The recent climatic disaster that ravaged Sri Lanka, causing immense human suffering and resource crises, has tragically exposed a familiar and dangerous pattern of negligence, incompetence, and failure of the government within the corridors of power. This is not merely a natural calamity but a devastating echo of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, a man-made disaster enabled by a systemic failure to act on ample and timely intelligence. The fundamental similarity between these two seemingly disparate events, a terrorist attack and a climate crisis, lies in the deadly symmetry of inaction and the resultant, preventable loss of life.
THE PRE- WARNED CATASTROPHE : A Failure of Foresight
In both the Easter Sunday attacks and the recent extreme weather event, the failure was not a lack of information but a catastrophic failure of interpretation and action.
The 2019 Easter Sunday attacks stand as a horrific monument to political and security apathy. We know with certainty that intelligence, specific to the date, time, and locations of the impending attacks, was received by high level decision makers. The subsequent judicial ruling, which found the then President, Maithripala Sirisena, personally guilty of negligence and ordered him to pay compensation, confirms this gross dereliction of duty. His indecisiveness and incompetency led directly to the murder of over 250 innocent civilians. The legal precedent set is clear: negligence at the highest level of government has lethal consequences and is a punishable offense that violates the fundamental rights of citizens to security and life.
Fast forward to the recent climatic disaster, and the narrative chillingly repeats itself. The Department of Meteorology fulfilled its core mandate, issuing detailed warnings about the impending extreme weather, including heavy rainfall, strong winds, and the threat of floods and landslides, worsened by Cyclonic effects. These warnings were sufficiently specific and were given with enough lead time to initiate comprehensive early preparation and disaster mitigation protocols.
Yet, once again, the warnings appear to have been treated with a fatal lack of urgency. The government and key decision makers seemingly failed to activate a proactive, islandwide preparedness strategy, which is the cornerstone of effective disaster management.
THE EXPERT WARNING DISMISSAL BY THE GOVERNMENT
The expert warning of security and meteorological developments were not treated as the highest National priority leading to pre-emotive action.
The single most critical solution to any impending catastrophe, be it manmade or natural, is early preparation. While a terrorist attack can be entirely prevented, a natural disaster, by its very definition, cannot. However, the consequences of a natural disaster can and must be mitigated. This mitigation is achieved through pre-emptive measures: timely evacuation of vulnerable populations, securing infrastructure, prepositioning relief assets, and clear, decisive public communication.
The contrast between the professional warnings and the perceived lack of governmental response points to a failure of prioritisation and responsible governance. When a national threat is clearly articulated by a specialist body like the Met Department, the leadership’s primary duty is to translate that information into immediate, actionable policy. The apparent lack of a robust, real-time command structure and decisive government action meant that the nation was caught largely unprepared, amplifying the scale of the damage and loss of life that could have been avoided.
MISGUIDED ACTION: The Tragedy of Inappropriate Resource Deployment
The operational response during the height of the crisis also highlights systemic flaws, particularly concerning the deployment of scarce national resources. The reported instance of a politician utilizing limited, critical air assets such as helicopters for an air reconnaissance mission is a stark example of a breakdown in operational ethics and standard disaster protocols.
In a crisis, the employment of rare and expensive air assets must follow a strict, humanitarian-first hierarchy:
Immediate Rescue: Priority one must always be the rescue of life-at-risk individuals, particularly children, women, the elderly, and those trapped by rising waters or landslides.
Medical Evacuation: Secondly, these assets are indispensable for the rapid evacuation of the critically injured to medical facilities for urgent treatment.
Essential Supplies: Finally, they are used to deliver basic life-saving essentials like food, potable water, and medicine to cut-off communities.
The use of such assets for a political figure’s mere aerial survey is indefensible. Politicians performing air reconnaissance are of virtually no help to people at crucial times. Their presence often consumes resources, diverts attention, and offers limited practical value. In contrast, Military Commanders conducting air reconnaissance are essential and practical. Commanders possess the expertise to accurately assess the ground situation, identify immediate threats, prioritise search and rescue missions, and make tactical decisions that directly impact the efficiency of operations. This requires experienced leadership acting on the ground, not a photo opportunity from the air. The inexperience and poor judgment evident in resource deployment this time mirrors the institutional weaknesses that allowed the Easter Sunday warnings to be ignored.
