Towards a new political culture

The attack on a pregnant woman by a group of UNP supporters in the campaign trail which shocked not only the Head of State but certainly all civilized folk in this country is only but the tip of the iceberg of the mass degeneration of the political culture in this country. It is certainly an indictment on the country's democratic credentials where violence has been the staple at all elections held in the post 1977 era. Hopefully the President's concern at the deteriorating political culture would bring this blot on the country's political landscape to an end going back to the era when political campaigns were sources of fun and enjoyment where elections were fought on issues and policies rather than with guns, bombs, swords and bludgeons as is happening now.

Addressing the International Women's Day celebrations on Monday, a highly disturbed President bemoaned the acts of political violence directed at women. "This type of political culture cannot be allowed in the country under any circumstances", a concerned President told his audience.

All right thinking citizens will agree with him when he said that the political situation has degenerated in the country. In fact it is an understatement. It has gone far beyond degeneration and reached the level of the criminal. If something is not done and done quickly our political system will be beyond redemption from the seedy criminal elements who have undoubtedly lain siege of the country's political edifice.

No political party can absolve itself of blame in this connection. All parties stand guilty of promoting this degenerate political culture. What is more, things are deteriorating fast and if timely action is not taken politics in this country will be criminalized to such an extent that it is bound to shake the foundations of democracy.

The incident in Mahara is just one link in the long chain of incidents of political violence. It is no exaggeration to say that the fractious nature of our politics has riven society apart and seeped into all aspects of life. True, the UNP stands accused for this shameless incident but to any one it is obvious that this is just one example of the malfeasance that has taken hold of the country's political system.

That such a barbaric act could have taken place at a mini poll to elect representatives who after all will only be overseeing the mending of culverts, clearing garbage and other trivia only goes to show that there are much higher stakes in the offing for the aspirants.

As mentioned in a previous editorial some of these candidates are relatives of Parliamentarians or at least have links to them and are using such mini-elections as a stepping stone to national politics. The means of achieving this objective is of no consequences on the basis that the end justifies the means. Others are the spawn of middle level politicians (such as provincial councillors) who too receive the necessary resources and wherewithal to oil their election campaigns. In this giddy cocktail the genuine grass roots politician is left in the lurch negating the whole concept of Local Government which is essentially for the ground level politician.

As long as this vicious cycle continues there is little chance for eliminating violence. There is therefore a crying need to reinvent the wheel and go back to the days where genuine representatives of the people and gentleman politicians are brought into the fray. A foolproof method should be evolved to screen all candidates, so that only those with the appropriate background and above all those who fit the bill will be chosen.

President Rajapaksa will have an unenviable task in cleaning the Aegean stables. He will have to rid the climate of hate politics that has seeped deeply into the country's social fabric causing deep cleavages among communities based on political rivalry. Ideally there should be ceasefire to begin with to douse the political heat and all leaders should get together at a round table and come out with ways and means to defuse the situation.

For it is only through firm action from the top that the murky subterranean depths to which our politics have descended could be salvaged and channelled along the correct path.

Certainly the rot set in with the advent of the PR system that has caused not only inter party rivalry but also intra-party friction as well. There is therefore a need to expedite electoral reforms that would revert us back to the earlier system where things moved on an even keel. However if the culture of violence is to be changed holistically there needs to be a major appraisal on the causes that give rise to such violence such as the choice of candidates and the need to strengthen the existing mechanisms, paving the way for a gradual waning of the culture of violent politics in this country.