Is It Too Late?

Rohitha Rajapaksa ‏@Rohitha_Chichi Jul 22 More Visiting #Moscow with my brothers was a great experience. @YoshithaR @RajapaksaNamal | Photo via Namal Rajapaksa’s twitter handle

By Emil van der Poorten –AUGUST 1, 2018

Emil van der Poorten

Recent events on the political scene seem to suggest that it may be too late for the Yahapalanya lot to make what, in 21st century jargon is called a ”course-correction.” In fact, having taken longer than usual in putting this piece together, I am suddenly faced with the task of completing it as even more disgusting events intrude as each week progresses!

The slide into the morass of corruption and bribe-taking has reached a point where, as it was with the previous regime, it is the rule rather than the exception. Most significant, the parade of corruption goes on without the semblance of risk of consequences such as prosecution for what are, without a semblance of doubt, criminal offences. The degradation of governance by members on both sides of the House is almost beyond description and most important, perhaps, these are crimes against the national interest of the nation and its citizens. How else can the previous and recent shenanigans of MPs on both sides of the aisle be described?

That there is a very strong undercurrent of duplicity, leading to the undermining of what little is left of the justice system is obvious as the nose on one’s face. The most recent example of this is the seemingly endless line of judges of our highest court “recusing” themselves from occupying the bench at a time when a criminal offence allegedly committed by Gotabaya Rajapaksa is to be heard. From all accounts, this has reached the point when there are not enough judges of the required rank left to hear the matter. Period. If this is not INTERNATIONALLY WITHOUT PRECEDENT, would some reader please correct me? 

Sri Lankan politics, any politics anywhere in the so-called democratic world, have deteriorated and, in every instance, where a public has turned to some politician or politicians promising to replace what is seen as the “establishment” with governance no second to nirvana, the result has been even more corruption without even the semblance of a silver lining to the cloud.

The move to conservative, nay reactionary, agglomerations of politicians probably reached its peak (nadir?) with the ascent to power in the world’s most powerful nation of the “The Donald” and his minions.

The difference between the so-called “developed democracies” and Sri Lanka, though, is that in those jurisdiction the law prevails so that its citizens, irrespective of rank, can be investigated, prosecuted and even put in the crowbar hotel, as might conceivably happen to our Donald if the Mueller investigation goes where it’s expected to.

The smaller and less important nations of the world such as Sri Lanka have not been spared the same fate, though probably on an economically lesser scale. Because we do not have the mineral resources that have been the great magnet for the international bandits, we have been targeted for other reasons.

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