A true son of the nation – President’s son is not

In a nation plagued with political corruption and unjust social system where the burden of defending the country has fallen primarily only on the poor, a glimmer of hope was raised when the son of the President Mahinda Rajapakse announced that he has enlisted in the Navy in order to serve the country. This was viewed as many to be ground breaking as it has become the accepted norm that the kids of politicians and the rich should not have to bear any burden of safe guarding the national integrity or for that matter perform any patriotic duty. Instead, it is normal for such individuals to, in fact, be a burden on the society and the tax payer by living a lavish life style enjoying amenities such as expensive cars, drivers and even bodyguards who protect them from situations the kids themselves are responsible for.

But the euphoria over the President’s son joining the Navy was, unfortunately, short lived. It was announced last week that the President’s son was the “lucky” beneficiary of a scholarship to the Dartmouth Naval Academy in the UK. The scholarship normally awarded to outstanding seamen who complete years of service in the military was conveniently awarded this time to the son of the president. It has also come to light that several rules were bent in order to qualify the son in to the Navy as his academic qualification did not meet the necessary requirements. He has served only a few months as a junior officer and has not seen any action although he was recently seen wearing a uniform which included a sword normally reserved for the top brass.

Little seems to have changed. Mahinda, like everyone else who held the commander-in-chief position, has put his and his family's well being before the needs of the country. Is there a point in expecting any thing different from his cabinet or other appointees?