SRI LANKA NEEDS A NEW POLITICAL CULTURE
DEVOID OF POLITICAL BACKSTABBING, POWER STRUGGLES
Sri Lanka needs a new political culture devoid of political backstabbing, power struggles, political gimmicks and corruption, State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said yesterday.
Mr. Wijewardene expressed this sentiment at the 18th Dudley Senanayake commemoration lecture in Colombo last evening.
“It is evident that Sri Lanka needs a new political culture. a culture devoid of political backstabbing, power struggles, political gimmicks and corruption at the cost of the people. Marching thousands through the capital by enticing them with bottles of arrack and lunch packets is not a political statement but a mere a political gimmick. It only burdens the people more. I thank the Governor of the western province for his prompt intervention in stopping the purchase of chairs from Belgium worth millions.,” Mr. Wijewardene said.
Quoting President Abraham Lincoln he said.“you can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time”. the current government was ushered into power by the people with the promise of instilling good governance. three years down the road what have we achieved thus far? The transition from a system where power was centralized among a few family members to a system based on good governance has not been easy,” he added.
“This administration too has been plagued by accusations of corruption, policy decisions are tangled up in so much red tape that it is hard to move forward. Efficiency has been replaced by lethargy.add to this mix a national government that consists of two main political parties with diverse ideology breeds confusion and frustration.to the extent that some people are calling for a more authoritarian rule, it is disheartening to hear some going as far as saying this country needs a Hitler. a Hitler is not the answer to our problems. This government has done much in the past three years, we have established peoples right to information, made primary education compulsory to all children, extended medical insurance for schoolchildren, slashed prices on medicines so that citizens can afford proper medical care. Provided an emergency ambulance service that has to date,” he also said.
Quoting a BBC journalist, the State Minister said “Media is the watchdog and the government is the lamppost. “it’s the job of the watchdog to urinate on the lamppost.” As a government minister I can safely say its been pouring! However if the media does not act responsibly and the lamppost is replaced by a more imposing one with a large ‘do’ not urinate’ signboard, the watchdog may soon find it wetting itself,” he said in this regard.