Schooling The Rulers: Who’s Responsibility Is It?

By Ruvan Weerasinghe –September 5, 2015

Ruvan Weerasinghe

You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. – Jesus Christ

There’s a grave danger in imagining that the new cabinet and their deputies understand even the notion of good governance. In fact many of them have openly mocked the very idea of Yahapalanaya not so very long ago. Even for some of the others, who have now got on the Yahapalana bandwagon, the idea of actually being accountable to those below them (leave alone being their servant or slave) would be quite alien.

It has been the common experience of many people I’ve spoken to after January 8th, that changing the top in the country or any organization doesn’t automatically change the prevailing culture of governance. That culture has been nurtured over many decades but perfected during the last one to be one where dishonest gain in the guise of serving the public was the primary aim. It is primarily a culture based on patronage. If one is good with their boss, the boss would look after them; else one would be penalized. It has seeped into all corners of the government and even spilled over to the non-government and private sectors of the country. Changing the leader only makes those below seek to please the new boss in the same old ways – to put it plainly, by sucking up to them. This is what led to the emperors new clothes syndrome which finally led to the downfall of the emperor.

In this respect, it is refreshing to see the new President epitomize the very notion of servant-leadership. Welcoming the critiques of his style of leadership (being called spineless and indecisive) he has set an excellent example in humility. Unfortunately, owing to the extreme conditions he faced within his own party, he has had to tarnish this exemplary behaviour with some extreme decisions within the party. The most glaring example of this was in the names he included through the SLFP national list: who could hardly be called his supporters – they were just those who ridiculed him a little less than the others!Read More