Crossing the bridge

Tuesday, 4 August 2015

A Moral Principle met a Material Interest on a bridge wide enough
for but one.
Down, you base thing! thundered the Moral Principle, and let
me pass over you!
The Material Interest merely looked in the others eyes without
saying anything.
Ah, said the Moral Principle, hesitatingly, let us draw lots to see
which shall retire till the other has crossed.
The Material Interest maintained an unbroken silence and an
unwavering stare.
In order to avoid a conflict, the Moral Principle resumed,
somewhat uneasily, I shall myself lie down and let you walk over
me.
Then the Material Interest found a tongue, and by a strange
coincidence it was its own tongue. I dont think you are very good

walking, it said. I am a little particular about what I have

underfoot. Suppose you get off into the water.
It occurred that way.
Ambrose Bierce, Fantastic Fables
The UPFA manifesto
The UPFA manifesto says it all. It is a Rajapaksa power project that relies on
neo patrimonial politics. It is not a policy statement. It consists of a series of
pledges. It has no timeframe for implementation or explanation of how the
relief measures will be financed. It leaves such intricacies to be resolved by
the Redeemer . Therefore its primary purpose is the restoration of the
Ancien Rgime. It is unsurprising and consistent with the UPFAs proven
disregard for conventional economic wisdom distinguishing
illiquidity from insolvency.
What is neo patrimonialism? Neo-patrimonialism is the
vertical distribution of resources that creates patron-client
networks based around a powerful individual or a party. We
have seen it before and we are promised more of it. We have
seen it since independence in 1948. Patrimonial politics often
misinterpreted as benevolence of the native elite towards
their less endowed people was an acceptable form of
governance in the early years of decolonisation. The regime
that replaced the departing colonials did not quite dismantle
the colonial institutions. Instead they kept the peace by
patrimony towards the people and for the benefit of a few
individuals. We changed it partially in 1956. [The JVP does not agree. Read
JVP manifesto Page 1.]
UPFA worldview
The UPFA is quite candid about their worldview. They explain in the
introduction: This document is the outcome of an intellectual dialogue
which has gone beyond the traditional list of political pledges. The contents
of this document were crafted by a group of respected intellectuals and
professionals with expert knowledge in their respective fields; in doing so,
they have also taken in to account extensive research and surveys carried
out to determine the pressing needs and long felt grievances of all Sri
Lankans.
Government contractors and business will be brought out of the darkness.
The UPFA has discovered families deprived of their main breadwinners,
families with no shelter, orphans, patients suffering acute kidney ailments,
women, children, youth, senior citizens, war heroes, government servants,
private sector employees, farmers, artists, journalists, fisher-folk,
housemaids in Arabia, small businessmen, three wheeler drivers, gem

miners and gem merchants and plantation workers. They will all have their
grievances addressed. All are offered relief within the targeted timeframe.
The targeted timeframe however is not stated. That is understandable. This
document is the work of respected intellectuals and professionals with
expert knowledge in their respective fields. The resource allocation will
have to await the next meeting of the family politburo.
Max Weber was right. Patrimonial politics is not corruption. It is bad
governance.
JVP policy statement
In this election, the JVP was first to make its policy statement. That the
other two major groups who followed them, followed their lead by
conceding failure of past policies, is a tribute to their successful articulation
of the nations general mistrust of the political class.
The JVP in its policy statement, has identified problems and, framed the
issues and offered solutions that hold out the promise of citizen
participation. The problems and solutions are embodied in a covenant with
the nation. The claim ours is the conscience of the nation is quietly
stressed, indicting the UNP and SLFP for 67 years of misrule.
UNP-led united national front
The UNP-led united national front was next. The grand old party has
promised to build a new nation in sixty months. Rejecting market
fundamentalism, it has promised a knowledge based social market
economy that cushioned the poor, the disabled, the unemployed and
protected the natural environment. It also claims credit for the new
democratic discourse. Before 8 January an atrocious regime was in place.
Its cronies shared all economic dividends. A cowed people could not
protest. They were coerced in to silence.
As already explained the UPFA makes no policy statement. It is an attempt
to regain its capacity of being able to divert public resources to remain in
power.
Politics of patrimony
Politics of patrimony was developed and fine-tuned by the UPFA in the five
post war years to a level that made life impossible for them without their
discretionary power. Many local UPFA bosses found the post 8 January
climate too stifling to endure. Deprived of the monopoly of state resources
they could not hold on to their networks. Defections is their current
nightmare and the list of pledges provides interim relief until elections.
Does it absolve the rival UNP-led coalition of their guilt in promoting
clientilist politics? The answer lies in their performance between 8 January

to date. In a democracy, the policy that determines the transfer of public

goods or deciding who gets what and when is decided by the elected
government. This power is held by the elected government. The purpose of
elections is for the voters to hold political elites accountable for the manner
in which they decided who gets what in their term in office.
A political party organised around one overpowering personality such as the
UPFA is the natural outcome of patronage politics. There is no life after
Mahinda for the UPFA. It is not so dreadful in the case of the UNF. It is time
for the United National Front to get out of its bondage of patrimonial
politics. Pun intended.
In all democracies, vibrant, quasi or dysfunctional, politicians tend to invoke
morality as justification for their policies. We make the mistake of assuming
that morality is a timeless concept that has crystallised as norms of human
conduct.
The chief function of official morality is to justify the means and not the
end. This writer hopes to see the former Auditor General Sarath Chandrasiri
Mayadunne in Parliament.
Posted by Thavam