Sri Lanka’s ‘Animal Farm’?

February 01, 2017

Are we heading towards an era of contradictions?

Although it is a preposterous suggestion but when trying best to seek an answer to this query, one is reminded of a quote by Eric Arthur Blair, better known as more famouse novelist, essayist, journalist and critic, George Orwell, who wrote that revolutionary allegorical novel—Animal Farm.

He says… “The Ministry of Peace concerns itself with war, the Ministry of Truth with lies, the Ministry of Love with torture and the Ministry of Plenty with starvation. These contradictions are not accidental, nor did they result from hypocrisy. They are deliberate exercises of double think.”

Orwell’s quote seem to be an apt description of the present political set up, where characters at the top are making contradictory statements against each other. Thus confusing the already frustrated public by forcing them not to believe anything said by anyone in the ruling clan.

Meanwhile some of these individuals, who may be dreading not to go down the sinkhole with this uncompromising and stubborn pack, are trying to give all sorts of mad excuses to save their faces and skins by saying when democracy is established again people have the freedom to behave and say any contradictory things.

But when analyzing their statements and behaviour, we feel whether the cart is being pulled in different directions by two kinds of horses or may be bulls, to achieve their own agendas.

We see Ministers contradicting each other by issuing harsh statements and even negating what the leader of the pack had wanted done regarding the so called important issues. At every instance where we find a member of the pack, we see and hear them throwing mud at their opponents (that is understandable) and also contradicting their own kindred.

At this moment we must ask ourselves whether we are witnessing a scene from Orwell’s Animal Farm? In his allegorical novel Orwell has depicted the life that suffering Russia experienced after the revolution, and how it ended up in tyranny (Stalinist era).
Are we too heading along the same path? Or are we going towards a total mess?

Whatever it is, what we have to do is either to keep the tails between our legs and say to each other “This is the result of the tyranny of the masses” and be satisfied with what we deserve.

Or forget about everything and enjoy a life full of “GAI-ETY” while the authorities are prostituting our valuable assets!

By Vijaya Ariyarathne