STUPID STATEMENTS OF OUR POLITICAL LEADERS

By Dr. Mervyn D. De Silva.

When Ex-President Chandrika Kumaranatunga seized power in 1994, she promised the people of this country that she would usher in an era of socialism with a human face. The people, a high percentage of whom live near or, below the level of poverty and endure a grueling life expected these promises to be translated into a concrete socio-economic strategy essential for a balanced development with economic growth indissolubly married to equity. Not equity, as an appendage of an indigenous breed of bandit capitalism that she presided over.

Violating the promises and pledges she took this path that led to the fire sales of many profitable state enterprises dubbed “family silver” by herself, and a widespread of peoples’ assets. They were given away at undervalued prices that enriched all those who courted her on the pretext of being party loyalists, and interlopers from other parties who claimed the lofty ideal of serving the country.

The tidal wave of corruption, bribery, political betrayals, unprincipled crossing overs for grabbing the perks of office, and abuse of political power percolating to the spoilt brats of politicians engulfed the nation and continues to do so. Still, the long drawn ethnic problem brought in its train brutal killings of some of the best minds the country could be prod of from both sides of the ethnic divide. The shameful losses on the battle field while billions of rupees found their way into the pockets of members of the military, political, bureaucrats and business fraternity. No less to the charmed circles of the ex-President. While some of them are in foreign climes enjoying their ill-gotten wealth, the country remains deeper in the social and economic quagmire.

Now comes the leader of the opposition, the mastermind of the Cease-Fire Agreement (CFA), selling the idea that the sovereign state can never wipe out those who have taken to arms, no less than the insurgents can wipe out the sovereign government.

No one in his right mind will attempt to do it although the insurgents have succeeded in wiping out political leaders of threat to them on both sides of the ethnic divide. We in the South also believe stupidly that all those innocent people we see in the North hold the ideology of the insurgents unmindful of the fact that they are under a dictatorship. The regime continues successfully to date not because of the superiority of their military power and the support they enjoy from the elite Diaspora in richer climes abroad and safer climes in the South, but because of the abysmal stupidity of the politicians in the UNP and SLFP.

True the Tamil insurgency cannot be wiped out but it can be defeated. Tinkering with constitution setting committees upon committees can never bring peach until this sovereign nation approaches the problems acting as a self respecting people, not on bended knees to whosoever. Besides, the winnable war to win the hearts and minds of our brethren in the North with the true facts lacking intensive focus because the winnable war on corruption has never be seriously attempted.