Slap on the wrist for punching MPs

In recent years, Sri Lanka’s most esteemed public office bearers have utilised the Parliamentary premises for more than mere political and social discourse but have made its hallowed halls bear witness to all sorts of bizarre performances. This week’s parliamentary brawl was a case in point.

In the midst of a heated debate regarding former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s army security detail, words turned into kicks and punches as a brawl ensued. With the dignity of the country’s most respected political arena hanging by a thread, the Speaker of Parliament appointed a special committee to look into the incident on whose recommendation the Deputy Minister Palitha Thewarapperuma and UPFA MP Prasanna Ranaweera were suspended from parliamentary sittings for a week – a slap on the wrist at most. While it may be ridiculous to think that this incident alone has diminished the Parliament’s public image, it has shed light on the hopelessness of the situation. Some may identify its gravity and vie for change but segments of the public now watch on in amusement as they resign themselves to the notion that the great political change that was envisioned for Sri Lanka was nothing but a toss of the same old coin.

Last year, the People’s Action For Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) drafted and submitted a ‘Code of Conduct for Politicians’ which was subsequently accepted unanimously by the leading political parties. It was ultimately a set of guidelines for parties to adhere to when nominating political candidates. For the most part, it was well intentioned and, although it lacked the legal and constitutional weight it needed to ever really amount to anything, the fact that the parties readily accepted its precepts was a sign that things were moving in the right direction. Following this week’s wrestling match in Parliament, fresh calls have been made for the Government to implement a separate code of conduct for parliamentarians as it has now been made abundantly clear that the bearers of the highest levels of public office have to be given behavioural guidelines as you would do with troubled juvenile miscreants. This parliamentary code of conduct that the people cry for was also one of President Maithripala Sirisena’s election promises and has yet to become reality. Although the swift response against both ruling party and Opposition MPs must be commended, it will not suffice in the long run, as a week’s paid leave is hardly a deterrent for abhorrent behaviour which brings the country into disrepute. It is the most lenient punishment that could have been imposed and some quarters within the Government voiced their support of the minimal punishment, ironically recommending that these incidents be resolved within Parliament and not handled publicly.

Whether Sri Lanka’s politicians believe they are entitled to an element of privacy when brawling in their capacities as public officials or whether they think the punishments for disrespecting their office, the constituencies they represent and the parliamentary House should be minimal, it is apparent that the Government’s delivery in terms of a code of conduct and the implementation of strict punishments in future cases will be crucial to the country’s progress. While a shuffled deck of politicians continues to test the public’s resolve, it is now time for the Government to take a firm stand on policing those in public office and prove that it is truly working towards changing a seemingly broken political system.