Politics without corruption, rooting out the hate culture, and promoting communal amity are the three main factors that will decide the future of our country today. Decency as a value is unknown in this country where our politicians pay great lip service to Buddhism. They debase Buddhism and the other religions they profess, more so by the hate that runs in their veins for their political opponents. The difference between just and unjust, right and wrong, good and evil and concepts such as human rights are unknown to the majority of our politicians. Hate, corruption and greed rule. This was not always so.

Our political culture has become more and more based upon materialistic values. Prior commitment to supporting progressive social policies has also diminished. Social policies had originally been developed from a view that Sri Lanka, a poor country, could be transformed into a model progressive "participatory democracy." There was a certain value placed on the community. Addressing the poverty that prevailed was the first priority - to support the quality-of-living of our citizens inclusive of education, healthcare and food irrespective of personal access to financial resources. Maybe we created a dependent society and in the process the people lost their self confidence and also sense of responsibility. The people came to depend on politicians for handouts. They did not feel, as a ‘new age politician’ has stated, "that they could work positively towards changing their own lives and the lives of their children and the community". This ‘nurse maiding’ of the people killed their spirit of enterprise, though it was a fundamentally humane approach to development and human security. Sri Lanka was intended to be a participatory democracy, but we have lost our way somewhere along the road by attempting to create a nanny state.

Pauperized themselves

Politics in the early years of our democracy was value driven; the politician valued his self respect. That was a time when our politicians both of the left and the right would stand-up and defend unswerving commitments to civic commitments. Such a cadre of politicians would stand up for a core of such progressive convictions and on behalf of defending areas of national sovereignty in general, irrespective of personal self-aggrandizement considerations. Almost all our politicians of yore came to serve and many pauperized themselves in the process. They spent their own resources for their politics without dipping into the national exchequer to get themselves elected.

However, policies to ensure social justice did not make the economic cake bigger; the same cake was being divided into smaller and smaller pieces——and the country too was pauperized.

Such civic commitments as mentioned earlier came to be destroyed with the evolving political culture of materialism and free market and growth oriented economic policies.

Deterioration began in the sixties at a trot but went into a gallop as we entered the 1980s. The old guard politicians were no more on the political scene. They had given way to a new breed of ambitious politicians who wanted power at any cost to enrich themselves. These are people who had never made any sacrifices for the country. They literally buy power today. They were not brought up in the ambience of value based politics.

Cancer of corruption

The cancer of corruption is all pervasive. The political system itself breeds corruption. The electoral system is fundamentally flawed. It is a caricature as an instrument for electing a government. No politician can contest at any level unless he/she is prepared to spend millions. Yes they spend millions to get elected and after that use their power to recoup their expenditure and to build a nest egg for the next election and also for their generations to come. They have no compunction about using their office to make money.

If we wish to reduce the level of corruption then we MUST change the electoral system. We must reintroduce the electorate and do away with the present system where the MP represents a whole district. The German electoral system has been recommended by many. That system may perhaps enable us to attract the best brains in the country for the almost sacred function of making of our laws. The changing of the electoral system is an imperative as is the overhauling of our education system. We must develop intellectual capital if we are to progress. We are at present way behind the middle classes of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh because we dropped English.

Politics in this country is today a blood sport-governed by the rules of the slum—where the criminal underworld rules and where the scum of our society predominate. Politicians were for some years the patrons of the scum but the wheel appears to have turned and the scum from the slums, with their values, have begun to lord it over the politicians. Some have even become politicians. Our democracy is now run by thugs, kudu karayas and corrupt politicians. Violence, intimidation and the abuse of power is commonplace. Issue-based politics has vanished into thin air. In retrospect the first decade of our democracy from 1948 to 1956 appears to have been far more value based in its orientation; the period between 1956 and 1977 did see an erosion of values but there was still a semblance of decency in politics; but the decades following have been disastrous for democracy and all that we value.

Value-based politics

It is therefore the most opportune time for secular forces that believe in value-based politics to come together. Fortunately there are a few Members of Parliament who appear to support value based gentlemanly politics. Among them are Lakshman Kadirgamar, Karu Jayasuriya, Anura Bandaranaike, Mahinda Smarasinghe, Susil Premajayanth, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, Hemakumara Nanayakkara, Gajan Ponnambalam, Mangala Samaraweera, Rauf Hakeem, GL Peris and Milinda Moragoda who has in recent weeks launched a campaign for gentlemanly politics all on his own.

The business community must come on board and launch a strong campaign. Business leaders such as Harry Jayawardena, Lalith Kotelawela, Ajit and Tilak de Zoysa amongst others, Vamadeva, Raj Rajaratnam have an important role to play as have legal luminaries like H. L. de Silva, Christie Weermantry, S. L. Gunasekera, our President’s Counsel and other lawyers. They should take time off from making millions to discharge their obligations as citizens. Our doctors and all members of professional associations, members of Rotary Clubs and Lions Clubs, civil society organizations such as Sarvodaya and Seva Lanka and activist NGOs who are presently working in the area of ‘conflict resolution and peace building’ have a special responsibility to mobilize public opinion through articles, letters, resolutions and demonstration to ensure that we get our fundamentals right.

Electoral system must be dumped

They must demand from our political leaders a change in the manner that we pursue politics in this country. As has often been stated it only takes good men to do nothing for evil to triumph. Let a structural change be effected. The electoral system must be dumped. The rule of law must be enthroned to combat corruption, (the 17th Amendment must be amended to make a reality of its objectives) and real democracy which promotes cooperation and not confrontation should be established in this country.

(The writer is a former foreign service officer who served as ambassador and retired from the public service as Additional Secretary to the Foreign Ministry)