Nero-esque Madness in Colombo!

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Nero-esque Madness
2010-09-15

An image that oft comes to mind when observing the happenings in Sri Lanka is that of Nero playing the fiddle while Rome is on fire. This image is especially evoked in my mind as I watch the opposition and the powers that be unite on one platform every Saturday night to elect and be elected a Mega Star! For those of you who may not be familiar with this programme, Mega Star is a television programme where people who are popular in various fields, particularly actors and politicians, compete in a singing competition to be elected a Mega Star by the viewers. It operates on a process of elimination and we are now down to the last 8 contestants. Although it is the viewers that elect who gets to be the Mega Star there is an expert panel on stage that judge the contestants and award them points on their performance. This panel consists of four judges. Two of them are musicians. The other two are

none other than Rosi Senanayake of the UNP and Mervin Silva the former Minister for Highways (only recently dismissed for tying a government official to a Mango tree). Amongst the contestants are also three UNP MPs, Upeksha Swarnamali, Ranjan Ramanayake and Dayasiri Jayasekera.
Whilst Sri Lanka’s media freedom is being curtailed day by day, whilst the rule of law has suffered a violent death, as economic development is being threatened what appears to be the most pressing concern for Sri Lanka is the election of a Mega Star. Watching Mervin Silva flirt with Rosi Senanayake, watching them engage in friendly banter, watching Upeksha Swarnamali try to imitate Shakira and Aishwarya Rai and be drooled on by Mervin Silva, and as all of Sri Lanka sit mesmerised in front of the television being entertained by these performances by circus monkeys in parliament, I hear the sound of Nero’s fiddle.
“It is entertainment not politics” we are told time and time again. As long as it provides entertainment all is justified. We no longer require comedians in Sri Lanka, we have politicians for that. What with Mervin Silva tying government officials to Mango Trees, claiming to be the descendant of King Dutugamunu, Wimal Weerawansa going on a fast unto death for one day whilst being on saline the entire time, the president going down on his knees to give water and save the dying Wimal Weerawansa from his ‘one day fast unto death on saline’, what need do we have for comedians?

It is said that “you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time”. Sri Lanka has rendered this saying redundant. As all of the people are quite contently being fooled all of the time I wonder for how long the Sri Lankan people will fill their stomachs on the antics of our entertainers. The main function of our elected parliamentarians is to provide entertainment. This is what we the people of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka want. We the people have spoken through engaging with this Megastar programme and voting religiously every Saturday night to elect the next Mega Star!