Integrity of a decision, which is made by a Dual Citizenship Holder

    Broadly speaking, with proposed 20^th amendment to the constitution, or narrowing it down by saying the repeal of item (xiii) of sub-paragraph in article 91 in the constitution, the issue of Basil Rajapaksha’s potential return to Sri Lankan Parliament as a dual citizenship holder is hotly debated. Will he be able to take stately decision without adversely affecting the sovereignty of Sri Lanka? Do we have to inertly question the moral integrity of a decision made by a dual citizenship holder in state affairs? The nature of man is such that motherly and earthly inheritance cannot be cheated upon. Moreover, when the President Gotabaya calls the shots regarding Basil Rajapaksha, we Sri Lankans have to trust his judgment. Regardless this citizenship issue, we have to elect visionary and missionary enough statespersons to navigate us through potential hostile waters of Adam’s and Malacca Straits.

    These is no doubt that years of residing in a foreign country and eventual oath-swearing as a citizen of a second state should affect each individual in varying degrees. The second-state’s history, culture, social order, weather, institutions and politics are undeniable leaving marks within any sensible man.

    However, can the very nature of a man be rooted out by any of those foreign traits? On our beautiful plant, state is the greatest entity that can craft reason within an individual. The utopian idea of globalised individual is still lacking any sensible legal frameworks and enforcing mechanism. So, the greatest virtue that can be found within a man if found within his love for his Mother-land. And when that happens the interests of his Mother-land ought to naturally flow through him. And no individual on this planet is born without this real natural linkage to a certain state, county, village and to a family and a mother as a citizen. And it is as real as it gets. Of cause, some person’s understanding of nature, reality, love and his interests in his state could differ radically from another – for ex, a person like Mangala Samaraweera vainly believes in those transcending values truly.

    And no child however be born into his state and aspires to become a citizen of another state. Of cause, it may be a necessity, at certain stage of his life, like in a marriage, or in some other cases. But, as an adult, mostly it is existing systematic economic disparity between nation-states triggers one to aspire to become a citizen in elsewhere. It is almost certainly the case regarding all Sri Lankans.

    Having said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s experience in United States as a civil servant should raise the most eyebrows of any reasonable electorate in Sri Lanka. Especially when he is well versed in his second state’s institutional frameworks and still his son and friends live there. However, once renounced his US citizenship, to become the President, what he really wanted was the endorsement from the majority of Sri Lankans. With no doubt that the majority of Sri Lankans seems to have grasped the true nature of him and his earthly relation to this Island.

    Reflecting the fact that, in 2015. Mr. Ten percent rushed to the airport, this same could not be said about Basil Rajapaksha. Yes, it is true that he had made a lot of enemies for being the tuff guy for Mahinda Rajapaksa. Otherwise, Basil Rajapaksha has also proven this stamina and his acute knowledge in Sri Lankan politics over and over again. His recent election forecast is an excellent example for this. And, however, the nature of politics as such that when once we honored Gotabaya Rajapaksha with our trust, we have to trust his judgments regarding Basil Rajapaksha also.

    To quest to find the intricacies of moral dilemmas of trusting the integrity of decision, which is made by a dual citizenship holder, in stately affairs, is deeply philosophical. Such an endeavor requires asserted immersion in the topic. That is far beyond the scope of this entertaining little writing. However, it nutshell, I believe, when one entertains the idea that human nature is unpredictable, the only way forward trusting the integrity of decisions of a dual citizenship holder is staying with him for prolong period of time and keenly observing the outcome of each and every decision he made, in concert with well sustained projection of his second state’s interests in our country. The Rajapaksa family’s underline center-left politics and the fact that their main electorate base lies among Sinhala Buddhist only suggests that there is no leakage of foreign interests in their political agenda. On the other hand, underline political theme of UNP and in most minority political parties and politicians like Mangala Samaraweera’s interests in our state can easily be aligned with foreign interests.  

    To me though most concerning issue is not about in which dual citizenship holder is wielding the power in Sri Lankan politics, but which countries are truly interested in meddling in Sri Lankan politics. Some of traditionalists still think US’s and UK’s interferences are the most decisive in our domestic politics and, therefore, concern about the dual citizenship holders of US and UK. What we really have to be mindful is about the immediate neighbors’ interests lie just beyond the Adam’s and Malacca Straits. Indian and Chinese interests are the most culpable in Sri Lanka. And we need to ask if any of their citizens are in Sri Lankan politics holding power, or any Sri Lankan is navigating these waters in favor of them.

    As was in our history, our beautiful island’s fate is tightly entangled with Indian and Chinese interests rather than United States and United Kingdom. The issue of moral integrity of Sri Lankan dual citizenship holder has to be weighted within these complex international actors and their true and achievable interests in Sri Lanka. You and I have to select our statespersons carefully. They need to swim the hostile waters of Adam’s and Malacca Straits for millenniums come.