LET’S TAKE AN EXAMPLE, LET’S LEARN A LESSON!

1. LISTENING TO THE WELCOME SPEECH AT SINGAPORE’S INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT MADAM HALIMAH YACOB, ONE CANNOT HELP REFLECTING HOW ABSOLUTELY SINCERE, HUMBLE AND TRULY WELCOMING WAS THE SPEECH OF SINGAPORE’S PRIME MINISTER.

HE BEGINS BY SAYING, “YOUR STORY REFLECTS THE SINGAPORE STORY – HOW WE HAVE COME THIS FAR TOGETHER AND WHAT WE ASPIRE TO BE AS A NATION.”

WHAT STRUCK ME MOST WAS WHAT HE SAID: “YOU NEVER FORGOT THE POVERTY OF YOUR CHILDHOOD YOU WENT OUT OF YOUR WAY TO HELP THOSE IN NEED, AND ENABLED MANY OTHERS TO SUCCEED AS YOU YOURSELF HAVE DONE.”

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FORMER GREAT LEADERS OF OUR COUNTRY, LIKE THE SENANAYAKE’S AND KOTELAWALA’S, CAN ANY ONE OF THE PRESENT GENERATION ASPIRE TO BE LISTED IN THE CATEGORY OF “GREAT?”

2. THE COUNTRY IS IN TOTAL CHAOS, AND I DARE TO ASK, WHEN HAVE ANY OF OUR POLITICIANS, NOW THAT THEY ARE IN POSITIONS OF POWER, EVER THOUGHT THAT THEY HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP OTHERS AROUND THEM?

AS LEADERS, DO ANY OF THEM CARE FOR THE UNDERPRIVILEGED AND GROUPS IN NEED OF SPECIAL HELP? OH YES, THEY ARE QUICK TO “OPEN” THIS AND THAT, THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE PUT TOGETHER. THEY SIMPLY WANT TO EARN THE KUDOS!!! THAT IS ALL THEY ARE INTERESTED IN!!! THEY SAY THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS IMPORTANT CUSTODIAL POWERS OVER THE NATION’S RESERVES AND KEY PUBLIC SERVICE APPOINTMENTS!!!

IS IT BECAUSE HE HAS EXERCISED THOSE POWERS CORRECTLY AND WITHOUT BIAS THAT THE COUNTRY IS IN THE STATE OF CHAOS IT Is IN TODAY???

A PRESIDENT IS EXPECTED TO ENCOURAGE ROBUST DEBATES ON NATIONAL ISSUES WHILE MAINTAINING DECORUM AND ORDER IN THE HOUSE!!!

THE PRESIDENT IS EXPECTED TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE EXPERIENCE AND ADVICE OF THE COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORS!!! WHAT A FARCE THAT IS IN OUR COUNTRY!!! DO WE HAVE A COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORS, TO BEGIN WITH??? ALL THAT WE HAVE ARE MINISTERS FIGHTING AMONG THEMSELVES, THROWING BRICKBATS AT EACH OTHER, CALLING EACH OTHER NAMES!!! OUR PRESIDENT HAS ALREADY FORGOTTEN WHO PUT HIM IN THE POSITION TO ACHIEVE THE PRESIDENCY THAT IS HIS TODAY!!!

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SOLEMN PROMISE HE GAVE TO END THE EXECUTIVE PRESIDENCY WITHIN 100 DAYS??? PERHAPS HE HAS FORGOTTEN HOW TO COUNT!!! SADLY, THE PRESIDENT IS NOTHING MORE THAN A WINDBAG WITH NO REAL CONVICTIONS, NO MORAL CENTRE!!! HE HAS PRODUCED NOTHING MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN AWKWARD SCENES AND INJURED FEELINGS FOR ALL CONCERNED!!! WHAT CAN ONE EXPECT FROM SOMEONE OF HIS BACKGROUND???

HIS GROUP OF MINISTERS HAS SPECIALIZED IN THROWING KNIVES AT EACH OTHER, BACKSTABBING AND TRYING TO ASSURE THE PEOPLE THAT WHEN THE NEW CABINET IS FORMED, THINGS WILL BE BETTER!!! UNFORTUNATELY FOR HIM, THE PEOPLE KNOW BETTER AND SO THEY ASK, 

WHY DID THEY WAIT ALL THIS TIME TO EVEN REALIZE THAT THEY HAD TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE ECONOMY, ABOUT THE SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY, ABOUT DEVELOPMENT???

 HOW COME ALL THESE IMPORTANT ISSUES WERE CONVENIENTLY PUT ON THE BACK-BURNER, TILL THEY GOT A RUDE WAKE-UP CALL WHICH MADE THEM ADMIT THAT THEY HAD ACTUALLY DONE NOTHING AND WERE GOING TO ADDRESS ALL THE BURNING ISSUES THAT HAD TO BE DEALT WITH??? 

DID IT ACTUALLY TAKE THESE MORONS ALL THIS TIME TO EVEN REALIZE THEY HAD DONE NOTHING, NOTHING TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY, EXCEPT JETSETTING AROUND THE WORLD, PLAYING GAMES OF HIDE AND SEEK AND NOT TACKLING ANY OF THE ISSUES THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED IN PURSUANCE OF THE COUNTRY’S WELL BEING??? 
WHAT A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS THIS COUNTRY IS IN!!!!

