Corrupt politicians are eating into the country’s vitals

Over the years we have been witnessing how this once beautiful island has been ruined mainly due the corrupt and unscrupulous political leaders that have been elected by voters who have no brains to see and distinguish the good from the bad and the ugly. They have been changing the pillow to get rid of the headache or the thattumaru game.

This system brings back the same rotten lot that was rejected at the previous election after a lapse of four or five years. Then they continue to line their pockets to the extent of looking after a couple of generations after them! This game has been going on since Sri Lanka gained independence. Of course, the worst came after 1977.

A glaring instance of a blatant decision by a cabinet minister was when he insisted that the tender to construct the Kerawalapitiya LNG plant be given to a Chinese Construction Company which had quoted a higher amount, overruling the decision of the Tender Board to award it to the lowest bidder, a local company! Anybody could guess why this decision would have been taken.

Though it is not what the people expect from leaders, it may be less evil in a way for these greedy politicians to make ill-gotten money from commissions and donations like what happened with Helping Hambantota without harming the environment and also using money obtained as repayable loans to construct white elephants.

During the last few years the political leaders and their henchmen have caused grave damage to the environment and the country by unlawful sand-mining, destruction of forests by cutting down valuable trees which have taken long years to grow to the level at which they were when felled. The regulations or rules are arbitrarily amended to demarcate forests from national parks so that the henchmen can wantonly destroy what has been preserved for such a long time.

A good example of this type of destruction is the Gal Oya area where destruction of the national park is taking place with the wild life department officials and forest department officials having to look on helplessly as the damage is done. It is only the villagers of the area who show any protest, sometimes to no avail as powerful unscrupulous politicians are behind it.

When it is not allowed to construct buildings on tank bunds, a cabinet minister goes and builds a hotel abutting a reservoir which shows the high-handedness and the lack of any patriotism to ones motherland!People of our age are now in the departure lounge. It is for the younger generation that we worry. The way things are going they might not have a country to call their own if we get the same politicians back in the saddle!

HM NISSANKA WARAKAULLE