BY EDWARD THEOPHILUS

When I was talking to many Sri Lankan people who are living in overseas and in Sri Lanka, they clearly expressed that the country is in a dogmatic situation, that unable to identify the priorities. Politic in Sri Lanka has given priorities for talking rubbish points of Machiavellian practices of political parties with a view to covering up major economic issues of the country. Sri Lanka has serious fundamental economic problems, which should be solved by effective measures with a strong policy monitoring process.  When we observe the past policy implementation process since independence, it seems that people of Sri Lanka have caught to a trap in which nature is for talking on unnecessary politic without identifying the priorities and politicians in the country use the unnecessary politic for their survival.

Last Sunday I read a highly interested and significant interview with Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa in web page www.lankacnews.com. I really appreciate the vision of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa toward the future of Sri Lanka. He has a clear vision and policy directions what should do to uplift the economic, social, political, cultural and technological status of the country.  I cannot assess how far Sri Lankans understand his vision and mission.  Historically, Gotabaya was the youngest of three brothers Sangatissa, Sanga bodhi, and Gotabaya, who was also the Grandfather of King Dutugemunu, but he was a cunning strategist and we are not concerned about the past family matters.  Current Gotabaya is living human with an active vision.  Sri Lankans must read this interview and understand what is needed to the country.

Economic development and growth must be the priority of Sri Lanka than any other issues.  The government, media, people and various agencies working in the country need to give priority for requirements of economic development and growth-related policies and how they could be effectively used in the country.  If they seem to be failed, what is an essential remedy to work policy with a view to achieving targets.

In many democratic countries, it appears that politicians use unnecessary issues to cover up the failures, Republic issue in Australia, Brexit issue in the UK are some examples.  When Marxist political parties such as JVP, LSSP, and CP were playing politics with trade unions and lower income earners in the country, Mr. J.R. Jayewardene identified the major economic issues in the country and introduced market economic policy, which positively impact on the rural economy giving a right price to their products and services and accelerated economic development through integrated district development, accelerated Mahaweli project and many others.  He clearly identified that authoritative leadership (executive presidency) will be useful to tackle many problems of the country.  He identified divisive, selfish and harmful attitudes of Tamil politicians and understood that Sinhala population of Sri Lanka would be increased to 80% of the total and the north and east should not be merged restricting Sinhala population moving to the east where more lands are available to absorb increasing Sinhala population.

Mr. Premadasa as president faced to twofold terrorism, one from LTTE in the North and JVP from the south.  While facing to terrorism, he had a priority to eliminate poverty at rural level and identified two vital strategies, one was providing financial support for poor to survive and expanding economic activities in rural areas for income redistribution and balanced growth.  Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga had not specific priories rather than an unsuccessful attempt to eliminate the war situation, however, her Western align mentality was not in success to identify the right strategy for economic development and growth.  As an executive president, she was reluctant to sacrifice the authoritative political power and to remove economic disparities between rural and urban Sri Lanka.

Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa gave priorities to eliminate was highly successful and was active in upgrading rural infrastructure and empowering regional people through effective policies to skilling the nation.  Despite his positive policy actions, he was unable to work for wiping out corruptions originated since the 1970s and broadened during the wartime.  As a result, he was unpopular in urban and semi-urban areas and had some difficulties identifying priorities in post-war situation.

Yahapalanaya misjudged the society and associated with people, who were behind unrealistic Marxist ideology who were failed in politics and lived in rhetorical utopian Marxist State in the market system generated in the liberal democratic environment and secretly involved in mega corruption deals creating massive problems for economic development and growth.  They attempted to concentrate on unnecessary issues such as making new constitution but fully ignored the eliminating the major constraint to build the national integration by possible discrimination among communities and making a cultural design for the country.  The cultural design is the strategic secret of Western countries to unit nations and stimulates economic development and growth.  Yahapalanaya through constitutional amendments destroyed the abilities of Mr. Sirisena and the environment created by so-called Yahapalanaya prevented giving priorities for economic development and growth and modernization as Mr. Sirisena had to give the role to the parliament which consists of members lacking knowledge, skills, experience, qualities, but with desires of undue enrichment.  At last Mr. Sirisena identified problems, it was late.

People who learned Japanese economic history know that attitudes of people on modernization contributed to building a strong Japan.  During the Tokugawa period people were ready to sacrifice and Meiji restoration established the idea of modernization and changed the attitudes of people and Mr Isaku Sato gave authoritative political leadership for economic development and growth.

To give priorities for economic development and growth, Sri Lanka needs an authoritative political leadership with a clear vision. Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa has excellent ideas and vision for modernization and growth.  His idea must go to people at the regional level.

Buddhism and Sanga have monumental strength in Sri Lanka, which should be used to achieve economic development and growth with developing the vision of modernization with people of Sri Lanka.