Govt. politicos, officials prefer to feign blindness, as people suffer

A characteristic found in common in politicians is their ability to nitpick selected facts and data depending on what side of the political fence they are and to manipulate the masses for their own political ends.

In recent days, Energy Minister Gamini Lokuge appeared before the media with a straight face to say there had been no shortage of fuel in the country and there was no need for people to gather in large crowds near fuel sheds. He said he had not seen such petrol queues while he was on the road.

It seems that only his driver must know of such queues to take shortcut routes to avoid any embarrassment for the Minister. Or maybe, his vehicle must have shaded or tinted windows, not just to minimise the glare from the sun, but to also avoid seeing the world outside his official, petrol guzzling car.

Nowadays, it seems even senior officials are following suit as their masters who avoid being seen in public, as a strategy not to earn the wrath of the protesting people.

Recently on a TV programme, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Chairman Sumith Abeysinghe was asked about the fuel price hike and the difficulties faced by people who had to line up at all hours of the day to secure a minimal fuel supply.

In a casual tone, and downplaying the issue, the chairman said he was not aware of protests that were staged against the fuel price hike in the country. The host suggested that maybe he needed to pay a visit to a nearby fuel station to hear what the people had to say about the price hike.

These days, in every nook and corner of the country, the talking point has been the increasing cost of living and increasing criticism of the Government's failures. After witnessing all these political stunts by Gover nment leaders in recent times, a pensioner, standing in a queue early one morning to secure a cylinder of cooking gas, asked a pertinent question: "Do Government leaders pretend to be ignorant of the gravity of the current situation, or do they think people are stupid enough to believe whatever they are saying? There is a saying-- there are none so blind as those who refuse to see."