Dilrook Kannangara

It has been rightly pointed out that police sniffer dogs must be sent to a Cabinet meeting, not to the Millennium City or military intelligence unit, to sniff out the killers of Lasantha and Prageeth. Ironically the sham ‘Good Governance’ regime harbours mass murderers like no other previous government did except perhaps the 1989-94 UNP regime.

In addition to the killers of Lasantha and Prageeth, there are other killers as well in this government today. They include the Batalanda killer who was instrumental in mass atrocities against Tamils (1983) and Sinhalese (1989) for a very long time. Another very senior minister of the same government was heavily involved in killing SLFP and JVP activists in the 1980s and in the assassination of SLFP provincial councilor Sunil Mendis in 1999. The murderer of a number of supporters of an iconic former Kotte mayor is also holding a senior ministerial post. The alleged leader of a paramilitary killer group in 1989 is also a very senior minister. He employed former LTTE terrorists to kill unarmed civilians in the south.

Another well-known murderer who was in and out of prison for it hailing from a province north of western province also graces the ‘Good Governance’ Cabinet. A killer of school principals from the south holds a promising portfolio in this government. The plotter of the killing of journalist Rohana Kumara (1999) is a very senior advisor to the government who is said to have got involved in an illicit sexual relationship with a popular personality.

Essentially this is a government of killers that have evaded justice thanks to political connections. Surely, they are capable of repeating their atrocities once again. The executive president uses his powers to save them and to punish totally innocent people. In addition, he has released terrorists responsible for mass murder. Calling this government ‘good governance’ is an insult to the intellect of the people.