‘PEOPLE POWER’ Being apolitical comes with both pros and cons, chief among the pros is that one has peace of mind when looking back… with the benefit of hindsight. At top of the list of cons on the other hand, is that one can rarely boast about having voted for the winner(s). And that is if and when one chooses to vote, for one reason or the other!

In short, some of us are always in the minority.

This most precious and beautiful country on the planet has withstood racially motivated agendas and policies, two insurrections, race riots, terrorism, and constitutional and economic crises, but its quality of life is uniquely special – and it is ‘home.’

Sadly, we have also been robbed by the very men and women that ‘people power’ votes into high office – some in desperation for change, some with expectations of favours, and many others because party politics is part and parcel of their upbringing.

One glaring example of political patronage in this country is the penchant to roll out the red carpet to errant politicians for any function that is worth its salt. To put it mildly, this has become a national obsession that both hosts and guests love!

Worse still, the very (many) people who complain about bribery and corruption have themselves played the game, either ‘to get things done’ (be it business or personal) or share the spoils with the powers that be – there’s a whole newly rich class of such people out there for all to see!

Nine years ago, some six million Sri Lankans voted for ‘good governance.’ Four years later, 6.9 million voted for ‘security.’ And this time around, nearly the same 6.9 million voted for an end to endemic corruption – and yes, thankfully ejected scores of rotten eggs from the house by the lake, although a few weren’t caught in the net and a few more will crawl back through the backdoor we call the ‘National List.’

A landslide is defined as “a slide of a large mass of dirt and rock down a mountain or cliff,” which is what we have by and large witnessed, not for the first time. As we know, in the past it’s been a case of a nation falling between a rock and a hard place,

So we’re now left with those who promise to be honest, eradicate corruption and nepotism, stabilise and strengthen the economy, and govern equitably – and one hopes will safeguard the rule of law and Sri Lanka’s enviable track record of democracy (flawed as it has been, in the minority mindset at least).

Whether these promises will be kept is left to be seen because as the saying goes (and we have seen over and over again, over the years), ‘power corrupts – absolute power corrupts absolutely.’

For the sake of our precious future generations, let’s hope that this time around, we will see the dream of promises being kept – this may well be our last chance to avoid Armageddon.

And as for ‘people power,’ it’s left to be seen whether it delivers the goods… for the first time in seven decades.

– Editor-in-Chief