7/17/2019 ‘Yahapalanaya’ and ‘Cutout Palanaya’ Overzealous Sycophants Reduce ‘Yahapalanaya’ to a Mere Slogan

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‘ Yahapalanaya’ and ‘cutout palanaya’:Overzealous sycophants reduce‘Yahapalanaya’ to a mere slogan

2015-10-05

In the Buddhist folklore, there was this monkey that a king reared as his

trusted companion. The king had full faith in the ape, who accompanied

the soereign anywhere he went. !n one "ne day, after attending the

a#airs of the $tate, the king took a short afternoon nap, leaing his

sword with the ape. The monkey sat ne%t to the sleeping royal, eer

igilant to guard his master against undesira&le intruders. $eeing a

pesky 'y &u((ing around the king, and worried that it would distur& the

royal, the monkey tried to chase it away, &ut in ein. )hen the 'y kept

circling around, the monkey, now enraged at the repeated incursions,

gra&&ed the royal sword, and landed one heay &low, aiming the 'y,

perched on the king*s chest. The king was e#ectiely hacked to death.

When President Maithripala Sirisena onhis return from the U !eneral "ssem#ly $as greeted #y those numerouscutouts hanging from all availa#le space in the city% touting him as the hero

$ho defeated imperialism% he should have reminded that mon&ey' ()hat issu#*ect to the assumption that MS himself did not order the display of thatsycophantic a+ection' )hat% , guess% is a fair con*ecture #ecause in -anuaryafter he $as s$orn.in as the President% he ordered the removal of hiscutouts that had sprung up around the country/'

We are a nation of sycophants' 0o$ever% the level of sycophancy hit itsdistur#ing zenith under President Sirisena’s predecessor% Mahinda1a*apa&sa% though successive Presidents (perhaps $ith the e2ception of

3'4' Wi*ethunga% $hose tenure $as any$ay #rief/% $ere not far #ehind'

President Sirisena promised to #e di+erent and detest from the culture ofnepotism and sycophancy' "nd people% disgusted at M1’s shameless displayof a personality cult voted MS to the o5ce of presidency' o$ seeing thoselarger.than.life.sized cutouts of MS staring at them from lampposts% #ridgesand tree tops% those fol&s should have #een #efuddled as to $hether theyhad ta&en a ride in the time machine% only to #e reminded% that it $as% in

7/17/2019 ‘Yahapalanaya’ and ‘Cutout Palanaya’ Overzealous Sycophants Reduce ‘Yahapalanaya’ to a Mere Slogan

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fact% MS #eaming from all lamp.posts'

Money spent on this orchestrated display of pu#lic adoration of thePresident may have come from the personal funds of the sponsors such asimal 6anza ($hose residence $as once raided #y the S)7 during an anti.narcotic operation% though $e $ere later told he $as innocent/' Still #etterthan MS’s predecessor $ho had put up cutouts at every corner in the city at

pu#lic e2pense% funded #y every conceiva#le !overnment institution'0o$ever% unless MS $ithstands temptation% it $ould not #e a long #efore$e reach that point'

 0o$ever% he does not need to stoop to that lo$' )he 8'9 million Sri 6an&ans$ho voted for him at the presidential election% voted him to po$er #ecausethey #elieved he $ould #e di+erent from his predecessor' )hey displayed ahigh degree of political maturity and $ere not s$ayed #y the Statepropaganda machinery that demeaned President Sirisena and preachedconspiracy theories round.the.cloc&' 1espect of those voters cannot #eearned #y cutouts and 4ill#oards' 4ut% those can pro#a#ly serve as the#eginning of the end for the pu#lic trust MS no$ en*oys'

 )he others% $ho loath him (there are uite a lot of them% understanda#lydue to the political polarization that the e2.President caused in this country/$ould have a sinister smir& on their faces and as& ‘3idn’t $e tell you;’

