Dr Sudath Gunasekara (SLAS) Retired Permanent secretary and President Senior Citizens Council Mahanuwara 30.5.2013

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (Politicians are a crafty pack of hungry wolves ruling over a bunch of stupid asses)ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Part 1

This note is an attempt to look at the political parties and politicians in this country and examine the danger of leaving the destiny of the nation entirely in the hands of politicians.

Present political party system originated in the west, as a democratic tool of governance, is alien to our society which had been governed for 2500 years by a different form of government that was fashioned by an entirely a different philosophy of statecraft based primarily and mainly on the concept of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Bahujana hitaaya Bahujana sukhaayaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ as enunciated in Buddhist teachings. This may be the major reason why ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”the modern political party modelƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ has failed to achieve the objectives and purpose of governance as expected by the people of this country according to the Buddhist concept of governance. Another reason I see is the inability or reluctance on the part of our modern day politicians to understand the basic principles and objectives of the indigenous system as their thinking has been mauled within a different culture and mainly as the purpose of their getting in to politics is basically different. Today they do so only to seek power, make wealth and seek comfort as against serving the people and the country. There may be few exceptions but they also appear to be helpless, rather backboneless, to fight against the all powerful existing corrupt system. So they also just float astray for survival. None dares to take the risk to be adventurous for the sake of the country or the people.

In this article I am trying to look at this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”National cisisƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ from a different perspective as to why Sri Lanka like most countries which were governed by former western colonial powers has failed to develop as a vibrant and prosperous nation, through the mechanism of party politics. Apart from the wanton exploitation of its physical and human resources the legacies alien to our social system left behind by the British and other colonial powers I think are the other root causes of this situation. Among the main legacies responsible for this situation their system of Government (the distinctive features of which are selfish, divisive and antagonistic ruler-centered politics), administration, legal system, education, economic models and their social values that are unfamiliar to our social system rank as the key areas. Like the Euro-centric modern technology that has killed the indigenous technology in agriculture, industry and all other fields and impoverished these nations economically and completely destroyed all indigenous creativity by making the subjects a pack of dependent mental slaves and minions, the imported alien political system also has adversely affected this country by killing all aspects of native governance and statecraft that were deeply embedded in our social system for a long time.

The political parties and their leaders who are at the helm of politics in this country are the direct products of this alien socio- psychological system. Although there was a wave of national resurgence in the latter part of 19^th and early 20^th centuries that culminated politically in 1956 it was again put on the reverse gear by the reactionary forces in 1977 with a new tribe of politicians, and an amalgam of the dying reactionary forces, and the newly emerged underworld thugs and all undesirable anti-social elements of the western capitalist socio-economic system that formed the underpinning of the new political culture. With the emergence of this new development the generation of intellectual and patriotic political culture dominated by towering personalities like Sir DB, DS, Bandaranaike, CWW, and Philip in forties and fifties that was anti-imperialist, committed and dedicated to the service of men and their motherland disappeared for good.

After the 1977 General Elections a new and parasitic culture of politics replaced the above and it gave pride of place solely to politicians and their own welfare as against the good of the people. The first Bill passed in Parliament after 1977 General Election was the Pension bill for MPP. That itself clearly shows the mentality of our modern day politicians. The 1977 change set the trend of the new politico-centered political culture. The new Constitution adopted in 1978 became a critical landmark and a watershed in the development of political history of this Island nation that set the starting point of complete political and social degeneration. It marked the beginning of an era of selfish and exploitive or extractive politics that replaced the age old service centred politics. ThisƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Constitution was amended 16 times by the end of 1988 to suit the consolidation of the then government; the number of MPP in Parliament were also increased from 168 t0 225; their salaries, allowances, perks and all privileges increased to unprecedented levels; they and even their families were made pensionable after 5 years, violating the government pension minute; number of Ministers was increased at the center and new breed of puppet Ministers called District Ministers were appointed in the Districts, enabling the President even to appoint a man from Matara as the District Minister ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Jaffna. Under the 1978 Constitution an Executive Presidency was created and the President was made all powerful and immune to all acts committed by him; he was also made the Head of the Cabinet who appoints and dismisses Ministers at his will and pleasure. Even the Judges of the Supreme Court and higher Courts and all the Secretaries of Ministries were appointed by him. Thus the 1978 constitution in fact brought all three arms of governance Executive, Legislative and Judiciary under the control of the President giving him the absolute power to rule. This made the President of this country the most powerful Head of State in the whole democratic world, even more powerful than the President of the United States.

