Don’t Stand In The Doorway, President Sirisena
By Shyamon Jayasinghe –October 14, 2016
Shyamon Jayasinghe
“Come senators, congressmen please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside and it’s ragin’
It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times they are a’ changin’!” – Bob Dylan
The quote is aimed at President Sirisena and the corrupt who have managed to pressurise him to make that disastrous speech castigating the FCID, Bribery Commission and other anti-corruption bodies set up as Independent Commissions under the key legislative expression of the ‘revolution of January 8th.’ Many are gathering ‘to stand in the doorway,’ and ‘block up the hall,’ as stated by Bob Dylan. (By the way, Bob has fetched the Nobel Prize for Literature this time.)
I am still wondering why President Maitripala Sirisena took that step. For one thing, it is senseless to flay the personnel in these institutions who are already feeling the heat of the powerful corrupt block who belonged to the previous regime when corruption was enthroned. That block is mostly outside-within the ranks of the so-called “JO.” However, there isn’t any denying that parts of that cabal are inside Sirisena’s fold and hiding within the National Unity Government, waiting to give a hand to the disgraced Royal Family if and when the need arises.
Why senseless? Because if His Excellency thinks these Commissions aren’t working right he has the legal right to summon them and brief them. He may not exactly have the power to give directions and God bless for that; but he does have the lawful privilege of talking to them. In turn, the latter have an ethical obligation to listen to the President. Letting out his critical barbs against them in public like this is something that doesn’t fit in the scheme of things as far as Yahapalanaya concept goes. If a school principal is not happy about the ways of his staff he does not go out to the media and attack the staff? Admit, this analogy may not be one to one but it is near enough to emphasise a substantive point.