President Sirisena has #een criticized% rightly so% for ta&ing his 9<.year.oldson% 3aham to the U' 3aham has later responded that he had #eeninvited% since his mother could not ma&e it to e$ Yor&' )he President may%perhaps% feel criticism is a #it too harsh' "fter all% his predecessor made it

more or less a norm to =y not only his progeny% #ut also the e2tendedfamily and their hairdressers and ma&eup artists in charted =ights at Statee2penses' On the contrary% MS travelled in a normal =ight% $ith a fe$delegates> a routine he has follo$ed in all his o5cial visits' "nd his speechat the U !eneral "ssem#ly% $here he assured that Sri 6an&a $ouldaddress the past $ith honesty% and the reception he received from theglo#al leaders% $ere in star& contrast to $hat his predecessor had achievedinternally' "ll those accomplishments $ere momentarily forgotten due to a

7/17/2019 ‘Yahapalanaya’ and ‘Cutout Palanaya’ Overzealous Sycophants Reduce ‘Yahapalanaya’ to a Mere Slogan

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?asco of his son attending as a mem#er of the Sri 6an&an delegation' ,norder to accommodate the presidential scion% reportedly% Sri 6an&a’spermanent representative in U% 3r' 1ohan Perera had to opt out from theSri 6an&an delegation'When M1#egan turning Sri 6an&a into a#astion of nepotism% people $ere

reviled' )he e2cesses of his $ererevealed and his regime $assu#*ected to criticism' 4ut he didnot give t$o hoots% nor did hereha#ilitate himself (later% hefound it $as more e+ective to silence his critics than amending his $ays/'Sri 6an&ans resigned to their fate% minded their o$n #usiness' When anation $as silenced% it $as the international community that too& over fromthat moment'

+ow a political conscious pu&lic want their oernment to delieron its promises of good goernance to that end, they are holdingthe oernment and its leaders accounta&le, which is a positietrait for representatie democracy.+

MS ought to ta&e criticism in a positive light' )he scrutiny he had #eensu#*ected to recently% in fact% highlighted the rene$ed interest andrea$a&ening of sense of #elonging' ,t $as not long ago that people $ereindi+erent to all sorts of evil% ranging from $hite vans to large scaleplundering of the national $ealth' o$ a political conscious pu#lic $anttheir !overnment to deliver on its promises of good governance> to thatend% they are holding the !overnment and its leaders accounta#le% $hich isa positive trait for representative democracy'Unless the President ta&escriticism into account% this enthusiasm may not last long> it can turn sour%#itter and acrimonious' @handri&a Aumaratunga% the former President cameto po$er in a $ave of popular support on the #ac& of an activist civil societyand rea$a&ened Sri 6an&an voters> that $as a spectacle a&in to MS’selection victory' Once in po$er% she pretty much forgot that and herrelationship $ith all segments of progressive opinion turned acrimonious' Of course% circumstances under $hich% she governed $ere tric&y> her!overnment $as compelled to ?ght a monstrous terrorist group% $hich for

three decades stalled the democratic evolution of this country'MS ought to ta&e criticism in a positive light' )he scrutiny he had #eensu#*ected to recently% in fact% highlighted the rene$ed interest andrea$a&ening of sense of #elonging' ,t $as not long ago that people $ereindi+erent to all sorts of evil% ranging from $hite vans to large scaleplundering of the national $ealth' o$ a political conscious pu#lic $anttheir !overnment to deliver on its promises of good governance> to thatend% they are holding the !overnment and its leaders accounta#le% $hich is

7/17/2019 ‘Yahapalanaya’ and ‘Cutout Palanaya’ Overzealous Sycophants Reduce ‘Yahapalanaya’ to a Mere Slogan

