Every time the President addresses the people she makes a solemn pledge not to reward those who indulged in election violence and fraud. Such persons would not be in her government, she promises and we do believe her. But one look at the cabinet reveals the truth ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’. Equivocation rules the day.

A record breaking number of ministers have been appointed, receiving their ministries like gifts from Santa Claus. Among the 35 deputy ministers now sworn in are, the likes of the infamous D. M. Dassanayake who has to his credit several criminal cases and warrants pending against him. Likewise Chandana Kathriarachi of Kesbewa who too was a suspect in a murder case was honoured with a ministry," reports the Sunday Leader of 12th November. And as another reader points out in the Sunday Island of the same day, the cabinet seems to be a veritable den of thieves. ‘Ali Baba and his forty (odd) thieves’ is the title of his verse.

A prominent minister in the cabinet even boasts of the violent methods he used, in order to win elections, if Fredrica Janz is right. She quotes the following lines from his collection of 407 verses ‘Gampola varuna’. Verse 33. displays his bravado:

Budiyanse was dumped in river and hand fractured.

Fernando’s face cut with a knife pointed.

Appuhamy was dragged to the river and dumped.

That was the election we did.

Asked to comment on the monstrous size of the cabinet the PM has said, "The President wanted the implementation of the development programmes efficiently and quickly" with an enlarged cabinet. Can the people be so easily deceived? On the President’s pledge not to give office to those who engaged in election violence, specially in Kandy, the PM has a very convincing answer. The complaints were made against the violent "polling booths" not against the persons responsible for the violence - no names have been mentioned! How easy is it then to clear them of their deeds!

What does all this mean? Is it that this country can be governed only by the perpetrators of "dhooshana, beeshana"? It seems to be so, for the very people who vowed to eradicate corruption and violence have now embraced it and are using it to the fullest to come to power and then stay in power. There is great danger in using army deserters and underworld criminals to win elections. Coupled with terrorism in the North and ramblings in the hill country, political patronage of under world criminals is all we need to totally destroy what little still remains of this Paradise.

In the midst of all this despair is there a ray of hope at all? Perhaps there is. There are a few new voices in the House that do not sound hollow, (one cannot help lamenting the absence of Vasudeva Nanayakara in Parliament). There is the authentic voice of Karu Jayasuriya. There are also the ten JVP youth whose hands are not yet tainted, one hopes they would eventually give up their cries of Xenophobia. It was disheartening to read in The Island’ a report that referred to a letter sent by the JVP to the Norwegian Ambassador, ending with ‘Ugly Norwegian, go home’. Such intolerance is disturbing.

Yet one hopes that the opposition as a whole means what it says. Will the members of the opposition actually force the government to appoint those four truly independent commissions? Will minister Rauf Hakeem in fact withdraw his support if these commissions are not appointed at the end of 100 days? Will there be free and fair elections in this country again? Will the police and the judiciary be freed from the clutches of the government in power?

At a recent seminar on ‘Parliamentary Elections 2000’ organised by the CPA the idea of conducting elections under a caretaker government was discussed. The idea was promoted by the JVP representative Vijitha Herath and Rauf Hakeem. Perhaps that is a possibility. That would ensure free and fair elections.

The leader of the opposition has remained rather quiet himself, having made the best speaker on his side speechless. The speaker cannot speak. We hope he does not rest in the belief that the reconciliation he has helped to bring about between the brother and sister will automatically serve as panacea for all the ills of this country and therefore his party can now rest in peace. It is time to wake up. It is time for all honest politicians from both sides of the House to join hands and redeem this country. The people will back them in this effort.
Leela Isaac,
Avadhi Lanka Activist