Sri Lankan political culture must be changed. Politicians tell a lot of lies before election but do little after election. They make a long list of promises and yet, they do not keep their promises after election.
by Dr SLM Rifai
The incoming presidential election is a historic election in Sri Lanka. We are now living in this age of digitalization and Artificial intelligence. We are living in this competitive world in education, technology, business, diplomacy and politics. Regional and international geopolitical powers are competing with one another for domination in the world. In fact, Sri Lanka is at crossroad at this historical juncture in its history. At this juncture, Sri Lanka badly needs sincere and honest political leadership. Since Sri Lanka gained independence, it has failed to put its politics right. The political incorrectness has cost Sri Lanka dearly. No shame in discussing it openly at this right time. This beautiful Island nation is one of the most beautiful places on this planet. Its human resources are one of richest in Asia. Its natural resources are one of the best in Asia. It has every potential credibility to be far better than Singapore in human development indices. Yet, sorry to say, some ineptitude politicians have spoiled many golden opportunities to develop this nation. Some political leaders have misused their executive powers in politics in Sri Lanka.
Unlike olden days, today, politics (government or political leader) controls every aspect of human life. It controls your money, it controls your jobs, it controls your health, it controls your environment, it controls your education and in short, it controls your life. The policies that your government makes affects your life positively or negatively. That is why we could no longer ignore politics. The quality of public life depends on the policies and good public administration. Unfortunately, many Sri Lankan politicians do not care about public welfare and public good. All what they want to do is to make money and wealth out of politics and make a lavish life out of politics. In fact, politicians are public servants. They are accountable to public and yet, we do not have any system to bring politicians into book and punish them as and when they do political blunders in Sri Lanka.
Today, western political leaders are surrounded with civil servants, advisors, consultants and experts to advise them in each department. Western political leaders always trust advices of their civil servants and public officers. They know well that these civil servants advise them in the greater national interest of their country beyond party politics. Top level civil servants with their bureaucratises create national policies for their nations. Yet, in Sri Lanka, executive presidents, PMs and MPs do not follow this protocol in politics. They do not care about advices of experts, and civil servants. In many occasions, they have overruled them. I do not care who wins this coming election. It could be G. Rajapaksa or Sajith. Ramada. But all what I hope from them is to create a new political culture in Sri Lanka. A new political system free of corruption, fraud and mismanagement. Sri Lanka badly needs a responsible and accountable political leadership. Nothing stands between Sri Lanka and its rapid development except a bad political leadership. If Imran Khan was not elected in the last presidential election, Pakistan would have been one of failed nations in Asia. Because, many corrupt political leaders looted public money in Pakistan for a long time until Imran Khan was elected. We do not want to see such a pathetic situation in Sri Lanka. So, Sri Lanka badly needs an honest and dynamic leader right now.
National People’s Movement has named former Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake as its presidential candidate. Political trends and trajectories volatile in Sri Lanka in recent time. Fortunately, public are more educated in politics today than ever before. Since Sri Lanka has gained the independence in 1948, politicians have been manipulating public in politics. People have been conned and fooled continuously by political leaders. In recent time, people begun to feel the pinch. Some irresponsible and craftly politicians have done a greater damage to Sri Lankan economy today than ever before in Sri Lankan history. In fact, some politicians have sold out Sri Lanka due to their wrong policies. Some incompetent politicians misused and abused the vested political power in them.
Many of them made lifetime fortune out of politics. A huge of amount of public money is looted by some politicians in recent times. Many former PMs and Presidents of Sri Lanka protected their political integrity and good will. People like S. W. Bandaranaike, Dudley Senanayake, Srima Bandaranayake, JR, CBK, and Premadasa did not use their public office to rob the public money. They did not use their political power to accumulate wealth and money. We may disagree with them in some aspects of their political ideologies and yet, they did not loot public money. They did not try to get commissions out of foreign contracts for mega projects. It is an open secret now; some politicians made a big fortune out of all Chinese contracts in Sri Lanka.
