Electing the next President; our Hercules to clean the Augean stables

If you vote for corrupt reasons, you will elect corrupt leaders and you will be their eternal slaves – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara 

We must be confident that the President we choose can be trusted with extraordinary powers in situations where the safety, or the liberty, of our country is truly in grave danger. We must also be confident that in giving such powers, which must be limited in scope and time, we do not leave room for an opportunistic leader to violate human rights and not abide by the constitution under the pretext of saving the country from imminent, inescapable, and mortal danger. Who among the candidates can we trust with extraordinary powers?

Barring the unthinkable, Sri Lanka will soon elect its ninth Executive President and election gossip is increasingly taking centre stage at business and social gatherings. The period running up to the election is, as we all know, the time which gives rise to self-made political strategists and election pundits with some of them claiming to have a direct line to persons in privileged positions and possess insider information. Speculation regarding alliances, crossovers and conspiracies abound. That, too, is usual.

However, what is unusual this time, unlike in previous elections, is that a significant proportion of citizens, irrespective of their rank, file, intellectual capacity and stations in life, are more aware of their individual aspirations, more knowledgeable of the contemporary issues, better informed of the state of play and are freer in articulating their expectations of the President, i.e. the skills, attributes, traits, behaviours, and abilities he must display, and employ, in creating a country which avails all citizens economic opportunity and a full enjoyment of their constitutional rights. 

Whatever these may be, in specific terms, there is no denying that in the current Sri Lanka the tasks confronting the elected President are herculean and are akin to the cleaning of the Augean stables, this being a phrase often used to describe the performance of seemingly impossible, extremely difficult, and unpleasant tasks which have remained unaddressed over a long time.

Greek mythology records that Augeas, the mythical king of Elis, kept great stables that held 3,000 oxen and the oxen dung (shit) had not been cleaned for 30 years. Hercules was challenged with the task of cleaning the shit in exchange for a tenth of his fine cattle, and he accomplished it by diverting two rivers, Alpheus and Peneus, to flow through the stables. Sri Lanka needs its own ‘Hercules’ to clear the ‘shit’ which has piled and continues to pile from the time Sri Lanka started electing power hungry political leaders who put ‘self before nation’ and, spurred by such tone from the top, Sri Lanka’s citizens started mortgaging their souls in pursuing new riches and material wealth. 

The Sri Lanka, I remember in my early youth, consisted, in the main, of citizens who revered the basic values of honesty, integrity, sharing, caring and love for their fellow men and women. It is no longer such and the Sri Lanka of today can be described as a ‘dog eat dog’ world. It is against this background that we, the citizens must, based on what we have learnt from our past mistakes, elect a President who, in our mind, is best equipped to resurrect an economically, and morally, bankrupt Sri Lanka. It was Mark Skousen, American economist, and writer, who said, “We shall never change our political leaders until we change the people who elect them.”

The intent of this article, the content of which is greatly influenced by the writings of Niccolo Machiavelli, a Florentine diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who has often been called the father of modern political philosophy and political science, is to do just that by drawing your attention to key actions you must take and the thought process you must employ in electing national leaders. Our country is brimming with ambitious political leaders. Are they pretenders or are they the ‘full Monty’? Who do you choose from among the contenders? How do you choose? The choice is yours and there is no political guru, nor science, nor model which can relieve you of this burden of choice.

Voting is the most important expression of citizenship, and it is paramount that we discharge our basic civic duty of casting our vote. It is very unlikely that a candidate will meet the totality of our criteria. In that light, we must take a balance of the good and the bad and vote for the ‘higher good’ and/or the ‘lesser evil.’ If citizens endowed with the intellectual capacity to demand higher standards of performance do not vote, those with lower standards of discernment will elect incompetent and/or corrupt candidates. Let us not leave room for that.

