- Only 1 out of 5 'immediate actions' fully implemented

By Charindra Chandrasena

The Government has virtually ignored a set of recommendations made by over 60 prominent business leaders and senior professionals exactly three weeks ago to re-establish a peaceful atmosphere in Sri Lanka following the Easter Sunday terror attacks. In a letter seen by The Sunday Morning Business, dated 28 April and addressed to the President and Prime Minister, these 60-plus individuals, along with five leading business chambers, listed five 'immediate actions' to be implemented  to enhance national security and safety as well as to prevent retaliatory attacks and promote racial harmony. Of the five immediate actions recommended by this letter, only one has been fully implemented, namely the appointment of a person with military experience to the position of Secretary of Defence. General Shantha Kottegoda, who was the 17th Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from 1 July 2004 – 5 December 2005 and served in the Army for 36 years in total, was appointed as the new Secretary of Defence, succeeding Hemasiri Fernando.  He also has diplomatic experience having been the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil and Thailand. However, this appointment was made on 29 April, one day after the date on the letter, and the process for it began before the 28 April with Sirisena ordering Fernando to step down from his position. The second recommendation, which has been partially implemented, was to strengthen the National Security Council (NSC), particularly by involving the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and Opposition Leader. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene repeatedly stated in the days following the attacks that they had not been a part of the NSC meetings since the beginning of the constitutional crisis in October 2018. Since these statements were made, however, Wickremesinghe and Wijewardene have been included in the NSC meetings, although Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has still not been included as recommended. Currently the NSC, chaired by Sirisena, includes Wickremesinghe, Wijewardene, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, Minister of Law and Order, permanent secretaries of these ministers’ respective ministries. Chief of the Defence Staff, Commander of the Army, Commander of the Navy, Commander of the Air Force, and Inspector General of Police are listed as statutory attendees of the NSC. The third recommendation was to establish a single source of communication for matters of national security and safety, similar to the “Media Centre for National Security” that existed during the war, to combat the spread of fake news and unverified information. The letter adds that there should be only one spokesperson in this department who is authorised to speak to the media and he or she should also be a member of the NSC. It also recommends a daily security update at least for the next 3 months to keep the public aware of the situation. This third recommendation is yet to be followed. While Police Media Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara has intermittently updated the public about the security situation, the Government has not officially declared him as the single source of information for the Government with regard to security-related matters. Furthermore, the Government has failed to establish an official NSC Twitter handle and an official Facebook page which is regularly updated as recommended in the letter. It has also failed to instruct all ministers and government officials that they are not permitted to communicate any information regarding security matters as recommended. The fourth recommendation of establishing a national threat level system with a “Threat Level Indicator” ranging from one to three or based on a colour code has been completely disregarded. This indicator was meant to provide the general public sufficient information to enable them to make decisions about their personal safety. The final recommendation was to continue strong actions to prevent backlash against any community, especially with the President and Prime Minister making clear statements that this is not a battle within Sri Lanka but a battle between Sri Lanka and international fundamentalist terrorists. While both President and Prime Minister made comments to this effect, it is unclear whether it was done with the frequency and conviction expected by the letter. Either way, whatever statements that were made did not succeed in preventing communal violence, which erupted on 13 and 14 May in several regions. It was also interesting to note that the President was was in China on an official state visit during this period. The Sunday Morning Business spoke to several prominent figures among the 60-plus signatories to get their reaction to the response from the Government to the letter. Information and Communications Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka Chair Prof. Rohan Samarajiva said he was "somewhat disappointed" with the recommendations not being fully implemented. "I am somewhat disappointed. Our proposals were mostly about coordinating intelligence and creating an environment of trust and certainty. The National Security Council is about making sure that all this information comes to the people who can take action,” he said. However, he added that no country in the world could assure a 100% terrorism-free environment and commended the measures taken by the Government towards this end. Sunshine Holdings Group Managing Director Vish Govindasamy said the most important recommendations were the appointment of a suitable official to the post of Defence Secretary followed by the designation of a single media spokesperson. “We wanted a single spokesperson and for that person to be the only voice. That has not been done. The Police Media Spokesperson seems to be the one, but whether they are endorsing him as a single point is the question now. When we asked both the President and Prime Minister, they said he was the official spokesman and to believe whatever he said,” Govindasamy said. LAUGFS Holdings Chairman W.K.H. Wegapitiya stated that given the current situation in the country, it was not fair to expect the Government to implement all these five recommendations rapidly. “Their priority is to establish peace and reconciliation among the religions and the citizen, which is the reason behind these curfews and the emergency situation. I think we need to give them some time, because unlike the previous Government, this Government is a coalition – hence there are differences,” he stated. Wegapitiya added that several incidents would have been avoided if authorities acted promptly, but that he was optimistic of the Government implementing the recommendations proposed by them in time. In addition to the above three, the letter was signed by prominent business personalities such as Brandix Lanka CEO Ashroff Omar, Softlogic Holdings Chairman Ashok Pathirage, MAS Holdings Chairman Mahesh Amalean, Hemas Holdings Chairman Husein Esufally, leading investor Sohli Captain and Expolanka Holdings CEO Hanif Yusoof. In addition to the 60-plus individuals, the letter was endorsed by the 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 (FCCISL) and National Chamber of Exporters (NCE).