28 March, 2024

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Hoorey Hora

By Nishthar Idroos

Nishthar Idroos

In the book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, its author John W Whitehead states “This is how tyranny rises and freedom falls. When the government views itself as superior to the citizenry, when it no longer operates for the benefit of the people, when the people are no longer able to peacefully reform their government, when government officials cease to act like public servants, when elected officials no longer represent the will of the people, when the government routinely violates the rights of the people and perpetrates more violence against the citizenry than the criminal class, when government spending is unaccountable and unaccounted for, when the judiciary act as courts of order rather than justice, and when the government is no longer bound by the laws of the Constitution, then you no longer have a government “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Defamed, besmirched and vilified leaders of front-running political parties did put a brave face and completed their respective campaigns. They had nominated huge lists for the recently concluded local government election. Winners and losers now determined. If the past is something to go by winners rather than working hard for the wellbeing of the people maybe, just maybe putting into motion more personal agendas such as when to acquire the next plot of land, car, give a child in marriage etc. This kind of public cynicism is not just pregnant but rampant in the country and for good reason too.

In bygone eras, I am going back a couple of centuries and essentially in conservative society’s violation of social taboos were dealt sternly and severely. Consumption of alcohol for example – punishment was primarily meted on those who did not partake. Their crime not preventing. Hence they received a greater portion of the punishment. The Yahapalana government came to power with much fanfare. Many promises were made. Its sanctimonious legacy now unraveling. Corruption, nepotism, cronyism, inefficiency, incompetence and an absolute failure to deliver on its promises. People had meted out a resounding punishment at the local government election.

Hoorey Hora is more or less a general exclamation of disgust of the people to every thief who senselessly robbed people’s money to sustain a future campaign among other things. Democracy it seems is the process of plundering from the ruled to better the position of the rulers.

The pohottuwa bloomed not because water beneath had been purified. It still reeks to high heavens. The elephants and many hands entrusted to do the cleaning process ended up polluting, befouling and defiling the water too. The masses preferred to put with the known and pre-existent stink than the treacherous sync.

The January 8 victory was a mandate amongst others to prosecute the so called horu. This never happened. Openly flouting the mandate the country witnessed more of the same. This was a personal affront on the revolutionary Buddhist monk The Venerable Sobitha Thero – A true and sincere hero. The late Thero single-handedly championed the struggle with pure intentions. A true frontline combatant against corruption and autocracy.

Usually the electoral revamping is purpose driven. Elections by their very nature bring a promise of democratic accountability – allowing voters to sanction retrospectively politicians who fail to deliver good performance, and to proactively choose candidates they believe will perform best. In Sri Lanka it seems people are not all that blessed. It’s removing a bunch of thieves and replacing with another. Elections also serve as instruments to punish the corrupt or prevent from taking office. In Sri Lanka our leaders have kept the back door opened just for this reason. The establishment relishes the idea of hurling shit at the very hand that cast the vote.

In contemporary history Sri Lanka can learn from Brazil and Italy as for action against corruption. In Brazil too corruption exists at all levels. Top echelons of political power to the smallest municipality, just like in Sri Lanka. A new political paradigm founded on the principle of justice for all is supposedly cleaning up Brazil. Operation “Car Wash” is an ongoing criminal investigation carried against money laundering and expanded to cover allegations of corruption at the state-controlled oil company Petrobras. Thousands of warrants have been issued for search and seizure.

In Italy the new Anti-Corruption Laws were ratified 2012. This new law imports new concepts and instruments into the Italian legal system for the prevention of crime of corruption.   This law expands the definition of the crime of corruption, increases penalties and strengthens requirements for transparency and disclosure within the public sector.
Sri Lanka’s case is daunting and formidable. It has to attract investment, create employment and extend cost of living solace to its people. Running gargantuan deficits and national debt is certainly not the right way forward to attract investors. In fact this is the best panacea to drive away investors.

Sri Lanka’s Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe says that the country is currently facing a massive debt crisis as a result of the incorrect policy decisions taken by government officials in the past 10 years.

During a recent press briefing he said that if someone asks him ‘what is the total of the country’s debt today’, even he would not know what to say as debt management in the public sector has gone from bad to worse within the past decade.

Angels are not about to descend upon Sri Lanka and take over the political leadership. Sri Lankans atleast at this moment in history do not have much of a choice but to put up with the horu and remain Optimistic.

Optimism is generally accepted as a preferred way of being along with hope.

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Latest comments

  • 3
    0

    Nishthar: YOu are correct, rigth now the country is bankrupt. they protect each other. Ranil does not leave and the law enforcement, looks like, is not capable of thieves, scammers, robbers and criminals. think about if a poor and weak got caught in this.

  • 2
    0

    TTry something simple. Like what P.M. Modi did, have ALL Ministers, Dty. Ministers, and every State Official, etc take a solemn oath EACH morning before start of work. Eventually, the vow begins to impress the person. Just try it.

  • 3
    0

    “Hoorey Hora”, all are horas (rogues). Good article Nishtar!

  • 3
    1

    when ranil says the unp lost because of the cost of living it clearly demonstrates the fact that we have a joker as prime minister

    • 1
      0

      nalmen – Is he a joker like in a pack of cards or is he a pompous ass ?

