ARCHITECT OF CHANGE? – EDITORIAL – Opinion

People in this country want a lot of things to change quite quickly. Now it is not just a ‘system change’ that is needed; they are just single words. People are looking for an ‘architect of change’. That person is so hard to find. This is because people in politics do not know when to retire.

When it comes to ‘change’, it’s good to borrow from American sports. Sports authorities and even sponsors of sporting events in America believe that it is not good for the game if the same champion remains at the top for more than two years. This is why a new sports star is promoted every two years; mainly to keep the sport alive and to counteract the adverse effects of the monotony that arises.

Development work and exposing criminals have been promises made by politicians since the end of the civil war. When you study Sri Lanka from the perspective of the tenure of the last two presidents, there is not much to talk about. Even after a landslide victory for the ‘comrades’, people’s attitudes towards each other – starting with commuting in public vehicles – suggest that the electorate is not ready for change or transformation. The average Sri Lankan is too greedy or too lazy. Those who walk the middle path and are successful in life want “change,” but do not demand it.

The average Sri Lankan currently works at least two jobs to make ends meet. There was once a trend during the Mahinda Rajapaksa regimes where prominent national cricketers and film artistes were invited to dabble in politics.

A cricketer who led two careers during this time was Sanath Jayasuriya. His cricket career lasted from 1989 to 2011 and from 2010 to 2015 he also held the position of Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development; hence there were a few years when he was a professional cricketer as well as a politician. Film artist Ranjan Ramanayake combined an acting career with a career as a legislator. There is a problem with combining two careers in a country that demands change. There is an old saying that goes: ‘There is danger in spreading oneself too thinly, for then the pudding will have no theme’. You will not become an actor/cricketer nor a politician if you become too greedy for success. We know how the Master Blaster struggled with the bat during the time he dabbled in politics.

Most Sri Lankans who are into bodybuilding had a poster of star physical culturist Arnold Schwarzenegger pasted on their wall at home. When winning became too easy and he got tired of bodybuilding, a door opened for him to get into films. He then entered politics and became governor of California. Sri Lankans should follow Schwarzenegger’s example; the ‘Austrian Oak’ was able to create an impact in everything he did and was especially fond of all the job profiles given to him. For the record, people close to Schwarzenegger have suggested two new jobs for him. One is that he is pushing for a privately funded space program. The other is that he is trying to become president of the European Union with the aim of creating a more ‘united Europe’. His ex-wife Maria Shriver had commented on Schwarzenegger’s future endeavors, saying, “I’m sure he’ll have fun in whatever he does, and he’ll have an impact.”

The people of this island have seen extreme greed, skills that did not support ambition, abuse of both power and position, and sons who murdered fathers who were kings to sit on the throne. We need politicians who know the length and breadth of their capabilities and what can be changed in this country and what cannot.

There is at least one school in Sri Lanka that has a motto that underlines the importance of putting country before self-interest. Much was achieved in this way. But times have changed and now it is an era where people ask themselves ‘what’s in it for me’ before they commit to anything. You can’t change that mentality. If the ‘comrade can ensure that someone found guilty of breaking the law – for personal gain – can never return to his former profession, that would be something of great value.