{
  "id": 12755011,
  "title": "Remembering Juvenal, Coke, Acton and Machiavelli",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/remembering-juvenal-coke-acton-and-machiavelli",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-08T00:00:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/remembering-juvenal-coke-acton-and-machiavelli/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "News of politicians behaving in ways reminiscent of renowned writers, scholars, and legal experts continues unabated in Sri Lanka. This has been observed especially over the past few weeks. Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne decided that a privilege dispute raised by SJB MP Ajith P. Perera could not be addressed by a committee under his authority, as the Speaker is not subject to disciplinary proceedings by a committee subordinate to him for actions taken in his official role. Perera accused the Speaker of breaching his parliamentary privileges by refusing to act on a written request submitted on August 3 by 18 Opposition MPs requesting the formation of a Special Select Committee to tackle delays in the judicial system and prison overcrowding. The Speaker contended that there was no clear breach of parliamentary privilege.\n\nWhile we cannot dictate how the Speaker exercises his discretionary powers, we cannot help but recall Juvenal's Satires, which pose the question: \"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?\" – \"Who guards the guards?\" This age-old query has come to symbolize the broader issue of unchecked power and accountability. Are these discretionary powers truly carte blanche, allowing those who hold them to operate above the law and the rules governing the institutions they oversee? Should the exercise of such power be firmly anchored in morality to prevent misuse and impunity?\n\nJuvenal's Satires, a scathing critique of social inequality, political corruption, decadence, and Roman elite behavior, remain highly relevant to Sri Lanka. The country is currently treated to endless political circuses and theatrics, without the benefit of affordable bread or rice. Meanwhile, the enactment of the controversial 22nd Amendment (22A) to the Constitution, which allegedly raised the retirement age of superior court judges for ulterior motives, was passed despite contravening the principle of \"nemo judex in causa sua\" (no one should act as a judge in a case in which they have a personal interest), a principle rooted in Roman law and popularized by Sir Edward Coke. The Supreme Court approved 22A, and it was subsequently rammed through Parliament. The consequences of a single bad law can be extremely damaging to an entire legal system.\n\nWhen it comes to political thinkers, Sri Lankan politicians seem to have learned most from Machiavelli, particularly his advice on the art of keeping and breaking promises, as evidenced by the multitude of unfulfilled election pledges. Many have also adopted Joseph Goebbels' propaganda tactics, repeating falsehoods with such frequency that they resemble the behavior of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. They win elections on promises of good governance, but once they attain power, their actions often reflect Lord Acton's statement about power: \"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.\"\n\nCitizen Perera, while not aiming to join the circle of Juvenal, Acton, Coke, or others of their stature, has made a noteworthy observation: \"When one has brains, one has no power, and when one has power, one has no brains.\" This sentiment is vividly illustrated by the contrasting behavior of Opposition politicians, who appear to act sensibly, and their counterparts in the ruling party, who seem to have completely lost their minds.",
  "summary": "Thursday 8th Octobber, 2026 Hardly a day passes in this country without a torrent of news about politicians whose actions evoke memories of famous poets, thinkers, historians and jurists of yore, such as Juvenal, Edward Coke, Lord Acton and Niccolò Machiavelli. This has been particularly so during the past several weeks. Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}