Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is determined that the perpetrators of the deadly Easter day blasts are punished and Sri Lanka comes back to normalcy. In a candid interview with THE WEEK, Wickremesinghe lists his priorities after the blasts, his relationship with President Maithiripala Sirisena and the communal strife in Sri Lanka.
Excerpts:
You said you did not get intelligence inputs about the attacks. Why?
I do not know why the information did not reach me. But that is not the issue. The issue is the information which was available and not acted upon. If the information was acted upon, the attacks could have been prevented. Whether I knew it or not would have been just news for the Sunday papers. But it has become a national tragedy. So that is the question. But yes, as prime minister, I should have been informed. So, a commission has been appointed to look into it.
You said you were not invited to the national security council meetings since October.
I was not called. But not many meetings of the council had taken place.
Doesn’t law and order come under your purview?
It comes under the cabinet. Not under me. We are collectively responsible.
What was the reason for the intelligence breakdown?
It went down. They did not act on it.
Are you probing it now?
Yes. We have appointed a commission.
When is it likely to submit its report?
I do not know. I am rather concerned about the future, not the past. I am concerned about how do you apprehend the perpetrators, get information and see whether there are other groups. Ensuring the security of the country is my primary concern.
Do you think the home-grown terrorist cell had links with Islamic State?
They had some contact. We do not know the extent of it, but that is being investigated.
Does it have links with groups in India?
We are working with our counterparts to see if they had any such connection.
Are you getting intelligence support from India?
We are getting information from India and also from other countries. And our own system is working. Our people got moving in two-three hours, and within 12 hours, they got vital information about some of the key suspects.
What kind of support are you getting from India?
All the information that we want and any other support they wish to give us, like many other countries.
Are you directly in touch with the Indian ministry of foreign affairs?
I cannot be specific on it.
What are the consequences of the attack?
It has taken a toll in the short term. We are looking at the long-term impact. Tourism has been affected. But May and June are lean months. We want to revive it by September, for the next season.
How is the trade and economy affected?
Businesses have been hurt. There is disruption in exports. Ports and airports are not functioning. Some feel they can get it back once normalcy returns. Much foreign capital has left the country. How much will return, we will have to wait and see.
The security apparatus has been restructured. Will it help?
The full restructuring has not yet happened. It has to be a gradual process. You cannot go and disturb something which is bringing results.
Law and order and defence portfolios are with the president. Don't you think he has to give it away?
The defence portfolio is with the president, till this tenure is over. It will be separated after his term as per the constitution. After that, it has to be given to a minister. The next president cannot hold any portfolio.
Has the president failed?
The president says his people were not informed either.
But he is also the defence minister.
The structure did not work, he has appointed a commission.
The Rajapaksas claim that this would not have happened if they had been in power.
As far as this information is concerned, it may have happened or it may not have. The fact is that we are staunchly involved in counter-terrorism. On the Islamic State front who are their friends and enemies, I leave it at that.
Is the radicalisation of the Muslim community a recent phenomenon?
It has been happening for the past eight or nine years. We could see it everywhere, including in India. It is one face of Islam.
Is it because of any external influence?
We are looking into it.
Is there communal strife in Sri Lanka?
Reconciliation is taking root. Otherwise, there would have been riots by now.
Religious preaching has been banned. And so is burqa.
We have not banned any religious preaching. The Muslims, as a security measure, did not have their Friday prayers, and the Christians did not have the mass. The All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama said burqa was not compulsory. We have asked the minister of justice to talk with them and prepare the necessary legislation.
How is your relationship with President Sirisena now?
It is like it was earlier. It is not different. We meet. There are certain issues on which we agree. And there are issues on which we do not. We meet at cabinet meetings and other meetings.