When a new enemy challenges the national security of the country a few years after vanquishing an old enemy, it is important to understand the structure and strategies of that enemy.
by Bentota Unnanse
False information spread by politicians and certain groups throughout the society regarding the intelligence services of the country will inevitably cause long term structural damage to the country. There are a number of fateful events that members of the intelligence services have had to face. The great betrayal at the Millennium City in Athurugiriya is just one such incident. Narrow criticism that distorts the truth is always conducive to short-term and long-term national destruction. Therefore, I think it is important to make a brief note on this subject. We urge you to refrain from harassing these unsung heroes who give life to the strength of the backbone of the country.
Unlike other countries, our country has not adequate literature to understand the role of intelligence services. There are no constructive conversations about this evolving subject of safely and wellbeing. There are no “patriots” to praises the genuine servicemen and servicewomen worked around the clock to make our beds safe for sleeping. We, the laymen and laywomen, are having sound sleep at night when these men and women behind the scene are tirelessly committed to safe our nation.
But some criticize their services and hard work to gain personal and political mileages. This is an extremely unfortunate situation. It is okay if you do not sing praises about them. But, it is the common responsibility to avoid spreading falsehoods about them. Intelligence services of the country are not the panacea to satisfy each other's desires.
In this context, it is unfortunate that state secrets and other values within this scope are being misused for narrow political purposes. The best example of this is the role of the commissions appointed to investigate the Easter attacks. It can be observed that those commissions did a lot of things that should not be done in public domain. True, it is a national responsibility to investigate such mayhem. But their primary purpose should be to ensure the non-recurrence of such attacks and to protect the state and law-abided people from future threats. Sensitive records on investigation should not be misused for unjust retaliation against officials who have performed their duties in the face of various obstacles and for the purpose of damaging their reputation.
The Easter attack was the first major incident for Sri Lanka to experience the cruelty of Islamic extremism. At that time, the two main rulers of the country were at loggerheads politically. The nature of the rule of those rulers was a joke not only to the whole country but to the whole world. In such an environment the basic structure of the country was deteriorating. None of them considered national security to be such a significant issue of concern. They tried their best to cover up their failures using rhetoric. The Easter attack was a tragedy caused by this political negligence. A good example of this is the letter sent to Minister Madduma Bandara when he was the Minister of Law and Order in previous government by then the Director of the State Intelligence Service. The Commission has deliberately ignored such an important document for some surprisingly unknown reason.
When a new enemy challenges the national security of the country a few years after vanquishing an old enemy, it is important to understand the structure and strategies of that enemy. The old enemy who fought with the intention of separating a part of the country was a terrorist organization centred around a single individual. But the new enemy is a group of terrorists based on an ideology. The methodology used to understand the old enemy is not compatible with the new enemy, Islamic extremism. But many make the same mistake. Consequently, various conspiracy theories are used to misunderstand this deep ideological issue and its skill of challenging the social fabric.
Most people who talk about it do not seem to understand this basic structural point. Unfortunately, even the Cardinal, who seems to have a strong concern in this regard, does not seem to speak with a broad understanding of this. Many became gossipers when talking about this novel threat.
Going to investigate the first attack of this new enemy and exposing the human and technological resources of Sri Lankan intelligence services to the society will inevitably cause prejudice and harm to the country. This is something that should not happen. It is unfortunate that there is a tendency to focus only on matters that are detrimental to the country, even though there are many other issues that need to be exposed and discussed at the national level. In such a situation, those who work for the security of the state will inevitably be discouraged. If we dream of moving forward as a country, shouldn't we give up these foolish habits immediately?
The intelligence services, including the state intelligence service, are committed to a wide range of areas in the country. There should be a general appreciation and respect for these institutions, which carry out a great national mission with minimum facilities. Many people in the country are narrow-minded and, unfortunately, do not even dream of the responsibilities they owe to the country as citizens. This attitude must change. Narrow criticism does not benefit the country and the people.
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