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a positive trait for representative democracy'Unless the President ta&escriticism into account% this enthusiasm may not last long> it can turn sour%#itter and acrimonious' @handri&a Aumaratunga% the former President cameto po$er in a $ave of popular support on the #ac& of an activist civil societyand rea$a&ened Sri 6an&an voters> that $as a spectacle a&in to MS’selection victory' Once in po$er% she pretty much forgot that and her

relationship $ith all segments of progressive opinion turned acrimonious' Of course% circumstances under $hich% she governed $ere tric&y> her!overnment $as compelled to ?ght a monstrous terrorist group% $hich forthree decades stalled the democratic evolution of this country'

MS does not need to carry that #urden on his #ac&% than&s to M1% $hoconclusively defeated the 6))B'Sycophancy is one of our entrenched pro#lems' ,t may #e a residue of ourfeudal social structure in the past% #ut its implications have #eenaggravated #y the political system% $hich over time has degenerated to

one of rent see&ing' ,t is hard to get over those old ha#its over night' ,n thissystem% some politicos thin& the easiest $ay to the heart of their politicalsuperior is through #ill#oards' 0o$ever% such display of sycophancydegrades society and demeans the leaders in $hose honour those cutouts$ere erected' President Sirisena should &no$ it $ell that it is generallycertain tin.pot dictators from some of those former Soviet repu#lics in

@entral "sia or ahellhole in "frica $hoare more li&ely tochoose that recourse'

0aving given thepolitical leadership tolaunch a series ofdemocratic reformssince his election% MSdoes not need to stoopthat level'

0o$ever% the pro#lemis more structural than

personal' ModernStates cannot #e runsolely on the goodnessof its leaders' 0umannature may not #e aspessimistic as 0o##esdescri#ed (in the Stateof nature as% ‘solitary%

7/17/2019 ‘Yahapalanaya’ and ‘Cutout Palanaya’ Overzealous Sycophants Reduce ‘Yahapalanaya’ to a Mere Slogan

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poor% nasty% #rutish% and short’% or a $ar of all against all/% #ut% humans% ingeneral% succum# to temptation% #e it for po$er% $ealth or personalaggrandizement'

+The /.2 million $ri ankans who oted for him in the presidentialelection, oted him &ecause they &elieed he would &e di#erentfrom his predecessor.+

 )hat is $here institutions come into play' Without institutions% modernStates $ould #e at the mercy of their political leaders and $heeler.dealers',ndependent *udiciary% #ri#ery and corruption #usting mechanisms%independent commissions% independent media% independenttelecommunication and media regulatory authorities serve as a #ul$ar&against the temptation of political leaders and regressive populist impulsesof the masses' Without those institutions run #y people of cali#re% $ho have#een vetted #y an independent #ody (in our case% a constitutional council/

 Yahapalanaya $ould only #e a slogan' )hose institutions &eep a ta# on thear#itrariness of the State'

1ecently% there $ere allegations that the !overnment’s )elecommunication1egulatory "uthority is periodically ordering #loc&s on the $e#site of thee2.President' ,t $ould #e easy to dismiss those claims #y saying M1 $asgetting a dose of his o$n medicine' 4ut% his follo$ers $ould not thin& so'"nd% the ar#itrariness of those actions% ta&en at the $hims and fancies of

some individual% $ho li&e the prover#ial mon&ey is overzealous to protecthis masters% $ould only #ring disrepute to the !overnment' More than that%it portends a dangerous trend'

,t $ould al$ays #e #etter if President Sirisena could rein in his acolytesfrom turning himself into a 1a*apa&sa' 0o$ever% the #est $ay to rein insycophancy in the country at large is to empo$er those independentinstitutions $hich $ould% over time% ta&e a life of their o$n% and set andenforce norms% regimes and parameters of governance'

ollow anga 3ayasuriya 4 anga3ayasuriya on twitter. See more at: http:CC$$$'dailymirror'l&CDEEFGCyahapalanaya.and.cutout.palanaya.overzealous.sycophants.reduce.yahapalanaya.to.a.mere.sloganHsthash'MPz3n7g6'dpuf 

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