{"id":41280,"date":"2015-05-11T00:07:08","date_gmt":"2015-05-11T04:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=41280"},"modified":"2015-05-11T00:07:08","modified_gmt":"2015-05-11T04:07:08","slug":"maithripala-sirisena-with-simplicityhumility-and-absence-of-vanityis-a-super-star-among-our-presidents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=41280","title":{"rendered":"Maithripala Sirisena with “Simplicity,Humility and Absence of Vanity”is a Super Star Among Our Presidents"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Prof. Carlo Fonseka<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Nelson Mandela\u2019s book Conversations with Myself, he says that the foundation of one\u2019s spiritual life should be built on “honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, pure generosity, absence of vanity and readiness to serve others”. Odious and subjective though such comparisons are, humans necessarily make them in real life. <\/p>\n

If I were asked to grade our presidents on the extent to which they exemplify the seven aforementioned attributes, I should be hard put to it to prevent President Maithripala Sirisena from coming out on top. <\/p>\n

As to simplicity, humility and absence of vanity he is the super star among our presidents. I had the privilege of working under him when he was Minister of Health from 2010 until he defected from our group, the UPFA. I observed at first hand and greatly admired the sincerity with which he devoted himself to the cause of the health of the nation. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This was amply demonstrated by his commitment to making the Bibile Drug Policies and the 80% coverage of pictorial health warnings on cigarette packets a reality. His readiness to serve the public was proved by the number of times his sat with me on the public benches in our courts in the hopes of obtaining a favorable outcome for our 80% coverage demand. But defying even unanimous parliamentary endorsement of the 80% coverage demand, the murderous tobacco industry succeeded in somehow getting the Supreme Court to reduce the maximum coverage to 60%.Such is the power of the root of all evil!<\/p>\n

In providing guidance to the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Hon. Maithripala Sirisena appeared to me to be scrupulously honest. I am aware, however, of what King Duncan said of the ultimately deceitful, disloyal defector the Thane of Cawdor in Shakespeare\u2019s play Macbeth: “there\u2019s no art \/ to find the mind\u2019s construction in the face \/ he was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust”. But let that be as it may.<\/p>\n


\nThe impossible art<\/strong><\/p>\n

In any case, I did not vote for Hon. Maithripala Sirisena at the presidential election, not because I thought he was unworthy of my vote, but because at the eleventh hour he surreptitiously defected from our group, the UPFA. He has since justified his defection on the ground that such a temporary strategic defection was, in his judgement, the smartest way of serving the best interests of our group in the long run. <\/p>\n

Concerning this, all I am constrained to say is that abstruse medicine is certainly a much easier area of human endeavor to practice successfully than high-powered politics! My envious admiration for the shrewd social intelligence of the highest achievers in politics is enduring.<\/p>\n

Demonstrating the incredibly wide variation of honest opinion in the field of politics, in the opinion page of The Island of 5 May 2015, Janaki Chandraratna has argued cogently that no other president in our country has been more dictatorial in practice than the gentle, simple, humble, non \u2013ambitious, non-grasping President Sirisena. <\/p>\n

To cite only his alleged two most egregious acts of unconstitutional dictatorial abuse of presidential power, he appointed as Prime Minister Hon. Ranil Wickramasinghe, the leader of a minority party in the parliament; and he sacked one Chief Justice and appointed a new one by \u2013 in JC\u2019s phrase \u2013”only a stroke of the pen”. JC says that she is left bewildered and distressed and overwhelmed by President Sirisena\u2019s crude exhibition of the absolute power of the executive presidency.<\/p>\n

Concurrence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Inexplicably there was no public outcry against such blatant acts of dictatorial presidential power. The majority in the country seemed to concur without demur in the unconstitutional presidential acts. How come the people did not protest? Was it out of fear of President Sirisena\u2019s executive might? “Not bloody likely” (in Liza Dolittle\u2019s infamous phrase in Shaw\u2019s Pygmalion).<\/p>\n

As Winston Churchill contemptuously said of Clement Atlee, President Sirisena is also merely a “sheep in sheep\u2019s clothing”.<\/p>\n

Revolution<\/strong><\/p>\n

In order to understand the unfolding political realities of the time, Prof. Susirith Mendis publicly asked our political pundits whether “a constitutional coup” occurred in our country on the 8th of January 2015 (The Island, January 15). The resourceful Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka provided an instant answer: “yes, there was a constitutional coup without democratic precedent”.<\/p>\n

If a coup is an illegal seizure of power by a small rebellious group, why was there no political counter reaction in our politically volatile country? Remember that our country has a proud record of defying illegal authority. <\/p>\n

The acceptable explanation I think came from Bishop Duleep de Chickera. He put an unerring finger on the nature of the change that occurred on the 8th of January: it was as he put it “an incredible, non-violent people\u2019s revolution.” <\/p>\n

Embracing this insight, I figured out for myself that in a period of revolution the rule of law is temporarily extinguished and the will of the emergent sovereign leader becomes the law. In truth that is what legal philosophers like John Austin say that the law was in its origins. <\/p>\n

The law was simply the will of the sovereign. The emergent sovereign in this silent revolution of the people was President Maithripala Sirisena and accordingly his will became the law. On this hypothesis Janaki Chandraratna\u2019s bewilderment and distress can be rationally resolved. <\/p>\n

The appointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and the sacking of one CJ and appointing a new one by a stroke of a pen was lawful because the law at that time was the will of the de facto sovereign Maithripala Sirisena. Q.E.D.<\/strong>
\n
\nCourtesy:The Island<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Prof. Carlo Fonseka In Nelson Mandela\u2019s book Conversations with Myself, he says that the foundation of one\u2019s spiritual life should be built on “honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, pure generosity, absence of vanity and readiness to serve others”. Odious and subjective though such comparisons are, humans necessarily make them in real life. If I were …<\/p>\n

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