Those whom Gods wish to destroy, they first make mad - EDITORIAL

The saying “Whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad” is  believed to have been made by the Greek Tragedian Euripides and has been used in English literature since the 17th century. Leon Tolstoy in his novel ‘War and Peace’ uses the phrase in reference to Napoleon. 

Wikipedia quotes Sri Lankan Catholic Priest Father Simon Gregory Perera, SJ using the phrase about the belief of Portuguese colonialists that the loss of Sri Lanka to the Dutch was divine punishment. 

Today, our country is gripped in election fever. We are witnessing the applicability of this phrase in many a political party and candidate. The dramatic twists and turns of our political establishment bear ample testimony to this. According to media reports the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has barred party members from commenting on whom that particular party may nominate as its presidential candidate!

However, it has not stopped leading members of that outfit from making their views public. Even the newly elected National Organiser has reportedly made comments on the subject despite the ban!

Then we have the ongoing power struggle in a once leading political party the SLFP, (Sri Lanka Freedom Party), which gave the world its first Woman Prime Minister. Sadly this party which is also home to two past executive presidents of our country is busy tearing itself apart.

One past executive president of our country-Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga- also referred to as CBK, an ex-chairperson of the SLFP, sought a permanent injunction to remove the present sitting chairman (ex-president Sirisena) from the party leadership position, citing his unsuitability for the role.

According to media reports the court issued an injunction prohibiting Sirisena from functioning as chairman of the SLFP. The party then appointed an acting Chairman -Nimal Siripala de Silva to act in his stead.

The madness took a turn for the worse when the Sirisena faction of the SLFP suddenly called another meeting of the party’s politburo and elected yet another Acting Chairman for the party! To add to this witch’s brew, the newly elected Chairman of the Maithri faction does not even belong to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

O tempora, o mores the situation is, as ‘Alice’ in Lewis Carol’s novel ‘Alice in Wonder Land’ was wont to say “ Things are getting curiouser and curiouser”. A national daily reported on Tuesday, sources within the SLFP claimed ex-president Sirisena is about to give up his position as Chairman of that party!

We also have a situation where our present President -a yet undeclared candidate for the expected presidential poll- is traversing the country, handing out deeds for plots of land to people in diverse parts of the country. He has also via the WHO been delivering protein-filled rice to poorer school children in different parts of the country.
‘Perhaps’ in a fit of jealousy, a leading party in the Opposition has described the food as inedible. We reserve comment, not having partaken of the meal.

In the meantime, the main party in the political Opposition -the Samagi Jana Balamandalaya (SJB)-too, is having its internal differences. Apparently some among its sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) have accepted government grants without permission of the party.

Will the miscreant MPs be issued with penalties or, will it be accepted these MPs are ‘taking the grants to be used for the benefit of us the voters’. Time will tell.
Then, we also have the question of the Easter Sunday bombings of 21 April 2019. The issue has been hanging fire for five years. 

It would appear the gods are driving even non political persons mad. We refer to those who organised the ‘Fox Hill Races’ on the anniversary of a National Day of Mourning. What a disgrace.

The race ended in catastrophe. Bad enough the selection of dates, the organisers went ahead with an after-party which continued into the wee hours of dawn. May God have mercy on the merry makers.
Those whom gods would destroy they make mad first.