Welcome boost to Mathata Thitha

The overall decline in liquor consumption in the country as reported in our front page yesterday is certainly an encouraging trend which it is hoped would be maintained, as studies have shown liquor addiction to be the primary reason for most of the crime and social problems in our midst.

Not so long ago Sri Lanka was named at the top among the countries with the largest amount of boozers. While the treasury coffers filled by way of excise revenue no proper attempt was made to assess the social and economic cost to the country as result of the fall out of rampant alcoholism.

Studies had shown liquor addiction to be chiefly responsible for domestic violence, crime and also suicides in the country. Liquor addiction also had a symbiotic relation with poverty and moral degradation. One study showed that family breadwinners spend as much as one third of their monthly income on liquor. This in a country which witnesses the vibrant practice of all religions which preaches taboo against alcohol.

While the Treasury earned revenue by way of enhanced excise duties due to increase liquor consumption, the drain on the Health budget to treat alcohol related diseases more than wiped out any advantage. On the contrary it resulted in much damage caused to the country's social fabric due to a staggering increase in alcoholism which also negatively impacted on the economy.

It is therefore to the credit of President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the Mathata Thitha programme was launched to put a halt to this dangerous trend taking into account the overall damage caused to society at large. The programme was taken to far flung villages where liquor addiction was at its most acute especially illicit liquor that was most injurious to health.

It was observed that entire communities were caught up in the grip of this vice which in turn caused disruption to the even tenor of domestic life and family unity not to mention the drain on the family economy.

That alcohol consumption has dropped by 2.6 per cent during the three years since the programme was set in motion speaks strongly for its efficacy and the response of the people to the message contained therein.

Not all measures taken by the President in this regard went down well with certain sections. For instance the black out on smoking and drinking scenes from the Television screen were frowned upon by many. But the results show that these measures have been vindicated and justified. More than anything it had served the purpose of shielding young impressionable minds from such scenes.

There is of course much to done before further inroads are made into the drinking habit. There has to be coordinated effort between the authorities, religious leaders and civil society organisations to tackle the issue head on. Alas, there is less and less spoken on the subject by religious leaders today who sadly have drifted into dabble in other enterprises which are outside their calling.

A more concerted and vocal effort by our religious leaders should help arrest the evil to a great extent especially in the rural areas where illicit liquor thrives.

A programme should be started to din the message on the evil of alcohol from school level so that the impact would last into adulthood.

While the Government could be happy about the decline in alcohol consumption it would no doubt be concerned at the expansion of the illicit liquor industry.

According to our report the Excise Department had carried out 50,000 raids this year (from January to November) on illicit liquor distilleries. Today it is no secret that illicit liquor or moonshine is a booming industry most often carried out with the blessings of politicians.

In a previous editorial we commented that this industry will continue to thrive so long as the nexus between the politicians, the police and underworld is not severed. The trend shows an increase in illicit liquor consumption.

It is incumbent therefore on the authorities to act without fear or favour in this regard if we are to control this menace. The danger posed by letting this industry to flourish was apparent by the recent death of over 40 persons who were hospitalised after consuming the deadly brew.

The authorities should give a free hand to the law enforcement to go all out to dismantle the apparatus and the distribution networks of the illicit liquor industry. There must be no half measures on this score. The authorities should resist all pressures that stand in the way of this exercise. All impediments should be removed so as to give full force of the Mathata Thitha programme.