Friday Nov 15, 2024
Friday Nov 15, 2024
Wednesday, 24 December 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
These comments about underage children - generally a no-go area - were met with a huge public outcry and Lauten was forced to resign. With jibes at even visiting diplomats, Sri Lankan politicians are far more colourful than the Lautens of this world. Why then are the guilty 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?
When rogue personalities become career politicians and baseless statements are taken as gospel, it can only point to a lame duck voter base. A closer look at the Sri Lankan electorate sheds more light on the ground situation - our urban elite are indifferent, our minorities are shunned 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 cafes, 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.
In this backdrop, how well do Sri Lankans sift through their various options? Do we pause to consider how proposed policies would be implemented in real life? Are the consequences of certain nationalistic stances well considered? Do we insist on public debates between key candidates?
You don’t need advanced degrees in order to analyse what you read, see and hear; a healthy dose of common sense is all that is required. Moreover, it is the voter’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. Positions in high office should revolve around ability. Not race. Not religion. Not background. And certainly not free lunch parcels.
In 1945, just two months after the Second World War ended, Britain went in for a general election. No one argued about who was responsible for the win 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.
The result was historic: Sir Winston Churchill - the incumbent Prime Minister and one of the greatest war heroes of modern times - lost. It was well understood that significant social reform was the order of the day and Churchill was thought to be weak on the domestic front. At a time when Churchill had an approval rating of 83%, the electorate was able to distinguish between popular personality and essential policy.
It is this rationality that sometimes goes amiss in Sri Lanka. Positions in high office are not bags of sweets to be doled out for past achievements nor are they 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 and looks behind the facade, it is unlikely that politics in this country would greatly change. Think before you leap. Vote wisely.
(For more articles, please visit www.nandu-rajagopala.com.)
