Mahinda Has Got Alzheimer’s

By Shyamon Jayasinghe –March 4, 2015

Shyamon Jayasinghe

The Ada Derana of February 27th this year reports a speech made by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa where he stated that, “not only politicians but their wives and children have to be safeguarded from the government now, as they are being harassed one by one by one.” Rajapakse was referring to the recent arrest of former Minister Wimal Weerawansa’s wife, Shashi Weerawansa, on charges of falsifying documents to obtain a Diplomatic Passport. He was speaking at the Colombo National Hospital after having visited Mrs. Weerawansa who was warded in the hospital.

Rajapaksa condemned this act as being “hateful politics,” or the politics of revenge. “I believe it’s wrong to do such things to extract revenge from politicians,” Rajapaksa added. Capping it all the former President reportedly said,” I didn’t do that. No one can point the finger at me. This is why I can point the finger at others”

Mahinda’s Alzheimer’s

Mahinda Rajapaksa has got Alzheimer’s. Most pollies do; but this statement by MR represents the peak of a variant of Alzheimer’s disease known as political Alzheimer’s.

The disorder known simply as Alzheimer’s disease is defined as a progressive degeneration of brain cells that causes memory loss, thinking skills, emotions, behavior and mood. In the political version of the disease there is no physical damage to brain cells. The memory loss and the stultification of emotions is virtually unconsciously generated to overcome guilt for heinous misdeeds. The misdeeds can include lying, cheating, bribery, theft of public property or of the spouses of others. Most politicians live on promises they know they cannot fulfill. They lie. Members of Parliament are entrusted with power over us and many do abuse that power or utilize that power to gain advantages for themselves or their families or parties. They lie to conceal the abuse and thereby pretend innocence. In all instances they conveniently forget the specific offence and the lie and get along without batting an eyelid. Quite cool, they are.

Even exercising great caution to be fair I don’t think Sri Lanka has seen any leader who has taken revenge on his competitors and opponents as Percival Mahinda Rajapakse had done during his ten years of rule. I say “rule,” and not stewardship deliberately as Mahinda exercised the considerable power he received from the Constitution and added still more powers just in order to rule lie a monarch. He thought he was entitled to ownership of the country and his whole style of management was based on such an implicit assumption. By extension, other key men and women of the executive shared the sense of entitlement.Read More