Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Thursday, 8 January 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
With jibes at even visiting diplomats, Sri Lankan politicians are far more colourful than the Lautens of this world. Why then are the wayward repeatedly voted into office without ever being fired? Meanwhile, on the policy front, why have silly ideas such as international conspiracies become a fixture in recent election campaigns?
Sleepwalking into various governments
When rogue personalities become career politicians and baseless statements are taken as gospel, it only points to a voter base that snoozes away in broad daylight. A closer look at the Sri Lankan electorate sheds more light on the ground situation – our urban elite are indifferent, our minorities are alienated, and our rural majority seem more interested in fleeting handouts.
Mind you, politics is easily one of the pet whinge topics amongst Sri Lankans. From village tea-shops to city cafés, there are heated conversations about the merits of one candidate over another when elections come calling. But whingeing aside, do we actually think deeply about what we get ourselves into? Do we question, reflect, and then act upon it?
Effective leaders – particularly ones who are magnanimous, tolerant, and can work well in a team – are crucial to the prosperity of any country. And it is a strong voter base that gives such candidates a chance when they do come along.
Considering the gravity of the matters at stake, how well do Sri Lankans weigh their options? Do we pause to consider how proposed policies would be implemented in real life? Are the consequences of certain nationalistic stances well thought out? Do we insist on public debates between key candidates?
In truth, Sri Lankans tend to sleepwalk into their various governments. The real tragedy is that you don’t need an advanced degree in order to sift through what you see, read, hear, and experience. A healthy dose of common sense is all that is required.
Moreover, it is the common man’s duty to distil the promises being made, judge their feasibility, and understand their motives. It is vital to think long-term and ascertain which candidate’s skills, ideologies, and track-record are best-suited to tackle the issues of the day, bearing in mind the globalised age that we live in. Decisions should revolve around ability. Not race. Not religion. Not background. And certainly not free lunch parcels.
Differentiating between personality and policy
In the summer of 1945, just two months after World War II had ended, Britain went in for a general election. No one bickered about who was responsible for the victory from the British side. No one spoke of rewarding this winner with the premiership. And no one took for granted the challenges that lay ahead.
Given its shock factor, the result was historic: Sir Winston Churchill – the incumbent Prime Minister and the war hero who enjoyed an 83% approval rating – lost. It was public knowledge that significant social reform was the order of the day and Churchill was thought to be weak on the domestic front.
Voting smart
Brushing off the alluring scent of Cuban cigars, the British electorate was able to differentiate between popular personality and essential policy. Sadly, it is this rationality that sometimes goes amiss in Sri Lanka.
It is all too easy to fall prey to emotion, subjective sensibility, and imagination. But what is required to build a prosperous society is not romanticism but pragmatism; the values of intellect, reason, and industry. Positions in high office cannot be bags of sweet to be doled out for past achievements nor can they be family silver to be inherited. Just like any other job, competency is what matters.
Voting smart requires one to see, compare, reason, and decide. Unless the typical Sri Lankan voter matures, looks behind the façade, and ushers in an Age of Reason, it is unlikely that politics in this country would greatly change. Look harder at what is being offered. Vote wisely.
(The writer can be followed on www.nandu-rajagopala.com.)
