Family matters

What is nepotism? Nepotism is a 22-year-old man with no discernable qualifications as an activist, statesman or civil society representative being escorted by his father, the President, to the United Nations General Assembly.

Daham at the UN is an easy scapegoat. Yet the blame lies not with the presidential offspring but the President for conducting himself in a manner completely antithetical to his election platform and a broader culture that continues to value family over merit.

But why does nepotism matter? Some in Asia argue that indigenous family values trump the imperial universalism of Western values. Why some of the most successful nations in the region – like Singapore – have thrived under the thumb of nepotism! Governance requires trustworthy allies and who more trustworthy than a fellow family member?

Nepotism at its core is not about family – it’s about power. More specifically, it’s about the centralisation of power and the corruption of the family unit to demarcate lines between the powerful and the powerless. Nepotism entrenches pre-existing inequalities in a society by barring meritocratic access to wealth, property and political representation.

The family unit in Lanka has always been more than nuclear, yet its sprawl is still usually contained within key parameters; those of class, caste and ethnicity. Nepotism therefore has the very real side effect of preserving the hegemonic power of these divisive – and indeed oppressive – categories.

Nepotism is the process by which a minority of ruling elites have been able to monopolise positions of power and retain these over generations. In Sri Lanka we have become used to this; from feudal family-run dynasties, to colonial family-run empires, to the post-colonial clans of Senanayakes, Bandaranaikes and Rajapaksas.

This cannot be allowed to continue at a juncture where nepotism affects our development agenda. It cements income inequality by keeping wealth in the hands of a few families; it affects reconciliation by limiting the possibility for multi-ethnic representation in mainstream parties and it precludes good governance if those governing are selected on the basis of blood rather than capability.

The Rajapaksa clan were a wakeup call to the island. However, they were neither the first nor the last to practice nepotism – they were simply the clan who took the practice one step further than the populace was willing to concede.

The incident with Daham is admittedly dwarfed by the actions of previous regimes, yet the furore is justified and hopefully an indication that our polity has matured to a point where any nepotism is more than we can concede.

If leaders like Sirisena cannot be trusted to keep to respectable non-nepotistic practices, then it is up to the people and the media to maintain a vigilant watch on the powerful; to call out nepotism by its name when and where it happens and to demand a truly democratic process with equitable access to positions of wealth and power.

For Lankans, challenging nepotism will be a necessary discomfort. It will require constant self-criticism. Not asking uncle for a comfy job at his firm, not accepting aunty’s promises to pull some strings for your driving license, and not taking your wet-behind-the-ears son to sit-in at the highest arena of international politics.