Value-based politics is the need of the hour

Lionel WIJESIRI

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has always been a firm believer of value-based politics. He recently cautioned his party members that he would not hesitate to deal with any member who breaches the party discipline. He further commented that all politicians should re present the public opinion and should give voice to it within Parliament.

Another statement recently made by the Tharunyata Hetak Chairman Namal Rajapaksa is also worth mentioning here. He said the next parliament should be a place where educated, committed and dignified representatives rule the roost.

Parliament - the house for good governce

As both of them rightly say we need to improve the quality of the people's representation. We have to make sure that only those candidates who possess discipline, honesty and transparency should pass the test.

Categories Our Constitution forms a fairly comprehensive scheme which promotes ideas such as tolerance for diversity, fundamental freedoms for citizens. When we speak of values, it is these constitutional principles that provide a road map for our political leaders.

There are four categories of values: physical values, mental values, social values and political values. This last category is the one that interests us.

Today, we have a fractured polity, which is almost totally governed by politics of confrontation, if not hatred of each other. The country is overtaken by intolerance, divisiveness, corruption, violence, conflict and disrespect for dissent, which are seriously vitiating our social cohesion. Such confrontational politics has made language, region and religion divisive issues. Leadership based on such dangerously divisive factors seems to be oblivious of our most cherished national values such as tolerance and co-existence.

What is even more worrisome is the fact that political polarization is sought in the name of narrow and divisive identities, whose preferred language is often that of taking recourse to violence rather than the democratic and civilized methods of discussion and dialogue. Criminals are being used to settle political scores and in the process criminals are crossing the line and entering politics. This has led to criminalization of politics or rather to politicization of crime! The violent behaviour we see, in our political arena at every level, is the result of not only the entry of people with questionable background into politics, but sections of political leadership taking recourse to questionable ends, which they believe will help them politically whatever may be the effect on people.

Parliament One most disconcerting trend, which has emerged in recent times, is that the Parliament, the lofty temple of our democracy, has come to be the playground for acute confrontational politics. The malady of money-power has become so deep-rooted that it has even begun to intervene directly with the functioning of our core democratic institutions. The sanctity of Parliament has begun to desecrate in the process.

There is today, no doubt, an all-pervading need to infuse various areas of our national life with moral values and, in this process, politics should come first. But, it is not the only area with which we should be concerned.

It has affected almost all social sectors unfortunately, including a considerably large section of the business community.

To be a respectable career, politics has to be based on certain essential and basic values. The nation as a whole must bring values to the centre stage of our public life. This can be achieved only if committed and conscientious people, particularly the youth, come into the arena of politics and deal with the problems from within, which obviously cannot be done by outsiders. People blame the government for all the problems in their life but they hardly introspect.

Discussions The price we pay for political indifference is bad governance, which affects almost every aspect of our life. We cannot expect to get good governance from bad politics. Therefore, making our national life ethically and morally sound and efficient by the inclusion of committed and untainted persons in our mainstream politics is one of the most pressing needs of our times.

Our politicians have become experts in retaining their seats by avoiding discussion of fundamental issues and votes on the few controversial issues which lobbyists and interest groups present. What and when issues are brought up for decision and how these are framed and debated are matters determined by a few powerful members called party leaders. The same issues are usually re-argued year after year with no final decision.

Most of what becomes law is 'pork' which benefits the few over the many, whether a special interest, community, business or group of businesses. Many laws are now being passed for show only. They may not become effective for years, or they may be contingent on events unlikely to occur.

Due to Election process, the so-called 'representatives' are insulated from their constituents. When their seats and funding become secure, they become completely unaccountable to the people, responsible only to their sponsors.

It's often impossible to determine where they really stand on specific issues. Like the huckster who sells snake oil at county fairs, politicians are expected to lie about or at least exaggerate the information they make public. All personal or issue campaigns are marketing projects which use the media and advertising techniques to sell their wares. The public's only protection is 'buyers beware.' Option Today the nation is desperately looking and searching for leaders with integrity and a national vision in our Parliament, the highest forum of democratic debate and civilized behaviour. The practice of rushing to the well, shouting slogans, flouting rules, creation of uproarious scenes warranting frequent adjournments of the House, the open and deliberate disregard of the Chair and several other maladies we have regularly witnessed in our Parliament are all unfailing symptoms of the relentless erosion of values in our public life.

What is the option available to the electorate if their representative is not functioning to their satisfaction? If our elected representative is proving to be corrupt, irresponsible or indifferent towards people's causes, the citizens are left with no choice other than to wait till the next election. This brings us to the question of how to express our disapproval of the erosion of values in politics.

Some analysts believe that it is high time we thought of incorporating the concept of Right to Recall in our Constitution. If only the electors have the right to question and hold their representatives accountable for their acts of omission and commission without having to wait till the next elections, our public life would, perhaps, become better. The public must be empowered to initiate action when the situation so demands. This is a question the nation must debate seriously.

For the last several decades, no single party nationally has been able to get a majority of its own and the result has been that the Governments have been formed on occasions by political parties with disparate programmes and ideologies, who combine only with the object of acquiring power, forming unprincipled coalitions and even by encouraging defections from one party to another. There have been recently many more instances of post-poll understandings or adjustments than before between different political parties, only for the purpose of formation of a Government.

The instability of such Governments often compromising on the basic political and constitutional morality, have seriously eroded people's faith in the system.

National Approach Today, almost every issue, from those concerning core national values to issues of development, is subjected to the grind of contentious politics.

It is essential that all political parties grow above partisan politics and demonstrate the willingness as also the sincerity to draw up and implement schemes with well-chosen priorities

They should devise a new national approach in the larger interest of the people. Issues of development, in which the common people have the greatest stake, cannot be subjected to political muscle-flexing without caring for their destructive effect on the people. Matters of vital national interest should not be made a casualty of partisan, recriminatory and destructive politics.

We are going through a phase when the resilience and adaptability of our democratic institutions are stretched too far. When we received independence six decades ago, our people had great expectations from a free Sri Lanka. But in many ways, their hopes and expectations have been negated by the opportunistic ways of those associated with politics and governance in the country.

We are a country with great heritage and civilisation and with the magnificent history of freedom struggle.

We have a great talent of the young people, with constructive efforts of the working class, including farmers, peasants and common people.

A time has come when all sections of the people have to consider very seriously how a country like ours should come out of the present infirmities in the system, so that we can achieve all round development at a faster pace within the next decade.