Politics, Patriotism and Searching for The Limelight

By Darmitha-Kotte

Here we go again-a cabinet re-shuffle, sob stories, threats and pointing fingers. Sri Lankan politics has been reduced to petty personal politics rather than good governance and example. Some people feel that they always need to be in the limelight and when they are "courteously" put in their rightful place, they spend time to find ways of drawing attention to their "sob stories"- now the latest being that Anura Bandaranaike has received threatening calls-from whom is the prize question? Individuals who enter politics must understand that they are basically servants of the masses and the country-not "walauwe haamuduruwos" who need to be pampered with servants running around to change their diapers!

The sob stories of the Bandaranaike siblings in politics, is a never ending saga. When Chandrika Kumaratunga fell from grace, it was a stream of allegations hurled at the current President on how he was discriminating against her and how she was ill-treated by the authorities. On the other hand, what has she done for this country for which she could be proud of? Nothing except feel ashamed at how she has misused her powers and duped the masses of this country! To hit the headlines for misappropriations, misdeeds and vindictiveness, to try to bring disrepute to UNICEF (which was fortunately thwarted in the nick of time), to amass wealth through government deals etc. are to say the least, an absolute insult to this country and we are certainly happy that we are hopefully rid of this menace, even if it momentarily. Let us hope it is for good!

One cannot demand respect but one can learn to command it by showing through example, one's exemplary service to the people of Sri Lanka. The youngest sibling Anura Bandaranaike thinks that he is the "cat's whiskers" and that everything good and honourable in this country must be bestowed on him on a platter! His political history is anything but exemplary (although he himself thinks otherwise like his sister CBK). He insulted both his late parents by crossing over to the UNP at a time when his late mother Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike most needed the son's support-he betrayed her. He proved his lack of decency when he hurled vile insults on his own sister from UNP political platforms. When he thought the time was ripe for him to return to the SLFP for him to get a top post in his sister's cabinet, he crossed over back to the SLFP and held many portfolios which served his foreign travels and RRs more than serve Sri Lanka. When the people were fed up with CBK's stints and showed her that her time was up, the brother and sister together worked against the very presidential candidate that SLFP nominated merely because he hails from the south. Under the current President of Sri Lanka he was lucky enough to be given the portfolio of Minister of Tourism (while he aspired for Premiership) and for a better part of the year 2006, he was touring the world rather than putting the house in order and at a great financial cost to the nation at that! Even while holding this portfolio, he was conniving behind the scenes together with CBK, to make life difficult for President Rajapakse which, is a well-known fact to everyone in this country. Not having proved his worth as Minister of Tourism where he was supposed to bring in tourists into this country(instead he spent almost 85% of 2006 overseas!), he was again lucky enough to be offered the portfolio of Minister of National Heritage (if he were so proud of serving his country) but nay, he now finds that he is not all that important anymore-and it is time to create some rumpus- this time it is threatening calls-from whom, is a prize question indeed?

Does he think he is so important, that he thinks that the LTTE is even in the wildest of dreams, interested in taking his life or is he so angry that President Rajapakse is doing things that his own sister and his buddy Ranil Wickramasinghe would not dare to do? It is high time that both CBK and Anura Bandaranaike understand that the respect people have for their late parents, can never be transferred to the two of them because they have done absolutely nothing constructive for this country- instead, they have been the biggest liability and financial liability for the GOSL and the people! Instead of spreading sob stories with the idea of getting sympathy from our people, if he sincerely wished to serve this country, he could do it without fanfare and prove his worth.

The "Holier Than Thou " Old Royalists and Their Doings:

According to Anura Bandaranaike's statement which appeared in the Sinhala and English newspapers, those who studied at Royal College are not indecent enough to give nuisance calls and threaten him, nor do they have low down qualities " like the rest"- here he makes a dig at "those expatriate Sri Lankans with American citizenship who are working around President, are the people who are threatening him!" We are not sure whether the famous "Batalande Torture House" was not linked to an old Royalist, we are also not sure whether the CWE was not sold out by an old Royalist who also in the guise of constructing a "Lalith Athulathmudali Memorial Centre "in Kotte, bulldozed the sports stadium constructed by the late Chandra de Silva (the first Mayor of Kotte) which served all schools in Rajagiriya, Kotte, Nugegoda, and all surrounding areas to conduct their sports meets and other school functions, blocked out the construction site with billboards of the so called memorial hall but - what actually was being done, was the construction of a building for HSBC! This being done, at the cost of depriving school children in the area of a much needed Sports Stadium! Anura Bandaranaike's contention that no old Royalists are indecent, is an absolute myth. Sri Lankans are not so short-memoried to forget that it was within the first decade of CBK's rule, that old Royalist Mangala Samaraweera organized "smashing of coconuts" at Kataragama to curse Buddhist Monks! In his mind, this must be a highly noble act for an old Royalist to do? It was old Royalist the late JR Jayawardane who after coming into power in 1977 introduced a Constitution and policies which destroyed every aspect of decency in this country completely- all in the name of "Dharmishta "! It was also this old Royalist who stripped the late Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike of her Civic Rights. It was also this old Royalist together with the late R.Premadasa who conspired to buy over Anura Bandaranaike who abandoned his beloved mother and the SLFP and joined the UNP and sling mud on his own sister from UNP platforms. In his own statement in the August House of Parliament, Anura Bandaranaike stated that when he received the second or third threatening call, he used " thitha kunuharupa"(absolute filthy language) to insult the callers! In our minds, only indecent and uneducated people use obscene language-on the other hand, if one didn't know obscene language, one cannot use it! No doubt, all these are highly noble acts of old Royalists?

