Pilot projects and ‘pilot’ errors

The Government got roasted this week in full public glare, and justifiably so, for a botched attempt at reviving the tourist industry which had fallen on hard times last year due to the pandemic.

That it was brave -- or foolish enough to do so while the pandemic was raging, especially in Europe and the West -- was only one aspect to what was euphemistically called a "pilot project". It seemed there was only one pilot involved in the project and he had entertained a sense of arrogant invincibility by virtue of his personal ties to the Government hierarchy that he could throw caution to the winds, ignoring painstakingly drafted guidelines on how the tourists he brought should be handled. All hell broke loose in next to no time of the arrival of the first planeload of tourists.

The tourism sector has been lobbying hard to have the country's borders reopened. The health sector responsible for the wellbeing of the nation's citizens was rightly cautious. Both, however, just caved in before the pressure of the chief organiser of the tour group freely bandying the names of his relatives in high office which gave him the licence to do as he pleased. The otherwise vociferous doctors' union GMOA was mute, while a Police DIG was on television every night, ad nauseam, warning that "dadi piyawarawal" (stern action) will be taken against the hoi-polloi, including arrests, police bail and confiscation of vehicles for breaking those very health guidelines. Ordinary citizens leaving the Western Province were subjected to instant antigen tests. The contradictions were all too glaring.

The chief organiser clearly abused not only his relationship, but also his office as the Coordinating Secretary to the Prime Minister. The PM's official residence, Temple Trees, cannot be used as anyone’s business address. He never missed an opportunity to drop the names of the Prime Minister and the President to the point of embarrassing them. He showed no remorse when the Lankans who were thrown to do his bidding complained. They eventually had to gang up, speak out on social media and then go on strike refusing to serve the tourists as the Army moved in to round them up and dispatch them to quarantine centres. The tourists were also taken for a ride, but not the ride they expected to the tourist spots they were promised.

The entire project was doomed from the beginning. Originally, these tourists were to be confined to a beach hotel under Army guard to ensure they did not mix with the locals. Later the proposal extended to the full package under this 'bubble concept' devised as an ingenious method to move these tourists around the country. That was meant to be a blinding article of faith, but those very persons in the tourism sector, like the established hoteliers and even the Tourism Authority, had their reservations. They distanced themselves from the exercise, but that was as far as they could go.

The Tourism Minister had to toe the line and follow the diktat of his political superiors. From all accounts, the COVID Task Force was also split-minded, not everyone happy with the way the tourists were being handled, hence the Army move at Yala against the local guides -- which set the cat among the pigeons and caused the entire bubble to burst into the open.

If at least there were lessons to be learnt from this reckless exercise, there will be some takeaways for the Government, and the country. Typically, the blame- game is now on with the organiser blaming the Tourism Authority for feigning ignorance of the arrangements he had put in place and all others blaming him for his high-handedness. He will face no reprimand. He is also above the law, so he acts that way. But for others, with plans to reopen the international airports and the country's borders, the obvious question is whether the "serious health guidelines" they claim are in place for tourists can ever be followed in this country.

The fact is more than 65,000 Sri Lankans by official figures, mostly workers in West Asia and the Gulf are awaiting their turn to return to the country. The Government is being crucified for dragging its feet on this issue. On the other hand, they are trying to fast forward the arrival of tourists. The travel trade has no doubt been hit hard all of 2020. They are, however, not the only ones. Many other sectors in the economy have been all but crippled.

The entire country cannot be compromised to salvage one sector and to fall from the frying pan into the fire. The Ukrainian 'pilot project' has crash-landed due to pilot error. The pilot has survived, but the project is in question.