The government says it is going to make Sri Lanka the `Wonder of Asia`. The Rajapaksas for sure want their rule to be a miracle, that no previous government could match and no future government would dare compete with. Such aspirations however, sit oddly beside the antics of Mervyn Silva.

The latest on this is the appeal made by Buddhist monks who conferred at the BMICH to re-establish Mervyn as Deputy Minister and as SLFP organiser for Kelaniya. Buddhist monks especially from the Gampaha District queued up to sign an appeal appreciating the work of `Dr.` Mervyn Silva as deputy minister and requesting the President to re appoint Silva to his earlier position, to continue with his `good work`.

They were not just ordinary monks. Apart from most being senior Buddhist monks, there were also academics in higher educational institutes like Ven. Patheygama Gnanasiri of the Anuradhapura Bikkhu University and professors like Venerable Kamburugamuwe Vajira thero, among those who led this appeal.

What is their assessment of Mervyn Silva`s track record of not only spewing idiotic nonsense in public, but intimidating journalists and media institutions, ridiculing parliamentary proceedings and tying a Samurdhi animator to a tree? Do these monks include all that too as the `good work` of Mervyn Silva?

Opposition politicians like Rosie Senanayake, who sit with Mervyn in the same parliamentary cafeteria admits she cannot understand why sitting with Mervyn as a judge on the Mega Star programme is wrong. `He is witty too and treats all as equals`, she says! This makes her equal to Mervyn!. Dayasiri Jayasekera wants people to know that he does not see any connection between Mervyn`s politics and this reality show. Ranjan Ramanayake is the only person who has `tried to be honest` in his comments to the media, but he too has refrained from explaining why he is there.

For them all, `Art` is not politics. Sports is not politics. Business is not politics. Private life is not politics. All of them could therefore play, sing, dine and wine, do business for profit and talk nonsense with any Sakvithi or Mervyn, for that is not politics. For them, politics is what they say and do to collect votes at elections and then, if they do enter parliament, what they say in parliament.

This is what Sinhala society is. Therefore any monk, academic, businessman or politician can do as he pleases, in the absence of an intellectual political opposition. Its absence is a reflection of the intellectual poverty in Sinhala society. Professionals, academics and opinion makers should share the blame for this situation.

Kusal Perera