{"id":152093,"date":"2015-10-10T12:27:41","date_gmt":"2015-10-10T06:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=152093"},"modified":"2015-10-17T02:22:16","modified_gmt":"2015-10-16T20:52:16","slug":"sahorada-samaagam-note-the-plural","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/sahorada-samaagam-note-the-plural\/","title":{"rendered":"Sahorada Samaagam (Note The Plural)"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Malinda Seneviratne<\/span><\/a> \u2013 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Malinda<\/a>

Malinda Seneviratne<\/p><\/div>\n

Regimes acquire tags, leaders too. When they resonate with general public perception they become part of everyday usage. It was Victor Ivan who called President Chandrika Kumaratunga \u2018Chaura Regina\u2019 (The Thieving Queen). It stuck. No one knows who first used \u2018Sahodara Samaagama\u2019 (\u2018The Company of Brothers\u2019 or perhaps \u2018Brothers Incorporated\u2019) to describe President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brothers Basil and Gotabaya, but it stuck.<\/p>\n

Whether or not either of the Rajapaksa brothers were the best qualified and most suitable given circumstances for the jobs they did is of course another matter. Basil in essence ran the economy and had his share of pluses and minuses. Gotabaya was the trusted right hand man of the Commander-in-Chief and later took over the arduous task of rebuilding Colombo. Again, there are pluses and minuses. These have been discussed enough. The problem of this \u2018samaagama\u2019 was the \u2018sahodara\u2019 part. This is why there were passionately articulated pledges to \u2018do away with nepotism\u2019 by the then Opposition.<\/p>\n

What do we have now though? We have Ravi Karunanayake and his brothers-in-law<\/span><\/a> (yes, in the plural), Arjuna and Dhammika Ranatunga<\/span><\/a>, Charitha and Suren Ratwatte<\/span><\/a> and who knows what else in the offing. Now these brothers-in-arms may be competent and qualified. The case has to be made however that they are the most suitable for the particular job for nepotism-flak aside, a country with a serious human resource problem cannot afford mediocrity at the top.<\/p>\n

A related question is, \u2018why is it that politicians operate as though they\u2019ve already forgotten the slogans of the election campaign?\u2019 This is how it happens: if the person at the top does wrong, he or she is essentially issuing a general license for wrongdoing; if someone down the line does wrong it means the person at the top is also doing wrong or else is incompetent.<\/p>\n

It began with the appointment of President Sirisena\u2019s brother as Chairman<\/span><\/a>, Sri Lanka Telecom. It would be hard to claim that the individual is the best suited for the job. What that appointment did was to give the green light to sahodara-samaagam or \u2018fraternal\u2019 arrangements. Those who went into business (shall we say?) with the near and dear or are planning to do so can brush off criticism easily with the following: \u2018If it is good for the President, it\u2019s good for us as well!\u2019<\/p>\n

President Maithripala Sirisena can still make things right. These are still early days of his tenure. He can say \u2018I was poor in judgment\u2019 and the people will forgive, forget and even applaud. The early signs, apart from that initial error in appointing his brother, are worrisome, however. He looked the other way when his daughter played \u2018princess\u2019 and he essentially conferred \u2018prince\u2019 on his son by taking him to New York. This kind of indulgence by Mahinda Rajapaksa would have earned the wrath of the self-appointed \u2018Good Governance Police,\u2019 one notes. Their silence is as scandalous as the President\u2019s decisions and consequent silence.<\/p>\n

Despite all this, President Sirisena can be bold, humble and thereby give a massive boost to the business of \u2018putting things right\u2019. It is what those who voted for him expect. The rot is seeping down and unless it is stopped at the top, it will spread all over the place. That is not \u2018change\u2019, Mr President. That\u2019s \u2018Same old, same old!\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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