A Republic Of Chaos
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From a “free Sovereign and Independent Republic” in 1972 followed by a “Democratic Socialist Republic” in 1978, Sri Lanka, after nearly fifty years of tumultuous political and economic experiments has been transformed into a republic of chaos. The descent towards this chaotic republic in all its political, economic and social manifestations was accelerated during the two years of Gotabaya Rajapaksa Presidency.
Politically, the parliament, with too many of its current members with low level education and rowdy characters,and who otherwise would have found it difficult to find a decent job in the open market, has lost its past prestige and excellent debating caliber, and for all intents and purposes been reduced to an assembly rubber stamping the wishes of an all-powerful executive president. It was the former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who once noted that several of his colleagues wouldn’t even know the difference between James Bond and commercial bonds. That decline and indiscipline is also reflected in the cabinet of ministers where the principle of collective responsibility has been thrown out of the window and each minister seems to be a law unto him or herself. Perhaps it was this chaotic parliamentary politics that must have added one more reason for provoking the President to prorogue the parliament before he left for Singapore. There is talk of changes in the cabinet in the new year, but if GR is going to choose from the existing stock of parliamentarians there cannot be much improvement.