Dr sarath obeysekera

Traffic Safety and Road Conditions

While in Sri Lanka, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. Vehicular traffic in Sri Lanka moves on the left (British style). Traffic in Colombo can be congested. Narrow two-lane highways, overloaded trucks, poorly driven buses, and a variety of conveyances on the road, ranging from ox carts and bicycles to new four-wheel-drive vehicles, make driving dangerous. Unexpected road blocks and one-way streets are common and may not be clearly marked. Many visitors hire cars and drivers for long trips through the country. Individuals who choose to hire three-wheeled vehicles (tuks” or three wheelers”) should use metered vehicles or negotiate prices beforehand to avoid confrontations upon arrival. If you are renting a vehicle, you should specifically request one with working seatbelts.

Above information on Country Reports web site clearly gives  a bleak picture about our discipline and maintaining law and order , on the roadways 

It gives an impression that we are a country with jungle law 

Today I listened to a lady law maker talking like a street gram vendor 

And yet boss of the country cannot do much 

Parliament is just like the law and order on the roadways 

In developed countries various allegation lead to resignation of ministers if his heads misbehave 

Yesterday the top man of a state transport was sacked by the minister and the head refuses to budge , just like the private bus driving along our roads refusing to give in right of way to others 

I also heard about two top level bosses of a state regulatory body where one was sacked  and other one was given marching orders

This shows that board of directors have some powers to convince the ministers to take action against the bosses of any organisations

Problem is that orders given by the ministers are also sometimes disregarded by the bosses of state institutions because they may be backed by other more powerful politicians who control reins of the government 

Just like the fact that we need to have disciplined three wheelers and private bus drivers , Sri Lanka should discipline politicians and the stooges running state organisations

Dr sarath obeysekera