“I am the state” -Louis XIV

A government that emerged victorious from a cancerous war couldn’t have attained more power than what is enjoyed right now by the Rajapaksa government and its lesser-known contributors. It is this power that speaks through the mouths of many; some of whose voices people have tired of hearing.

The purpose behind protecting and aiding Mervyn Silva irrespective of the ethicalities behind his actions is yet to be revealed. Be it nurturing the court jester or endorsing thuggery by way of attaining public preference, Mr. Silva’s catchall of sins cannot weigh light for a government with more serious issues on its agenda. The unanswered question Silva-saga poses is whether it is a prerequisite to be a thug to attain state protection and patronage.

Lack of discipline exhibited by a party member is subject to probe by its disciplinary committee. Reprimanding, acquitting or taking punitive action against the errant member lies in the hands of those in the committee. Be it a party with hundreds of thousands of members, or that with a few, its notion of right and wrong should not waver. It cannot grant immunity to a privileged few thereby placing them above the party’s fundamentals and the ultimate law that governs the country. Sadly, though, this is the picture presented by the SLFP when Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa told media that Minister Mervyn Silva could be removed from the post of Kelaniya electoral organiser only by the leader of the party President Mahinda Rajapaksa and not by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party or the Central Committee.reading between the lines, so long as Mr. Silva retains the blessings of the high heads, he need not fear the wrath of the party and the people.

The word of amen from the latter was to the effect that there was no better credential than the assurance given by a Rajapaksa of his survival in the reign. However, what is more disturbing than his being protected by the powers-that- be, is his declaration that, ‘Kelaniya meant Mervyn Silva, and Mervyn Silva meant Kelaniya. ‘ It is easy for someone to sound and behave like a dictator. In fact, for someone who cannot tell apart democracy from autocracy, the hardest thing is to behave like a democratic ruler. Whoever such politicians take pains to ‘represent,’ they are definitely not the majority who are intimidated and threatened by the arm power and gun power of such individuals. Perhaps, the purpose of their existence is to give adequate representation in the House to those in the other world i.e. the thugs.

No doubt, thugs have been showing their colours in and out of the House on many occasions. Be it the ruling party or the opposition, nurturing thugs to attain political mileage was not one of the reasons why the public voted them into power. Hence, a government that runs on the public vote should not be force-feeding the citizenry of ‘public representatives’ which they abhor.

If the favoured individual is the best runner of errands, those can be continued at the personal level. However, a head of state, appointed by a people’s mandate, cannot resort to such cheap action nor should he be playing the statue in the face of a public outcry.

As Mr. Silva says, the house is full, all right. But, those who have bigger and better functional brains than that of his should realize that the House cannot brook such nonsensicalities anymore.

After all, Mr. Silva can rely on the blessings of the party hierarchy, but his government depends on those of the people.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka