“Familiocracy” Is Reaching A Crescendo In Sri Lanka
By Vishwamithra1984 -June 18, 2014
“Familiocracy” (Pavulvaadaya) is reaching a crescendo in Sri Lanka; It’s high time it was challenged
“The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapon of openness.” ~Niels Bohr
A couple of weeks ago this columnist wrote about the socio-political disaster that is looming on the horizon. Although much hackneyed phrases and clichés have described what has been happening in Sri Lanka, especially in the last ten years, the dramatically accelerated tide of affairs of politics has lent itself for scrupulous probe by all those who think rationally and reasonably about politics and matters of governance. It is rather redundant to hanker over the harsh repercussions of family-centered rule of a country in the Twenty First Century. What is more pertinent and desirable is a close look at the way that family-rule has eaten into the body politic of Sri Lanka, depths it has gone into in order to fortify itself, the extent to which it has stretched its powers to protect itself against would-be invaders and the kind of armor it is using to shield itself and above all, how a totally diabolical and dishonest ideology and a distorted and fraudulent political philosophy are being preached by the Family Patriarch while posing himself as the savior of the Nation. Yet the stranger spectacle is how a people or for that matter, a vibrant literate community of men and women, is enduring the shame and indignity of an enslaved subject people.
In mundane terms, the dimensions and scope of that rule are immense and immeasurable; its reach is astronomical; its spread is all pervasive and deliberate and its perverse attempt at concealing the true nature of the rule is mind-boggling. The most obvious-looking lies are being told as gospel truths; any opposition to the “Family-rule” is ruthlessly suppressed; any criticism of the rule is branded as unpatriotic and unrighteous, sinful and unholy. The lingo that is being used and abused by their cohorts and cronies has been carefully crafted and appropriately enunciated on various platforms, fora and corners. The State-controlled media outlets, manned by paid but thoroughly skilled cronies in their chosen professions, are playing an equally critical role in brainwashing the listening and viewing public. Read More