Madness, sheer madness!

By Dr UPUL WIJAYAWARDHANA

“While the country is burning”: the caption for the front-page photograph in The Island of 29th October, displaying the antics of our senior government politicians at the opening of “Colombo Dunes” ATV adventure centre, said it all! Have they inherited the genes of Nero, who is supposed to have played the fiddle while Rome was burning? I wondered; or, has the Covid-19 virus had a specific effect on Sri Lanka, making many sections of the populace mad to varying degrees? This second explanation seems more plausible due to a variety of reasons.

Craziness does not seem to be confined to Pohottuwa politicians, the others behaving equally badly at the time of a great national disaster. There are rumours that the SLFP will split into three, and that would be the death knell of the Bandaranaike era! The leader of the SJB, who tries to cover up his inadequacies by verbosity, often inappropriate, is being undermined by some in his alliance. Ranil shouts loudly that the future of the UNP is with the youth, but refuses to hand over the reins to a young leader!

Of course, the government takes the cake! It seems to progress from one fiasco to the other. It wants to ‘go green’ and stopped importation of fertiliser at the most inopportune of times. Can we afford experimentation that may adversely affect the economy, at a time when the economy is on its knees? A secret midnight deal signed by a Minister holding dual US citizenship with a US energy firm is now threatening a split in the Pohottuwa, some ministers openly attacking in the strongest possible terms. When I posed the question “Pohottuwa: Will it blossom or wither?” (The island, 6 July), I never expected the withering to start so soon!

Unfortunately, the medical profession lost the esteem of the public, due to the long-standing erratic behaviour of its prime trade union. Even leaders of ‘learned societies’ seem to be making headline grabbing statements, rather than making positive contributions during a grave medical emergency. However, no one can beat the life-president of the GMOA, for making pseudoscientific statements that embarrass anyone with even a basic knowledge of science! I felt squeamish, to say the least, when I watched a video clip that showed him telling the President that kidneys should be given with chemical fertilisers! He seems to have his own statistics that show Sihalayas of yore had longevity, not recorded in any other source. He has written, in a Sinhala newspaper, that there was a time when human beings lived so long that a woman had to be 500 years old to get married! He seems to be propagating ‘folk’ Buddhism, not as a path to Nibbana, but as a path to Diyawannawa; or, perhaps, to the seat of Secretary of Health!

Talking of my profession, a retired physician, has written a piece supporting the teachers strike (‘In defence of teachers’ struggle; The Island, 25 October) maybe because his parents were teachers, or because he had been an active trade unionist in the past, or both. I got an interesting response to this from a friend of mine Dr Upali Abeysiri, retired Plastic Surgeon:

“One justification is that his parents were teachers. So were yours and mine. They were a special class. We always had at least two poor kids fed and housed at our home while having education. None did private tuition. If any student asked for tuition, it was given free when possible. Whenever there were any extra activities, they did not grudge or expect payment. Contrast some of the present generation. Their best talents are spared for tuition classes.”

He has not mentioned the fact that this old problem, not solved by many governments, cannot be solved at once due to the present circumstances. While an estimated 60% of the population of Sri Lanka did not have even two meals a day for over a year, they were paid for demonstrating on the road. Children were educationally at a standstill. How human are they?”

Another reason why Sri Lanka is a ‘land like no other’ is because it continues to pay those on strike! To its credit, the government went out of the way to find a solution to the teachers’ salary issue, but how did they respond? They left the youngest of children stranded for two days, extending their strike in a vain attempt to show their might. To me, this is madness of the highest order. Anyway, what is there to lose; they get paid whether they work or not! My parents, who dedicated their lives to teaching, would turn in their graves if they knew what is going on.

Among the striking teachers were Bhikkhus of the pirivena schools. As pointed out by Upali Abeysiri: “They don the robe saying, ‘sabba dukkha nissarana – nibbana sacchikaranatthaya’ meaning to strive to end all suffering. Is that ending suffering, demanding payment for teaching novice monks dhamma?”

I have written many times about Buddhist monks undertaking roles unbecoming of them. The latest fiasco involves Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera, a controversial figure, about whom I changed my opinion after watching the Derana 360 programme, wherein he pointed out the representations made to him by moderate Muslims that their concerns about extremism has been disregarded by successive governments. It may be because of this that the President decided he should head the Presidential Task Force (PTF) to make recommendations in respect of the ‘One Country, One Law’ concept. When the President made this request, it would have been incumbent on Ven. Gnanasara to point out that it was a position a Bhikkhu should not hold, for many reasons. Unfortunately, he accepted it instead, which may produce disastrous consequences, if one is to go by Shamindra Ferdinando’s report in The Island of 1 November, to the effect that the Minister of Justice may resign over this issue.

As rightly pointed out in the editorial “It’s mandates stupid!” (The Island, 1 November), it is very democratic to question this flawed decision by the President. More so, if it means the resignation of a capable minister. Even a President can make mistakes, and admitting that and making amendments could only enhance the prestige of the President. It is only fools who refuse to admit mistakes and continue to defend the indefensible.

President’s Counsel Ali Sabry, the only Muslim in the Cabinet, is one of the most educated and, more importantly, one of the most effective members of the Cabinet. His attempts to correct the slow turning of wheels of justice is much needed, and if he were to leave it would be a great loss to the country. May I humbly request Ven. Gnanasara to step down from the position, to not only avoid embarrassment to the government but also prevent the country losing the services of an able minister, a rare commodity nowadays. Perhaps, he can continue as a member in view of his experience regarding the grievances of the moderate Muslim community.

Another obvious lapse is the lack of a Tamil representative in the PTF. This anomaly can easily be rectified by the appointment of Mrs. P.S.M. Charles, who is eminently qualified to head the PTF. She, who served as Jaffna District Secretary, held the positions of the Director General of Customs and the Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine, before being appointed the Governor of the Northern Province. Someone of that calibre and experience is needed to head a Presidential Task Force.

The need of the day is consensus, to get our problems solved, not madness.