A glorious past in Sri Lankan politics we dream of

The Government plans to put much to lift the island’s production; be it paddy, agriculture produce or the manufacture of garments or handicraft (Pix AFP)

Portfolios have been presented in a manner in which the Cabinet Minister has to come to the aid of the state minister if the latter fails

People were happy and events were held daily with the participation of the king and even members of the Buddhist clergy

 

20 August 2020

The first week at work by cabinet and state ministers was disrupted by a sudden island-wide power failure on Monday (August 17) which called for a response from the subject minister Dullas Alahapperuma. The cabinet minister has called for the setting-up of a committee to probe the reasons behind the power outage. The power failure also triggered a water cut and all these issues added to the woes of the people who are still recovering from the battering they’ve received from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The government’s response to deal with the crisis was swift with the power and water supply being restored in the majority of districts on the day of the crisis itself. Hence the effects of the blackout on the economy and most essentially the new regime must be viewed from an administrative perspective. Right now the country is led by a performance driven president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He would not like these little hiccups because there are unconfirmed stories doing the rounds in which questions are being asked whether ‘sabotage’ was possible. 

Many years ago, in past governments, the ball would have been passed where taking responsibility is concerned and the subject minister and the state minister would have traded arguments during a crisis. But the present portfolios have been presented in a manner in which the Cabinet Minister has to come to the aid of the state minister if the latter fails. 

And still the president has much powers and can take a swift decision if there is a threat to the existence of a national asset. Days ago the president ordered the stop to the construction of a road inside the Sinharaja Forest. This was following a protest made by Centre for Environment and Nature Studies (CENS) which disapproved the construction of a road within the buffer zone near the forest; an asset which is listed as a national heritage site. The road was constructed following requests by the villagers. Government authorities however maintain that the area of concern lies outside the Sinharaja forest or the buffer zone.

Looking at the events that took place after the starting of the road construction it seems there is a chance for public outrage to bring about change. There was much outrage aired on social media over the construction of this road and it is admirable that the president has aired the views of the public; which is to halt construction of the road. 

We also must observe when studying our history that the kings have been receptive to the needs of people. Sri Lanka was in the past known to dedicate land for cultivation. Agriculture was possible because the rulers, here the writer is referring to the kings, of the country, made it their responsibility to build and maintain tanks. King Wasamba (65-100 AD) built 11 tanks and 12 canals. It is said that the first 500 years (AD) was period of peace and prosperity in Sri Lanka and great efforts were taken to build and maintain tanks in the island. By 100 AD Rajarata (Anuradhapura) was able to retain the required amount of water for cultivation and other needs. This period is recorded as the ‘golden era’ of Sri Lanka. Historic records reveal that the people were happy and events were held daily with the participation of the king and even members of the Buddhist clergy. And another standout feature about this period is that there was no foreign invasion of Sri Lanka. 

The present president is also thinking on these lines. He has appointed his brother Chamal Rajapaksa as the subject minister in charge of Irrigation and also has Siripala Gampalth and Anuradha Herath functioning as state ministers in charge of areas like canals and tanks respectively. Much effort is taken to lift the island’s production; be it paddy, agriculture produce or the manufacture of garments or handicraft. 

At present one of the main focuses of the new Cabinet under President Rajapaksa is to amend the Constitution by bringing in the 20th Amendment. This amendment will have some of the positive features of the 18th and 19th Amendments to the Constitutions. One of the main grievances of the Rajapaksas about the 19th Amendment is that though it made the commissions independent they (commissions) were weak and there had been severe political interferences in their functions. 

When president Rajapaksa took over the reins of the nation he promised to establish a working culture and make ministers and state workers work, so as to serve the public better. At a recent meeting, conducted at the Presidential Secretariate, President Rajapaksa had said that he had created ‘unorthodox’ state ministries with the aim of creating a people centric national economy and there by making the people stakeholders of the economy.

The critics of the Rajapaksas state that the tightfisted rule of the country thus far, since the last presidential elections in November 2019, would make state workers slog like slaves. But that claim by critics cannot be backed by any historic record where our Sinhalese kings had established slavery. In nations where there was slavery workers didn’t own land, nor did they receive wages for their efforts. These slaves had to pay landowners a part of the income that the plots of land they worked on generated. Sri Lankan kings have worked in disguise as labourers in fields and have even been paid wages; which earnings they donated to the the temples. So the bottom line to all this talk of ‘slavery’ might not be supported by Sri Lanka’s history. 

The only little concern citizens have is that Sri Lanka as a nations sees that ageing politicians are not showing any interest to retire and make way for ‘young blood’ to take over as lawmakers. For the record out of the 26 cabinet ministers appointed as many as 12 are over 70 years old. Even Sri Lanka’s kings ruled for long; sometimes till their legs couldn’t carry them. This is one feature in Sri Lankan politics that the majority of the population, regardless of the colour of the party they support, would wish to see a change in.