Let’s learn from South Korea
Posted on March 11th, 2017
Editorial Courtesy The Island
March 10, 2017, 9:24 pm
Some French voters, fed up with their leaders, especially the candidates in the presidential race, recently chose to give vent to their pent-up anger in an unusual manner. They launched a campaign to invite former US President Barack Obama to run for President in their country! They have thus sent a very clear message to the French politicians who have failed to live up to public expectations.
Sri Lankans are doubtlessly as resentful as the French where their failed politicians are concerned though it is doubtful whether they are enamoured of Obama’s style of governance. But, they must be envying their South Korean counterparts who don’t suffer crooks in highs posts gladly and are blessed with robust legislative and judicial mechanisms capable of acting against even the heads of state accused of corruption or any other form of wrongdoing.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has been ousted from office. The Constitutional Court has unanimously upheld a parliament decision to impeach her over corruption. She is in trouble because of a friend under a cloud; she is accused of having given the latter free access to state documents and even the pleasure of editing presidential speeches! Now that she has lost her legal immunity, she is expected to be arraigned on criminal charges. Whether she has really run afoul of the law or not will have to be established, but her predicament will certainly serve as a warning to her successors and other politicians.
What Geun-hye is said to have committed pales into insignificance in comparison to very serious allegations against Sri Lankan leaders, who are above the law. The present yahapalana government has even permitted their cronies to help themselves to public funds to the tune of billions of rupees. The abuse of workers’ savings in the Employees’ Provident Fund to purchase Treasury bonds is a case in point. Even the family members and cronies of government politicians enjoy legal immunity to all intents and purposes. Only Opposition politicians are arrested and remanded while investigations into allegations against them are being conducted.
Many Sri Lankans naively expected the 2015 regime change to pave the way for sweeping political and judicial reforms to strengthen democracy. But, nothing of the sort has happened. The much-flaunted 19th Amendment has not yielded the desired results owing to some serious flaws therein. Its architects sought to further the interests of the UNP-led alliance which they backed at elections instead of helping safeguard the national interest. The so-called Independent Commissions have been reduced to mere appendages of the power that be and packed with stooges. The anti-graft commission and the special police units set up to probe financial crimes steer clear of powerful politicians and their kith and kin for obvious reasons.
The self-proclaimed champions of good governance promised us a new Constitution. Now, the SLFP group in the yahapalana government says it does not want the existing Constitution repealed and it needs only amendments thereto. It fears that a plot is being hatched to strip the President of his executive powers and vest them in the Prime Minster. The UNP is determined to introduce a new Constitution, we are told. So, whether we will get a brand new Constitution or only some constitutional amendments, we don’t know. Perhaps, we will be left with neither of them in the end.
A prerequisite for strengthening democracy and tackling bribery and corruption is to bring in constitutional provisions for instituting legal action against leaders for wrongdoing while they are in power. If those engaged in constitution making here are genuinely interested in helping battle bribery and corruption they ought to borrow from the South Korean Constitution. We know we are only hoping against hope!
March 11th, 2017 at 6:49 pm
Editorial of Island:
1. Who wants Obama in France? Not necessarily the French. Most probably the French Socialists and migrants.
2. Comparing South Korea to our country is stupid. South Korean economy is in the hands of South Koreans. Our economy is in the hands of the Indian Colonial Parasites.
3. Upali Wijayawadana was blown up by Indian Colonial Parasites in Malaysia, your former boss.
4. Politicians here have to rely on Indian Colonial Parasites for funds as well as for the deciding votes.
March 11th, 2017 at 6:57 pm
“South Korean economy is in the hands of South Koreans. Our economy is in the hands of the Indian Colonial Parasites.”
100% TRUE.
I thought Upali Wijayawadana’s plane crash had something to do with Kerala Premathasan. He REFUSED to pay KAPPAM to the latter. Premathasan was NOT Singhala. His father’s name is RICHARD RANASINGHE. His name was Ranasinghe Premathasan. His son’s name is Sajith Premathasan (NOT Ranasinghe). This is like Tamils. Their surnames change like this. Kerala is same.
That is why he killed so many Singhalese to turn SL a Tamil and Kerala country. He imported at least 100 Kerala astrologers and gave them Singhala girls abducted from around the country. They were killed in Hindu ritual style misusing some of SL’s Buddhist shrines.
March 11th, 2017 at 7:39 pm
Let us NOT LEARN FROM South Korea to GIVE UP OUR Buddist Faith abd CONVERT to an Evangelical Christian Majority country!
At the end of the Korean war in the 1950’s, South Korea was a Buddhist majority nation .
TWO DECADES LATER South Korea was a Christian Majority nation, which LOOKS DOWN upon Buddhists and DISCRIMINATION against them.
That was achieved largely by the missionary work of American Evangelists who exploited the post-war power poverty of South Korea to ACCELERATE conversion to Chridtianity handing out bibles and dollars!
That is EXACTLY WHAT the United States hopes to accomplish in Sri Lanka: CONVERT Sri Lanka to a Christian Majority puppet state!
Embala Sinhalayeni, LEARN FROM South Korea what is in store for your Motherland if the PARA-GATHI Yamapalanaya has its way!
March 11th, 2017 at 7:41 pm
Oops! Aiyooooo, meant to say “DISCRIMINATES”, not “DISCRIMINATION”!
March 12th, 2017 at 4:50 pm
CHRISTIE !! WHO WANTS NOBAMA IN FRANCE ? THE TAMILS, AND MIGRANTS.
March 13th, 2017 at 6:53 am
I noticed the South Koreans and Japanese have similarities and very much advanced in science and technology. Japanese young are perusing their careers to the hilt like the Koreans. Only difference is, rather Japanese stick to their Buddhist religion than change to Christianity unlike the Koreans.
They both are workaholics but dedicated to doing a good day’s job and though being advanced in science and technology the Koreans seem to follow the Christian religion very seriously.
Koreans who work in Colombo and elsewhere in the island congregate in a place close to my place and loudly rehearsing hymns and songs for the church on Sundays. They are friendly but keep at a distance and once their young group came to my home for a snack because of my wife’s Japanese background. I think they were just curious about us and courteous to accept our invitation.
I was told by them and their people at various occasions that there’s no animosity between the two religions and it is one country that allow our people to work which is rare for other Asian countries.
In London we entertain them at home when they visit our business and they seem to
love kimchi which is a kind of Rabu.
I am glad that they demand high standards from their leaders, perhaps on the way to a Western type country in the east.Still the have a lot to catch up.