MPP were elected on preferential voting and proportional representation.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This deprived the voters of nearly 50% of electorates of their representatives in Parliament and a new tribe called the District MPP was introduced. This system created vacuum electorates where people did not have an MP to air their grievances. In Kandy district alone there are eight such seats up to date. It also created super politicians commanding fabulous wealth and underworld power who could buy even a whole district and who were answerable only to the party leader and left the voters high and dry. It is said that even ordinary Mps nowadays have private helicopters (Eg. Sajin Vass Gunawardana as revealed in the June 15 (DM). This has made democracy a big joke in this country; unsigned letters of resignation from MPP were taken by the President; the Judiciary and the Public Service were brought under political control; lower rungs in the public service were given political rights making them more powerful than the higher officialƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s thus killing discipline in public service. All appointments were made on a political chit system.

Adding further burdens to the people nine Provincial Councils with Governors, Chief Ministers, Cabinets and a large number of politicians and officials with overlapping public institutions squandering billions of public funds which made peripheral governance an utter mess duplicating government machinery with no benefits to the people were created in 1987 under the 13h Amendment. The 13^th A was adopted against the will of the people of this country under duress by the Indian Government for political survival by JR. Though Provincial Councils are widely considered to be white elephants and a cancerous appendage that has completely mess up the governance in the periphery politicians want to retain them as they provide lucrative employment for them. At the same time all politicians and high officials are provided (rather bribed) with duty free vehicle permits (which they can sell) each worth millions that fetched the recipients 10, 15 millions of rupees and even more every five years in addition to official vehicles. This facility was recently extended even to defeated candidates in the Provincial Councils with 2 and ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚½ years in office in spite of public protest.

For all politicians political office was made the most lucrative ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”JOBƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ on earth with no qualification, no obligation to the people and not answerable to anybody other than the party leader. This whole process converted democracy in this country in all its theory and practice to a form of government of the politicians, by the politicians and for the politicians, instead of its classical definition that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. Abraham Lincoln would have turned in his grave and hung these Sri Lankan politicians (rather poly-tricksters) who boast of a 2500 year old tradition of just ruling.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Bahujana hitaya, Bahujana sukhaayaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ concept of political philosophy that ruled this country for 2500 years by our Kings was replaced with a novel concept of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Mantri hitaya,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  sukhaya, Mantri sahaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ungeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  pavule pamanak sukhaya hitayaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ thereafter. Consequently today our politicians have become mere poly-tricksters.

Looking back at the history of political parties in this country they were formed in a hurry to contest the elections in 1947 by picking up the existing political groups with different policies. It is a pity and a tragedy too that in 1947 our politicians completely failed to adopt a Constitution embodying the age old and time tested traditions of the land that were one with the people of this country. They even failed to restore the original name of the country that is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”SinhaleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ that was handed over to the British in 1815. The leaders simply formed a government on the Westminster model in a hurry to implement the Soulbury Constitution that was ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”made in BritainƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. Thus right from the inception of Independence Sri Lankan politics was not based on the aspirations or the home grown traditions of the natives. Unlike in countries like UK or USA parties here were also not organized on a strong party basis dedicated and committed to the good of the country and the people. Thus they do not have a long and strong tradition either. They even tried to implant political systems completely alien to our culture. For example leftist parties like LSSP and CP wanted the Russian Communist system of government and even the UNP introduce the Westminster system. Sri Lankan political parties are also not wedded to a consistent national policy that does not change frequently with every change of government and sometimes even with change of Ministers. To this extent our political parties exist as parties only in theory and not in practice.

Like in most countries that were formally ruled by the colonial powers, in Sri Lanka too, they adopted a divide and rule policy during their regimes and have left behind a legacy of political traditions based on communal, caste, regional and divisive politics.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In the process they also made it a point to kill the rich local traditions and institutions and weaken the majority while they encouraged and supported the minorities, including those who were brought in as slaves and left behind when the British left, which they continue to do up to date. This was a part of their subversive policy to destabilize this country. In India this process reached the culmination with the partitioning of the subcontinent as India and Pakistan. Fortunately the British could not complete this vicious mission in Sri Lanka.

Therefore political parties in Sri Lanka never started as instruments dedicated and geared to nation building as an independent nation. Instead they began as organizations fighting each other for political power and control of resources claiming supremacy over one another. This situation has badly affected the political stability of the Island. While major parties of the majority communities in this country were organized superficially on ideological lines like capitalist and socialist or western aligned (capitalist) and eastern (socialist/communist) aligned, like UNP (Ceylon National Congress and Sinhala Mahasabha), Communist and LSSP they were based more on the personal convictions of leaders rather than the wishes of the people.

Part 11 to be continued