Following the gruesome assassination of an organised crime suspect who was in the witness box of number five Magistrate’s Court in the Aluthkade Courts Complex, the Government and Opposition yesterday traded blame for the myriad of shortcomings which were exposed. It was interesting to note the Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala who in response to a question raised by the Opposition Leader, stated that while the Government expressed its disappointment about what transpired and that it had the Government's attention, went on to say that the said incident was an “isolated one linked to rivalries between organised crime gangs,” and did not pose any threat to national security of the country.   

The statement by the Public Security Minister, and some previous statements made by the current Deputy Minister of Defence regarding organised crime and national security, indicate that neither have comprehended what national security is. It is indeed a shame that Wijepala characterised the murder of a suspect inside one of Sri Lanka’s most important magistrate courts as an isolated incident. The symbolic message that criminal elements can penetrate the full depth of the Judiciary complex and assassinate a suspect in a witness box is not only a serious breach of security but a warning to the entire law enforcement and judicial system of the country. For the Public Security Minister to trivialise such a blatant violation of law and order and breach of security of a democratic State raises questions about how this Government views ‘national security’ as a whole. A country which has the very safety of its judicial mechanism so blatantly violated has its national security vulnerabilities laid bare. The failure to identify this and acknowledge it openly, is indicative of a government with its head buried in the sand.

This, however, should not come as a surprise for the Sri Lankan citizenry. For decades, the term ‘national security’ was hijacked by politicians to push narratives that suited their brand of politics. Sri Lanka has had little debate about what national security entails for us as a small island nation.  There is sparse public discourse on the topic. For a long time, all matters that fall under ‘defence’ were viewed as what ‘national security’ should be. Sri Lanka also lacks a national policy on what ‘national security’ means to the country.

In the United States, the National Security Council, once stated “Transnational organised crime (TOC) poses a significant and growing threat to national and international security, with dire implications for public safety, public health, democratic institutions, and economic stability across the globe. Not only are criminal networks expanding, but they also are diversifying their activities, resulting in the convergence of threats that were once distinct and today have explosive and destabilizing effects.” In Australia, the Attorney General’s Department has said that “Organised crime is a chronic and pervasive threat to Australia's national security. Organised crime systematically targets the safety, security and trust of our law-abiding citizens, the prosperity of our businesses and economy, and the integrity of our institutions.” In the United Kingdom, a report published in 2024 said: “Serious and organised crime (SOC) is now assessed by the Government to affect more people, more often, than any other national-security threat.”

Across the Palk Strait, in India, organised crime and linked ‘narcoterrorism’ is viewed as a national security threat, and is dealt with as such. Minister Wijepala, his Ministry and the Government are also well to remember that in 2021, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and India jointly had common national security concerns; “identified four pillars of cooperation under the Colombo Security Conclave, namely, Maritime Safety and Security, Terrorism and Radicalisation, Trafficking and Organised Crime and Cyber security: – during the first Deputy National Security Advisor Level Meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave. So, it seems that though Wijepala et al. are blissfully unaware, organised crime is and was already identified as a national security concern and threat.

Let us up hope that the Government's public security apparatus and defence establishment wise up quickly, before more serious breaches of national security happen, only to be brushed aside as an ‘isolated incident’. Meanwhile, it is high time for Sri Lankans to have an enlightened discussion on what national security means to us as a country, and how we should address it. A robust, honest and bipartisan discussion on this subject is timely.