Voters must not be duped by pretence. History has shown us that politicians are masters at simulation and dissimulation. They are great at putting on a false façade in expressing grief at tragic events, compassion for the miseries of the poor, umbrage at erosion of freedoms guaranteed by the constitution et cetera. They are also experts in concealing their thirst for power, greed, self-adulation, and contempt for ordinary citizens. Their rhetoric is crafted to touch your points of sensitivity and give you a false sense of hope. We, the voting citizens, must not get carried away by these acts and we must determine who they really are by looking at their past and present records. 

What was their stand on pressing issues such as individual rights, social justice, political freedom, education, health, law, and order et cetera? What efforts have they made in eradicating bribery and corruption? What has been their stand on disciplining errant ministers and public officials? This information is publicly available. Please use them. We can also assess the candidates’ political quality by examining the people who they surround themselves with. Are they astute advisors or are they just another vote in parliament?

In the current Sri Lanka where corruption is pervasive and citizens have little or no confidence in the workings of regulatory authorities and the law-abidingness of their fellow-citizens, life is a virtual torment and individuals become weary, worn down and disillusioned. They yearn for a leader who will enforce discipline, law and order without fear or favour. It is therefore critically important that we choose a candidate who by his/her actions, statements and accomplishments indicate his/her sincerity and determination to fight corruption. An important first step in this fight is the establishment of political equality and a system of meritocracy where competent and capable persons fill positions of responsibility.

It is only human that many citizens vote in keeping with their self-interests rather than the public well-being. Many citizens vote for personal gain. A government job, bending of an established rule, an award of a contract, free alcohol and food are just a few examples. If you vote for corrupt reasons, you will elect corrupt leaders and you will be their eternal slaves. Say you are dominated by your hatred, and envy, of certain groups. You detest them. Then, you are likely to vote for a candidate who is likely to discriminate against the group/s you detest without looking at his/her other credentials. We must, as much as humanly possible, let the common good prevail.

A country can achieve greatness only by being free. Citizens must have the opportunities to attain levels of prosperity which is commensurate with their honest, transparent, and committed efforts and be able to support their families and dependents and be confident that they would not be dispossessed of their fruits of labour by rapacious leaders pursuing self-centred ambitions. We must therefore identify the candidates who best portray their natural desire to sustain the economic pursuits of all the citizens and not just a chosen few. The person who can best inspire a shared vision.

Politicians who have been in power, and in the political game, for too long tend to form networks of private allegiances. In such instances it is the politician who becomes the object of the supporters’ loyalty and not the country. In Sri Lanka, personal loyalties founded on favours, benefits and relationships are tenacious and difficult to dismantle. Yet, we must vote for the candidate who is most likely to depart from such practices. I am of the view that we must identify candidates who are both young and are in possession of the qualities and skills we have discussed so far and will discuss further. While there is justification in looking for experience, if there is a suitable younger person, we should not hesitate in choosing him/her. When there exists a young man/woman who has much merit and who has made himself/herself worthy by some notable actions, it would be a great loss to the country not to avail of his/her talents and services when they are ripe for plucking.

We must determine who among the candidates displays the virtue of fortitude, being a spirit, which remains consistent in times of good fortune and calm in times of despair. There are many politicians who wish to create a religious exterior by visiting the Mahanayaka/s and famous places of worship. There are others who talk about leading with compassion, tolerance, and empathy, all in keeping with the tenets of most religions and then do just the opposite. History records great political leaders who, though not believing in any organised and formal religion, have conducted their tasks admirably by following their conscience. What we must avoid is to elect a leader who neither has solid moral principles nor sound religious beliefs. Once again, the track records of the candidates are there to guide us. We must seek a candidate who, in the least, is respectful of the religious beliefs of his/her fellow citizens. We must pierce the veil in assessing the sincerity of what we hear and see.

In our examination of the candidates, we must give careful thought whether it is the aim of the candidates to attain power or to gain glory. Politicians whose sole aim is to acquire power and maintain it often resort to short-term measures which show quick results. On the other hand, there are politicians who seek glory, i.e., true glory, and not vain glory, by making decisions which leave a legacy for future generations. The two are hard to identify by foresight or even by retrospect. Yet if we listen carefully to their words, and analyse their actions, we can detect their true aspirations. We must not allow ourselves to be fooled all the time!

