The jumbo encore to a failed city

Light refractions by Lucien Rajakarunanayake

We are full of comments these days about the finding of some foreign organisation that Sri Lanka is a failed state. Yet not one word is said by these very concerned people about the failed city that Colombo is, and the fact that those who have been managing its affairs for the fast fifty years wish to keep it just that way.

Those elected under the symbol of the spectacles or those claiming a vicarious victory through the same symbol, are obviously wearing the wrong lenses in their spectacle frames, when it comes to solving the problems of Colombo.

When I asked Kannaadi Polonga, the leader of the specs group, and its possible mayoral choice, what plans they had to solve the garbage problem in Colombo, his answer was very simple. "We did not contest to solve any urban problems. Why we contested was the hope that someone else would want our support, and we gave in to the highest bidder. That's all. No worry about garbage."

"Would you care to tell the voters of Colombo how high this bid was?"

"No. no. I don't want to get myself or the other members of our group into trouble with the Inland Revenue Department. We would rather treat is as a commercial secret." I probed a little further and asked whether it was anywhere close to the sum mentioned in the VAT scam.

He deftly avoided a direct answer. "The investigations into the VAT scam are still on, and we understand the amount could be even bigger than what has already been revealed. So I won't answer that. But I can tell you, it was not a one time deal.

Those in our group stand to get substantial dividends through the entire four year term of the new Council, from the people who made the jumbo bid, once they take over control of the CMC from us. Whatever happens we are well looked after."

"But you are a citizen of Colombo. How can you remain blind to all the problems of this city, garbage being just one?"

"It is not that we are blind. We just shut out eyes to it all. To us the CMC election was an opportunity for windfall profit. We made a bid and won. It is those who voted for us who should have thought of the problems they face whether it is garbage or overflowing sewers."

I next met with Sirisena Carnival Cooray, the man who boasted of having the spectacles in his pocket. "Is it true your name was not in the voters list for the CMC polls?"

"Yes, they had removed it when I was away in Australia, from where I was recalled to take over Colombo?"

"Which means you could no have been mayor or even a councillor, had your party contested under its own elephant symbol?"

"Why bother about all those things. If it is not me there will be some one else from our side who will take over. The main things was to hold on to our fortress. We will not only change symbols, if necessary we may also change our leader if it is necessary to hold on to this prize".

"Do you have any new plans for Colombo? Your kannaadi friends said they had no plans for the city, and all they were interested in was the profit from the deal with you". "Must we have plans for Colombo? The city is there and all we have to do is take control of it. Other matters will just fall into place, once we are in control".

"What about the piling up of garbage; don't you see it as a problem to be solved?" "What nonsense. More garbage only means more people. How can we control the population of Colombo? The people will learn to solve their own garbage problems; there is no need for the CMC to have plans for it. After all we went on letting the piles grow for the past so many years and the people kept re-electing us?"

"So what is the lesson you are drawing from that?"

"Very simple, isn't it? The people prefer those who let the garbage pile up.

They will even vote for us when we context by proxy. So who cares about garbage?"

"Do you have any plans to clean up those 1,600 or more tenement gardens in the city, which are so overcrowded and are breeding places for crime and also disease?"

"Just tell me, when have the people living in those filthy holes you call tenement gardens wanted to leave them? The answer is never; they like the dirt they live in. So why disturb them?"

"But what about the breeding of crime in those places?"

"Aha! Why are you so worried about crime? It is part of the underbelly of any growing city. Don't forget that those breeding grounds of crime are our best vote banks.

We saw it last Saturday when large numbers of our middle class supporters stayed at home, rather than vote for our kannaadi friends. It was the tenement vote bank that helped us." "Crime, corruption, garbage" what a slogan, I thought to myself. Cooray deserved a hooray for knowing this combination for success.