Fathers and sons
Chairman of the Election Commission (EC), Mahinda Deshapriya, has written a lengthy response to his detractors who have accused him of influence peddling. They claim he sought the help of some government officials to bring his son home from overseas in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Insisting that he only forwarded the soft copies of some documents his son had sent him, to government officials, Deshapriya has offered to resign from his position if it can be proved that he has done anything wrong. The country has enough and more problems and does not want another one to contend with.
We have reservations about the conduct of some EC officials, but we don’t think it is fair to inveigh against Deshapriya over what he is said to have done to ensure his son’s safety. The national carrier brings back Sri Lankans desirous of returning on account of the coronavirus pandemic; it flies to various parts of the world, for that purpose, and anyone can use that facility. Among those who are out for the Polls Chief’s scalp are some disruptive elements at the beck and call of certain politicians who had no qualms about endorsing the forcible conscription of the sons and daughters of the ordinary people, in the North and the East, during the war years. Moreover, they were silent when the Sri Lanka Air Force was made to transport LTTE leaders who were responsible for numerous massacres and the destruction of public property worth billions of US dollars; they were even allowed to travel through the BIA, which they had attacked and partially destroyed; they did not have to undergo any security checks and were allowed to bring in loads of undeclared goods in the name of a ceasefire, in the early Noughties.
It is only the next Parliament that can take action against the EC, experts point out. The onus is on his detractors to prove their allegations against him. He should not be presumed guilty until proven innocent. Social media attacks against him smack of a witch-hunt and will dent the credibility of the EC further.
Deshapriya’s action at issue pales into insignificance in comparison to what unscrupulous fathers in high positions do for their children, in this country; they help themselves to public funds and abuse power to enable their sons and daughters to live high on the hog.
Meanwhile, one cannot but ask oneself how come the children of politicians and top bureaucrats have all the luck as regards foreign scholarships. That foreign powers sway some public officials and politicians in devious ways is public knowledge. Some Colombo-based foreign envoys overstep their diplomatic limits and meet local panjandrums when sensitive issues crop up, here, to influence the latter. How they behaved during the so-called constitutional coup, in 2018, is a case in point. There are allegations that the children of servile public officials and politicians are looked after by foreign governments in return for services rendered.
Politicians are required to declare their assets and liabilities. Similarly, it must be found out whether the mandarins, in top positions in the public service or their children have benefited from the largesse of foreign governments, especially those which interfere with the internal affairs of this country.
There have been reports that, in some developing countries, western governments render even judicial officers malleable by means of various inducements or threats; those who refuse to toe their line run the risk of being denied visas. They know more than one way to shoe a horse. If public officials are to remain independent they must not be beholden to both local political leaders and foreign governments.
Chairman of the Election Commission (EC), Mahinda Deshapriya, has written a lengthy response to his detractors who have accused him of influence peddling. They claim he sought the help of some government officials to bring his son home from overseas in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Insisting that he only forwarded the soft copies of some documents his son had sent him, to government officials, Deshapriya has offered to resign from his position if it can be proved that he has done anything wrong. The country has enough and more problems and does not want another one to contend with.
We have reservations about the conduct of some EC officials, but we don’t think it is fair to inveigh against Deshapriya over what he is said to have done to ensure his son’s safety. The national carrier brings back Sri Lankans desirous of returning on account of the coronavirus pandemic; it flies to various parts of the world, for that purpose, and anyone can use that facility. Among those who are out for the Polls Chief’s scalp are some disruptive elements at the beck and call of certain politicians who had no qualms about endorsing the forcible conscription of the sons and daughters of the ordinary people, in the North and the East, during the war years. Moreover, they were silent when the Sri Lanka Air Force was made to transport LTTE leaders who were responsible for numerous massacres and the destruction of public property worth billions of US dollars; they were even allowed to travel through the BIA, which they had attacked and partially destroyed; they did not have to undergo any security checks and were allowed to bring in loads of undeclared goods in the name of a ceasefire, in the early Noughties.
It is only the next Parliament that can take action against the EC, experts point out. The onus is on his detractors to prove their allegations against him. He should not be presumed guilty until proven innocent. Social media attacks against him smack of a witch-hunt and will dent the credibility of the EC further.
Deshapriya’s action at issue pales into insignificance in comparison to what unscrupulous fathers in high positions do for their children, in this country; they help themselves to public funds and abuse power to enable their sons and daughters to live high on the hog.
Meanwhile, one cannot but ask oneself how come the children of politicians and top bureaucrats have all the luck as regards foreign scholarships. That foreign powers sway some public officials and politicians in devious ways is public knowledge. Some Colombo-based foreign envoys overstep their diplomatic limits and meet local panjandrums when sensitive issues crop up, here, to influence the latter. How they behaved during the so-called constitutional coup, in 2018, is a case in point. There are allegations that the children of servile public officials and politicians are looked after by foreign governments in return for services rendered.
Politicians are required to declare their assets and liabilities. Similarly, it must be found out whether the mandarins, in top positions in the public service or their children have benefited from the largesse of foreign governments, especially those which interfere with the internal affairs of this country.
There have been reports that, in some developing countries, western governments render even judicial officers malleable by means of various inducements or threats; those who refuse to toe their line run the risk of being denied visas. They know more than one way to shoe a horse. If public officials are to remain independent they must not be beholden to both local political leaders and foreign governments.
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