THE SINGAPOREANS SAY THAT THEIR PRESIDENT HAS “BEEN FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT, IN THE UNIONS, IN THE POLITICAL ARENA AND IN THE GOVERNING PARTY!!!” HOWEVER, THE SINGAPOREANS ARE CONFIDENT THAT, AS THEIR PRESIDENT, SHE WILL BE NON-PARTISAN AND ABOVE POLITICAL FRAY!!! CAN WE, WITH ANY SENSE OF CONVICTION, SAY THE SAME OF OUR PRESIDENT???

3. LIKE SINGAPORE, WE TOO HAVE A MULTI-RACIAL, MULTI-RELIGIOUS SRI LANKA, AFTER DECADES OF WAR, WE HAVE FOUND IT POSSIBLE TO EXIST TO SOME EXTENT IN MULTI-RACIAL AND MULTI-RELIGIOUS HARMONY, THOUGH NOT AS IDEALLY AS WE ARE EXPECTED TO DO, IN A PREDOMINANTLY BUDDHIST COUNTRY!!!

AS THEY SAY IN SINGAPORE, WE ARE LIVING IN AN AGE WHERE ETHNIC NATIONALISM IS RISING, EXTREMIST TERRORISM IS SOWING DISTRUST AND FEAR AND EXCLUSIVIST IDEOLOGIES DEEPEN COMMUNAL AND RELIGIOUS FAULT LINES BUT THE SINGAPOREANS, WITH THEIR NEW PRESIDENT, ARE DETERMINED TO MAKE EXTRA EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT MINORITIES ENJOY EQUAL RIGHTS!!! THEY CONSIDER THAT COMMITMENT SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL, VALUABLE, PRECIOUS AND FRAGILE; SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD TAKE AS AN EXAMPLE, A LESSON FROM WHICH WE SHOULD STRIVE DILIGENTLY TO MAKE SURE THAT PARLIAMENT WILL ALWAYS HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL ETHIC GROUPS!!!

CAN OUR ERSTWHILE PRESIDENT MEASURE UP TO THIS, WE WONDER??? HE COULD NOT BRING HIMSELF TO SEND THE REQUIRED INVITATION TO THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CORNWALL, AS APPARENTLY, HE DID NOT WANT TO HOBNOB WITH ‘SUDDAS’!!! EVENTUALLY, THE INVITATION DID GO, BUT ONE IS COMPELLED TO ASK WHAT IS HE DOING IN LONDON NOW??? HOBNOBBING WITH WHOM WE WONDER AND IN THEIR COUNTRY??? WHEN AND WHERE WILL THIS HYPOCRISY EVER END???

4. THE GOVERNMENT OF MINISTERS WILL NEVER LEARN, THE COUNTRY WILL NEVER COME FIRST, AND THE CONSTANT TRAVAILS OF THE PEOPLE WILL BE OF NO CONCERN TO THEM!!!

THEY ARE ALREADY CONTEMPLATING RAISING THE PRICE OF FUEL AND OTHER ESSENTIAL ITEMS AFTER THE NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES ARE OVER!!!

IT WOULD SEEM AS THOUGH THE BURDENS ALREADY HEAPED ON THE PEOPLE IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE TO THESE POLITICIANS!!! THEY GO WHERE THEY WANT, DO EXACTLY AS THEY PLEASE, AS THOUGH THEY ARE ANSWERABLE TO NO ONE!!!

THE LEVELS OF CORRUPTION AND MALPRACTICE SHOULD NEVER BE ROOTED IN THE GOVERNING BODY!!! INSTEAD, THE CABINET OF MINISTERS SHOULD TAKE STEPS TO REASSURE EVERY SRI LANKAN CITIZEN IN EVERY COMMUNITY THAT THEY ARE A VALUED PART OF SOCIETY!!!

WE CANNOT THINK OF ANY SINGLE MINISTER, EXCEPT PERHAPS AN EXTREMELY LIMITED FEW, WHO WOULD GIVE HOPE AND OPPORTUNITY TO EVERY SINGLE SRI LANKAN TO BE PROUD THAT THEY ARE SRI LANKAN!!! WHEN THEY HAVE REALIZED THEIR ASPIRATIONS OF BECOMING MINISTERS, AS WE SAID BEFORE, THEY FORGET THAT IT IS THE PEOPLE’S VOTE THAT PUT THEM THERE!!! THE PEOPLE ARE FORGOTTEN; ALL THAT THEY STAND FOR IS FORGOTTEN!!!

UNLIKE IN THE TIME OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS, THE POLITICIANS OF TODAY FEEL THEY OWE THE PEOPLE NOTHING,

5. AS THE GREAT MAHATMA GANDHI ONCE SAID AND I QUOTE:

“THERE IS A HIGHER COURT THAN COURTS OF JUSTICE AND THAT IS THE COURT OF CONSCIENCE.

THE DESTRUCTIVE SEVEN BLUNDERS OF THE WORLD THAT CAUSE VIOLENCE 

1. WEALTH WITHOUT WORK. 

2. PLEASURE WITHOUT CONSCIENCE. 

3. KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT CHARACTER. 

4. COMMERCE WITHOUT MORALITY. 

5. SCIENCE WITHOUT HUMANITY. 

6. RELIGION WITHOUT SACRIFICE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

 7. POLITICS WITHOUT PRINCIPLE.”

POLITICS WITHOUT PRINCIPLE; THAT IS THE GREAT BANE OF OUR COUNTRY!!! CAN THEY NOT TRY TO BE TRUE TO THEMSELVES AND THE COUNTRY??? WHEN WILL WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHERE ALL OF US CAN RISE UP AS ONE AND TRULY SAY “YOU WILL UNIFY ALL OF US? YOU WILL STRENGTHEN OUR SENSE OF NATIONHOOD! YOU WILL BE OUR PRESIDENT!!! WILL THAT DAY EVER COME???