Ending the ‘discipline’ facade

Monday, 19 July 2021 01:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was propelled to the presidency on a platform of efficiency, meritocracy, and patriotism.

By voting him into power, the middle class, upper echelons of the corporate and professional world put their faith in the Viyathmaga concept. These voting blocs made it clear that they were prepared to trade some civil liberties in exchange for strong, disciplined leadership and clinically efficient Government. The carefully constructed ethos in the lead up to the Presidential Election of 2019 was that his efficient administration had crushed the LTTE in 2009.

President Rajapaksa’s Vistas of Splendour and Prosperity Manifesto promised that the days of political patronage were over, especially in the State sector. As soon as he was elected, he set up a select committee to vet appointments to State institutions.

His election pledge was that only individuals who possessed the necessary qualifications would be appointed as chairpersons of corporations, authorities, and boards. At the time, this policy was hailed as the Viyathmaga vision in action.

All those promises and initial steps in the right direction feel like a lifetime ago now. This week, President Rajapaksa appointed convicted murderer and recent recipient of a highly controversial presidential pardon, Duminda Silva as Chairman of the Housing Development Authority. Silva was convicted of the murder of SLFP trade union leader Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra by a High Court Trial at Bar in 2016, and the judgment was upheld by the Supreme Court two years later.

Even the lowest level public servant, Police, or military officer, must endure a rigorous background check upon being recruited. These checks are conducted by the State intelligence services.

In this context, the Duminda Silva appointment is not only an affront to every public servant in this country, but also a slap in the face for all President Rajapaksa’s voters who decided to trade freedom for security and strong leadership in November 2019.

The outrageous appointment marks a turning point in the current presidency. A Government that grows increasingly unpopular is fast reaching a point of no return. It no longer cares for public opinion or even lip-service to the disciplined society it espoused so eloquently during the electoral campaign.

Governments are often called upon to make unpopular decisions that may have long-term benefits for the people. In time, public opinion on those decisions will change, as people see the results of good policy in action. This is not one of those decisions.

While it might be argued that even public servants like Lalith Weeratunge and Dr. P.B. Jayasundera who have been censured by the courts of law might bring some value to the administration, there is no conceivable argument to be made for the absorption of Duminda Silva, fresh out of death row. Silva has no record of any noteworthy contribution during his years as a parliamentarian or monitoring MP to the Ministry of Defence.

The appointment smacks of being purely personal and politically expedient, while running contrary to all norms of decency and the rule of law. It has also displayed the administration’s utter contempt for public opinion. That is a dangerous place for a democratically elected Government to be, only 20 months into a five-year term of office.