MS and RW should take a leaf from Mahela and Sanga

 

With cricket’s World Cup in full swing Down Under and Sri Lanka’s winning streak emerging after a tentative start, it would be a great opportunity for our present political leadership to reflect and take a leaf from our cricketers, especially from the two unmistakable veterans, Mahela and Sanga. In them is a good example for the nation, the political leadership and members of corporate Sri Lanka.
Over the years our cricketers have assiduously worked to stamp and brand their winning mantra. These unique, modular, individual constituents have been laboriously developed and perfected after many failures, trials and errors. There is no substitute for hard work. Our cricketers have proven this beyond any reasonable doubt.
To achieve a true vision for any project inevitably requires conviction, tenacity and hard work. They all go hand in hand. Mahela, Sanga and the team have demonstrated in no uncertain measure how progress can be achieved with a strategic vision. It may take time and they’ve proved time and again that goals and objectives can be achieved.
The duo have given tremendous leadership and inspired a bunch of young lions and left an enviable legacy. In this hour of need the nation badly needs a similar repetition on the political front by our President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Can they do it?

 
Gargantuan invoice for winning the war
What Sri Lanka Cricket has achieved under many avoidable challenges is indeed great. We should be able to conceive a similar dream for Nation Sri Lanka. Both Lee Kuan and Dr. Mahatir had visions; both achieved them for their respective countries. It was certainly not the most perfect, nonetheless appreciated and commended by the majority of their respective countries. Sri Lanka missed the bus couple of times and could ill-afford to miss it again. Some say Sri Lanka was inextricably struck in a curse vortex hence the perpetual malaise. Seriously?
No doubt the country faced a brutal terrorist problem but it came to a halt in May 2009. Sri Lanka was not allowed to change course even after peace was restored. This is another story and let’s not traverse that.
Without opening the door for national reconciliation and prosperity for all Sri Lankans, a gargantuan invoice was painstakingly prepared over a period of 10 years and compensation demanded for winning the war. History has securely recorded the sordid details of mendacity, embezzlement, fear psychosis, deceit, profligacy and obfuscation. These are some of the drivers that ruled for a good 10 years. It was the most agonising 10 years ever. All three spheres of Government were turned topsy-turvy. A gala party enacted with aspirations of the people relegated and suppressed.

 
Democracy distorted
When democracy is distorted by a Machiavellian kind of demagoguery, it corrupts the process. When lies, half-truths, and a consistent line-up of propagandist material are hurled at normal folk who are simple, innocent, unsophisticated and ill-informed, you pave the way for ignorance to reign and get tricksters, thieves and tyrants catapulted to power.
Sri Lanka doubtless is immensely blessed with an abundance of pathological demagogues. They’ve earned “passports” to demonstrate sterling oratory skills and pitch them above required decibels. Though arguably cogent in most situations, reeks with untruths, concoctions and hogwash, purposefully incorporated to misinform and misrepresent.
This poses somewhat of a problem for functioning democracies in the third world. The process is nothing but in-built fraud clearly meant to deceive an unsuspecting constituency. Additionally such individuals receive uninterrupted “lubrication” from the state to keep their act going.
If truthfulness of character is equated to lies and damn lies delivered by way of resounding, raucous and rambunctious style of speech coupled with impulsive and irrational analysis, what kind of barometer are these dudes aligning to gauge sound, human intelligence in the country? Isn’t this a travesty?

 
Re-engineering democracy?
Hasn’t democracy adversely contributed to the gradual diminishment of best practises adopted to nurture and nourish sound information flow sans deception? Intentionally caricaturing the voter/member of the general public as intellectually bereft, lamentably vacuous and infinitely malleable? Are they trying to re-engineer democracy?
This is not just a local phenomenon but a global one. Increasingly so-called mature democracies are resorting to this kind outrageous, degenerate and base activity to accomplish milestones of a long-drawn-out agenda. When man strives to govern man using his finite knowledge, conceptualising processes that are inherently weak and monumentally unjust he contributes to the creation of gaping classes and general disaffection that sweeps like a storm across the majority and causes seismic convulsions.

