The Millions Who Hurt Without A Change Of Heart

By Asoka N.I. Ekanayaka –MARCH 21, 2022

Prof. Asoka N.I. Ekanayaka

This article is not primarily about the woeful record of the present government. Nor is it about the abomination of governance by family oligarchy in whose stranglehold a nation groans in every part as if being slowly crushed by the constricting coils of some giant Anaconda. Rather it is about the attitude character and mindset of 6.9 million people who with their eyes open provoked this catastrophe. Before coming to that one can of course say a lot more about the dimensions of this catastrophe and point the accusing finger at bad people in high positions who to be sure will carry the guilt of their monumental crimes and misdemeanors beyond the grave into the fires of eternal hell. But to be explicit about such matters here might be both unsafe and unnecessary.

Unsafe because as some have experienced to openly accuse this government is to run the risk of being tortured through prolonged interrogation by sadistic intelligence agencies. Worse there is the danger of having to rot away under remand over some trumped up charge gratuitously denied the right to bail in contempt of the principle that every man is presumed innocent until proved guilty.

Unnecessary because media reports seem to say it all obviating the need to say any more here other than summarise the hard reality so as to set the scene for what this article is really about.

For example a distinguished former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank recently summing up the situation saying that “Sri Lanka is undergoing the worst economic catastrophe in its post independence history. The real economy is shrinking with a negative or a near zero economic growth. Inflation is raising its ugly head with food inflation running at 25%, foreign reserves are a pittance forcing the country to seek hand outs from countries like Bangladesh, (the) Rupee is under pressure for a mega depreciation,   and all essential items like fuel are in short supply making long queues for them a daily occurrence”. From the perspective of the average citizen there is the reality of a lucrative black market, the near collapse of the electricity generation and distribution systems, and rocketing prices and old people falling dead in the agony of long queues.

The final disgrace was the UNHRC Commissioner’s damning indictment in her 2022 report about the erosion of the independence of the judiciary and other key institutions, and the constriction of the democratic space for human rights advocacy, amidst a further drift towards militarisation and an emphasis of Sinhala nationalism and Buddhism in State institutions, thereby increasing the marginalisation of minority communities”.

However, the purpose here is to focus on the mindset of 69 lahks of people who deliberately conscientiously and enthusiastically of their own free will opted through the ballot to bring about such a predicament to their own detriment . That millions would of their own volition invite a cataclysm that might spell ruination for themselves and their families for generations to come is amazing. It is tantamount to an act of collective national suicide bordering on madness rarely seen in the history of nations. In retrospect the foolishness irrationality and sheer immorality of such an infernal choice should have been plain to even a little child. And yet incredibly those who made the fatal choice came from every strata of society. They included the well educated and the semi literate, the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor, learned professionals and the posh business classes rolling in money. They included pampered government officials wallowing in the perks and privileges of high office and thriving medical consultants. Nor must we forget the scholarly Ph.Ds and university professors now looking foolish with their lofty pretentions to high intelligence and critical thinking in tatters. From the sophisticated English speaking middle classes to the unlearned monolingual masses and riff raff of society , from sanctimonious buddhist monks pastors and priests who habitually pay lip service to truth and justice,  to the many millions of their simple minded adherents whom they regularly regale with exhortations to live righteous lives – all of them would seem to have blindly voted to their own destruction in the 2019/20 elections.

But now everything seems to have changed. The air is thick with the bitter reproaches of the disillusioned millions who having eagerly voted for this government now find that all their expectations have been dashed. To them the promised “vistas of prosperity” have all too soon become a mirage. Those of us in the 8th decade of life who have lived through all governments since independence can state unequivocally that no government in the postcolonial history of the country has alienated so many supporters so much in so short a period of time as this one. Indeed many feel that if there is an election today the ruling party will be wiped out by a majority as large as that by which they were elected to power 2 years ago. And they may be right. It is so hard to find folk who proudly admit to have been amongst the 69 lahks of supporters that one wonders whether they ever existed ! One gets the impression that many erstwhile supporters are embarrassed and would prefer to distance themselves from that association. Many of the disillusioned rather than having the humility to acknowledge having made a great mistake dishonestly disclaim responsibility by assuming a lofty air of self righteous disdain for all politicians.

However taking all such variations into account there is enough reason for opposition politicians to believe that support for the government has evaporated. It is natural that they should look forward to a dramatic turn around by 6.9 million disgruntled voters at the next election, in the expectation that the ruling party and the detestable family oligarchy that drives it will be wiped out. On the one hand there seems to be plenty of justification for such heady optimism.

On the other hand such confident expectation needs to be tempered by an important consideration. It has to do with the troubling question of why exactly such a large proportion of the Sri Lankan population voted as irrationally as they did in the first place ? What false values, ideological fixations , debased attitudes, entrenched beliefs and inherent assumptions drove such people to make such a monumental error ?. What deep seated prejudices blind loyalties and fatal flaws in the national character did such a bizarre voting pattern signify ? Did such madness even imply a low level of “national intelligence” (if one can imagine such an attribute) that is not easily rectified ?

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