Rule of Law or Rule of Convenience? Sri Lanka's Political Double Standards Under Scrutiny

There is a troubling pattern that has long defined Sri Lankan politics — and indeed the broader political culture across much of the world — where those who preach loudest about justice, democracy and the rule of law are often the very same individuals who abandon those principles the moment they find themselves in power.

A Familiar Pattern of Political Hypocrisy

Time and again, Sri Lankan voters have witnessed opposition politicians passionately championing accountability, demanding that wrongdoers be brought to justice and insisting that no one should stand above the law. These declarations resonate strongly with the public, particularly when they come from individuals who appear to be fighting against a corrupt or authoritarian establishment.

Yet the uncomfortable truth is that such commitments frequently prove to be little more than political theatre. Once the levers of power shift hands, those same voices tend to grow conspicuously quiet. The urgency to prosecute, investigate and hold individuals accountable suddenly dissipates, replaced by a culture of impunity that protects allies and punishes opponents.

Power Reveals Character

What power ultimately does is strip away the carefully constructed public image of a politician and expose the values — or lack thereof — that truly guide their decisions. In Sri Lanka, this phenomenon has played out across successive governments, regardless of party or ideology. The faces change, but the behaviour remains disturbingly consistent.

Citizens who celebrated a change of government in the hope of genuine reform have repeatedly found themselves disappointed when new administrations appear to shelter their own from scrutiny while selectively pursuing cases against political rivals. This selective application of the law does not merely constitute hypocrisy — it actively corrodes public trust in state institutions.

The Cost of Impunity

When crime goes unpunished simply because the perpetrator carries a party membership card or enjoys the protection of those in office, the damage extends far beyond individual cases. It sends a clear message to society at large that justice is not blind — it is transactional.

• Public confidence in the judiciary and law enforcement weakens.
• Ordinary citizens, who face the full force of the law for minor infractions, grow increasingly disillusioned.
• A culture of corruption becomes self-perpetuating, as each generation of politicians learns that accountability is optional.
• Democratic institutions are hollowed out from within.

Accountability Must Be Non-Negotiable

The principle is straightforward, even if its application has proven elusive: no crime should go unpunished, regardless of who commits it. A functioning democracy cannot survive on selective justice. The rule of law must apply uniformly — to the powerful and the powerless alike.

True respect for democracy is not measured by what politicians say when they are in opposition. It is measured by what they do when they hold power.

Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture in its political and democratic development. The public has shown, through successive electoral upheavals, that it is capable of demanding change. What remains to be seen is whether the country's political class will finally internalise the lesson that accountability is not a weapon to be wielded against opponents — it is a standard to be upheld for everyone, without exception.

Until that standard is genuinely embraced rather than merely performed, the cycle of impunity will continue — and with it, the erosion of the very democratic values that politicians so eloquently claim to defend.

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