by Geewananda Gunawardana

The last election was a momentous landmark in Sri Lanka’s history. It is an important first step in the right direction. Political analysts and historians will dissect the results for years to come. The two-toned map that was flashed all over media, raises major questions that are relevant in taking the next step: what is the reason for such a marked difference in opinions about the direction the country should take? Are the voters well informed?

What is the extent of the participation in the democratic process? We may not have definitive answers until the academics start authoring their theses in years to come. This essay suggests that our collective experience over millennia that shaped our culture also plays a key role in shaping our political psyche. The proposition is that our entrenched reverence of the elite, forces us to overlook their dark side and leave our future in their hands.

Monarchs ruled us for millennia, and it ended with the Kandyan Nayak Dynasty. Then the European colonizers ruled us for 450 years. After independence, it was the elite that ruled the country. Pluralist democracy is a relatively new concept to us. The centuries old subservience to monarchy is engraved in our psyche so deeply that it has become a national trait to submit ourselves to the whims of the elite unconditionally. For example, having a certain family name is enough to address one with absurd honorifics when they have no redeeming qualities of their own.

The role of equally absurd caste system in politics and the Buddhist monastic order is another. The last election will go down in history as the first step, albeit a small one, towards wiping out the scourge of reverence to elitism from the face of this country. However, most of us fail to untangle the complex web tying elitism, corruption, and the all-important economy together.

If the dictionary defines elite as the richest, most powerful, best educated, or best trained group in a society, why should it carry such a negative connotation, is a fair question to ask. Seeing the electoral map that emerged on September 22nd, and its eerie similarity to another one that caused much discontent in the past, it becomes evident that, despite being the victims of elitism, most people have not found the answer to this question.

Worse yet, they do not realise that they are caught in a cyclic process that prevents them from finding the answer. Seeing things as they really are or knowing what impediments exist is an important part in the way to emancipation, be it political, social, or spiritual.

The term elite becomes a negative attribute under several conditions: if that select group of people came to wealth, power, or intellect by unjust, unethical means; if they are out of touch with the needs and concerns of the ordinary people; and if they start exerting their influence and authority over the others to deprive their basic rights. I may draw ire and criticism for writing about elitism when the country is facing a major economic crisis. I beg to differ; it may look complex, but all our problems began with our indifference to elitism for so long.

Based on most recent data (https://wid.world/country/sri-lanka/) the top one percent of the Sri Lankan population owns 31% of the nation’s wealth. That figure for the top 10% of the population is a staggering 64%. This is while the bottom 50% of the population’s wealth is a measly 4%. Once vibrant middle class has disappeared. The income disparity follows the same trend and, as a result, Sri Lanka ranks among the top countries with worst income and wealth distribution.

This is a major roadblock to economic development of a country and a cause for the breakdown of social structure. We need not look far; Sri Lanka is a prime example. While there is no ideal income or wealth distribution ratio, the impact of this inequality is out there for everyone to see. The few privileged dominate the political power and economy. Their superior purchasing power determines the cost of goods and services in the market.

Not having such resources, the underprivileged, a euphemism for the ordinary people, ends up with limited access to food, shelter, clothing, education, healthcare, and many other essentials. The heart wrenching irony is that those who break their back to keep the economy going – farmers, estate, and domestic workers, for example – end up at the bottom of that scale. Sadly, it is those destitute who lack access to information that become easy pray to schemers with dubious political agendas. We must reject attaching labels with potentially negative connotations to movements aimed at correcting such injustices or inequalities.

Unfortunately, our cultural and religious outlook stand in the way of realising the cause and effect of this vicious cycle. The truth is that there is nothing wrong with being rich. No one denies that, and in a just society, everyone has the right to aspire to be rich and powerful as well. Therein lies the multibillion question: Did our rich and powerful earn these rights in a just and equitable manner? Our cultural and religious thinking has compelled us to think that the rich got rich because they have accumulated good karma in previous lives.

The not so fortunate suffer due to their bad karma, and there is nothing they can do about it except for accumulating good karma and hope for better things in the next life. What a load of hog wash? We do not and should not oppose or envy the accumulation of wealth by ethical and legal means. That is necessary for the economic development of the country. The problem arises when most people do not have access to three square meals let alone access to the economy while the elite enjoy all manner of luxuries at the expense of the poor. Supermarket shelves may be laden with luxury goods, but if the ordinary citizen cannot afford them, that has nothing to do with karma. That is the result of bad governance. It is that injustice that we abhor, not someone’s wealth.

Instead, we should be asking if any of the following activities are involved in the rich and powerful gaining such privileges: bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influence, graft, and embezzlement. If they did, there are three words to describe their actions: Corruption, Corruption, and Corruption. No explanations necessary, Sri Lanka’s elite is synonymous with corrupt, except for a handful of true entrepreneurs. No matter how good the policies are, without the eradication of corruption, there is no way to restore the economy or the social order. In Sri Lankan context, elite, corruption, bad governance, and the collapse of economy and social structure are the same. How they are interdependent and intertwined is illustrated in Figure 1. That is the reason that eradication of corruption has become the battle cry. But how well has the population understood that message? The answer lies in the electoral map that emerged on the 22nd. Not very well, is the answer, and that must be changed before taking the next step.