At this point it needs to be emphasized that the vast majority of old Royalists may indeed be worthy citizens of this country except for some of those who entered politics.

The Claim to Ownership of The SLFP:

With all the shortcomings of the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, they are still highly respected not only in this country but overseas as well because, to them uppermost was the dignity of the country. Basking in the reflected glory of their late parents, both CBK and Anura have been selling the name of their late parents to gain sympathy of the innocent masses of this country. It was only during the last 11 years that people opened their eyes to the doings of the two siblings who proved their unworthiness and irresponsibility.

Both CBK and Anura claim that it was their late father who formed the SLFP. Yes, but a political party cannot be built by one individual. There were a group of people who put their heads together to form the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and it was not the late SWRD who gave the party it's name but the late Herbert Sri Nissanka who was a very well known lawyer of the times. Irrespective of who formed the party, once formed the party does not below to one family. The vast membership throughout the country and those who stood by the party loyally in times of both glory, pain and distress are the true inheritors of the party. Except for CBK and Anura, all members who continued their membership for 3-4 decades in the SLFP are the true and loyal members. They are the people who can decide on how the party must move forward-it is not for CBK or Anura to decide because they have been in the party for the shortest possible time in politics!

It is highly ironic that Anura Bandaraike states in Parliament (quote) " Mr. Samaraweera's father was also a minister in my mother's Government. My mother suffered for six years due to the removal of her civic rights in an arbitrary manner.(it was good for this prodigal son to abandon his mother and join the enemy?) My sister lost sight in one eye (according to Victor Ivan's "Chaura Rajini" it was a miscalculation of her own plot). We also sacrificed 3000 acres of land to the country during our own time (this was due to the policy of the Coalition Government formed between LSSP,SLFP,CP etc and not through her free will if we may state). Now those who did not grow even a blade of grass, are attempting to remove Chandrika and me from the SLFP" he charged. (end quote)
Anura Bandaraike and CBK should realize that all their sob stories are not getting them anywhere except gaining the wrath of the people. They have betrayed the people no matter what illusionary ideas they create for themselves about themselves and their "worthiness."

The SLFP will truly prosper the day that these two Bandaranaike siblings are out of the party because all they do is create rifts within the party. The SLFP is not the personal property of the Bandaranaikes-it is a national party and should prosper under true and genuine loyalists of the party.

True Patriotism:

The whole episode of Anura Bandaranaike's tirade in Parliament a couple of days ago, was to build up a pathetic story about harassment, threats to life etc because in his estimation of his own worth, he feels that he is a national treasure as well as a party treasure which needs to be nurtured, pampered and spoilt! In the eyes of the citizens of this country , he is only a "time-server" and a financial burden. The Ministry of Tourism under Anura Bandaranaike during this last year has spent an enormous sum of money with no returns. Is that what development of tourism is all about? Instead of bringing tourists into this country- he has been touring the world at State expense!

Nay, a person entering politics and who genuinely wishes to serve this country must first and foremost, shed off personal agendas of perks and manipulations. Which ever ministry is delegated must be accepted and honest service given to the people who have elected them into power. One must prove one's capabilities and those who can certify that is not the individual himself but the people of this country. It is they who witness the positive or negative impact of what an individual politician whether he be a minister or MP, does within his electorate or ministry.

As far as we have witnessed, all ministries under Mr. Anura Bandaranaike have ended up with colossal financial burdens purely due to his incompetence.

A politician is provided with as many perks as possible for a small country like ours for him to attend parliamentary sittings, make collective constructive criticisms to solve the ills of this country and bring it on to the path of development and prosperity.

It is high time that the newly appointed Cabinet of Ministers draw up "cost effective plans" to run their ministries and prove to the people within the next half year, that they are truly committed towards the welfare of our country. It is time for them to stop demanding salary increases, import of more luxury cars which our country cannot afford, move with the masses to understand their problems and find solutions to help them. Any minister or parliamentarian who genuinely serves the people, does not need to be surrounded by rings of security guards because no one will harm them. Those who request for additional security are those who are engaged in all kinds of nefarious activities at state expense. They should be ashamed of themselves. The sons and daughters of such politicians must not take on the authorities of their parents because they are just ordinary citizens in this country just like any of us. Irrespective of whose children they may be, they must be punished without any political interference whatsoever according to the law of this land. Politicians/ Ministers must stop employing their spouses as Secretaries in their ministries!

Let us see a new political culture being brought about in this country. Let us see absolute honesty taking shape instead of hitting news headlines that Sri Lanka is one of the most corrupt countries in the world or Asian region of which all of us need to feel ashamed. Let us shed off this disgraceful "inferiority complex" being exhibited by lavish tamashas at State expense. Simplicity, honesty, nation-building and prosperity must be the order of the day if Sri Lanka is to raise her head and become a respected country in the region atleast. Let all politicians who profess to be patriotic citizens of this country take an oath of allegiance to serve the country with selflessness.

Let us hope that we are able to witness such changes in our own life time!