Sri Lanka It's Happening

January 7, 2005

Todays' newspapers carry the first photo (that I have seen) of an MP actually rolling up his sleeves and getting to work in the disaster area.

Sri Lankan members of parliament are a pampered lot. They never do any work but still manage to make millions. Their salaries are not astronomical but the perks and kickbacks make it worthwhile being an MP.

In the aftermath of the tidal wave that hit our coasts, many MPs struggled to get their ugly mugs on tv. Even the state media mafia, (which is maintained at public expense for the benefit of the party in power) spent more time on scenes of devastation than on anything else.

Since MPs are only a little bit smarter than the gullible voters they hoodwinked to get elected, so the most obvious ways of getting their photos on the nespapers of their comments on radio never occured to most of them until now.

Today former minister Mahinda Samarasinghe MP, can be seen on the daily mirror hard at work clearing away the rubble in the disaster zone. This is probably the very first time a member of parliament (there are 225 of them) have done something usefull since the tsunami struck.

Many copy cats are sure to follow suite but whether they will continue to clear up the rubble after the press photographer leaves the scene remains to be seen.

Posted by raditha at January 7, 2005 8:33 AM