The Decline of Dignity

Although many of those who were looking askance at our university academics parading the highways in vociferous fashion have not quite expressed their thoughts on the matter, the issue that would have had them worried is that of dignity and self respect. Many an objective observer of last Friday’s street protest by our academics could not be faulted if they were afflicted by a species of culture shock. For, never before would they have seen a segment of society, who could be considered the cream of the country’s intelligentsia, out on the streets, clamouring for what they see as their dues.

This was an entirely unaccustomed sight. University academics and teachers are generally highly respected by all sections. Their occupation is not seen as just another job, but a vocation; a high calling in life, which requires on the part of the practitioner selfless devotion to the work involved. However, the sight that greeted the eyes of the public on Friday, would have brought distress to many members of the public, particularly parents and elders who have entrusted the future of their children to our university Dons.

The striking Dons would have brought great remorse to the hearts of those who expect continuous dignified behaviour and decorum from those who enjoy the trust and confidence of the people. For, there did not seem to be any difference between the protesting Dons and others who hot-headedly take to the streets to clamorously win their demands.

It is not our intention to harshly criticize the striking Dons but we hope our thoughts would prompt them to re-think their actions for the sake of the common good. It could very well be that there is some basis to their sense of grievance and the issues taken-up by them, but it would do their image a tremendous amount of good if they resort to methods to win their demands which are in keeping with the respect the public usually accords to knowledge and wisdom-givers.

However, it is not too late to put things right. Before doing greater harm to their image, we call on the striking academics to make good use of the state’s request to them to re-enter the negotiatory process, with the aim of resolving their problems once and for all. Likewise, we request the state to be forbearing and continue to give the dialogue process a try for the purpose of bringing the crisis to a halt and making our universities fully functional once again.

We are also obliged to point out that the striking academics gave substantial credence to the criticism in some sections that they were politicizing their campaign by having in their protest some Opposition politicians who would have, of course, self-servingly purportedly made common cause with them. If the Dons’ struggle is on issues connected to higher education what prompted them to team-up with these Opposition politicians, some of them time-tested and found to be incompetent by the public?

Coming back to dignity and decorum, we call on our academics and all other sections, such as medical doctors, to think long and deep on the impression their public conduct creates on civil society. The occupations of these sections are more in the nature of vocations and for this reason they are seen as role models by the people. It should be the aim of these vocations to live-up to their traditional images, lest public trust and confidence in them crumbles and increasing cynicism grips sections of the public, particularly our youth and other impressionable quarters. Destructive behaviour and lawlessness are one step away from cynicism. We hope Sri Lanka would be saved from any more of the latter.

There are lessons here for our social and political elites too. These troubles of our times ought to remind them that disproportionate glamour, affluence and wasteful spending invariably breed discontent among those sections which believe that they are suffering deprivations and disappointed hopes. We call for a social conscience on the part of our more privileged social segments. Mindless wealth-gathering and wanton spending trigger social discontent and bloody upheavals. These are the indisputable lessons of history.