Combating crime

There is no doubt that people are expecting the law enforcers to make their presence felt. The latest crime wave has had a disruptive influence on trade and commerce and people are obviously feeling helpless. So they will welcome any attempt at dislodging the well-entrenched crime syndicates, which pose a grave threat to society as a whole. But what is not so clear is why the same law enforcers will keep a watchful eye on the opposition. Criminality and opposition activities cannot of course be treated as something alike. The basic premise is flawed.

The pitfall associated with mixing up crime with politics is that it may politicise the anti-crime drives, which are supposed to retain a strictly non-political character. The credibility of such operations will always be questioned if opposition activists occupy a special place in the law enforcers' list of suspects. Even if it is conceded, for the sake of argument, that police will only "watch" the opposition activists, the government will be hard-pressed to explain what this mission will achieve. It will only further distance the opposition from the ruling alliance.

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The plan has little clarity of purpose. The crime situation has turned critical enough for the law enforcers to concentrate on it without being influenced by extraneous factors like opposition activities. Lawlessness is a matter of public concern that has to be addressed by the government with the support of all well-meaning citizens, including the opposition adherents. So there is little point -- and even less sound thinking -- in the idea of equating opposition activities in general with culpable crimes.