Columns

It was still not “Black Friday” here, a day of little significance to those in Sri Lanka. Still, last Thursday, the day before, was black enough for many Sri Lankans who live here and consider Sri Lanka their second home or owe some allegiance to their country of origin.

On Thursday, a local TV station, Channel 4, which had for many years targeted Sri Lanka with contentious coverage and what some called highly suspicious and noxious video content, carried a story on Sri Lanka on a prime time newscast.

If Channel 4 still harbours a dislike for Sri Lanka as it did during the last months of the anti-LTTE war and after telecasting some of Callum Macrae’s productions, the last few weeks provided more grist for the channel’s anti-Sri Lankan mill.

With little pro-LTTE content available in recent times to titillate Channel 4’s journalists such as Jon Snow and Jonathan Miller, Sri Lanka had earned a ‘grace’ period.

But then our politicians are quite adept at creating situations that provide instant material for news hungry journalists. Thursday night’s clip on Sri Lanka showing the disgraceful conduct of Sri Lankan politicians from what is called the ‘government’ side, behaving like hooligans and thugs, was shocking.

How Britain's Channel 4 reported on Sri Lanka's current political crisis

Those who engaged in such destructive conduct are easily identifiable. Unlike in the old days when no cameras were permitted to be used inside the parliamentary chamber, times have changed. Advanced technology has provided avenues for capturing events on digital equipment.

But then one does not need to bring mobile phones equipped with cameras to the chamber. Parliamentary proceedings are now telecast, giving parliamentarians the opportunity to play ‘B’ grade tele-stars.

Such uncouth and thuggish behaviour, as was witnessed recently, might bloat the egos of some who believe that throwing chairs and weaponising the Holy Bible or copies of the constitution are acts of bravery. Actually it only goes to show that some of the country’s legislative representatives are all brawn and no brain. For some reason civilised conduct has passed them by.

The disruptive and destructive behaviour during those few days in mid-November not only dragged Sri Lanka’s image through the mud but allowed Channel 4 to dig out old video clips from the war days to add to the recent footage.

This was meant to convey a message that was highly derogatory of Sri Lanka. It was to show that criminal offences are committed in both war and peace; that Sri Lanka shows little respect for the rule of law though it parades before the world as a law abiding country that it is more sinned against than sinning.

As these scenes were enacted in parliament before what must surely be a stunned public by the elected representatives of the people, is it not right for the Sri Lankan people to ask themselves whether public money should be wasted on these so-called representatives who seem to represent nobody but themselves and their families?

Parties elect leaders who spend their time fattening themselves and those closest to them, most often with public funds which could be far better used. Quite recently, there was a survey that showed that many MPs had attended parliament only on one day during a given period.

Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise. The less said and heard the better, given the rubbish that emanates from the mouths of uneducated representatives of the people.

It was a surprise to read the other day remarks made by President Sirisena who started all this mess by his sudden — and many say unconstitutional — sacking of the prime minister and the appointment of another, and a train of subsequent events that have left the country wondering whether it has a legitimate government or not.

Speaking at a ceremony connected with the presentation of Presidential Awards for Scientific Publications, President Sirisena was reported as saying that today intellectuals and the public have clearly identified the “true and sincere politicians.”

“It is important for an individual to display composure, patience, moral rectitude and a sense of discipline. People in politics who do not display these qualities are not politicians in the true sense of the word,” the President was quoted as saying.

Perhaps the president expects the people to stand up and applaud him for these words of wisdom. But as poet Alexander Pope wrote in his Essay on Criticism:

“Words are like Leaves; and where they most abound,

Much Fruit of Sense beneath is rarely found’’.

So President Sirisena believes the public and intellectuals have identified true and sincere politicians. Would it not be nice if he could tell us about how many such individuals he knows or there are? Then perhaps the public could vote for them at the next parliamentary election he hopes to hold next January 5.

I am sure that President Sirisena, who obviously must include himself among the true and sincere, would want only the true and sincere to be elected to parliament.

There is one problem, though. What are we going to do with all those 225 seats in the parliament’s chamber where the not so true and sincere representatives sit?

President Sirisena who must count himself among those who have imbibed all those worthy qualities he says a politician should have and doubtless practices them, surely remembers the sheaf of promises he made to the voters before his election and to the public after he won the election thanks to the support he received from those who believed him.

One such pledge I remember well for I was in Sri Lanka in the pre-election and early post-election days, was that if elected he would serve only one term. Then he even reduced his term from six to five years and the people applauded believing a messiah had descended on the country’s political scene.

But now I am told that he thinks one term is not enough for him, that to complete his task of nation-building and turning that ancient kingdom of Polonnaruwa into the granary of the East, he needs more time, and so a second term might not be a bad idea after all.

I also remember him promising to bring those around Mahinda Rajapaksa who, he said, were corrupt and had dipped their fingers into public funds, to be strung and quartered as it were.

Why he even promised to catch the killers of Lasantha Wickramatunge and ruggerite Thajudeen and to do to them what ancient Sinhala kings were said to have done to the criminals of yore.

But, alas, those promises solemnly made, some in the precincts or thereabouts of the Dalada Maligawa, seem to escape President Sirisena’s mind as he hopes that friends with whom he enjoyed hoppers and, much more recently, had supper with would help him to continue as president to serve the nation for another term.

Now that is the true and sincere thing that real politicians do. Why just the other day he was quoted as having asked the ‘relevant authorities’ whoever they may be, to expedite the cases against Tamil “political prisoners”.

Why the sudden haste I wonder. I mean some of these chaps have been lying around for 10 years or so without being charged for one or more offences. So why the haste now to have everything settled by January next year?

I mean I could understand if similar orders were given to the authorities over the Wickrematunge and Thajudeen cases, after all these are cases that have been investigated and even come to court unlike those of the Tamil prisoners.

Somebody whispered in my ear a couple of days ago to keep January 5, 2019 in mind. Apparently that is the date Sirisena has earmarked for the next election and would want the Tamils to know that he is doing something about those prisoners. The Tamil people have votes, too. Even if some of us forget that, Sirisena will not especially if a second term is in his mind.

Maybe that is the moral rectitude that President Sirisena said real politicians should have.

As some of us Sri Lankans say, ‘let’s wait and see, noh,’ let’s wait for that second coming.