Yes Men and Fuhrers is the arresting title of a recent (Feb 27th, March 2012) editorial by Tina Brown, Editor-in-Chief, Newsweek.
While directed at that media despot, Rupert Murdoch, it is a perceptive comment on the manner in which despotism is established and nurtured in the social and political domain, world-wide.
Below is a crucial and “red-light” quote from this article.“Despots don’t always have to give executive orders to accomplish what they desire. Over time a culture of yes-men ship develops a system of predicting and fulfilling the boss’s practical and psychic needs.”
“Ian Kershaw, historian of the Third Reich brilliantly described this syndrome as ‘Working towards the Fuhrer”. In Nazi Germany, he argues, officials usually took the initiative in launching policies to meet Hitler’s perceived wishes or turned into policy Hitler’s often garbled desires.”
Is there a lesson to be learned here? I leave it to interested readers to reflect upon this quote and think their own thoughts. I wish though to draw attention to questions I’ve often posed to myself.
- Has the law and order situation plummeted steeply and now reached the lowest depths?
- Is not the sacrosanct Rule of Law at the very heart of a nation’s good health and sovereignty?
- Is not the upholding of this Rule of Law the sole responsibility of all citizens of the country – rulers and ruled -- a Rule of Law which cannot be tampered with by any foreign power however powerful economically and militaristically?
- Are not sycophancy and yes-men ship the most corrupting and malignant evils responsible for the breakdown of Law and Order?
- Is there a growing suspicion in the minds of people that the failure of the authorities to control this breakdown is due mainly to the protection afforded to influential lawbreakers by a group of politically manipulated law-enforcers acting either through fear of being subject to reprisals for failure to comply with illegal orders or with the hope of self-advancement.
- Is there evidence that those, however apolitically motivated, who have dared to criticize the powers that be, have been exposed to death threats, abduction and assault and even paid with their lives?
- Is there evidence that competent, committed, intellectually and morally honest officials who have acted with a justifiably greater sense of loyalty towards this land and its people than to the regime in power, be it blue or green, tend to be side-lined, if not penalized more severely?
- In such a polluted ambience, where sycophancy triumphs over integrity, is it possible to hope for even-handed and good governance?
A sovereign people have the constitutional right to demand that their rulers eradicate sycophancy and yes-men ship and with the help of honest, non-self-seeking advisers re-establish a Rule of Law that was once the pride of this land.
A wise ruler, even at the height of his power and popularity, lends ear to the faintest murmur of a people’s discontent and disenchantment and hastens to act with sagacity to assuage the peoples’ often justifiable fears. Misguided repressive measures are no answer. They would merely provoke and invite the inevitable and unwelcome intervention of lip-smacking, power-hungry foreign policemen.
We wait in hope for a Better New Year!
Mark Amerasinghe,
Kandy
Protect our vulnerable Lankan leopard in every way possible
In March 2012, the Police nabbed a man in Vavuniya who was attempting to sell the teeth and skin of a leopard he had trapped and killed. In the past two years, there has been an increase in the number of reported leopard killings around the country. The leopards are victims mostly of traps or snares and gunshot injuries.
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| Leopard killed by poachers in Minneriya in June last year |
While the human-elephant conflict is getting all the public and media attention, our critically endangered leopards are vanishing. When we heard that a Black Panther (Black Leopard) had been found for the first time in Sri Lanka, in the Sinharaja jungles, the animal was already dead, the victim of a trap.
Listed below are cases of leopard poaching in recent times. This is a clear indication that we have no proper system to deal with this growing problem.
- Leopard Killed by Poachers – Minneriya, June 2011
- Black Panther Killed by Poachers – Sinharaja, March 2009
- Leopard Killed by Poachers – Nuwara Eliya, January 2011
- Leopard Mother Killed by Poachers – Thabbowa, July 2011
Our leopards need immediate protection before they become extinct through poaching and habitat loss.
To discourage poaching, the following steps should be taken immediately.
- Government officials should increase the fine and prison sentence for anyone killing or attempting to kill leopards, or dealing in leopard parts.
- The general public should refrain from setting up snares to catch animals; snares are the main cause for leopard deaths.
- Violation of laws protecting the leopard should be reported immediately to Police and Department of Wildlife.
- Custom Officials should take a more active role in stopping the illegal trade in wildlife and animal parts. Trained dogs can help in this initiative.
The Sri Lankan leopard plays a vital role in our ecosystem and eco-tourism. If we do not act now, this iconic species will soon vanish from our beloved country.
Sriyantha Perera | http://www.RainforestProtectors.info
Abortion: Don’t play judge or God but step in and help the pregnant mother
The traditional debate on abortion has focused on two principal issues, namely, the moral status of the foetus (and the ‘rights’ derived there from); and the ‘rights’ of the pregnant woman. This approach, influenced primarily by the law, has polarized arguments and ignored the essentially personal and human dimensions of the problem.
Decisions to abort are not made in a vacuum. They are made within an overall context of personal and family relationships and social conditions which are intensely relevant to understand the root causes. It is therefore interesting to see how casting the issue as a conflict between foetal and maternal rights has served to shift the focus away from both paternal and social responsibility for this situation.
Secondly it fails to respect the unique relationship between the mother and her foetus. In general, the best interests of the pregnant mother are the same as the best interests of the foetus. Would this reality extend to a decision to terminate their relationship in the best interests of both? Mother and foetus will also share the trauma of separation, far more than any outsider.
Viewed from this parent – child perspective, abortion is a subjective denial of parental capacity – for whatever reason. Who can step in to change the mother’s decision? The foetus may be the ultimate victim of a breakdown in human trust and relationships; or the continuance of the relationship with its own mother may be dangerous for medical reasons. De-linking the right of the foetus to survive from this assessment of parental capacity may only perpetuate human suffering.
A golden rule in this situation is that the vulnerable must be assisted. This is where we must ask in particular, what the father and society can do for the pregnant mother.
Society therefore, has both a duty and legitimate interest in assisting the pregnant mother and supervising her decision-making process through the helping and caring professions so as to enable and empower her to make the best decision in her own circumstances. This would be the most sensitive and compassionate expression of societal concern for both the mother and her foetus. Within such a supervised process the status of the foetus must necessarily receive that consideration which is commensurate with its age and development.
Once full premium is thus accorded to the best interests of the pregnant mother (in so far as they can be objectively defined by the mother herself) there is no room, either for a coercive state interest in the life of the foetus or for a right to abortion. Instead we seek to safeguard the relationship between the mother and her unborn child as far as this is humanly, and humanely possible. Society must step into the shoes of the pregnant mother and walk this difficult journey with her – to the end. This is quite different from playing judge – or God.
To quote Mahatma Gandhi who relied on Krishna’s counsel to Arjuna in the Baghvad Gita in moments of moral crisis – “do your duty wholeheartedly and selflessly – and renounce the result.” The result is left to God, karma or nature – not to human beings.
Sajeeva Samaranayake |
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