The Constituency of the Angry

The problem of power is how to achieve its responsible use rather than its irresponsible and indulgent use - of how to get men of power to live for the public rather than off the public.
- Robert F. Kennedy in The Pursuit of Justice.

I have always believed that the people of Sri Lanka composed the constituency of the angry; resulting in decisions driven by seeking and desiring, rather than calm contentment and rational reflection - at least that is what their actions reflect.

Be it in National, Provincial, Municipal, or even elections to any insignificant Board or Trust; they, as one people or in parts, have reflected their anger: an anger that has accumulated and grown over the years due to disappointments, displeasure, and disapproval.

For over three score and seven years since independence, the citizens of this land had a right of say in the affairs of men and matters that affect their life, all they have achieved and experienced is to grow weary of the deceptions perpetrated on them by those in whom they placed their trust. Hitherto, the reality of the citizens understanding has been that he cannot rely on an elected representative to follow proper protocols, keep to promises made and ensure that at least the majority of such promises fulfilled within a reasonable timeframe.

His problem is further confounded by the fact that the word "reasonable" acquiring a meaning of its own and succeeds in achieving elasticity beyond imagination to suit the need of the duplicitous.

So being, it is impossible for him, or any other administrative official who works within the system, to adequately represent the citizen's interest and ensure he put faith in his trust. His experience with trust has been that those who seek his trust speak an infinite deal of nothing.

Thus, too late, he realises that all that glitters is not gold, and gilded tombs do worms enfold; and hopes for a gentle riddance of his trust. In the meanwhile, he keeps tumbling from the darkness of the womb to the darkness of the tomb.

Our Independence day was a day of affirmation, a celebration of our liberty and freedom.

At the heart of that freedom is the belief that every individual citizen of this nation is the touchstone of its values, and is the criterion for this nation to exist as a nation.

It therefore is an inalienable right of every citizen to expect that all society, groups, and the State, exist for his benefit.

He attempts to makes certain of this through his elected representative, who he hopes and expects to work towards this end: The enlargement of the liberty of a citizen being the abiding practice of any and every elected representative.

To achieve this, the government needs to empower the citizen to air their views; and to share in the decisions of governance that shape their lives.

It is not only the moral right of every citizen, but also the obligation of any government.

Because, everything that makes a citizens life worthwhile - family, work, education, a place to call home and a place to rest one's head - all of this depends on the decisions of government.

A government that sweeps their voices away, a government that does not heed the demands of its people, and I mean, all of its people, and listen at least to those voices of reason, is a non government; a dictatorial government.

The past has shown that every dictatorship or pseudo dictatorship has ultimately strangled in the web of misrepresentation and repression it wove for its people. The result being, it was impossible to correct the mistakes they made because they prohibited criticism.

I hope such errors are not repeated even though, history reflects the possibility of its likelihood more likely.

The essential humanity of men can be protected and preserved only when a government is answerable to, and answer, the people: not just to the wealthy, not just to those of a particular religion, or a particular race; but to all its peoples.

The first element of individual liberty is the freedom of speech: the citizens right to express and communicate ideas; to recall governments to their duties and obligations; and above all, to affirm the right to one's membership and allegiance to this nation, to society, to the men with whom he shares his land, his heritage, and his children's future.

Our nation is a nation in which children suffer, adults suffer; all but the class that has the power to rob, and rob on a large scale, and has the power to control the government and legalise their robbery, suffer.

As such, due to their suffering, few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, and the wrath of their society.

Moral courage is a rarer commodity; and great intelligence not present, when values deteriorate.

Yet it is the one essential vital quality for those who seek to change this nation, a nation that yields most painfully to change due to the folly of fools.

I suppose every society gets the kind of cheats it deserves. It is also a reflection on the values and intelligence of that society.

What is objectionable, what is dangerous, about this is not that the cheats reflect the values in the society, but that these values and the lack of intelligence lead towards intolerance.

The evil in that is that eventually we become a fractured society.

As it is, about half of our people are against everything all the time. Why is this so? Is it because we have failed in our system of education wherein its reputation and effectiveness is, damaged by inefficient and self-serving educationists?

Is it because we do not act rightly because we have lost virtue and excellence, trustworthiness and truthfulness, and delight in obtaining profit without individual responsibility?

If we continue in this fashion, all I can see is a revolution coming: a revolution that may be peaceful, if we are wise enough; compassionate, if we care enough; successful, if we are fortunate enough; but a revolution will come, whether we will it or not.

We may affect its character; but cannot alter its inevitability unless we change ourselves, our values; and our leaders display the qualities of courage and vision that are the touchstones of leadership.

After all, during periods of crisis, citizens stood beside them and gave strength to their hearts. When there were periods of happiness, citizens stood with them and partook in their happiness.

When there were periods of sorrow, citizens stood beside and comforted them. Yet, what did they receive in return but disgusting disappointments and dissatisfaction.

Not many of us have the courage and the greatness to bend history; yet, each of us can work to change a small portion of events that shape our life.

The history of our generation and that of our children, hinges on the accumulated total of our actions. Just because we cannot see clearly the end of the road, that is no reason for not setting out on the essential journey to seek redressal for all the accumulated breach of trust.

After all, great change dominates the world, and unless we move with those changes, it is likely we will become its victims.

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