Politics is getting dirtier by the minute all over the world, but Sri Lanka and its politicians could boast of being pioneers of that degenerative trend. While it is a well-known fact that politicians lie for survival, to fall for the same lies year after year for 75 years is by itself a record – the dubious honour of which goes to the majority population of this country, who keep faithfully falling for the lies and deception aimed at them. 

The mantra of political power at any cost and to hell with even the most basic of morals lies at the root of our degeneration as a people, society, and nation. To assume that the majority of our population therefore happens to be born gullible and that our school education reinforces that gullibility is not too far from the truth. So then the obvious question is, is there any likelihood that this status quo will change anytime soon, given that the political establishment appears to be hell-bent on maintaining this formula?

While one would like to hope so in the interest of saving what is left of this country, what is required in the pursuit of that noble goal are the drivers of radical change – aspiring leaders who can look people in the eye and be honest about their intentions. While that remains a utopian dream, the current circumstances are such that it is only a matter of time before the circumstances themselves mould the leadership that this nation requires. Therefore, it is inevitable that the country will have to hit the nadir if it is to rise thereafter.

Our leadership, primarily consisting of the majority Sinhalese, used to blame the north-east war and, by extension, the Tamil community for stifling the perceived growth and development of this nation. But a good 14 years after the end of the war, the Sinhalese leadership has done a pretty good job of destroying the country economically, which Prabhakaran tried all his life but failed to do.

For all intents and purposes it is the same leaders who have alternatively held the reins during those war days and even now. The excuses being trotted out for this consistent failure are pathetic to say the least and raises questions as to who should share the larger share of the blame: the people who seem to be having infinite patience to persist with the tried, tested, and failed politicians or the politicians, who have simply been politicians.

And just when you think that things cannot get any worse, they do. It was just last week that we reflected on the supreme role played by the country’s apex court in keeping its power-crazy leaders in check. However, in the week that passed even that last barrier is now being challenged through the cloak of parliamentary privilege. Speaking in Parliament on Friday (10), the State Minister of Finance made the absurd statement that the Supreme Court order to disburse funds for conducting the Local Government Polls should not be implemented until such time that Parliament resolves that its privileges have not been breached by the order. Needless to say, this Parliament’s rapid descent from the ridiculous to the sublime has been shocking. It has now come to a point where even the Supreme Court is being challenged for what appears to be nothing more than a last ditch attempt to stave off the polls.

The extent to which this Government has gone to put off the Local Government Polls is only second to that of J.R. Jayewardene’s ‘dharmishta’ Government, which swapped a General Election for a referendum in 1982. One will hardly be surprised if a similar exercise is repeated on the pretext of not interrupting or facilitating the resurrection of the economy. If history is indeed repeating, then what followed that disastrous manoeuvre in ’82 is likely to follow in ’23 as well, but this time around it will not be a revolt among a section of the people but rather a people’s revolution that will rise against the political establishment itself. That is what will likely be the outcome if this dangerous game of brinkmanship is pursued further.

While there is the justifiable argument that university students are being funded by tax rupees and they would serve society better by focusing on their studies as opposed to protesting on the roads, it must be kept in mind that the majority of these students hail from poor and middle class families that have been hardest hit by the current economic strangulation. Therefore, it can be argued that they must first live in order to study. The attempts to stifle these protests through brutally intimidatory tactics as seen in the recent past will only add fuel to the fire because rather than the rest of society rising up against the protesters as predicted by MP Diana Gamage, people are more likely to join the protests through solidarity of cause.

It is unfortunate that having received a breather from the global human rights body the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for alleged human rights abuses during the war and thereafter, the regime seems determined to provide it with new ammunition for opening up old wounds. The tactic of using stick-wielding paramilitary forces in camouflage uniforms to attack protesters is already being frowned upon and will likely raise a hornet’s nest if pursued. It is also unfortunate that the regime has put itself on the global human rights radar once again by the indiscriminate use of tear gas as well, which the Opposition parties have collectively alleged as being past the expiry date and therefore seriously harmful to human health.

This allegation has gained credence, with two reported deaths as a consequence of being exposed to this tear gas. What is unforgiveable is the indiscriminate firing of these allegedly-expired canisters even in the presence of young school-going kids who had to run helter-skelter to avoid being affected last week.

It is about time that this nation got itself an honest leadership that is capable of telling the people upfront about what’s in store and give the terror tactics a break. If the people can easily fall prey to the lies that are routinely trotted out by politicians to simply remain in power or to attain power, they can just as well be fed with the truth in order to win over their confidence to proceed with the much needed reforms. After all, how can one forget the thousands of Sri Lankans domiciled overseas who came to Sri Lanka in November 2019 in order to vote for Gotabaya Rajapaksa to ‘save the country’. The then Opposition worked up such a frenzy about the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement that was about to be signed by the then Government as a ploy to divide and sell off a chunk of the country, that people bought into the lie.

Ironically enough, the task of saving the nation from this imminent danger (‘rata beraganna’) was handed over to a man who until a few months back at the time was himself an American citizen. Today those very same citizens are waiting in hope for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to save the nation (‘rata beraganna’), little realising that the IMF is a far bitter pill than the MCC agreement which they voted to cancel.

It is said that people get the government they deserve and if what they have got is toxic, then they have no one else to blame but themselves and hopefully do better the next time. But then, knowing what next time portends, the regime in power is attempting to prevent holding an election, turning it into a whole new ball game that is unlikely to end well for both the regime and the nation.