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The political dramas in Sri Lanka

Shenali Waduge

Some of the most remarkable soap dramas are produced from Sri Lanka’s political arena. Political cross-overs have now turned into a customary exercise & those in opposition screaming away about the Government’s policies sooner than not end up with cabinet portfolios and you can imagine the rest of the story. It would be entertaining to see replays of “what they said then and what they say now” across media channels.

Switching allegiance has also become common practice complimented with the spilling the beans or disclosing the bagful of secrets & secret deals & declaring oneself the “scapegoat” or the “innocent party”. We then have those infamous commissions which really connote to mean if you go against the ruling party then be ready to be slapped with a commission or two or may be more. None of these commissions ever get completed or even if they do nothing really drastic ever happens to the perpetrators involved. Then we have those junior politicos whose tantrums come out in nefarious ways in casinos, hotels, and clubs or sports venues & for whom punishments in any form would be almost sacrilegious. But then, why blame only the juniors when the senior politicos have also been caught in more than a mess or two.

In the backdrop of these dramas we have a crowd-entertaining opposition leader who makes news every time he gives a public statement. With the number of guffaws too large to mention he should be pardoned however for telling a few home truths. Sri Lanka being a “Buddhist” nation as the politicos like to use the word purely for political mileage we should be honest enough to come to terms with the manner in which Buddhism is practiced by our Buddhist clergy. It is no understatement that the present day actions of our Buddhist clergy are quite contrary to what Lord Buddha had laid out in his noble truths or teachings. How many really follow the simplistic living style professed by Lord Buddha except for those who live in hermitages in distant areas of Sri Lanka away from laymen perhaps? Inside architecture of most temples in urban areas will reveal how “simplistic” the lifestyles of the clergy really are. But in a country like Sri Lanka, one is not expected to question or highlight the lifestyles of these Buddhist monks. The media dares not & therefore, though the Opposition Leader was brave enough to question the Buddhist Monks and refered to the Dusseela Samagama he has found himself holed up in a harangue of “how could you say that about the Buddhist Monks” & even being isolated from his own party members. You can be rest assured that no one would dare entertain any objections about the rights or wrongs of the Buddhist clergy hereafter.

So we have on one side of the spectrum politicos adding drama to our lives by doing what they shouldn’t do & then we also have the Buddhist monks whose actions & affairs remain “classified & not for publication or debate”.

With the Opposition Leader suffering public outrage after his unexpected attack on the Buddhist clergy it will be doubtful if any other politico will ever feel brave enough to question any Buddhist monk for purchase of BMWs, selling vehicle permits, illegal transactions or any other matter even if there is an iota of truth or documentary evidence to prove so.

Unfortunately for many principles are based on ones allegiance to a particular political party or a political cause & not by any fundamental principles in general. Which is why we really ought to empathize with those Sri Lankans employed in international organizations which have vested interests in Sri Lanka’s conflict situation for these people are paid to carryout the mission of these organizations & therefore one’s inner conscience usually gets set aside for the remunerations gained.

With such a colorful political system existing and persisting can we hope for anything better in time to come?

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