20 June 2023 01:38 am
Cabinet ministers and parliamentarians are seen taking part in Yoga to mark the international Yoga day
How much more self-entitlement should politicians in this country have? Consider the tragicomedy at the International Yoga Day at the weekend. As paunchy and protruding Sri Lankan ministers were screechingly bending and stretching to the music, a drizzle fell in—a trickle, still under the full sun. But soon, the ministers were sheltered by umbrellas held by their aides or sponsors as they continued to make yoga poses. Average folks, confined to congested rows behind the VIPs, braved the light shower - no harm in that, while continuing their exercise. Except the whole episode was an in-your-face advertisement of the inflated sense of entitlement and indulgence of the politicians in Sri Lanka—a country they have brought to its knees.
Now if anyone does not feel discomfort at this feudal display in the broad light at the Independence Square, something is wrong. Generally, these gaffes end up only being internet memes, that may also be because that is the only way to vent the pent-up bitterness of a collective psyche.But this is a symptom of a bigger societal ill, one at the heart of the overall failure or underachievement of the country.
Everywhere in the world, politicians are rated poorly in the social media-empowered public opinion; not always an accurate assessment for the same space also enables some cringe-worthy bigots and charlatans to cultivate a base of cult worship.But, in a more nuanced take, politicians of this part of the world, or the countries of our social and economic development, are among the lowest of low; rent-seeking, predatory, incompetent nincompoops, who essentially bring nothing to the table, but lavish on themselves the most.
Their counterparts from better-accomplished countries subconsciously view them with the exact kind of contempt.Donald Trump described many African countries as ‘shithole countries, though Trump is more in line with a Third-word charlatan and commands one of the most hate-filled following. Twenty per cent of his voters think freeing slaves in 1863 was a bad idea, according to a 2016 survey.
Now I do not wish to make this a defining episode of the right and wrong of our political system. But some form of critique is warranted, and so are some pertinent questions. First, how does an electoral system degenerate over time that unashamedly flaunts its elected types’ feudal sense of entitlement? Is this a product of an ingrained subconscious bias, a relic of feudalism? Or one that is constructed by the ones who were elected to the office and bureaucracy?
There may be many competing explanations. But this can be broken down into a few parts, stakeholders, the elected and voters, and the institutions and the social contract that underwrites their relationship.
A political system is as good as its voters. Sri Lankan voters elect their representatives in competitive multiparty elections. No one is forced to vote for one over the other at the threat of gunpoint. But it is the same electorate that had elected some of the most opportunistic charlatans, who in their person, bring no skills, no sophistication, nor modern outlook, but are still loved by the electorate for they echo their primordial leaning, racist dog-whistling, conspiracy theories and unattainable pie- in -the sky promises. The voters vote for their representatives, not in an objective assessment of their competence to rule but simply because they see a mirror image of their elected choices. So, there is a subconscious bias, which effectively comes to haunt the system and retard its evolution.
Folks like Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya are the greatest beneficiaries of that psychological bias. And they effectively cannibalized the most devoted of their constituency, who now had taken the brunt of the economic crash, which was inevitable to happen when the Rajapaksa’s long-lived lie popped.
Then, is there a way to prevent ‘undesirables’ from political power? Countries like Singapore and, more importantly,China has largely technocratic cabinets (the Politburo standing committee in China) because they weed out the chaff. But that is only possible because such states are either controlled democracies or no democracies at all. In Sri Lanka, it is not that difficult for the disgruntled MPs to wage an internal revolt and pole vault to the opposition bringing down the government.
A more conventional model is to prevent the elected representatives from abusing power through checks and balances, through an independent judiciary, a second chamber, and other forms of independent institutions, which have worked to a certain degree. Though a second chamber is unlikely to be any better than Parliament if it is ever set up in Sri Lanka.
When the retrograde and the unsophisticated enter politics, they influence and mold the system into one in their mind. Their world is small, their ambitions are short-term and self-interested, and their outlook is narrow or non-existing.They see no wrong in the feudal display of entitlement. They ravish in it. If anyone can remember, Mahinda Rajapaksa even had a disabled war veteran crawling to him to collect his medal at a national ceremony.
Sometime back during my PhD years, a Ghanaian colleague, an insightful one, told me African politicians like to flaunt their power; they travel in large entourages and visit even the smallest local events with dozens of backups and security men. On the flip side, my friend tells me, if they don’t play the ‘big man’, their constituencies would lose respect and switch sides with their opponent.
That,over time,cultivates an astonishingly high level of self-entitlement. Recently a Nigerian senator was found guilty in Britain of smuggling a Nigerian vendor from the streets of Lagos to London to harvest his kidney for an organ transplant for his ailing daughter.The predictable reaction of any political establishment should have been shock and outrage at the heinous and exploitative crime. Alas, instead, the government of Nigeria and the African Union (in a special statement) asked for leniency for the convicted senator, praising his role for the prosperity of Africa.
If the Sri Lankan public consciously and consistently oppose the display of feudal entailment and unfair privileges of their elected representatives, that might have a restraining effect. But, a far more effective gesture would be not electing lowlifes to Parliament simply because you see in them a mirror image of yourself, simply because he speaks a language, cater to your primordial tastes and make you feel included. In reality, though, they have not only robbed and denigrated you but have robbed the future of your children.
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