Failure to arrest MP Piyal Nishantha for his blatant lie suspicious: Political analysts

Political Commentators have expressed their suspicions about the failure to arrest SLPP frontliner and UPFA member Piyal Nishantha for attempting to racially provoke people by falsely claiming that 11 troops had lost their lives in a crossfire with a terror outfit. According to the commentators this has raised serious concerns on the current state of the country’s rule of law. 

At a time where the country is reeling from a terrorist and suicide bomb attack, such comments which may create suspicions between various religious communities cannot be taken lightly they pointed out. 

According to them, it is unlikely that as a responsible MP, Piyal Nishantha was unaware that such comments could lead to religious and racial riots in the country, especially as he was employed as a teacher before joining politics. They also point out that claiming that 11 soldiers had died in the operation on the television program during a time the public were in shock 10 years after the war ended could not have been accidental. 

They say it appears the MP had planned to make the comment and when questioned by the interviewer, the MP had claimed he takes full responsibility for the comment in a bid to convince the public that the false claim was in fact true. 

However, despite his claim, the Police Media Spokesman and the Army Commander for the Eastern Province had stressed that no harm had come to any of the troops engaged in the raid. As a result, it is evident that the claim made by the MP is both false and misleading. 

Political analysts point out that the MP had attempted to drag the country towards yet another Black July in 1983. Commenting on the matter one analyst said: 

“Black July riots commenced when the LTTE attacked a military convoy on July 23, 1983 in the North. 13 Soldiers died in this attack. Their funerals should have been held in their own villages. However, on the 24th, it was decided that all the funerals will be held en masse at the Borella Cemetery. This is where the attacks against the Tamil community commenced spreading to other areas in the country”. 

“It was the moment of their burial in Colombo that prepared the people for the attack. A much more serious situation would have unraveled on the night of 26th. The Easter Sunday attack happened on the 21st. The whole country was in shock. The Buddhist community would have taken the news as 11 soldiers being killed in one place at the same time on the day the traditional seventh day almsgiving was being held”

“Luckily the authorities had imposed curfew and were conducting search operations across the country. After 30 years of war it also appeared that the people had rejected such behaviour. But even if few incidents of violence took place and if any Sinhalese were harmed, the country would have been in real danger.”

“We also must not forget that if race riots had taken place all the operations being conducted against the terrorists by the Tri-forces and the Police would have stopped. Only a few number of people are involved in these terror activities and the whole Muslim community is not involved in this. It is these people who are providing us with important information on the terror suspects. According to security forces, these people are continuing to support in their efforts”. 

“But look at the comment made by the MP Piyal Nishantha. What if the fire he started spread quickly. Will the Muslims then support our forces? The Black July of 1983 pushed the innocent Tamils towards the LTTE. This time around, the Muslims would have been pushed towards international terrorism. Isn't that our real challenge? Our country would have become yet another Sudan if so.”

“What we must understand now is the politics behind the attempt to make this country a graveyard. That politics wants blood of  a river to run in this country so that a supposed hero or saviour can appear asking for the peoples' vote to save them.”

“I remember Minister Mangala Samaraweera had grasped this. At the very first moment, he said some who engage in politics fueled by blood would try to gain political advantage at this time. He therefore had complained to the CID in this regard as well. But where are the investigations on this matter?”

“This is why we are pointing out that the failure to take action against the MP has caused serious doubts on the enforcement of the country’s rule of law. If a common man did something similar what would his fate be? He would have been dragged away by now. Doesn't this apply to Piyal Nishantha? Is there a political mandate to cause race riots through this attack and aftermath? Shouldn't the MP therefore be questioned in this regard? And what is most dangerous is that he has since failed to come out in public and apologize for the false comments made by him on a public platform”.