New Law and Order State Minister begins journey on wrong foot
Piyasena Gamage, the latest State Minister appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena, made news straightaway – only for the wrong reasons.
He got rebuffed by the Police when he asked for crack STF commandos for his son, and then went on to face allegations that he berated a policeman in a rural station for apprehending one of his supporters who broke the law. The State Minister was given, of all ministries that of Law and Order.
The newly appointed State Minister who was waiting in the wings since August 2015 until a court order removed the sitting MP and one-time actress Geetha Kumarasinghe, has probably still to realise he is part of a government whose motto is Yahapalanaya.
The drama was played out on New Year’s Day, barely days after Mr. Gamage was sworn in as the Minister of State for Law and Order and Southern Development on December 28.
Naturally, his supporters, who had remained politically dormant, became jubilant. They organised a ‘reception’ for their hero at Nagoda in the Galle District. For a moment they forgot the law, perhaps in the knowledge it could now be broken and mended if the need arose, by their new boss. So all of them rode on motorcycles, escorting the State Minister without wearing protective helmets. According to traffic laws, it is a punishable offence.
An alert traffic policemen booked one of them and imposed a spot fine. He was asked to pay the amount at a post of fice before he returned to the Police station to collect his driving licence.
The next thing the Police officer saw was State Minister Gamage storming the station. An officer, who spoke on grounds of anonymity for fear of reprisals said, “The State Minister used harsh and abusive language and demanded that the charge be withdrawn. We were shocked that he was not helping the Police to enforce law and order and encouraging his supporters to break the law.” The Police stood their ground and insisted that the offender should pay the fine. With political power not producing results, he agreed to pay up to have his licence back.
Mr Gamage denied the accusation. He told the Sunday Times “It is true I went to the Police station. The person involved (in committing the offence) was one of my escorts and was stopped for riding without a helmet. I asked the Police why they were acting in an inhuman way on a Poya Day (January 1). I did not use any abusive language or threaten anyone. I did make a request for the man’s release.”
In making those remarks, the State Minister for Law and Order confirms two important facts – that he went to the Police station and sought the release of one of his men. He also believes that laws are suspended on Poya Day.
That is not all. Just before this episode, days earlier, the newly appointed State Minister telephoned Senior DIG M.R. Latiff, Commandant of the Police Special Task Force (STF). He asked that an STF contingent provide personal security for his son, Randima Gamage, a member of the S o u t h e r n Prov i n c i a l Council. All this time, the son was quite safe and sound. Suddenly, he too needed protection from the police commandos.
A senior STF source said that “the State Minister was politely advised by the Commandant to make his request through proper channels. That was to make a request to the Ministry of Defence after which a ‘threat assessment’ could be made.” If such an assessment confirmed the Provincial Councillor faced any threats, and a request was made by the Ministry to the STF, through the Law and Order Ministry, security could be provided, the source added.