The stenching local government politics of Sri Lanka

(July 03, 2010, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Politics in local governmental bodies of Sri Lanka was for respected elites of the towns and villages one time. The payments made by the local councils, if there was any, was not the living of these leaders. Instead, many considered politics in local governments a social service.

Now, that phenomenon is history. Today, the local government is also gone to the same dog or a bitter one the other aspects of local politics have gone.

We have a nice story that depicts the pathetic story of local government of Sri Lanka.

Palindanuwara is a newly established local government body centered around a peripheral semi-town called Baduraliya. There is no place called Palindanuwara but in folk stories related to a local ruler named Weediya Bandara that lived in the 15th century.

The inaugural Chairman of this 'historic' Pradeshiya Sabha is a self-proclaimed war hero. But many a residents of the area know him too well as a former Army deserter that was loitering before entering into politics from the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance.

This man is now in remand. Why? He was taken into custody for assaulting the driver of a fish lorry of state-owned Fisheries Corporation and causing damage estimated Rs. 40,000 to state property.

His action was a backlash to selling fish in Baduraliya Sunday fair at prices cheaper than that of the tendered fish vendors of the Pradeshiya Sabha.

The representative of people of Palindanuwara Pradeshiya Sabha was against the government that was selling fish at reduced prices to the consumers of Baduraliya area.

He deserved arrest and remand. But do you know what his fellow councilors and other hooligans do after that? They transported several huge stenching garbage heaps in Pradeshiya Sabha vehicle and dumped them in places people gather in the town. The garbage heaps were stenching the town the whole day with no presence of any authority to remove it.

Either Palindanuwara or Colombo, this is local government politics in Sri Lanka today. The people that were covering their noses are still not aware that this stench is from the political deformation they made their heroes to create for them and that present ruling family brought to a culmination.


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