{"id":110375,"date":"2021-01-04T16:49:59","date_gmt":"2021-01-04T23:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=110375"},"modified":"2021-01-04T16:49:59","modified_gmt":"2021-01-04T23:49:59","slug":"sri-lanka-needs-a-confidence-boost-to-lift-it-out-of-the-morass-it-is-in-time-for-a-national-approach-to-governance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/01\/04\/sri-lanka-needs-a-confidence-boost-to-lift-it-out-of-the-morass-it-is-in-time-for-a-national-approach-to-governance\/","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka needs a confidence boost to lift it out of the morass it is in; Time for a National approach to governance?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Raj Gonsalkorale<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

The\nyear 2020 ended with the COVID pandemic raging unabated, not just in Sri Lanka\nbut throughout the world and bringing down the world as we all knew it.\nEconomies of countries from the superrich to the very poor have all crumbled\nand health services are bursting at the seams. Education has been disrupted and\nso has the functioning of society as we knew it. Confidence in governance\nmodels, particularly democratic models is shattering as a consequence of the\nTrump led attack on the US system. 2021 is heralded amidst challenges perhaps\nnot witnessed during the life time of those who are alive today.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri\nLanka is no exception in having to face these serious challenges and while\nthere seems to be an increasing public opinion that the current government has\nretreated into a state of slumber, many overlook the fact that all countries in\nthe world have been shaken to the core by the pandemic and that there are\nlimits to what any government in the country could have done in the\ncircumstances. There is also a tendency to blame a government while people\nthemselves have chosen not to share their share of the responsibility and\nbehaving in the most irresponsible manner endangering themselves and so many\nwho could be infected by them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\nthis is not to say that things could have been done differently. What seems to\nbe missing is a mindset that looks at things differently and then undertaking\nthem differently. The need for a mindset change is not directed only at the\ngovernment. It is directed at the Opposition, all political parties, public and\nprivate institutions, civil society organisations and religious institutions as\nwell. In the post COVID world, one could argue quite rationally that it is\nessential to have a mindset change if Sri Lanka is to raise its head and keep\nit above the water that is drowning it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economically,\nfrom all accounts, Sri Lanka is perhaps at a stage when liquidators may have to\nbe called in to manage a State that is either bankrupt or is heading towards\nit. It does not appear that the country could meet its debt obligations and\nfinance its essential fuel requirements, health needs and food requirements\nwithout a substantial infusion of funds into the government\u2019s coffers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All\nindications are that such an infusion will only be possible through massive\nloans from international finance institutions and\/or countries able to provide\nsuch loans. Besides institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, ADB etc, the only\ncountry that would be able to provide a large loan would be China and China\nwill want their pound of flesh if they were to provide such a loan. What that\npound of flesh means and entails is the billion-dollar question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nSri Lanka succumbs, and there does not seem to be any other light at the end of\na long and dark tunnel, the consequential international politics involving the\nUSA and India is bound to have a serious impact on what is left of the\ncountry\u2019s sovereignty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much\nof what the current government is facing today is a consequence of the disorder\nin the world as a result of the COVID pandemic. While it can be argued\njustifiably that some things could have been done better, it should be\naccepted, justifiably, that whatever government in power would have been\nsubject to the helplessness the country is placed in at present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe present circumstances therefore a major mindset change that could help the\ncountry would be a national approach to governance rather than a partisan\napproach. Major issues faced by the country such as its economy, education,\nhealth, energy needs and very importantly, its food security could be\napproached from a national perspective where the government, the Opposition,\nall political parties, business and religious institutions, unions etc, agree\non what should be considered as national priorities and also agree on\nstrategies to address the challenges faced by such national priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partisan\npolitics and other divisions should go into hibernation at least for a short\nperiod like 3-5 years during which time the welfare of the country rather than the\nwelfare of individual institutions takes precedence. The issue in hand which is\nthe survival of the country as a sovereign nation is what is at stake. This\nissue is bigger than any individual or any one institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps\nthe President could lead the way and call for a summit meeting of concerned\ninstitutions and individuals in order to arrive at broad strategic policy and\naction parameters on key national priorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such\nan initiative would lead to an increase in public confidence that the country\nhas a way forward to the future, and it will increase business confidence that\nis currently at a very low ebb. It will also increase confidence amongst possible\ninvestors, local and foreign, that the country is stable, and able to withstand\ninternational pressures on account of its more inclusive and strategic policy and\naction settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To\nparaphrase Bernard Shaw, COVID offers several opportunities for the country to\nlook at things as they never were and ask why not rather than continuing to\nlook at things as they are and continuing to ask why. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nhave a so called representative democracy that votes in people\u2019s\nrepresentatives which fundamentally does not represent the wishes of the those\nwho vote in their representatives. The Parliament and Provincial Councils are a\nfarce in this respect. There is hardly any consultation with the people on key\npolicy matters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ncountry\u2019 s suffocating foreign debt has been incurred over the years without\nany discussion amongst stakeholders. Business institutions, unions, societal\ninstitutions, women\u2019s organisations, religious institutions and other entities\nthat better represent their areas of interest have not been consulted although\nthey should be part of a policy determination process. One should have a very\nserious look at the need for 225 Members of Parliament, in particular if they\nblindly follow their party positions rather than national priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While\nthe female population of the country exceeds the male population, there is\nhardly a voice for women in Parliament or in provincial councils. This is a\nmajor anomaly that needs to be addressed and a national approach to policy\nmaking would be an avenue to correct this major imbalance in governance in the\ncountry.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amongst\nother key areas that needs a national approach is the ever smouldering ethnic\nissue concerning the Tamils of Sri Lanka and also the issues concerning the\nMuslim population of the country. A mechanism must exist to address these on a\nlong term basis and also in an ongoing basis, but both from a national\nperspective outside of partisan politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education\nis perhaps one of the most important areas considering that it is the sphere in\nwhich the future of the country is nurtured and moulded. A longer term national\neducation policy particularly for secondary education is a must as such\npolicies should not change every time a government changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ncountry cannot and should not revert to the failed political practices of the\npast 73 years. COVID has given an opportunity to look at new and alternative\nways of governing the country. Affording an opportunity for people to vote\nevery so many years and re-elect or change governments is not effective\ndemocracy while it is a vital element in a democratic system. Avenues have to\nbe introduced for greater participation by people in formulation of key policy\nsettings. The ever evolving developments in information technology provides\nthese avenues to a large number of people. They can be consulted and they can\nbe heard. In fact, this facility will negate the need to have so many members\nof Parliament as they have proven to be mostly ineffective and an utter waste\nof public funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ngovernance model has to change if Sri Lanka is to learn a lesson from its\nposition as a State that seems destined to fail if life goes on as usual. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Raj Gonsalkorale The year 2020 ended with the COVID pandemic raging unabated, not just in Sri Lanka but throughout the world and bringing down the world as we all knew it. Economies of countries from the superrich to the very poor have all crumbled and health services are bursting at the seams. Education has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-raj-gonsalkorale"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110375\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}