 
Defenders of reprehensible acts
Knowingly or unknowingly some Members of Parliament and ministers of the previous Government, staunch defenders of reprehensible acts committed by the celebrated troika, qualified with PhDs, others with double PhDs, well-versed, experienced, insightful and insanely eloquent aided and abetted a process of endless contamination until heavens disgorged with tons of humiliation.
This absurdity contributed in big measure to their well-deserved debasement and rapid depreciation. Integrity of the educated class suffered tangibly and perceptually in the last 10 years like never before. Sans forethought some of these supposedly academic erudites turned globetrotting politicians strove to defend the indefensible, polish the unpolishable, erase the unerasable and fell on their faces like Woody Woodpecker. It was a painful site to witness, an unravelling of a trauma too disturbing to watch, especially when persons in question were those held in high esteem by society.
The above listed issues are some legitimate reasons why I am unable to favourably reconcile democracy today, though its merits, at least some of it, I am willing to acknowledge. Democracy, if not practised with intelligence, insight and moral rectitude, has the potential to disrobe and expose its practitioner’s nakedness, hence the nakedness of the majority without them being aware of it. This is a calamity waiting to happen.

 
Self-adduced morality
From a purely moral angle, let me cite an issue that’s unfolding in Ontario, Canada. How many parents in Sri Lanka would want their 10 and 12-year-olds to be taught in school quite overtly about sex and sexuality in its many forms? This is exactly Bill 13 the Provincial Parliament seeks to accomplish.
Kathleen O’Day Wynne, the 25th Premier of Ontario since 2013, is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the Liberal Party. She is the first female Premier of Ontario, the first openly-gay head of government in Canada, and the first openly-gay head of government in the English-speaking world.
Self-adduced morality is just as bad as self-adduced politics. A robot is a human creation hence subservient to its master, what about this amazing and living human being who is incessantly trying and seeking inexhaustibly new ways of emancipation yet gets sucked into this vortex of avoidable suffering.

 

A long road and worth it
The Mahela-Sanga combination has brought many victories for Sri Lanka. Sports pages for the last couple of decades have been replete with accolades generously showered on these two cricketers. When they clicked together, great partnerships came about; when they failed, they inspired the rest.
This was an outstanding legacy. History would always recall this with love and nostalgic affection. Anyone inclined to probe the finer details and growth of Sri Lanka’s cricket should only have to make an open study of the true spirit of the cricketers and their dynamic evolution. It was a long road for them and was worth it.
Correspondingly, if our politics too had undergone a similar transformation, parents wouldn’t have had any qualms sending their high school attending children to sit attentively in the gallery of that beautiful piece of architecture located in the middle of the Diyawadana Oya that we call Parliament. To listen to oratorical masterpieces reminiscent of the calibre of Dr. Colvin R. de Silva, Dr. N.M. Perera, Lalith Athulathmudali, Gamini Dissanayake, A.C.S. Hameed, etc.
I was recently told by a very old friend that he wouldn’t even walk his dog closer to the Parliament. Funny enough he adduced his reasons in rhythmical language: “The oratory coming out from the factory is unsatisfactory, sending my children there would be a tragedy.”

 
Lessons from our cricketers
Today we have fewer thinking politicians. Character, integrity, credibility and honesty of most who claim to represent the people are a big question mark. In this regard it’s worth reflecting on the multitude of lessons our cricketers offer when they play as a team, how responsibly they contribute and more importantly how they conduct themselves both in and outside the field.
What makes the transformation of our cricket and cricketers even more remarkable is the fact they had to put up with a cricket administration that was crooked, unscrupulous and debauched at the core. Let’s face it; this was not only an ignominious outfit but a criminal one, naturally prone to profligacy. Certain key officials were addicted to globetrotting and completely averse wastage and corruption. The former minister in charge was a total liability.
At no time did the Cricket Board officials acknowledge that their wild peregrinations were made possible by the heroic performances of the very players they chose to vilify and sling mud at. The gradual evaporation of cash and poor investments made without due process was another factor. I understand the public perception hasn’t change much about the existing office bearers. I sincerely wish the current Minister and the World Cup winning captain will be able to exorcise the most recalcitrant devil hiding in the building.
Interestingly, to date none have been arrested despite overwhelming evidence. Let’s hope something will happen at least in the second half of the much-publicised 100-day Yahapalanaya period. I am glad our cricketers survived the killer odour that caused much havoc and ill-health at Maitland Place. I am afraid until and unless the premises are repeatedly fumigated, it’s unlikely the premises would get a COS – Certificate of Sanitation.
Having played the game at college level and earned a distinct reputation for the hefty lofted drives over long-on, cricket is very much is close to my heart. My son and I wouldn’t go to sleep until a match is complete, regardless of the time. If the result is negative for Sri Lanka, we wouldn’t get any sleep either. How can a bunch of dishonest and dissolute officials of Sri Lanka Cricket Board defraud an institution that overlooks a game loved my millions of Sri Lankans all over the world?

