The Island Editorial

June 8, 2016, 7:42 pm
No sooner had the exploding ordnance stopped raining on Kosgama and adjoining townships than the government chose to shower expensive gifts on its parliamentarians. People crying out for relief must have expected Parliament to get cracking to help them. Instead, a supplementary estimate to the tune of Rs. 1,175 million was presented to the House on Tuesday for purchasing 30 cars, of all things, for ministers!

It was only recently that floods and landslides destroyed hundreds of lives and displaced tens of thousands of people. But, come hell or high water, the ruling politicians are hell bent on feathering their nests. They are apparently making up for lost time!

A popular slogan comes to mind: ‘amathiyanta kaar, golayanta baar, janthavata soor—cars for ministers, (liquor) bars for their henchmen and inebriation for the masses.

The unbridled parasitic exploitation by politicians of the people reminds us of an Aesopian fable. While crossing a shallow stream a fox got stuck in a cleft in a rock. Soon it was covered with ticks, which got bloated with its blood in no time. A small animal which was not strong enough to pull it out offered to remove the parasites instead. A terrified fox had this to say: ‘For heaven’s sake don’t. These ticks are now replete with my blood and if you remove them another swarm will descend on me and suck me dry!”

Sri Lankans got rid of one swarm of parasites last year only to be troubled by another!

With the colossal amount of public funds being wasted on cars for ministers and MPs, who are already using luxury vehicles at the expense of taxpayers all the houses and shops destroyed by the Kosgama blasts could have been rebuilt. How can the government politicians justify their panhandling near foreign embassies, claiming that they are without funds to help disaster victims?

The Rajapaksa government was castigated—and rightly so—for wasting public funds to maintain the ostentatious lifestyles of its politicians and their backers. Those at the levers of power changed last year but one sees no difference between the previous regime and its successor anent spending sprees; they are tweedledum and tweedledee in that respect. The government has demonstrated once again that it does not hesitate to act out of expediency rather than principle to safeguard its political interests.

Recent unconscionable tax hikes have landed the ordinary people in such a predicament that they cannot even afford humble tuk-tuks. Prices of essential commodities and services like private health care have gone through the roof. What hurts them more than being fleeced is that among the recipients of the luxury cars bought with their money are some politicians they rejected at the last parliamentary polls. Having appointed those rejects to Parliament via the National List and made them ministers, the government, which extols the virtues of good governance, is now giving them limousines. Rejects are going places! Oh, good governance, what a farce thou hast become in this blessed land!

The army has undertaken to stitch uniforms for disaster-hit schoolchildren as we reported yesterday. Members of the general public are skipping meals to feed, clothe and shelter their fellow citizens in distress. Kind-hearted foreigners are sending relief material here in spite of their own difficulties. Hospitals are seeking public assistance to buy scanners and other such equipment. Life-saving drugs are in short supply perennially in the state-run health institutions. Most schools are without sanitary facilities. University students are not paid their stipends on time. Development projects have ground to a halt due to lack of funds. But, the government has enough and more fund to purchase cars for its members.

What a damn shame––vili lajja!