Lessons From Sirisena’s Narcissist Tantrums – Calls For Urgent Public Activism!
Lukman Harees
Taking a leaf from US, many psychologists have now confirmed Trump is “temperamentally unfit” to be President, and in recent times,many people the world over have reached the same conclusion. Most recently, US psychologist John D. Gartner said Trump “is dangerously mentally ill and temperamentally incapable of being president.” He believes Trump shows signs of “malignant narcissism, which impairs his ability to see reality so you can’t use logic to persuade someone like that.”
Well! Narcissist Trump now has now close competition in our own ‘Joker in the Card pack’ Sirisena (MS) or has he out-beaten Trump? MS’s apparent inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality and preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited power at his disposal; yet with no idea of how to use judiciously as well as some traits of pathological lying- the act of both knowingly and intentionally or willfully making a false statement on a regular basis; leads us to question his fitness for the immense responsibilities of the office of President. Thus another poster boy for narcissism!
Those who spearheaded the campaign in 2015 to bring in a common candidate to fight the strongman MR who was steeped in corruption, are today severely regretting their collective decision to field this local narcissist emerging from the back yards of Pollonnaruwa. Ever since his election in January 2015, he has proved himself to be thoroughly inefficient and inept, blaming those below him to cover his inefficiencies. When he was in MR’s cabinet, he blamed the one above- MR for not allowing him to do what he was supposed to do. Judging by the comments on social media, many believe Sri Lanka made a terrible mistake electing him. Therefore, it was the destiny of this Island Nation to be saddled with MS with a pathetic (pathola) leadership style at this challenging time in Post-war history which calls for strong traits to steer through rough seas successfully. What MS recently did by appointing MR as his PM and later dissolving Parliament throwing all legal and ethical norms to be winds, to the surprise of an entire nation can only qualify him to an absolute joker, a self-serving debased narcissist leader or a political crackpot .Therefore, daughter of MS Chathurika should re-write her father’s biography ‘President Father’ to read as ‘Crackpot Father’.
It was Ven Sobitha Thero who spearheaded the campaign to defeat the racist and corrupt MR regime, to install a corruption free, clean ‘Yahapalana’ government. Unfortunately, the weight of office was too much for him and thus cut a sorry figure as a weak leader in comparison with MR and failed miserably in becoming an impartial president to all. MS after his election, did the first mistake in trying to take over presidency of his former party SLFP, which split his time to sort out internal party squabbles. He also failed to bring to book those corrupt sharks in the MR government and even got few of them into his cabinet and/or to Parliament through the national list. The two-party coalition became a farce with both parties working to their own party agenda, with SLFP Ministers siding more with the JO. His frequent ‘blaming others’ game for his own inefficiencies annoyed the nation. Both the mainstream media (with bit of more breathing space compared with MR times) and the social media severely criticised his passive and laissez faire approach regularly.
He lacked the ability to control a two-party cabinet effectively and to use his presidential powers for the betterment of the nation, which led to Mega scams like Central Bank Scandal. In his own words, he abdicated his role to RW in many instances. He also shamelessly told the nation in his recent TV address that his instructions to inquire into the so-called conspiracy to assassinate him were not heeded, which reflected the type of leader he was and is. Instead, he focussed on minor issues like sugar content in Milo packets, poor quality cashew nuts on Sri Lankan airlines, and officials of a Sri Lankan embassy in a foreign country not answering his calls, which made him a joker. Then he lied in style about the reason for sacking RW and appointing MR as PM. Initially he said that RW did not show any interest to inquire into the assassination attempt( forgetting that he was the Executive Head of State) and later he said that he spoke to both Karu J. And Sajith about taking over the mantle of Premiership from RW, few months earlier , a conflicting versions indeed. Then, it was reported that MR apparently scolded MS (in filth) for failing to find the 113 required to prove his majority in Parliament, thereby making him the only PM to have not been to the Parliament after his election. Then, in the last few days, he has been appointing Ministers of all sorts, while SB has been negotiating corrupt deals offering massive pots of money to make up the magical 113 in Parliament. Finally, against the specific provisions of the Constitution, MS drove the death nail into the coffin by dissolving the Parliament. He has become so unpopular that even Malwatte Mahanayake Thero refused to meet him. In the whole melee, racist culprit Amitha however got the release.
