QUO VADIS THE WONDER OF ASIA?
By Manel Abhayaratna True enough we have a speed way and a very clean and beautiful City of Colombo with little wooded pockets of greenery and tourists do seem to be coming though how they benefit the marginalized and the fixed wage earner is yet to be seen.
We have gone once again through the splendour of celebrating our 64th year of Independence from foreign domination , with the end of the almost thirty year long war over, Independence celebrations have had the added attraction of military equipment used to save the country from terrorism and a large scale exhibition has been organized in Anuradhapura for the people to see the stupendous achievements of a country which won a war but whose political acumen never quite grasps that freedom does not necessarily mean being free as Gene Sharp, D. Phil. (Oxon.), a Senior Scholar at the Albert Einstein Institution in Boston has commented in an article on democracy and dictatorships .
As the Executive enters his second year of governance perhaps he being the astute politician he is would wonder whether all that coteries of Ministers and his multitude of political advisors are saying and doing is really echoing the words of Jefferson for political behavior “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The year started with the confusion regarding packaging of vegetables in crates and we see politicians rubbing their hands in glee and preening themselves on the fact that their decision regarding the crate issue is really going to build up a healthy people . In fact the recent advertisements in some newspapers placed by the Internal Trade Ministry showed people agreeing vehemently that it really was a measure to provide them with nourishing unspoilt vegetables. But with their meagre earnings they have now to bear the costs of the crates and one wonders how many ministers walk the streets of Pettah and see damaged vegetables sold at cut prices. Well ,there sure is a huge gap between the haves and the have nots , after all leaving the politicians themselves aside their offspring and their better- halfs would never have traversed the streets of Pettah market places.!
Then we found the rather tragi comedy of the University results and the Zero mark system , one wonders at the number of disappointed students mentally affected by suddenly finding that they have not passed the University Admission Examination and all their expectations have come to naught ? Ah! but there sure will be a spark of hope in their rather battered lives with the Minister of Higher Education and his Secretary swearing that soon Private Universities will provide degrees par excellence regardless of whether the Medical Council wants them or not , and as for the fees perhaps the Minister will think up another bright idea whereby he may establish a fund to provide the fees or maybe he will persuade the Commercials banks to give student loans for he has a very persuasive attitude , but considering the number of already unemployed graduates agitating for employment the Banks may give the new students loans and hire them at apprentice rates!
Meanwhile the Central Bank issues rather confusing statements one newspaper reports that the CB intends refusing an IMF loan because the rate of interest is high another states that the IMF is willing to give credit with no mention of our refusals.
While there are already disputes within the governing party at Pradeshya level and the well known Minister Mervyn De Silva has decided to go on a mea culpa, mea culpa journey The situation in the North and the East is yet nor resolved. The President talks of the discussions he had with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the 13 + Amendment but the rest of the Cabinet does not seem to be aware of this plus. Meanwhile yet the UN and the International community is bearing down on our human rights violations and even school boys are resorting abduction threats to get ransom money.
Meanwhile the bureaucracy that once was the lap dog and the whipping horse of the politicians are now resorting to direct trade union action or threatening trade union action , having demonstrations and screaming slogans , these include the very sedate nurses and the hurly burly CEB and Railways workers and the GMOA whom we need so desperately.
True enough we have a speed way and a very clean and beautiful City of Colombo with little wooded pockets of greenery and tourists do seem to be coming though how they benefit the marginalized and the fixed wage earner is yet to be seen.
We sure think that the crown sits heavy now even though an erstwhile army commander is in jail and prison riots are quelled (but not before the prisoners appear to have succeeded in destroying many of their case records ) and senior judges gently remind their retired fellow judges that complaints against a former Chief Justice should be channelled correctly, our paradise island sure seems to be displaying numerous cracks as when the bureaucracy gets agitated demanding actively salary increases we may lose our rating as the new wonder of Asia as we seem to have already lost our position as the best Stock Exchange in Asia.