  • 2
    1

    Thank you for a great article!
    1. Sirisena is marginally better that Bondscam Ranil and Mahinda Jarapassa as he is closer to the people. He should make a cabinet like French Prz. Macron did with clean professionals and politicians from parties willing to corporate. The JVP is Damnably silent at this time rather than protesting the 2 thieves: Bondsscam Ranil and Mahinda Hora.
    2. The academic pundits and Political Scientists have failed to identify the connection between economy and identity politics or the economic roots of Ethnic and Religious identity politics in Sri Lanka.
    Sri Lanka’s people are not in crisis. it is the corrupt politicians and their lifestyles that are threatened and who are in crisis.
    Everyone knows that Mahinda Jarapassa and Bondscam Ranil WIckramasinghe have an agreement to share power and loot the masses and treat the people with contempt why looting the national wealth. The only difference between MR and RW is that one Explicitly uses Hate Speech against Minorities to distract the Sinhala masses from his corruption, while the other pretends to be a great liberal but basically concedes NOTHING to the minorities.Remember that UNPand Ranil burnt the Constitution drafted by Dr. Neelan Thiruchlvam for power sharing.
    Sira is marginally better as he is closer to the people and should make a cabinet like Macron did with clean professionals from all parties

  • 1
    0

    The huge flaw in Democrazy, let’s thieves get back to power. A society whose citizens refuse to see and investigate facts, who refuse to believe that their Politicians and their media will routinely lie to them and fabricate a reality contrary to verifiable facts, is a society that DESERVES poverty.

  • 0
    0

    Exactly. President is also bent on corruption.If SF is guaranteeing that by 6 months he could weed out corruption deputized by RR, it is better at least now to give them a chance. Otherwise RW and MS will be learning more ‘lessons’.

  • 1
    0

    The more appropriate place to watch is South Africa after Zuma. The question is whether the new P. will get rid of the cronies and the public servants who supported Zuma. In our case, MR, My3 and Ranil and their hangers-on have to be shunted out. My3 is a nobody and will disappear into nothingness. The other two will be difficult to remove. That is going to be the problem for Sri Lanka. We will simply have to stumble along. The Chinese will take over. Maybe, they will make us more corrupt or make us a so called “developmental state” just like them in which case there will be people lifted out of poverty but no democracy, which may not be a bad thing. We had the Chinese before in our history. Admiral Cheng Ho, who left the Galle obelisk, written incidentally in Tamil, Arabic and Chinese, kidnapped the Sinhalese king of the time. So, history has precedents for Chinese coming. They may be better than our two rogues and at a time when the choice is between rogues, a third party offering prosperity may be a good idea. At least our people will be fed on chinese pork noodles (vegetarian for the Muslims).

  • 0
    0

    The more appropriate place to watch is South Africa after Zuma. The question is whether the new P. will get rid of the cronies and the public servants who supported Zuma. In our case, MR, My3 and Ranil and their hangers-on have to be shunted out. My3 is a nobody and will disappear into nothingness. The other two will be difficult to remove. That is going to be the problem for Sri Lanka. We will simply have to stumble along. The Chinese will take over. Maybe, they will make us more corrupt or make us a so called “developmental state” just like them in which case there will be people lifted out of poverty but no democracy, which may not be a bad thing. We had the Chinese before in our history. Admiral Cheng Ho, who left the Galle obelisk, written incidentally in Tamil, Arabic and Chinese, kidnapped the Sinhalese king of the time. So, history has precedents for Chinese coming. They may be better than our two rogues and at a time when the choice is between rogues, a third party offering prosperity may be a good idea. At least our people will be fed on chinese pork noodles (vegetarian for the Muslims).

  • 1
    1

    nalmen – Is he a joker like in a pack of cards or is he a pompous ass ?

  • 0
    0

    Slinging mud at each other on election times and house sittings but enjoying
    private life very amicable and jubilant has been made the norm and so
    acceptable to the public ! Is this what we call democracy and freedom of speech
    and the way it should function ? JVP is the only political organization that is
    not abusing the purpose of democracy inside and outside the house ! MPs of all
    other parties are using the privileges for everything except for public service !
    The parliament is a club of friends , a club of family and relatives , a club of old
    school boys and not to miss , a club of matrimonial service among its members ,
    and in short , a short cut to SELF SERVICE with all kind of available funds . The
    worst of all , the majority of the general public , instead of sending CRYSTAL
    CLEAR SIGNAL TO THE CULPRITS , chose the SMARTEST OF THE LOT ! Do these
    people deserve anymore directions from anyone better ? Are they interested in a
    better world ? They are just poisoning the benefits of democratic values at any
    opportunity they grab with hardest efforts ! MARA destroyed one golden
    opportunity and his successors the My three and Ranil jointly killed the next
    opportunity and this country boast that it has a population of 90% literacy rate !
    Every cent we are borrowing to develop and survive is ending up in the bin and
    one day we are going to be NUMBER ONE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD INDEX TO
    STAND NAKED in a time of global turbulence . Reports say 4000 Srilankan
    illegal immigrants have returned to the country from Kuwait and altogether
    there are 15,000 of them in that country with an amnesty period granted to exit !
    There are more than a million in the Mid east and we don’t need a global turmoil
    to feel it , just a couple of Mid east countries would do . POLITICS IN SRILANKA IS
    NOW TRAVELLING ON A ROAD OF PROBABLY NO RETURN . Yes , say HOORAY !

  • 1
    0

    It’s not Hoorey Hora, it’s Harak Hora.

  • 0
    0

    Gentlemen,

    Yesterday, my Brother from SL called me to inform that one his cattle in his estate was stolen by a man sporting a beard.

    Two days earlier we heard how a Sinhalese villagers close to our ancestral home in Ceylon lost a Bull. Villages had seen a man sporting a long beard and a skull cap had been holding onto the Bull’s noose.

    And about 10 days earlier, another villager had lost a milking cow again taken by a man who seemed to be wearing what looked like a “shower cap”.

    Careful folks, Muslim cattle thieves are running riot these days. If you see any bearded man with a “shower cap” holding onto a Cow, please call the SL Police emergency line at 119.

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