“Rotten set of politicians”

I just loved TILAK’S article in The Island of  Nov.1.st where he tells us exactly what follies are being committed again and again by the sorriest lot of politicians ever to be seen anywhere. Of course there are still quite a number of us who continue to hope that our President will be able to live up to his reputation of being a strong man and will somehow be able to make a clean sweep of all the poorly educated (mostly) corrupt and disgraceful politicians that now occupy seats, in the House, that they ill deserve.

Tilak is absolutely correct when he laments that Government after Government has been voted into power and ALL of them have had sorry ends. What I find really appalling is that men, who have been literally hounded out of office, losing their own seats,  having been responsible for the defeat of their own party, can crawl back into the House and actually dare to give advice on how to run the country. Their leader and his  party were pitifully inept when they were in power and yet feel able to  dare to proffer advice at this time.

We watch the dignified MPs in the British Parliament and wish, with all our hearts, that our own MPs would copy them. Our own MPs have no manners. They do not listen to each other speak, so how do they follow the business of the State? We see them talking to each other while the camera is trying to pick up what someone is saying on the floor of the House. MPs and Ministers who have the floor need to to BELLOW to be heard. But is anyone listening?

Tilak calls them “a rotten set of politicians” and other than a few exceptions, he is so right.

It is time indeed for us to look for a new set of thinking people who are educated, honest, incorruptible, liberal and farseeing. There are such men and women all around us who would refuse with horror if asked to take part in the ‘Circus of Politics’ at the moment.

What a shame that a wonderful country is held to ransom by these charlatans who are now  our MPs. We have a strong President who may yet be able to pull us out of the morass. But will those who have much to lose allow him do it?

Goolbai Gunasekara