Ukraine has elected a professional comedian, of all people, as its President. Guatemala is the first country to have had a vaudevillian as the Head of State, a columnist tells us in his article, on this page, today. Several other countries have done likewise if the freakish conduct of their leaders is anything to go by. Sri Lanka has been an exception, though. It does not elect jokers to govern it; instead, it handpicks idiots and places them at the levers of power. If there had been anyone with an iota of intelligence, within the ranks of the yahapalana government, he or she would have swiftly acted on a warning of impending terror attacks, issued by the state intelligence outfits, more than 10 days prior to the Easter Sunday carnage.

Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera did not look intelligent, at Sunday’s media briefing, when he refused to be drawn on the leaked intelligence document containing the aforesaid warning. There should have been a higher ranking officer, at the press conference, to field questions. The IGP himself should have been present there, given the gravity of the situation.

President Maithripala Sirisena, who is the Minister of Defence and the Commander-in-Chief, was out of the country on a private visit, at the time of the terror attacks. Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Rajitha Senaratne told the media, yesterday, that no Acting Defence Minister had been appointed during the President’s absence. Reading between the lines, one sees an attempt by the UNP to lay the blame for the government’s serious lapse solely at the President’s doorstep. The President and the UNP are notorious for playing political ping-pong on matters of national importance.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing the media, on Sunday, promised a probe into the allegation that the intelligence warning, in question, had gone unheeded. He claimed that it had not been brought to the notice of the Cabinet. Curiously, Minister Harin Fernando told the media, on the same day, that his father, receiving treatment in hospital, had been aware of security threats and warned him to be careful. Is it that Minister Fernando’s father is better informed of security affairs than both the President and the Prime Minister? Will the police care to ask the minister and his father how they had been informed of the security threats?

Minister Kabir Hashim dropped a bombshell, at yesterday’s government media briefing, on the Easter Sunday mayhem and the security situation in the country. He revealed that he had, some moons ago, brought to President Maithripala Sirisena’s notice the existence of an extremist group and Sirisena had promised prompt action. Hashim’s secretary was shot by the extremist group in retaliation.

A subsequent police raid on a hideout, run by the group in Wanathavilluwe, Puttalam, had led to the arrest of two suspects, but they had been released due to the intervention of a powerful politician, Hashim said, revealing that one of them had carried out an attack on Sunday.

Hashim’s shocking revelation is a damning indictment on the yahapalana administration. It is incumbent upon the government to have a high-level probe conducted into the very serious allegation and name the politician who intervened to secure the release of the two high-profile suspects from police custody. Legal action must be taken against him, regardless of his position. He deserves to be thrown behind bars. Will the government get cracking?

It takes a lot of courage to stand up to extremism, and Minister Hashim deserves praise for taking on the murderous outfit at the risk of life and limb. He has set an example to the leaders of other communities, troubled by fanatics.