Is politics doomed to be dirty in Sri Lanka forever?
Posted on December 3rd, 2017
Dr. Mareena Thaha Reffai, Dehiwela
Needless to say politics is a dirty game and it is said no one get to be otherwise in today’s political world – specially in Srilanka. Every time we think it cannot get any worse, it seems to be getting worse and worse. Yahapalanaya was brought in to clean the existing dirty politics of that time, but it has not only not cleaned up anything, and if at all, it had made it even worse by absorbing all the dirt into it’s own self with a false semblance of superficial cleanliness but corrupt through and through exactly or even worse, as the earlier regime. How sad!
Even honest, god fearing, good intentioned youngsters wanting to get into the field and clean it up are often demotivated by the advice given, even by seasoned politicians, If you want to get corrupted, get into politics.”
But is it true? Is there no way politics can be a meritorious service to people? It can be. If there is a will there is always a way. It is time the intellectuals and social leaders and the disgusted youngsters thought of this seriously and started acting on it to change the situation.
The basis of corruption in our country is of course the party politics. Both the leaders and the common men of our country are steeped in party loyalties which is the absolute anti thesis of true democracy. If only our president who was expected to set a trend towards clean politics, did not take the two legs in two boats attitude because of his party affiliation, the history of his presidency would have been written in glorious golden letters. It is not to be. He had broken every single promise he made to his trusting citizens, thanks to his party loyalty. What a pity! Especially since he is not hoping to contest again he could have done what he was elected for and performed miracles.
This has to change. It must. If not we are all doomed towards a failed state forever and more so, we will leave a chaotic, immoral, through and through corrupt political culture to our future generation who, for want of a better world, will follow suit.
How do we do it? Train and educate a substantial number of youngsters to become honest, sincere leaders with a proper goal of building a morally sound society. Let us set our hearts on training them to be social minded, self sacrificing, well behaved leaders with excellent mannerism and impeccable character. Let us train them to become perfect country leaders, if not within the next few years, at least in the fore seeable future.
If we, the country men and women do not do it, no one is going to do it. After all Allah Himself says in the quran Surely Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own condition;” Sura 13:verse 11
Let the ”honest politician” not be an oxymoron any more.
Sent by:
Dr. Mareena Thaha Reffai, Dehiwela
December 3rd, 2017 at 8:50 pm
Politics is not a dirty game – that depends on how this game is played! On relative terms Sri Lanka’s politics is far better to that of the extremist fanatic Muslim countries in the Middle East, and how Muslims in other countries practice their crude form of violent politics and underhand, hypocritical and self-serving politics, like the Muslim politicians of Sri Lanka. Yes, it is getting worse with these extremists now resorting on a big-scale corruption and illegal encroachment of the Wilpattu National Reserve making it a Wahabi Muslim enclave. Yes – How sad! Yes – What a pity! Yes – this has to change. Often there are media reports of direct Muslim involvement in the drug trade in Sri Lanka. This should be treated as crime against the nation.
In Sri Lanka, although they are a relatively small settler community, Muslims insist on living an alienated and un-integrated life and are agitating for concessions specified by their Islamic religion and Muslim Shariah law. The interests of the country as a whole are not their concern. They are least interested in joining the national “mainstream” and work towards national unity and well-being. It is a well evident fact that Muslim leaders and professionals are more focused on furthering the interests of their Muslim community rather than society as a whole.
The fundamentals of ‘Islam’ that are being widely propagated and practiced by Muslims today, have a divisive effect on our society and have serious negative implications as far as unity and national integration is concerned. The younger generation of Muslims are being brainwashed with extremist Islamic beliefs and practices in the so called ‘Madrasas’ and other exclusively Muslim schools and numerous mosques that have sprung up in recent years. These institutions are alleged funded by Muslim countries. The attire of most Muslims, men, women and children alike, has changed reflecting their inclination to appear different, to be exclusive and separate from the nation’s mainstream. This is a self-imposed separation on their part which is not in-keeping with the societal norms of Sri Lanka.
According to Islamic teachings non-Muslims are inferior to Muslims and close association with non-Muslims is forbidden or ‘haram’. According to the Koran. Islam has dualistic ethics with one rule for Muslims and one rule for non-believers. There is no exception to this rule. This again is not in-keeping with the norms of our society where religious pluralism is respected from ancient times. The biggest problem with Muslims is their belief that Islam is the one and only ‘chosen religion’ and Muslims are the one and only ‘chosen people’. This is humorous, to say the least! In an Islamic state people of other faiths are not tolerated. Non-Muslims cannot establish their shrines or monasteries in any of the Middle Eastern Muslim countries. They cannot hold their religious functions or prayers in public in these countries.
No meaningful dialogue on the attitudes and activities of Muslims is possible because they feel intimidated whenever legitimate questions are posed. Those who question are immediately branded as racists or anti Muslim. Most Muslims lack the courage to respond to even the most abject injustices evident in Islamic beliefs and practices. They fail to realize that true open-mindedness consists of contemplating all premises and weighing the evidence. Reasoning involves deduction and induction. Why do Muslims cause disharmony and bring about conflicts and confrontational situations in all societies they infiltrate? Why?
As a Sinhala Buddhist nation with a historic cultural tradition that extends to over 2200 years, where freedom, compassion, tolerance and accommodation of people of all faiths and ethnicities have been the founding principle, it is necessary that we as a nation take necessary steps to protect and preserve these noble and wholesome cultural traditions. We cannot allow them to be undermined under any circumstances. Sri Lanka for all purposes is a Sinhala Buddhist nation and Buddhists need to be vigilant and need to initiate actions against the abuse of privileges, aggression and misdemeanor of extremist non-indigenous elements living in Sri Lanka, the only motherland of the Sinhala Buddhists.
Dr. Daya Hewapathirane