Fortunately, just enough people understood the facts. That is a small step in the right direction; however, note that 7.8 million thought otherwise. What is important is that without more people getting this message, or understanding the true cause of all our problems, there is no way to take the second step. As history attests, we could very well end up taking back that small step. That is why it must be the responsibility of all sensible citizens of the country to explain it clearly to their fellow citizens. But have no illusions, look at the figure again, the same evil forces will stand in their way.

At the last election, 3.5 million eligible voters stayed home; it is true that some of them have left the country. It is not that those who skipped voting are immune from the misery the country is going through, but they have lost faith in the political system. That erosion of participatory democracy is the goal of the elite, see the figure, and they have accomplished it.

Those who skipped voting must be convinced that exercising their hard-won democratic right is not only a civic duty, but that is also the only way to salvage the country. Statistics are not available yet, but if the women were compelled to think that they have no part in politics and stayed home, they must be made aware that economic or social development cannot be accomplished without the participation of half the population. Furthermore, they have a right to participate in the economy and benefit from it.

This is especially so when they and their young children are the worst affected by the crisis. Therefore, staying away is not the solution.

The other alarming fact emerging from that map is the geographic distribution of the populations that lacks this understanding. It is unfortunate, and scary at the same time, but that tells us that there are other organized forces in operation that either hide or downplay the evils of corruption and promote other agenda. These forces arise from sources that use racial, religious, caste, or ideological divisions for their own agenda. It must be made clear to those who fall for such tactics that the effect of corruption and bad governance transcend all other human-caused divisions. The limited access to food, shelter, clothing, education, healthcare, and other essentials effect people of all religions, races, casts, trades, and political affiliations. The only exception is the elite.

We must accept the fact that there is a group of people that simply do not want to hear the truth. Their worldview is limited to their own experience. They neither see it, nor admit it that change is a universal reality. Those are the ones resistant to change, unadaptable, obstinate, or inflexible; Hanamiti karaya, traditionally called, or dinosaurs in modern parlance. Recall those who predicted that doomsday would arrive following the election? That shows that there are academic elites as well, let us not forget how the fertilizer saga and the covid treatment unfolded. They must be left alone; in a changing, increasingly educated society, they will become irrelevant. Nobody wants to revive the feudal system or re-establish the Kandyan Nayak dynasty.

The subject of corruption has been discussed and dissected to death in all forums ranging from academic journals to all formats of media, to political rallies. Yet, the message has not reached a large segment of the population in a way they can relate to. Explaining it in terms accessible to all is everyone’s responsibility, and that may be the way to bridge that red and yellow divide of the map. In that respect, at the risk of being condemned to eternal damnation, I lay some of the blame on our religious leaders for not enlightening their followers.

All religions are based on morals and ethics; is there any religion that does not condemn bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influence, graft, and embezzlement? If so, shouldn’t all religions condemn corruption instead of bestowing blessings on corrupt and unethical elite for personal gains? Shouldn’t the religious leaders teach us the significance of putting our lives in order, here and now, and that the path to liberation is not a bartering system?

The US president John F Kennedy’s words should resonate at this moment: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” Let us not forget that we have not done our part for the country; with our subservient psyche, we condoned corruption until we became destitute. We waited until we could not feed our children. Some of our most important responsibilities are to elect capable leaders who are qualified to do the job, give them enough room to maneuver, and hold them accountable.

If we are committed to elect our leaders based on their merits, as we demonstrated on the 21st, that sends a strong warning to all political parties: if you wish to win, assure that your nominees are qualified and are not tainted by corruption. Do not try to hide criminal and corrupt individuals behind the party list. There should be democracy and meritocracy within the political parties, they should not continue to be subservient to elitism.

We took the first step in the right direction, but it will take many such steps before we reach our goal, a prosperous and happy nation. Our country had been a kleptocracy, a society ruled by people who use their power to steal their country’s resources. And that is the source of all our problems. The challenge the nation faces is that the same people use all manner of trickery to deceive us and hide the truth. They are good at it; the election results demonstrate that two thirds of the voters did not understand the root cause of the problem. This essay may be an exercise in analyzing the root cause, but that does not serve the purpose unless the message is understood at the grassroot level, throughout the country. For the democracy to function, the voters must be well informed.

To put it bluntly, the message they need to hear is “do not let the corrupt politicians, old or new, left or right leaning, from the North or South, come back to power.” Let us look at it this way: how can the corrupt eradicate corruption? Or why should they? For example, during the last two years, when the nation was on starvation rations, the siphoning of nations wealth away from its coffers continued. Through endless political deals, they covered up their corrupt acts and protected criminals. Are those responsible actors, saviours or traitors? Is that the way to recovery? Do we want corrupt leaders to continue to exploit us? The ill effects of corruption cross party lines, race, religion, caste, and all other divisions.

We are all victims, except the elite. If corruption is eradicated, that will open the way for sensible economic policies to work. That in turn will allow us to solve other social problems; in fact, most problems will go away. It does not happen the other way around. We must end our servitude to the corrupt elite if we must escape from this vicious cycle. The mantra that will save us from the evil is “Do not elect or reelect corrupt politicians.” We should make it a practice to recite it a few times a day.