IS POLITICS A CRIMINAL AND CORRUPT DRUG?
Penicillin, antibiotics, suppressants, depressants anti-coagulants and other drugs are administered or consumed in prescribed quantities or dosages at the times prescribed. Politics consumes.
Switch on a radio or a TV for an update of what is happening around you and you would see that, sometimes around 90% of what is reported is political. We have a President, Prime Minister and a Parliament of 225 members and even they do not know how many factions they are divided into and, quite often, what sub-group of which faction they belong to. The adage "United we stand, divided we fall" is apparently being interpreted as "Divided we stand while the country is in free fall". It must however be admitted that there is magnanimous unity when their allowances, entitlements and perks are voted on – total and absolute unanimity and sometimes even the lack of a quorum hardly matters. The latest addition of ‘supplementary’ Deputy Ministers and Ministers of State is a classic example of "Scientific Sanhindiyawa" – a Buddhist is allocated Christian Affairs and a Muslim gets Hindu Affairs.
Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s we did have thugs and gangsters. Almost all of them were involved in ‘nefarious’ activities like kasippu, cannabis, opium and gambling. And the weapons were daggers, swords, hand-bomb (or "Duppi") and the occasional gun. Names like Dodampe Mudalali, Alfred Zoysa come to mind. Of course there were murders – the Ravine Murder Case, the Headless Corpse, Julius Sandarasagara (for which Alfred Zoysa and Kalu Albert were hanged), the Vicarage Murders and not forgetting the murder of Gotabaya. His family name was Kirambakanda and the case became known as the Pauline Croos Case. Of course there were gangsters and thugs, but I have never heard of any of them having political affiliations or backing. Even SWRD was not shot by gangsters or thugs.
When Sugathe was Minister of Nationalized Services & Sports in the Dudley Senanayake government, my mother used to accompany his wife on her occasional ‘shopping’ trips. With all the maturity of a 16/17 year old, I acted as bodyguard to the two ladies. The only ‘security’ he had at home was a half-dozing cop with a rifle. In 1971, with the news of the JVP attacking Police Stations in the south, I was visiting a friend at the Kotahena Police Station when they received the alert. In retrospect, it is laughable to see everyone running around looking for the key to unlock the chain running through the trigger-guards of a row of about seven or eight rifles.A disciplinarian would describe this as gross neglect, but in that day and age, people did not need to see guns to respect the law. Even in 1980 (or was it ’81) Railway Strikers running riot in Fort, the Police only used batons and wicker shields (kulla).
1971 could be a turning point of sorts. Depending on whom you ask, they would come out with descriptions like revolution, insurrection, insurgency, war of liberation and a whole lot more. Ceylon, as we were then known, was involved in the first and second World Wars, but I suppose this was the first time we actually saw shots fired in anger on our own soil after a very long time. Firearms and weaponry became an essential commodity – whether to protect the citizenry or the people in power did not matter. The 1977 Election resulted in an unprecedented situation with one Party winning over 5/6th of the Seats in Parliament and the previous ruling Party not being able to win enough seats to even earn the Seat of Leader of the Opposition. Ethnic militancy (or terror or revolt or whatever you prefer to call it) took root and burst on to the world stage in July 1983. This time around, the entire country received practical lessons on what terrorism was all about. Then came the 88/89 reincarnation of 1971. While the "Northerners" most often killed indiscriminately, the "Southerners" mostly picked and chose their victims. They even issued decrees on how and where the funerals of such victims be held. Since most of those targeted were politicians or their supporters, they demanded protection. The military was fighting a battle up North and could not afford a contingent to defend politicians. "Open Sesame" and a new paramilitary force is created – the "Kola Koti" or the Green Tigers. With a two-pronged civil war raging, arms and ammunition became accessible to those desiring protection. And the undesirables. Thus emerged the "Bodyguard Syndrome" – a person’s stature came to be recognized by the retinue of bodyguards they had around them – the official ‘Security Detail’ and the unofficial private army. And these ‘private armies’ also had their private lives – not in another world but in a netherworld and indulged in the business activities consistent with their lifestyles. Their businesses flourished.
It is not that their type of business activities did not exist before, but when the fund-raising activities of the "Northern" terrorists included lucrative narcotics trafficking, the business activities of these private armies virtually included narcotics in their "Articles of Association". Since they were protecting politicians, the politicians, in turn protected them from the long arm of the law. Both politicians and their private armies prospered, strengthening the bonds that brought them together. Politicians also cultivated friends among other businessmen carrying out generally acceptable business practices. Here again, the quid pro quo worked – politicians helped businessmen in their business activities and businessmen, in turn, helped politicians in their political activities. Well and good if it was all above board.
However today, we come across murders, kidnappings, robberies, rape and almost every other offense imaginableon an almost daily basis. Even Buddhist monks are apparently not safe in their temples. Depending on the profile of the victim or the perpetrator, the media will give coverage until interest fizzles out. I am not an expert on criminology, but I have lived in this country during the era when all the neighbours ran to treat a stray dog that had been hit by a passing car, to a period when we were forced to walk on the opposite of the road when a dead body was displayed, to today’s drive-by shootings, robberies, kidnap and rape. Arguably, politicians, and/or politics, and/or the sheer lack of political will has led to the current situation. Their actions within the hallowed Chambers are just facsimiles of what they are in the outside world.
There have been reports of a President dropping by helicopter to confront officials checking for what was reported to be narcotics. People smuggling to Australia was a lucrative business until the Australian Prime Minister met the President – boats no longer sailed. There were even reports of a letter being sent from the Prime Minister’s Office for the release of a container that apparently had some narcotics in it. Statements have been made in Parliament that the biggest drug lords were members of Parliament. Containers of sugar consigned to the CWE were detected to have contained narcotics. Even the former "Finance Minister" of the LTTE, who took on the mantle of leadership after Prabakharan was killed, has absolutely no charges filed against him.Murderers and rapists have received presidential pardons. Pardon is also bestowed before legal proceedings could commence. Drugs, rape, highway robbery, extortion, murder, bribery and even terrorism are all covered under the Penal Code, only to be swept under the carpet of political favours. Rule of Law has become dependent on the "Order Of The Day", which, in turn, is decided on the value of favours rendered!
Ambition and the pursuit of dreams is what human nature is all about. Man needs to strive to achieve and I admire the success stories of many entrepreneurs - Warren Beatty, Tata, Harry, or Gnanam. But then, a young guy from a village who plucks kurumba for his ‘hamus’, comes to Colombo, ‘interdicts’ a job at the CWE, declares that he knows where some birthmarks are and he becomes a Minister. How about getting your wife also on the National List? I personally know of people who could not afford a bicycle some time ago, while today, they are living in mansions and shuttle about in the lap of luxury. All they had to do was to change their profession to read as "Politician"! They all receive favours in the form of donations on the way up. Once there, it is their turn to return favours. In returning these favours, they don’t give a tinker’s cuss for their responsibility towards those who voted them into office.
The nelli, veralu, Nuwara Eliya pears, jamanarang we ate in those good old days are fast becoming extinct. It is not that the trees have died, it is just that something inside of us has collectively withered and died.
REGGIE PONNAMPALAM
