The past few days witnessed a heavy Police and military presence in several areas of Colombo, city and suburbs, begetting various theories seeking the reason for the government’s need to tighten the security in the country’s capital. While some alleged that the government tightened the security with an ulterior motive to suppress a possible public uproar possibly caused by an alleged imminent and controversial political change, some interpreted this as just another attempt by the government to show its law enforcement and military power.

However, according to the Ministry of Defence, this sudden deployment of troops was part of a contingency drill they were conducting in Colombo, and the increased Police and military presence will remain for a few more days. As The Sunday Morning reported quoting the Ministry’s Director Media, these activities include a planned rehearsal for many contingencies which could range from responding to a natural disaster like a tsunami, or to prevent an act of terrorism. In addition, an operation to curtail the activities of organized crime including narcotics trafficking was also taking place with the participation of the police, assisted by the Army. Regardless, this move to hold a contingency drill could have been better managed, and communicated to the public, prior to its implementation. Authorities who plan such drills, if this indeed was the real operation, should have understood better that such an unannounced large deployment to the capitol city, in the absence of a prior explanation communicated to the public through media, would undoubtedly create a sense of panic. However, the Ministry of Defence has shown a greater lack of understanding and sensitivity in such actions and has ignored the importance of effective communication to the citizens.   All that the heavy Police and military presence created was anxiety in the minds of the people. Comments and posts on social media platforms in this regard bear witness to the public’s opinion.

Regardless of the accuracy of the authorities’ claims about the objectives of this exercise and also the expected outcomes which are supposed to be beneficial to the public, the immediate outcome of a large military force to the heart of Colombo caused anxiety and a fear among the public. The public are not to blame for this fear, and this fear is not irrational given the history experienced over many decades. The sudden deployment of armed military personnel, given the war time experiences and post war disruptions and terrorist attack, like that of Easter Sunday in April 2019, leave many in Colombo jittery, if they are unaware of the reason for such a military presence in large numbers.  The manner the peaceful protestors are often crushed and witnessing how the military and the Police dealt with the aragalaya movement also has done little to calm the nerves of those in the City.

Many citizens are today worried of what will transpire when scores of Police and military personnel are rushed into public places.  Also, no contingency exercises would actually bear fruit if the public does not want to cooperate with the Police and military personnel. The defence and law enforcement authorities should have been more concerned in planning such military exercises to have a clear public communication plan ready as part of the drill. Even in the case of what occurred last weekend, until the media reported the purpose of this exercise the next morning, there was no official announcement from any responsible party. Had the responsible authorities taken the measures to inform the public of this exercise beforehand, fear would not have arisen in the first place, at least not to this extent. This also calls on a bigger responsibility: Has the Government and authorities have forgotten or ignored that they are answerable to the public. While they do not have to consult the public with regard to every decision especially in those that have a direct impact on the public safety and certain elements of national security, they still cannot ignore their responsibility to keep the public apprised of their decisions, especially in times of peace. Sri Lanka is not at war anymore.  Needless to say, the absence of accurate and clear information is a breeding ground for unnecessary fears and fake news, which leads to panic and disruptions. A state of affairs, which the government is keen to avoid.

It is sad that the security establishment hasn’t learnt a lesson from the days of the Eelam conflict, that information and public perception is important for military outcomes. In peacetime, clarity and consistency with information helps improve public confidence. A lesson the Ministry of Defence can surely learn.