Letter - Lousy Intellectuals

I am shocked by the behaviour of intellectuals such as G.L.Pieris, Rajiva Wijesinghe Carlo Fonseka, Dayan Jayatilleke and others.  What horrifies me is how they could support MR and his associates in the battle between Good and Evil. I can only conclude that they lack judgment and/or principle. By now every citizen has had enough opportunity to make up his mind about MR’s huge extravagances (entourages on overseas trips, Super Highways, Mattala Airport, Hambantota Port, Nelum Pokuna) and so on.  We all need to do it. They do not need investigation; they hit you in the eye.  They are undeniable, and all of them are at the expense of the poor.  The huge waste of resources means less available for hospitals, medicines, education and the numerous other things the poor need.  You do not need to be a rocket scientist to understand this.  But you do need a conscience. Even if he has, either for himself or his family, neither stolen a cent nor cached money abroad (as he swears) his government has overspent vast sums of money on ‘development’ – all of which was at the expense of the poor.  These are economic crimes for which China and Russia would have executed him. None of these crimes need proof in a court of law for us to make up our own minds regarding his honesty.  They are blindingly obvious.  So for the Intellectuals to tell themselves (and us) that he is innocent until he is proved guilty is the height of sophistry.  It is sheer self-deceit or a total lack of judgment.  In any case it is utter hypocrisy. If, on the other hand, they all know in their heart of hearts that he has been guilty of massive robbery, and are still prepared to overlook it and give him their support, they must be totally devoid of principle.  They would be traitors to their country, and we would need to figure out their motivations.  These would obviously differ but they would all be selfish.  GLP for example is not in need of money.  His goal could be continuing the high-life in foreign capitals where he is highly regarded. We do not know for sure what his desires are, but we can be sure that he can only hope to achieve them if MR succeeds in regaining power.  As for the others, it would be a mélange in which money or influence would play a role. However one looks at it, their behavior is shameful, and they should be excoriated.  They should be publicly denounced and shamed. A caring citizen