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Juggling
with the JVP Of course, the JVP's decision has stunned many who have grown accustomed to the unprincipled politics prevalent in this country. The JVP displayed a willingness to sacrifice political office and the attendant perks -- unlike the many shameless politicians from all other parties without exception, who would sell their souls for a mess of pottage. Even
this Parliament is replete with such examples -- and we are seeing
-- with each passing week -- the goings-on of our political leaders.
That the JVP has come a long way in the political mainstream through dint of sheer hard work is something even its most ardent critics have been forced to grudgingly accept. In 1971, when their founder Rohana Wijeweera was incarcerated in the Jaffna prison for the abortive insurgency of that year, analysts believe it gave the youth of the north 'food for thought'. If their southern brethren could challenge the Government and the political system by force of arms, why not them? The twin insurgencies in the north and the south (in 1987-89 they were running parallel) have bled this country to slow-death -- and Sri Lanka missed the bus as nations around us developed economically and were able to improve the standard of living of all their citizens. But the JVP quickly transformed itself from a rag-tag Che Guevarist movement to a political party to be reckoned with, becoming a potent force in the country's destiny, mainly through its organisational skills and mass-mobilisation capacity. If they were the trend-setters to the LTTE 35 years ago, why not now? This is probably what the Govt. of the day is also trying to say -- give the LTTE an opportunity to come out of the woodwork. The
secret is out Meanwhile, President Chandrika Kumaratunga matter-of-factly told the nation last Thursday -- for the first time -- that Presidential elections would, in fact, be held in a year and four months time, i.e. next year -- not this year. Strange as it may seem, her statement so baldly made, has not even attracted a whimper of protest from the UNP almost indicating that there was a sense of relief in their camp that they had more time to prepare for the polls. The fact that the President of this country can take oath in secrecy as the Head of State for a second term, and then, let the public know of this, by way of an 'inspired leak' to the press (this newspaper as well), is quite amazing. Never mind that the 'inspired leak' came nearly a year after the purported swearing-in. And that no formal announcement about such a swearing-in was ever made before or after the swearing-in and/or before or after the publication of that news item. That the first public announcement of the second swearing-in came only last Thursday should make Sri Lankans seriously question the legitimacy of this country being a democracy. Is it all just a convenient façade? It would seem to all intents and purposes that this is rather the stuff that tin-pot dictatorships are made of. The public, meanwhile, seem to care very little about all these machinations. They are resigned to their fate as shrewd politicians and their legal advisers tinker with Constitutions. All this makes it glaringly obvious that our institutional frameworks are still weak. In the US, for instance, come hell or highwater, a war in Iraq or anywhere, the term of a President is public knowledge; the date the President is sworn in is known; and the whole country knows when the next Presidential election date would be held. But in good old Sri Lanka, anything goes. |
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