Let the clearest and the most straightforward answer be NO, not at all! The series of recent shocking incidents that put the entire country in dismay and tarnished further the international image of this precious pearl of the Indies are most unfortunate and disgusting. The fact that this pandemonium finally raged in the very sanctuary of democracy, the Parliament of people’s representatives, is indeed cause for greater worry and anxiety. There had been many a faulty step taken which ignited this national drama of chaos and disorder never seen before in the history of this beloved country. An almost unbeatable challenge faces us as we struggle to rise from the dust of this political scenario.
Whose responsibility?
At whose feet should we lay this national tragedy that has overtaken and tsunamied us in total inundation? It is of course national politics but one which involves both the politicians who have mismanaged the national affairs and made themselves unworthy of people’s trust but also the masses at large and the citizens who due to their immaturity and short-sightedness in many ways have in their fool-hardiness allowed themselves to be deceived and duped by politicians who were crafty and most noted for greed for power and self-aggrandizement. National politics, it would seem is no more that noble profession of public service to the people but a wild arena where dishonest politicians look for prey and amass wealth and position.
Why should people allow politics to degrade into such miserable depths and allow themselves at the same time to become purely passive pawns in this dirty game of warring factions?
When will the masses have political figures who can speak the truth, take care of the people’s urgent needs and govern with honesty, integrity filled with love and compassion for the people, especially for the most vulnerable and poor – those without food, clothing and shelter, the farmers, the fishermen, the daily laborers, the rural folk in the distant villages and the lower middle-class? Do they genuinely open their ears to the desperate cry of the people? Instead of feeding them, are they feeding on them, wasting the tax-payers’ money in banquets, travel and bankrupting the Parliament? In which case they are not true servants of the people.
Politics continue unfortunately even today in this country to provide the battleground for those vying for power and no more a hallowed space to engage in work for progress and prosperity of the people. The last seventy years, since the historical break-away orchestrated by the SWRD movement, there had been sifting sands of politics swinging from UNP to SLFP till the Free-economy time of JRJ. Intermingling with the powers that be intruded the leftist and Marxist elements in the arena with MEP coming into the fray. The period of Dudley Senanayake was very unstable.
After the economics of Free Trade and being open to foreign investment policies we witnessed the booming through FTZs. Then came in the emergence of political violence that continued into the 1980s and political thuggery and marketing of politicians in the national scene. All these negative trends weakened seriously the democratic way of elections and life for the people. With the eruption of the ethnic war that lasted three long decades in Sri Lanka’s recent history, more problems and challenges were added to the country’s life. The war did lot of damage to the country both economically, socially and internationally. Had the war not taken place, perhaps the millions that were dumped on armaments, maintaining the armed forces, their security and other needs, could have been fruitfully invested on making the economy grow in terms of improving the standard of living, national health and transport, winning foreign direct investments, thus enriching the national economy, strengthening foreign reserves and raising the quality of life for the ordinary citizens. On many of these occasions, education policies could not be maintained in a consistent manner.
There were also disruptions in the universities which continue almost daily even today. Enough of blunders were made in the education sector. Skills training was at a minimum. Hundreds of university graduates who came out were stranded in the streets in frustration due to no job-opportunities. Student Unions continuously agitated, thus disrupting universities and their academic programmes.
Historical antecedents
Into the decade of 1990s intruded all the many imaginable political forms of bribery and corruption. Many politicians failed the people who elected them to their office. There had been a brazen lack of accountability, transparency, honesty and truthfulness in the way ministers went about handling their respective jobs. Although Leftist and radically Marxist trends weakened, a polarization clearly marked the elections and the way governments swung between the two major parties of the UNP and the SLFP. Losing the two-thirds majority, which sometimes governments in power abused, major parties began entering into coalitions that proved to be very fragile. While this instability weakened national politics, economic stagnation and war crimes charges began sending shockwaves across the nation. These two same problems are posing a serious threat to the country’s future even at the moment. There is a political impasse that seems to defy any possible solution and national politics is embroiled in a huge mess that gets complicated by the hour.
The recent repeated scenes of pandemonium in the most hallowed sanctuary of democracy, the national Parliament, are symptomatic of the depth of confusion that bewilders every concerned citizen. Every one blames the other for chaos that has affected national politics. Our international image is getting further tarnished with the way that democracy is being wounded and violated by our representatives. There had been mayhem that held all right-thinking citizens at dismay and in a state of severe shock and utter despair. This status-quo cannot continue any longer and must end immediately with right political action in accordance with Parliamentary procedure and ethics. Flouting the Standing Orders and Parliamentary procedures within these hallowed walls is a shame that has to be lamented sadly and condemned unconditionally. Surely, there are other decent, gentlemanly, reasonable and democratic ways and means of resolving this crisis, clearing misunderstandings, mending differences and easing tensions than just being unruly, violent, disruptive and boorish in behaviour. Is this ethically and morally acceptable at all? The answer is a clear No, not at all.
The way out
Pro-active dialogue and goodwill require, readiness to give up something of one’s comfort-zones. While there is a deadlock in the arguments brought forward by both sides of the divide, there should be enough political maturity and insight to work hard together with the common interest of the good of the people of the country. No one admits of dictatorial or hegemonic actions and short-sightedness in decisions that can adversely affect the present and the future of the country. What transpired in the last few days is by far the worst that had happened in our history, never seen before and without precedent. The global world watches as this drama is being unfolded: politics in disarray, economy in tatters and a country in a mess. The entire episode is not fair by the people, of whom politicians are delegated representatives, thought to be trustworthy and dependable, with each one knowing what it means to represent the people and act as its servant. Politicians do not own this country and their erratic behaviour should not spoil its good name and the benevolence of its innocent and noble people. They should be responsible stewards exercising their responsibility consciously.
While the present status-quo has to be cleaned up and those responsible for it humbly accept their mistakes, the citizens must learn their duty of electing with good judgement who their representatives should be in the seats of authority. Their imprudent and immature choices will be necessarily another unfortunate cause of ruin in national politics. It is a pity, despite decades of franchise, that our people are still so poor in their political judgement and are easily swayed emotionally and en masse by political trickery and manoeuvering. People of Sri Lanka must by now realize that should not allow themselves to be hoodwinked into rosy political agendas of party politics.
The country by now should know, who rules well and for how long, the short-term and long-term benefits they have accrued under consecutive Governments. The citizens alone bear the ultimate responsibility of electing to office those who are of even-temperament, educated, upright, honest, ethically sound and morally beyond reproach, whom they can depend on for serving the interests of their dear Motherland. One should not allow this Pearl of the Indies to fall from the frying pan to the fire or from the brink of political anarchy into a pariah state. Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans deserve better. Our country must be forthwith redeemed from being a battleground for political greed and pursuit of power, making it instead, into an oasis of healthy and clean politics with statesman-like politicians, wise in their ways and serving the people in integrity and honesty. May we soon have a Government built on the Rule of law, demands of democracy and constitutionally established, that will augur well for the country’s peace, stability and prosperity. This is the ideal that politicians and the people at large to whom this country belongs, must strive to work for and the dream they must try to pursue.
(This is an edited version)
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