Meethotamulla: Symptomatic of larger problem
It was an inauspicious start to the traditional New Year. The Government is now bathed in the stench of the Meethotamulla garbage dump that exploded in its face. The blame game was the only game in town this week as politicians began piling their verbal garbage on each other – the Colombo Municipal Council blaming the Kolonnawa Urban Council blaming Western Provincial Council blaming the Mega Polis Ministry blaming the Central Environmental Authority blaming the Environmental Ministry, so on and so forth – nobody accepting responsibility for the disaster that claimed more than 30 lives.
In a sense, it was Japan that was the first responder while the verbal battles took place locally, and it fortuitously so happened because Prime Minister Wickremesinghe had just met with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at the time.
But the bottom line is clear; there is too much Government going on in Sri Lanka. The President admitted to the “Kamba adili” that goes on between multiple of state agencies – elected and appointed. Much has already been said in recent times of different ministers in the Government talking in forked tongues on every conceivable issue that no one really knows who is running the Government and what Government policy is. For years there have been questions asked what use Provincial Councils serve and if they serve man or beast other than the councillors themselves who go on study tours abroad – at tax payers’ account, and study how garbage disposal is done. Much use that has been!
This tragedy made one thing crystal clear -- that the public sector is too big; it is over-weight, in fact, obese. It is lethargic and cannot move fast – and everyone wants a finger in the cake. What happened at Meethotamulla is symptomatic of the larger problem the country faces. No. 08, Hunupitiya Cross Road, Colombo 02. P.O. Box 1136, Colombo editor@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2331276 news@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479332, 2328889, 2331276 features@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479312, 2328889,2331276 pictures@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479323, 2479315 sports@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479311 bt@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479319 funtimes@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479337, 2331276 2479540, 2479579, 2479725 2479629, 2477628, 2459725