Opinion polls and public disillusionment with politicians

There are many opinion polls being conducted as it’s an election year. The results of these polls go from predicting a major upsurge in the popularity for the JVP-National People’s Party (NPP) to dismal approval of the Government. The results are met with scepticism by those who don’t do well in the polls and are welcomed by those who come out on top. Either way the methods used for conducting these polls are questionable and some of the organisations conducting them are allied to different political parties/groups. 

The sources of funding of some of the leading think tanks/organisations conducting these polls remain hidden but a little research shows that their funders based in foreign lands themselves have faced questions of transparency and accountability. This is ironic given these are the very same ones that demand transparency and accountability from the Government, political parties, the public sector, etc.

These questions aside, one does not need millions to be spent conducting opinion polls when a chat with a cross section of the public makes it obvious that the public confidence in politicians across the board is dismally low. Politicians of all hue and colour are painted with the same brush and it’s not uncommon to hear people say all 225 MPs should be chased away.

This loss of public approval of politicians has been brought on by public representatives themselves as they have catered to the unrealistic expectations from the public just to remain popular. Politicians have created a culture where they spend more time pandering to the personal needs of the voters in their electorates and forget that they are elected to work for the collective good of the public. 

Voters remain deeply divided on party lines particularly in suburban and rural districts and politicians exploit differences in class, caste, religious, ethnic differences to their advantage when an election is around the corner. Voters too have proven they easily and blindly fall prey to such tactics. The last Presidential election where Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected president clearly showed how voters can be easily deceived through crooked methods.

The lack of public confidence in politicians and in parliamentary democracy does not augur well for the country. This trend is common in many countries in the world where politicians are seen as villains who take power only to fulfil their personal agendas. For years Sri Lankan politicians have had to pay a heavy price being demonised as public enemy number one. Through separatist wars and two insurrections, many politicians of all ethnicities and religions paid with their lives. 

The economic crisis of last year exacerbated public anger toward politics. The brutal killing of MP Amarakeerthi Athukorala, who was beaten to death by a mob, and the torching of a large number of properties belonging to politicians showed the extent of public anger. Though attempts to burn down the Parliament were thwarted, there is the possibility that we could face such a threat in the future as the public anger and disillusionment with politicians remains high. A great deal rests with politicians and political parties if they want to win over the public and this means going beyond getting a vote at the next elections. Sri Lankans notoriously have little patience and whoever wins the next elections will face public anger within a few months after taking office. Given that there are no quick fixes for the economic problems facing the country, the public will have to put up with unsavoury and harsh realities of the economic crisis for years to come.

Polls will please some, anger some, and will be a cause of concern for some but they are a mere distraction in a country where no political party or group is well placed to put the country in order. A change in leadership/political power will heighten enthusiasm and bring about a short-term feel-good atmosphere but reality will come back to bite sooner than later.