Wealth of politicians

THE revelation of financial and non-financial possessions of various elected representatives has become a huge talking point over the last couple of weeks.

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The exposure by the media that a few of the Cabinet Ministers in the NPP Government own considerable property and assets has given rise to interesting debates and discussions.

For ages, the JVP/NPP politicians were driving the narrative that politicians cannot become rich unless they are rogues and cheats. The political movement was so successful in convincing the public that both major political forces in the island were financially dishonest and they were holier-than-thou. It was also evident that the Left-leaning political force was cultivating a sense of anger and fury among commoners towards the rich and wealthy, which is politically quite rewarding in a society like Sri Lanka where people who are affluent and wealthy are despised. Sometimes those who pursue wealth are considered immoral and building up fortune is considered unethical and decadent.