We must be confident that the President we choose can be trusted with extraordinary powers in situations where the safety, or the liberty, of our country is truly in grave danger. We must also be confident that in giving such powers, which must be limited in scope and time, we do not leave room for an opportunistic leader to violate human rights and not abide by the constitution under the pretext of saving the country from imminent, inescapable, and mortal danger. Who among the candidates can we trust with extraordinary powers?

In choosing the 9th Executive President of Sri Lanka, we must think carefully in perceiving which of the candidates is more adaptable to change, manage change and align their strategies and leadership style to the needs of the moment. We must not get saddled with a President who is so blinkered, pompous, stubborn, and self-opiniated that he/she is unable to hear and respond to the needs of the people. While bold strategies create excitement, we must avoid candidates who are keen to embark on potentially perilous adventures. The drastic lowering of taxes in 2019 is a case in point.

Eloquence is a skill I would look for in the next President. This is particularly important in times of strife and volatility. I opine that there could have been better eloquence in our leaders in recent times in appealing to the citizens to endure the costs, and hardships, of short to medium term sacrifices which were essential in riding out the economic crisis. It is essential that we, as voters, detect the sincerity, morality and the intellectuality of words used in inspiring, persuading and in driving the right course of action. If two candidates are equally good in a balance of the other key criteria, it is better to choose the candidate who can find the right words in tough times.

“The biggest problem with our system is that political leaders are accountable to no one. They do whatever they want and get away with it. If I acted like them at my job I would be fired” – is a common whine of the citizens of our country. It is strange that the basic principles of personal responsibility, and accountability, taught to us as children by our parents and teachers are rarely expected of, or enforced upon, our elected representatives. On the contrary, judging by the regularity with which we elect and re-elect serial offenders, non-accountability and lying appear to be positive than negative factors.

In choosing the next President we must determine who of the competing candidates have the best record of accountability. Echoing the thoughts of Thomas Paine, the English-born American Founding Father, “A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” Unfortunately, throughout our history, voters simply have proven not to care about accountability. A free, yet responsible, press and social media with their instant information are vital vehicles which can aid us in holding elected representatives accountable. 

Filtering what is fact based versus misinformation and fiction requires a level of inquiry and thought which most Sri Lankans are lazy to do. By abandoning our civic responsibility to stay informed we end up getting what we deserve. It is in this context that we must place great emphasis on the candidate who is most likely to fully implement the Right to Information Act Number 12 of 2016.

Democracy cannot succeed if we are mere spectators. Let us be cognisant, that it is only as a democracy we can elect our political leaders through a ballot rather than through a bullet. Unlike in the past where the youth of our country resorted to violence in expressing themselves, the new generation demonstrated, per the ‘aragalaya’, that they can express their displeasure through non-violent ways. In choosing our next President we must not be intimidated by fearmongering and similar tactics. We must keep a calm and steady head. We must study our candidates carefully and determine how they stack up against our requirements. Let us be proactive in advising our family, friends, colleagues, associates, and the public what they must consider in voting for an individual. Tell them that we need not vote for the President, or for that matter any political representative, solely on party lines. 

We must look for the goodness in the individual. In addition to casting our vote, let us responsibly, and constructively, use public meetings, rallies, debates, the press, and social media in voicing our concerns. The vote gives the citizens the power to elect leaders of their choice and hold the elected leaders accountable. Quoting Alexander Hamilton, American Military Officer, Statesman and Founding Father of the United States of America, “This process of election affords a moral certainty that the office of President will seldom fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.”

Sri Lanka must find its own ‘Hercules’ to head its moral cleansing and economic transformation. We have waited too long.

(The writer is currently a Leadership Coach, Mentor and Consultant, and boasts over 50 years of experience in very senior positions in the corporate world – local and overseas. www.ronniepeiris.com.)