Scrounging with a Sense of Entitlement
During a Christmas lunch I was chatting to a lady who used to be a political party organiser in Kurunegala. She was saying she was not getting involved in any organising this time because people have no respect for your personal space. When you are involved in politics, or you are running for a seat, they walk into your house, take things from your fridge and say “We took those bottles of Coca Cola” etc and just walk off. If you are eating, they will expect to be fed when they come in. They all come unannounced. Your house is expected to be an open sesame for all. And if you say you are busy and cannot entertain them, they take offence and threaten to not vote for you. She said you don’t have a private life or your own space. If you don’t answer calls, they take offence.
Another friend involved in politics in Colombo was saying the same thing and that you have to attend all the people’s funerals and if you say you can’t go they take offense and assume you don’t care. So it’s a case of you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. In a country that is overburdened with welfare – education and healthcare – we are now saying it’s ok to allow people to scrounge off those who they think will lead them.
Apparently this model of entitled scrounging has been bred by politicians and now the people expect it. Since majority politicos are corrupt, feeding their supporters food and giving them Coca Cola bottles to take home must be nothing compared to the millions they rake in.
Honestly how sad have people become? And what of the people walking into politicos houses demanding food and Coca Cola? Have they no self respect? Integrity? Ethics? What have we become?
