards to the proper functioning of the NSC. It is imperative that you both put your differences aside and work together at least in the NSC. The nation must not be held to ransom due to the inability of its elected officials to discharge their sworn duty.
a. Appoint a single Government authority to speak on national security matters, similar to the ‘Media Centre for National Security’ that existed during the war. Within this, there should be only one key spokesperson authorised to comment to the media, and that person should be a member of the NSC. This could be structured as a ‘NSC Media Centre’, for instance.
b. This authority (existing or new) must be resourced with the right people and the right skills to communicate in all 3 languages and on all media platforms (online new media as well as traditional print and electronic media). They should also have clear crisis communications protocols that are followed.
c. Through this authority, the NSC must provide a daily security briefing to the public, at least for the next three months. We of course expect that the public will not be given full information - but given enough to understand the current situation, without politics or rhetoric.
d. Establish a single NSC Twitter feed, and a Facebook page which is also updated at that time.
e. Use the online channels to respond to rumours, as well as to make any immediate announcements that are necessary during the course of the 24 hours between the daily briefings.
f. Instruct all Ministers and all Government officials that they are not permitted to communicate any information regarding security matters. Media outlets will be instructed to not ask any such officials for commentary, as those would not be considered formal Government communication to the people. All communications must be channelled through the NSC spokesperson.
4. Establish a National Threat Level system
The public needs a simple and credible way to understand the security situation in the country at any given time, which gives them sufficient information to make decisions about their personal safety. Many other countries have a simple “Threat Level Indicator” system such as a scale ranging from 1 to 3, or colour-coding.
The country’s situation demands that the NSC set up a similar system with immediate effect, and that the threat level be updated daily for the next two weeks, and thereafter updated as per NSC decisions based on change of threat level.
5. Continue strong actions to prevent backlash against any community
We applaud the precautionary night curfews that have been put in place. We request that those continue as long as necessary, and that all leaders clearly communicate that this is not a battle within our nation, but rather of Sri Lanka vs. fundamentalist terrorists with a global ideology of destruction. Political leaders must continue to firmly reiterate that this is not a battle with people of that faith. These leaders must also take demonstrable measures to assuage the fears of communities facing backlash.
Sri Lanka has had many years of inter-religious strife. We do need to address those issues, but it is not acceptable to use this attack as a scapegoat to exacerbate those problems against the Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, or any other community of our people.
The public needs a simple and credible way to understand the security situation in the country at any given time, which gives them sufficient information to make decisions about their personal safety. Many other countries have a simple “Threat Level Indicator” system such as a scale ranging from 1 to 3 or colour-coding. The country’s situation demands that the NSC set up a similar system with immediate effect, and that the threat level be updated daily for the next two weeks, and thereafter updated as per NSC decisions based on change of threat level.
We already see various groups attempting to do that, and it’s critical that the President and Prime Minister repeatedly make clear statements that this war is not about us, but rather Sri Lanka vs. international terrorist actors. The key concerns articulated above are shared amongst all the signatories of this letter. We also believe that these are shared by the wider public. We are forced to communicate in this manner with you, due to the inaction that we have seen in the past week, and because of the widely known intra-Government conflicts. In developing the above recommendations, we have consulted with experts, and have had considered deliberations. We know that the above measures are implementable and realistic.
We trust that the Government will take the necessary action to address these inadequacies of its national security infrastructure, and place the safety and security of its citizens above partisan politics and petty blame games.
You have our unconditional support to help secure the nation.
Concerned Citizens of Sri Lanka.
This letter to the President and Prime Minister was originated by the following concerned citizens:
Ajita de Zoysa, Ajith Fernando, Ajit Gunewardene, Ajith Pasqal, Ajith Tudawe, Aman Ashraff, Ananda Caldera, Anarkalie Moonesinghe, Asgi Akbarally, Ashan Abeysundera, Ashoka Pathirage, Ashroff Omar, Bathiya Jayakody, Chandula Abeywickrama, D.K. Rajapakse, Dinesh Saparamadu, Dr. Chandana Gamage, Dr. Ruvan Weerasinghe, Dr. Sanjiva Weerawarana, Dumindra Ratnayake, Fazal Mushin, Fouzul Hameed, Gamika de Silva, Ganesh Eswaran, Hanif Yusoof, Harsha Alles, Harsha Purasinghe, Harsha Subasinghe, Hussein Esufally, Jeevan Gnanam, Katsuri Chellaraja Wilson, Kumara Semage, Lalith Kahatapitiya, M.P.T. Cooray, Mahen Weerasekera, Mahesh Amalean, Mangala Karunaratne, Mano Sekaram, Merrill J Fernando, Nathan Sivagananathan, Nayana Dehigama, Nisthar Cassim, Otara Gunewardene, Prabash Subasinghe, Prof. Asitha de Silva, Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, Rajendra Theagarajah, Ramya Weerakoon, Ruwan Edirisinghe, Samantha Ranatunga, Sandamini Perera, Sandya Salgado, Santhush Weeraman, Sarinda Unamboowe, Shea Wickramasinghe, Shevantha Rodrigo, Shiromal Cooray, Shiham Marikkar, Sohli Captain, Sulochana Segara, Suresh Shah, Thishya Weragoda, Vijaya Malalasekera, Vish Govindasamy, and W.K.H. Wegapitiya.
The following organisations have endorsed this letter:
Alliance of Lankan Entrepreneurial Chambers (ALEC), Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), Chamber of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE), Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCILS) and National Chamber of Exporters (NCE).
