For some time now, public perception with regard to crime in this country is that if there is ever an unresolved crime, chances are that a politician is behind it. In fact, public perception has transformed to such an extent that the general norm that an individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty actually works in the reverse when it comes to a politician, where, by default, this particular category is considered guilty until proven otherwise. This is due to no other reason than the sheer impunity that politicians in this country continue to enjoy, no matter how heinous the crime, and therefore, are rarely ever brought before the law.

Even in the rare instance it does happen and conviction takes place, the impunity continues – as amply displayed by the failure of those found guilty of negligence in the Easter Sunday attacks to pay their fines by the specified deadline. Instead of being taken to task for disrespecting the highest court in the land, the four convicts are carrying on as if nothing happened; former President Maithripala Sirisena, who was fined Rs. 100 million, is even openly campaigning for the next presidency.

The people’s revulsion towards this state of affairs was amply displayed by the numerous banners and posters that were strung across the perimeter of the Presidential Secretariat during the people’s revolution last year, where politicians were reminded of the multiple unresolved crimes, most notably among them the Easter Sunday mass murder, the killing of renowned journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge whose next of kin are still waiting for justice 14 years after the tragic event, and numerous other crimes.

In Wickrematunge’s case, it has been widely reported that 90% of the investigation had been completed during the Yahapalanaya era between 2015 and 2019 and what remained were the mere formalities. Yet, the men who led that investigation, former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department Shani Abeysekara and Inspector Nishantha Silva were not allowed to complete the job and subsequently became the most persecuted cops. While Silva escaped to a foreign country in the nick of time, Abeysekara was thrown behind bars on bogus allegations, all of which were thrown into the dustbin by court, which cleared the top cop of all charges a few weeks back.

In a very forgetful country, where even the most serious of issues are forgotten in two weeks, one issue that has refused to be erased from memory over the course of the last four years is the Easter Sunday attacks and the mystery behind it. Like a rubber ball that refuses to go under water, this issue keeps hogging the headlines, much to the discomfort of many politicians who are forced to issue statements distancing themselves from damning allegations from time to time.

Be that as it may, similar to the aftermath of the brutal Wickrematunge murder, the average citizen smelled a rat about the official narrative of the Easter Sunday attacks even before the tears could dry up. Their suspicions were further aroused when just one week after the attacks, Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced his candidature for the presidency. As far as the timing went, not only was it brutally insensitive to a nation in shock, but screamed opportunism. 

Having marketed the gory event by promising better safety for the nation, justice for the victims, and a comprehensive investigation to get to the bottom of what certainly looked like a plot, and, in the process, even receiving the blessings of a naïve and helpless Cardinal who was hungry for the truth, just two years into his term, the President who was elected by 6.9 million voters could not even ensure his own safety and had to flee the country.

Now, the Easter attacks issue is back in the limelight along with the former President, this time with Britain’s State-owned Channel 4 news network airing a controversial episode that directly pointed the finger at political foul play. While none of what was aired was seemingly unknown to the majority of the population after two key political figures had already exposed almost all of what Channel 4 had to say on the matter in Parliament itself last year, what was new however was that the allegations were actually sourced to an individual who had been a close associate of the powers that be at the time of the attack.

In fact, the two politicians who made the almost identical revelations in Parliament as Opposition MPs, even sporting black shawls to boot and now active ministers in the Government, have not withdrawn their allegations to date. Given the status quo where the hierarchy of the Government through the Defence Ministry has now officially dismissed the Channel 4 claims as false, nothing has been said to date of the revelations of the two ministers. Therefore, it is obvious that the circus surrounding this most despicable crime is still continuing.

We use the word ‘circus’ because the day following the Channel 4 exposé, a ‘demonstration’ was held opposite the British High Commission in Colombo condemning the British broadcaster. However, what gave the whole thing away was the absence of Police battalions that usually appear at the mere whisper of a ‘protest’ these days, firing water cannons and tear gas. To add insult to injury, when social media activists inquired from the protesters as to why they were protesting, their response was a sheepish smile followed by ‘I don’t know’.

It is these seemingly-innocuous political theatrics that eventually contribute to and strengthen public perception of a cover-up. After all, perception is not something that can be bought or, arguably, created, but is the result of insightful observation over a period of time. The political leadership – past and present – rather than going to great lengths to absolve themselves from the allegations being made, can easily put the issue to rest by simply honouring the promise made by the current President to bring in Britain’s Metropolitan Police, also known as Scotland Yard, to investigate the matter. After all, if there were no masterminds and the matter did not merit further investigation, there was no reason for the President to promise an international investigation one year ago.

Such an independent investigation free of local political pressure will not only help clear the negative perception about continuing political foul play, but also show the country in a better light in the international arena and, last but not least, win back the confidence of the Catholic community in particular and the people in general. 

If that too is too much to ask, then the Government has the option of suing the British State broadcaster for all that it is worth, as it has already gone on public record terming its revelations as ‘lies’. Without resorting to any of these measures or, in the least, even allowing the original Police officers who had made headway into the investigation before being persecuted to continue their work, claiming falsehood rings hollow and will only strengthen public perception to the contrary.

One must not forget the fact that the attacks were only one aspect of the larger canvas where the intent appears to have been to create a communal bloodbath between the Christians and the Muslims. The fact that it did not materialise is solely due to the efforts of Cardinal Ranjith, who within minutes after the attacks, while still holding his head in shock, pacified those demanding revenge and reached out to the Muslim community. Had this not happened, Easter Sunday 2019 would have turned out to be a lot more gruesome. It is for this reason that a comprehensive investigation is required even at this late stage in order to restore public perception of justice being done.