It has become increasingly clear during the past few decades that many nations, including Sri Lanka, are facing a culture of politicising almost every element of society.
The infusion of political language, beliefs, and partisanship into many aspects of life, frequently at the cost of rational debate, social coexistence, and good governance, is what this phenomenon entails.
While this is not entirely a new occurrence, it is astonishing how far politics manipulates all facets of Sri Lankan society.
Wikipedia describes politicisation as a concept in political science used to explain how ideas, entities, or collections of facts are given a political tone or character that becomes a subject of contestation.
The public opinion is that in Sri Lanka, there is certainly a controversy that has to be contested and eliminated for a better future.
Pervasive issue
Historically, in Sri Lanka, politicisation has been a pervasive issue that has been intensely deep-rooted in the country’s political, economic and social frameworks.
The excessive and intolerable level of political influence in every aspect of social existence, such as culture, education, and day-to-day life, has generated a huge overall negative impact on society, dividing the nation into many factions.
Needless to say, the politicisation existed in Sri Lanka since independence in 1948, but obviously at a negligible ratio until the early 1970s and went completely out of proportion from then on.
The current dramatically polarised environment in the country, due to multiple reasons, has increased the political division among the citizenry to intolerable extremes.
It seems almost impossible to meet family, friends and acquaintances and not to discuss various political figures and their ideologies.
It also seems unavoidable to be quickly judged by others, not by character but by political views. Everyone who is generally in the opposing camp is a traitor with whom one cannot interact anymore. This means that the politically inclined social division is immense.
Political polarisation in the country is one of the key reasons and setbacks for politicisation in Sri Lanka, where the entire society is divided into several factions along ideological lines. This societal division is aggravated by enduring partisanship among the public.
The issue worsens as almost everyone aligns themselves with the political party ideologies of their fondness and views on all common issues, both positive and negative, through the political angle of their preference. This phenomenon exists in a vast majority of the adult population, resulting in increased hyper-partisanship.
Due to this bias, people tend to blame the ruling political party for everything, including issues that have no relevance.
For example, it is common to see that even a natural disaster that occurs due to weather change, such as drought or floods, is invariably credited to the Government, irrespective of its political principles.
Similarly, the ruling party, whichever camp they are in politically, blames the Opposition for such disasters, customarily citing previous periods.
This is a game played by every political party during the past five decades and something that must stop sooner rather than later. It is abundantly clear that such political psychology takes the country further into the dark pit it is already in.
During recent years, the citizenry has been visibly divided into several different factions based on ethnic and religious diversity. This has played a pivotal role in politicisation.
Religious groups
As a practice, some political parties align themselves with specific ethnic or religious groups that have created identity politics, disturbing the historical harmony and co-existence of multi-religious and multiracial societies in the country. For the past four decades, every political party has exploited these divisions mercilessly and inconsiderately for electoral gains.
One such example of the exploitation of politically manipulated and motivated ethnicity-related conflict was the thirty-year civil commotion that resulted in enormous socio-economic impact. The whole regrettable scenario was created by politicians, particularly and predominantly those who lived in the North.
However, time and again, politicians from the South also took political advantage and utilised ethnic emotions for petty gains. If politicians are genuinely concerned about the country and its people, they will never resort to such tactics to earn political mileage. Disappointingly, they do not seem to have realised the gravity as of now.
It is no secret that most politicians in Sri Lanka, at all levels, use corrupt means such as bribes, embezzlement, fraud, extortion, and nepotism to divert public resources and funds to the infrastructure that helps them come into power or hold on to power. Corruption creates benefaction systems, builds loyalty, pays off rivals and opposition, and sometimes buys votes by way of money or material and protection from prosecution.
Not only politicians, but recent media reports as well as audits conducted by the Auditor General have revealed that a large number of state officials are also engaged in nefarious activities. In most of these cases, public servants acted on political backing, willingly for gains, or unwillingly under pressure.
However, almost every time, despicable activities take place with the cohesion of both politicians and public servants. The power of mass media in contemporary politics the world over is unique and conspicuous. Both conventional and social media play a vitally significant role in promoting politicisation, even if it is not the real intention.
While conventional media publish sensational stories that can divide societal perceptions and opinions, social media spread detrimental misinformation to increase the impact.
This can lead to the acceptance of politicisation as a rule of thumb, which in turn can encourage bad politicians to continue the practice of lobbying.
Particularly in the current context where social media engagement is astonishingly rapid, misinformation and disinformation can have a colossal impact on politics.
Whether people like it or not, politicians are required in a country to make laws and to govern. In this sense, although social media can be immensely useful in revealing political exploitation, it can also create bad tastes in relatively good politicians as well.
There is no doubt that the issue must be addressed, and a conscious and comprehensive approach must be developed to mitigate the root cause.
Introducing and enforcing suitable constitutional reforms with strict control over political manipulation is, perhaps, one of the best steps that can be taken.
Similarly, implementing stringent anti-corruption measures to combat corruption and nepotism and promoting transparency in all aspects of governance is another productive step. This includes independent oversight bodies and effective legal mechanisms to investigate and prosecute corrupt acts crafted by politicisation.
Manipulations
As explained earlier, currently, the public seems to be accepting politicisation to a certain extent. They believe that such manipulations are inevitable and feel that it is futile to discuss them openly.
This mindset must be changed by educating them effectively to foster understanding and reject such activities by bringing them open whenever a detection is made.
Independent civil society organisations must be encouraged to play a more active role in monitoring and advocating for good governance and accountability.
These organisations can act as watchdogs, providing checks and balances for political power.
The culture of politicising everything in a country poses significant challenges to the functioning of society and governance. In Sri Lanka, the issue is deeply rooted, multifaceted, and lasting. Politicisation has led to instability, ethnic and religious tensions, and economic downturns.
Addressing this challenge is a complex task that requires comprehensive reforms and a commitment to inclusivity, accountability and reconciliation. Civil society, politicians, public servants and all other stakeholders must unite to address this menacing issue sooner rather than later. Ultimately, Sri Lanka’s future stability and prosperity depend on its ability to move beyond divisive politics and build a more inclusive and cohesive society.
