We need quick fixes

To hell with long term policy and development I want my parippu and paang now and I want it cheap!

Yes, Sri Lanka is recovering from a 30 year war and developing the north and east will ensure that we don’t screw the end game like the US does and keep doing. The south had the JVP and the north had the LTTE. Both preying on the hungry minds of the forgotten people whilst the western province enjoyed the fruits of their labour. The south is in the process of being developed with the building of the port which will bring livelihood to the people in the region and hopefully negate the need travel to Colombo in search of greener pastures. Though I haven’t visited the north and the east many say that developments in these areas are progressing and people can finally look to a brighter future and changes from being the land with draw wells, date palms and red onions.
The country rejoiced when the LTTE was defeated and a king ruled Sri Lanka for a few months! Yes it’s been only six months and the political landscape is changing at a rapid pace. Trade Unions are planning on work to rule campaigns again, surprisingly not taking note of the President’s promise of salary increments next year. The king is no more and there are whispers of Sarath Fonseka being the person responsible of winning the war! The Defence Secretary, a decorated military officer who was a hero suddenly is stuck in a stalemate of being accused of war crimes. If the party loses, he will not be able to go back to the US for the fear of being arrested as he is a green card holder. The morning (sinhala radio) show on the SLBC with Hudson Samarasinghe is trying desperately to change the views of the people by saying the valiant commander who stood next to the King during battle will not sell himself and join the LTTE supporting opposition party. Do the rulers fear being overthrown in the next elections? Have the tables turned so fast on them? Well, the pulse of the country is confusing for sure!

But what did they do wrong?

Well, in my opinion His Excellency made two mistakes which he has little time to correct. He let his party members run out of control and did nothing to stop it. I don’t think the people of Sri Lanka will ever want to see a tire burning and green Pajero culture emerging in this country. But now every peace-loving citizen has similar things to worry about. It is no longer the green Pajero, but the ministers, their families and even their friends who enjoy unlimited power to manipulate and exploit the ordinary citizens of this country. We heard stories of a son and wife of a senior police officer beating a schoolmate. I was shocked to see the same lady walking out of the court complex waiving to onlookers as a heroine when she was refused bail and was about to get into the prison bus. The police officer is still on active duty! The culture in this country is turning to be one in which power rules without considering the consequences. Herding in these forces before they ruin the President will be his priority as he is ultimately responsible for his parties actions.

The next is forgetting the affluent in Colombo…….though small in numbers the Colombo elite manage and help this country run. Easy as it seems we cannot run this country with taxi drivers as mentioned by one of our late executive presidents who also concentrated on the rural community. The elite are everywhere – they head banks, they own the garment factories, large conglomerates and most of all they own the media!! If one thinks they can survive without the private media backing they live in a bubble. Even Lee Kuan Yew didn’t allow freedom of press during the time he led Singapore to where it is now. Singapore even now (2009) ranks 133rd from 175 countries in the press freedom rankings (we are much worse in case you wonder – #14 from the bottom). Putin too brought the press under his thumb and was widely criticised for killing the famous Anna Politkovskaya who was critical of him. No, my idea is not to start a killing spree of independent journalists but to feed their masters well with respect.

It will be truly sad if His Excellency screws up his end game when he has achieved the impossible in so little time.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favour freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without ploughing the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning.” Frederick Douglass, American statesman