Sri Lanka, May 24 -- High drama at the Parliamentary Lobby; During a commotion in the Parliament former Minister Johnston Fernando attacking the opposition with a chair (File photo)

One key issue highlighted by Sri Lanka's citizen protest movement is the crisis of the country's representative democracy. It is at the core of the larger political and constitutional crisis. The continuing erosion of public trust in the elected President, the elected parliament, and the ministers has become a regular feature of Sri Lanka's current political crisis too. The inability of the individuals who populate the key institutions of government to do much to restore public trust is making the ongoing crisis intractable too. The flippant behaviour of the ...