Let's hope the IGP's example
would catch on
That example is better than precept is a nugget of
received wisdom which the sensible always swear by and for very
good reason too. For, what could be more infectious than an
example set by one who holds authority and who is generally
looked-up to. In this connection, a recent good example set by
IGP N.K. Illangakoon, we hope, would have the desired effect of
being emulated by particularly others who hold public office.
Reportedly, the IGP has ordered the redeployment of some 23
excess vehicles which were used by his predecessor. In fact, we
are given to understand that IGP Illangakoon had made it known
that one official vehicle was more than sufficient for him. This
is a glowing example that is coming from the top which is likely
to have a restraining impact on his colleagues because actions
usually speak louder than words.
'Keep it up Mr. IGP', is what we have to tell the Police
chief. Bad examples always have a tendency of replicating
themselves and that too very easily. However, a resplendent,
good example has the potential of producing the same result
because such actions speak to the hearts and minds of the
viewers of such deeds. The IGP's action is pregnant with these
possibilities.
It is our hope that the IGP's action would be emulated not
only within the Police Department but outside it too. Sri Lanka
is unfortunately a notably status-conscious society and highly
disproportionate importance is usually placed by individuals and
groups on status symbols and external attributes which have
little bearing on the intrinsic worth of the persons concerned.
Thus, it is said in lighter vein by some that quite a few locals
who are given the task of serving their countrymen from behind a
counter, tend to get bloated-up with instant vanity. This is the
toll exacted by a little power and authority.
Therefore, the challenge before many who enjoy official
positions is to shun ostentation and the urge to keep-up
appearances. This is a fatal tendency which should be curbed
because these diseases of the heart tend to get in the way of
service to the public. Not so long ago, timely action by
President Mahinda Rajapaksa put an end to the maniacal behaviour
by some in power which proved exceedingly distressing to the
public. The reference here is to the roaring fast cars and the
attendant huge vehicles which were driven at break-neck speed on
our highways, with no concern whatsoever for the
silently-suffering, harried public. This was a very judicious
clamp-down which has brought immense relief to the people and we
are looking out for prohibitions of a similar kind on the
vainglorious displays of authority which are blighting and
damaging from the public's point of view.
Besides considerations of power and its impact on the human
consciousness, a gauge should be made by the state, its agencies
and by all civic-conscious sections, of the impact ostentatious
living has on the public purse. Those 23 extra vehicles the IGP
was saddled with would have undoubtedly cost the public a
mind-numbing sum of money and one could be certain that there
are many more such monstrous excesses and irregularities in the
public domain which are going unnoted and unaccounted. Needless
to say, all this will be a heavy drain on the public treasury.
Sri Lanka could ill-afford these wasteful ways which come in the
wake of skewed thinking and logic.
Unnoticed, these ills of opulence and ostentation are
exacting an exorbitant price. A profoundly learned local public
figure once said that one should not show off his apple to his
neighbour if he is not willing to share it with the latter. This
is deep wisdom one needs to ponder over. Affluence and
ostentation tend to provoke envy and this in turn triggers
social tensions and discontentment. These are the ills of
affluence a society must guard against.
Accordingly, there is no choice but to favour lifestyles that
are simple and Spartan. Besides being less of a burden on public
coffers, such options promote social stability to a greater
degree. However, such ways of living tend to be emulated over
the length and breadth of a society only when those who are
foremost in such a society set the trend in these directions by
pruning down on superfluous possessions which have a misguiding
impact on others. Hopefully, the IGP's example will prove to be
a trend-setter. |