Some of these unsustainable mega projects have done greater damage to Sri Lankan economy and ecology as well. Sri Lanka must update and upgrade its infrastructure and transport networks. There is no doubt about that and yet, it should be done not in accordance with whims of politicians and for their needs. Rather in accordance with experts’ advice from local professionals and experts. Sri Lanka is blessed with some of best engineers, economists and intellectuals. They will never advise the government on unsustainable projects that are detrimental to Sri Lankan economy and ecology.
Very often our politicians do not seek expert’s advice in Sri Lanka. They overrule experts’ advice in many projects. I’m pretty sure most of Sri Lankan engineers, economists, civil servants and experts would not be happy with all those mega Chinese projects that cost the country billions. China managed to fool our politicians in these projects. At least, now our political leaders must learn some lessons from all those mistakes. They should tell public that they will not make such mistakes in future. In this coming presidential election campaign, they must apologise to public for these mistakes.
All these mega Chinese projects generated a “borrowing culture” in Sri Lanka. Ineptitude politicians have borrowed money with high interest rates for many of these unsustainable projects. Now, they put the burden on public to pay back all these loans. Now it is public who must pay the price for the wrong policies of some politicians. Unfortunately, politics has become money making machines in Sri Lanka in recent times. It is a lucrative business in Sri Lanka today. All kinds of corruption are widespread in Sri Lankan political circles today. Two main political parties have some corrupt politicians within their folds. Some of them do not have basic qualifications and skills to contribute to any national debates in Parliament.
The quality of politics has been deteriorating in Sri Lanka in recent times. There is a huge demand for good people in Sri Lankan politics. Unfortunately, good people do not come forward to politics. Sri Lanka is one of richest countries in human resources. There are so many highly educated people in Sri Lanka. It produces some of the world class academics, intellectuals and professionals. Yet, many of them do not come forward to politics. The reluctance of educated people to come into politics has given a gold opportunity to some crooks to make fortune out of politics in Sri Lanka. The silence of qualified people paved the way for some crook politicians to fool the public for many years. Now is right time for some good minded people to come forward to demonstrate their patriotism to this beautiful nation to protect it from financial bankruptcy and to protect its economy and its ecology.
I do not know much about former Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake and its politics. JVP has been working in politics for more than 6 decades in Sri Lanka. We may disagree with some of its policy and yet, JVP has some best policies to serve this nation. They have a dedicated team of academics, intellectuals and professionals. Former Army Commander is no doubt one of sincere and honest persons who served this nation over 37 years and yet, public will question his experience and skills in politics. I do not know if people are ready to give executive power to any former Army commander yet, public will gauge his experience in politics. Sri Lanka badly needs a good political party to challenge politics of UNP, SLFP and SLPP. There is no doubt about it. These traditional political parties have done very little to Sri Lanka. In fact, these traditional political parties are responsible for the downfall of Sri Lankan economy. We must have been far better than Singapore, Malaysia and many other Asian countries.
So, I personally welcome this move by (NPM) to create a new dynamic political culture in Sri Lanka. Yet, this hasty decision to name the former army commander for this presidential election would not work. He may be a suitable candidate and yet, time scale is not enough to win a presidential election for such person. NPM must have some long-term strategies to make a political change in Sri Lanka. I do not see much differences between the policies of JVP and the policies outlined by former Army commander in his nomination speech. I think this group (NPM) and JVP must work hand in hand to make a dynamic political change in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan political culture must be changed. Politicians tell a lot of lies before election but do little after election. They make a long list of promises and yet, they do not keep their promises after election. Sri Lanka badly needs responsible politics. Sri Lanka needs some good and honest political leaders at this historical juncture in its history. Sri Lanka is at a crossroad in its development and progress. It was expected Sri Lanka will march on the path of development soon after 30 years of war ended in 2009. Yet, Sri Lanka is still muddled in communal violence and conflict. Peace is paramount important for prosperity and development. This is a common sense. You do not need to be rocket scientist to know this basic fact and yet, Sri Lankan politicians shamelessly play politics with communal tension. They use communal tension for their political gains. That is not good at all for the future of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka today badly needs a political leader who can unite all communities for the betterment of Sri Lanka. It needs an honest political leader today to come up with some solid sustainable development projects. If only Sri Lanka can invest in human resource development projects to train its huge human potentiality in different fields, within next two decades, Sri Lanka can become one of vibrant economies of Asians. Today, the wealth of the country is gauged and measured with the quality of its population in human skills and training in many professional fields. Sri Lanka is blessed with potential human resources in many fields and yet, our politicians have not yet devised some viable mechanisms to develop the human potentiality of our next generations.
