“We are contemplating a program to educate parents and society with regard to rape and protection of children, RATHER than imposing punishment by law.”

So said Namal Rajapkse, Attorney at Law, and Member of Parliament for the Hambantota District! As reported in today’s English Language Island 

            http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=56999

This was told to the Mahanayake Theras in Kandy yesterday, when a group of young Parliamentarians met with the Chief Prelates of the Asgiriya and Malwatte Chapters. They had announced to the press the building of a grand SLFP HQ on 7 floors with an auditorium for 2,500 people. (Remember the enormous Nelum Pokuna in Colombo only has seats for 1600 people)

Who am I to take the first shot at? Namal! Does he even deserve a mention? The problem is he is the first Son, and therefore wields power, to an extent not seen by any in the country’s history. People of Sri Lanka, you have a supposed Attorney at Law which 95% of the legal profession laugh about the way he was given it, considering he cannot pass even O level maths in a competitive exam! Can he walk around with any dignity left in him? No.

To make such an asinine, crass statement and be able to get away with it without one comment in any media about the absurdity of the statement, one can only raise our hands in horror as to what we have done to deserve such abominable people in power, to rule, yes rule over us with a fearful media.

I just hope our electorate will in time realize that it is time that we throw nepotism out of the window as our style of nepotism is not replace people with a modicum of knowledge with people who are better, but the reverse, with people who will not qualify for garbage disposal workers!

It is time that our country seriously looks inwards and decides which direction we wish to go in. If we continue in this destructive pattern, where the majority of young parliamentarians are close relatives of those who have gone before them, we will not have a democratic government, but one merely filled by a lowering of quality and of standards of people with no other reason for their position, but of being a scion of a person in government. It is time that people of reason take over the commentary without being afraid of a backlash by ruthless opportunists to take the country in the right path back to accountability and meritocracy.