 
Unparalleled opportunity
President Maithripala Sirisena and Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe have got an unparalleled and never-to-be-repeated opportunity to show gutsy leadership to restore good governance and democracy wantonly violated by supposed patriots much to the peril of the nation. Personally I consider the final result of the recently-concluded presidential election as being providential. After all, MR was hoping the celestial bodies and other aligned networks would work in his favour.
Let’s hope MS and RW wouldn’t squander, they couldn’t, as much is at stake. If only they would countenance the storm with deserved patience and resilience, immortality would be automatic for the duo; a special place in history sealed heralding a true occasion for celebration. We just cannot afford to miss the bus all the time. The dividend of true peace has always proved to be very elusive for Sri Lanka. This is all the reason why MS and RW should galvanise to action and not squander this opportunity at all.
I am reminded here of a carless gaffe by the notoriously idiosyncratic Joe Biden, the US Vice-President who was once caught on camera swearing as he congratulated President Barack Obama on signing his Health Care Reform bill into law. This was no doubt a major victory for Obama and his administration. The triumph that will accrue to Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe as a result of working together and saving the country from falling into an abyss is a million types worthier. This is all the more reason why the duo should work with wisdom, fortitude, maturity, intelligence and loads of common sense.

 
Realities and impediments
I am sure the President and the Prime Minister must be aware of the realities and impediments already coming by way of numerous ‘kakul mattoos’ and attempts by unsavoury elements desperately striving to undermine, subvert and sabotage good work done thus far. Furthermore, these elements see nothing but a blighted and austere future for themselves after the collapse of the previous regime. They’ve lost hope permanently and are understandably frantic.
The new administration must pay heed and be acutely cognisant of these disruptive and distractive elements. They say a drowning man would cling to anything, the same is true for some politicians in the current Parliament. They’ve disgraced themselves to such a degree none want to be seen together in public. No amount of reiteration, sound and sincere advice is inadequate for the President and Prime Minister to stick together and address all issues of the people and their attendant progress and prosperity.
President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe must understand that this is no T 20 or 50 over, it’s a test match. The game has already begun. They’re negotiating the brand new red cherry new ball. The sheen is a potential threat and should be of concern. Cricketing wisdom suggests that none dare to go for natural stroke play while the shine remains. The batsman should settle in and get their eyes attuned before courting with adventure. For the time being they should put the heads down and build a good, solid and commanding partnership, like the ones Mahela and Sanga are used to.
Already match fixers are prowling near the pavilion and pint sized gangsters surreptitiously doing their own thing. They have no idea whom to dangle the crispy, wholesome carrot. Fortunately for the spectators the captain and vice-captain are from good stock and are confirmed true patriots, their integrity beyond question.

 
Time to deliver
In my opinion the Sri Lankan cricketing outfit struck to a very simple principle which I would like to define as the LASRIT Principle and not to be mistaken with Lasith: Leadership, Ability, Strategy, Resolve, Inspire and Teamwork. Afford par-excellence leadership, believe in your true and natural abilities, conceive a realistic strategy, make a firm resolve, inspire the team, it’s all about winning and team work; Rome was not built in a day and not by one man either.
Over to you President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. You asked for a mandate and the people gave you one. Now it’s up to you to deliver. Show the world Sri Lanka too has exceptional leaders who can make great contributions for the betterment of the nation and its people. All the best!