A New Year wish

Leaders are often ruined not by their own policies, but by the misdeeds and ill-advice of their inner circles. Sri Lankan politics has been plagued by this phenomenon of kitchen cabinets filled with ‘yes men’ – the kind of consultant / associate / friend / official who tells the Head of State and politicians only what they want to hear.

So even though the economy is on the brink of complete collapse, the ‘yes men’ will assure the President that the rupee is stronger than ever before, investors and tourists are flocking to the island and as for the islanders themselves, they have never been richer! Similar sunshine stories are spun about the war, the state institutions and of course, Sri Lanka’s international image.

Never mind that the GSP+ relaxed tariff scheme, which is the Sri Lankan apparel sector’s lifeline to European markets, is hanging in the balance thanks to the government’s abysmal human rights record and its shabby treatment of UN bodies and visiting dignitaries. The ‘yes men’ pat the President heartily on the back for ‘telling off’ the foreigners and ‘putting them in their place’ without a thought for the way these snubs will eventually boomerang on the country.

The bottom line is that the ‘yes men’ are cowards. Basking in Presidential patronage and amassing personal wealth, they loathe to rock the boat by whispering bad news in the Presidential ear. Too much is at stake to embark on such a risk even if it is for the good of the country. To anger the Head of State would mean losing so much – political clout, access to free property, opportunities to further their corporate and business agendas and of course, the assurance that they can do no wrong.

Sri Lanka’s political clan system is a scourge. Surrounded by those that assure them that all is well in paradise, the politician continues to fatten himself and his family, far removed from the plight of the poor man in a faraway village, struggling to sell his paddy and feed his children.

While the description might be apt to describe the incumbent regime, governments in waiting, specifically the UNP, fare no better on this score. Both parties might have extremely learned members in their midst, several of them well aware of the repercussions for the country from their respective leaders’ colossal bungling but their consciences do not prick them enough to stand up and speak.

Testimony to the degenerative state of Sri Lankan politics is that the last person to have resigned from political office on grounds of principle was Gamini Jayasuriya, the UNP politico who resigned in protest at the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord in 1987.The perks of office have proved far superior a temptress than the selfless desire to do what is best for one’s country.

A New Year dawned on April 13. For many Sri Lankans, this Avurudhu season was best ignored. With their pockets cleaned out and fewer sweetmeats on their tables than ever before thanks to the raging price of coconut oil, there was not a lot to be cheerful about as the New Year was ushered in. Fewer crackers lit the skies and Avurudhu festivals were at an all time low after one such event resulted in monumental tragedy and the deaths of one Minister and many innocents.

When all else seems so gloomy, let us Sri Lankans make one collective wish for this New Year that is upon us. Let us wish for our country a leadership made up of men of courage and conscience; men who cannot be bought by the spoils of office, a breed of new leaders who will stand up for their motherland, casting aside all personal ambition. Let us hope, because hope is really all we have left.