Good Governance: Matters Of Urgency

By Emil van der Poorten –October 9, 2016 

Emil van der Poorten

As someone who has written for publication for more than half a century, dealing with plantation issues, crop diversification, pioneering work with sheep, politics and a potpourri of other subjects, I have taken my fair share of criticism of one description or another. However, I have never been threatened until recently for what has been published under my name.

In and of itself, in the matter of attempting to silence people’s opinions by threat, this is not an event of earth-shaking significance. However, placed against the backdrop of a government that loudly proclaimed its commitment to ensuring the freedom of expression and threats to democracy, the event becomes disturbing.

From the time of the election of the MR2 (Maithri/Ranil) government many of us insisted that there could be no equivocating in the matter of democratic and principled conduct in the running of this country. “TINA” has been a much-abused acronym, but There Is No Alternative. It is all or nothing at all. Making “exceptions” here, there and, seemingly, everywhere, while it might not have reached the same proportions as it did during the MR1 (Mahinda Rajapaksa) regime, is increasing exponentially. Comparisons with the MR1 lot are hardly justified given the commitment to dictatorial, undemocratic and violent governance (if one might even use that term) of that lot.

What is even more serious is that this behaviour of our current rulers is, seemingly, paving the way for the return of their predecessors, in fact, making that transition that much easier!

I have specifically spoken to the fact that several of the current “movers and shakers” in the seats of power continue to play “footsie” with the very people who, they claimed, were the ruination of this land. On occasion, I have specifically named the individuals and referred to the areas of governance or issues that they have influenced in a manner that was definitely not in the public interest and, even if not calculated to discredit and make unpopular the MR2 government is having exactly that effect.

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