Accountability: The Violation of Fundamental Rights
The fundamental tragedy is that human damage, which was absolutely within the power of the state to mitigate, did not happen due to the same inertia and lack of preparedness seen in 2019. The failure to act decisively, to implement proven disaster reduction strategies, and to prioritise citizen safety constitutes more than just poor governance; it raises serious questions about the violation of the fundamental rights of citizens.
In the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks, the Supreme Court’s ruling on the state’s negligence served as a potent, albeit painful, reminder of this principle. The state has an affirmative obligation to protect the lives and safety of its people. When decision-makers are provided with clear, actionable intelligence or warnings and fail to act upon them, resulting in mass casualties and damage, they can be held responsible for the infringement of the most basic fundamental rights, including the Right to Life and the Right to Equality and Protection of the Law.
The victims of the recent climatic disaster, who lost homes, livelihoods, and loved ones due to inadequate state response, deserve the same level of judicial scrutiny and accountability. The fact that warnings were issued by a key government entity but were not translated into effective on-the-ground action suggests a systemic failure that should not be overlooked. The collective suffering of the victims is a direct consequence of a failure of statecraft.
A CALL FOR RESPONSIVE AND RESILIENT LEADERSHIP
The recurring motif of negligence and inaction from a preventable terrorist attack to a mitigatable natural disaster is a clear indictment of the political culture in Sri Lanka. It suggests a leadership more consumed by internal politics or misplaced priorities than the solemn duty of protecting its citizens.
Moving forward, Sri Lankan leaders and decision-makers must adopt a much more responsible and resilient attitude. They are not merely figureheads; they are the guardians of millions of lives. This demands:
Unquestioning Action on Professional Warnings: All warnings from expert bodies like the Meteorological Department, the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), and the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) must be treated as mandatory triggers for immediate, cascading action across all relevant government bodies, from the military to local administration.
Clear Lines of Authority: Establishing a clear, non-political, and military-led command structure during a crisis, ensuring that limited resources are deployed based strictly on operational and humanitarian necessity.
Judicial and Political Accountability: Ensuring that negligence, leading to loss of life or severe damage, is met with swift and transparent legal and political consequences, reinforcing the principle that no one is above the law when it comes to the safety of the nation.
If this lethal cycle of inaction is not broken, subsequent phases of disaster will inevitably lead to further legal and public challenges, where the present leaders and decision-makers will be rightly held responsible for violating the fundamental rights of the citizens they swore to protect. The time for empty rhetoric is over; the nation demands a commitment to action, foresight, and genuine responsibility.
THE ARMED FORCES INDISPENSABLE ROLE
The actions of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces during the recent disaster deserve immense commendation. They were observed working hurriedly and tirelessly, around the clock, leading critical search and rescue operations to save the lives of trapped and affected citizens.
Their profound commitment and professionalism was instrumental; without the immediate response of these national heroes, the damage in terms of human casualties would have been significantly higher. As they always do, the Armed Forces took the lead when the country faced an existential threat, underscoring their indispensable role and warranting our deepest appreciation.
A CALL FOR A UNIFIED ACTION
At this critical juncture, setting aside all political differences and ideological divides is paramount. The immediate imperative is for all parties, capable institutions, and the public to unite in a concerted, non-partisan effort to support the communities devastated by the disaster. The focus must be on providing immediate relief, including essential basic needs and urgent medical assistance.
The writer, Major General Dr Boniface Perera is a battle hardened Infantry Officer who served the Sri Lanka Army for over 36 years, dedicating 20 of those to active combat.
In addition to his military service, Dr Perera is a respected International Researcher and Writer, having authored more than 200 research articles and 16 books. He holds a PhD in economics and is an entrepreneur and International Analyst specialising in National Security, economics and politics. He can be reached at [email protected]
