Rein in alcoholism

That an overwhelming proportion of crime in Sri Lanka has been attributed to liquor consumption, no doubt is cause for alarm.

According to our front page story yesterday quoting the Police Narcotics Bureau, over 90 percent of the crimes investigated by Police are directly or indirectly linked to liquor consumption or drugs.

Moonshine or kasippu as it is popularly known is said to be the most sought after brew particularly among the low income groups.

It is also revealed that over 10 percent of males who are daily drinkers are said to be spending more on alcohol than their income.

Sri Lanka at one time was right up there among the countries with the highest number of boozers. But the President’s Mathata Titha program succeeded in salvaging us somewhat from this dubious distinction.

According to statistics, liquor sales dropped drastically after 2006 indicative of the effectiveness of the program. But alas these statistics have failed to account for the imbiber of illicit liquor which from all indications is still a flourishing industry leading to the rise in the crime rate.

We have been arguing in these columns before that the Government should go all out to stamp out the illicit liquor industry which today has not only contributed to the rise in crime but also become a major social problem.

True, the Mathata Titha program has succeeded in great measure in curbing alcohol consumption by our youth and to great extent the conventional drinker through its aggressive campaign and clear cut message.

But all these will be in vain if steps are not taken to rein in the kasippu addict among the indigent community who is hooked to the deadly brew. It is these segments who are more prone to crimes given their backgrounds and their socio - economic condition. Hence a wholly different approach is needed to deal with this segment.

It is of course hoping much to expect them to give up the habit. The solution lies therefore in keeping the brew out of reach of these addicts by killing the moonshine industry.

To begin with, the Government should take all steps to break the backbone of the illicit liquor industry.By this we mean destroying its structure and apparatus and severing all its widespread tentacles. Today, it is common knowledge that there is a nexus between the politician, the Police and the kasippu mudalali.

The latter more often than not is called upon to provide muscle power for the politicians at election time and the politician is beholden to such undesirables. It is also well-known that kasippu mudalali come forward to swell the campaign coffers of the politician at election time. He is thus allowed free rein in his kingdom and the police are ordered to look the other way.

It is also well-known that the police themselves are lax in bringing to book these kasippu mudalalis both due to political pressure and also its own involvement in the racket.

In some areas especially in the coastal belt, the Police has a big stake in the kasippu business and turns a Nelsonian eye to complaints. Hence as long as this status quo operates, the illicit liquor industry is bound to thrive creating new addicts resulting in more crime while undoing all the good work so far carried out under the Mathata Titha program.

Thus nothing short of an all out war against the illicit liquor industry would suffice if the Mathata Titha program is not to be derailed.

The President is on record saying that in the same way he won the war against terrorism he would also win the war against drugs and alcoholism.

The best way to ensure this is by coming down hard on the illicit liquor trade in the country. Being in the informal sector there will be no official statistics to show the magnitude of its harm and damage to society.

It is not only the main contributor to the rise in crime but also is a huge drain on the country’s health budget in the treatment of alcohol related diseases. But the most telling damage is to the country’s moral fabric not to mention the degeneration of a section of out society due to the evils of alcohol.

Sri Lanka which is emerging from three decades of war and set on the path of development and progress can ill afford to have a large proportion of non productive citizens due to alcoholism or drug adduction. It also cannot allow a rising crime rate in the country due to alcoholism now that the country is about to savour the fruits of peace.

True, alcoholism is a social problem and there is no gainsaying that the root causes should be tackled such as the elimination of poverty and social inequality.

But if this evil is not fought in earnest the problem can only snowball with more and more addicts among the young adding to the army of alcoholics negating any attempt by the Government to address the problem from its social aspect.

The Government should ponder this whole issue seriously if only to ensure its Mathata Titha program is not undermined by a booming illicit liquor industry which threatens to eat into the vitals of the nation.