Each Sri Lankan community (Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Malays, Upcountry Tamils and others)ll have some unique skills and talents in different fields and areas. All these skills and talents must be enhanced and used for the national development of this beautiful nations. No community should be looked down. No community should be marginalised in Sri Lanka. We should not belittle the contribution of any community in Sri Lanka. All communities must be treated equally with compassion and kindness. In fact, we all should think nationally in Sri Lanka not on basis of each community.
Unfortunately, our politicians created this sense of communal thinking in our minds since we gained independence in 1948. Each community thinks in a communal line. Each community fights to protect its communal interest at the expense of the national interest. Each community gives priority for its communal affairs at the expense of national interest. We failed to create a culture of caring and sharing between all different Sri Lankan communities. Sadly, this communal thinking is deeply rooted between Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka. As if Sinhalese politicians are out there only to serve Sinhalese community alone as if Tamil politicians are out there to serve only Tamils as if Muslim politicians are out there only to serve Muslims. We have created this mindset among public in Sri Lanka. Politics has been compartmentalised in a communal line in Sri Lanka. This is not good at all for prosperity and development of Sri Lanka.
We should think rationally and put the national interest of this nation above our petty community interest. We have different cultural identities between us and yet, at the same time, we have some common national identity too. We are born and brought up in this sail. We all share our happy and sad occasions in this county. We all share economic burdens of this country. We all pay taxes to this nation. We all protect the integrity and sovereignty of this nation. After all, we all live and die in this sail. if we do not create a common Sri Lankan national identity among all Sri Lankan communities, I’m afraid people will hold this communal grudge for a long time in Sri Lanka. It is a noble duty of Sri Lankan politicians to promote this Sri Lankan national identity among all communities.
Each Sri Lankan should be proud to say, “I’m a Sri Lanka” and ‘I love Sri Lanka”. It could be a Sinhalese from Galle, a Tamil from Jaffna, a Muslim from Kalmunail or an Upcountry Tamil from a tea plantation estate. All must feel happy to say we are “Sri Lankans’. Until this nationalistic loyalty and patriotic feeling is created among Sri Lankan communities, I’m afraid, each community will think on communal line. This communal thinking will be detrimental for the development and progress of this nation. The national feeling could be created among public if only politicians set some good examples in this line. Sri Lankan civil servants, policymakers and politicians should create some viable strategies and mechanisms to develop this Sri Lankan national identity among all community. This does not mean each community gives up its cultural identity for the sake of national identity. While each community protects its cultural identity, it could promote Sri Lankan national identity too. Countries such as Malaysia, India and Singapore have succeeded in this task.
I personally welcome this new political culture in Sri Lanka. A silent political revolution is taking place in Sri Lanka. Many civil societies and human right groups are working day and night to create a political awareness among public. JVP plays a greater role in this respect. Yet, traditional political parties such UNP and SLFP have got huge public support among villagers in Sri Lanka. National People’s Movement is doing its best to create a new political culture in Sri Lanka. I personally appreciate their dedication in this respect, and I welcome their nomination of former Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake to contest this presidential election. Whether he wins or not, this will open the eyes of our politicians. Our politicians will be alerted with this new political trend in Sri Lanka. There must be some competitiveness in politics to produce some good political leaders. I hope and pray that Sri Lanka will have a peaceful presidential election in 2019.
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