Bedgar Perera
I had happened to listen on youtube some time in February,2025, to an address by a learned senior professor,(whose name I had failed to get at) delivered before a distinguished audience that had included a large gathering of Buddhist clergy,a former President, a former Speaker and other politicians most of whom held power in yesteryear and are since out of the saddle.
The essence of what he said, was that a change of course in our political culture has been brought about, as per pre-election promise, for the country to move towards a “CIVILISATIONAL TURN” ( he used this English word in particular) and forge towards civilisation , to get on firmly to a system sans corruption and dishonesty, without ever getting back to the earlier political culture of self serving by the politicians for their own benefit and that of their kith and kin, and in the event the present administration fails to achieve this, the next alternative to be elected by the people should be one that promises to continue and complete the ‘CIVILISATIONAL TURN’, commenced and not achieved completely by that administration, and not turn back to the earlier corrupt system, whoever comes to power.
The address of the professor had been off the cuff in Sinhala and he said that as someone who was never involved in party politics in Sri Lanka and as an adult Buddhist,plus a person engaged in education relevant to Buddhism,his purpose was not to deliver an academic lecture, but to convey the above message to the distinguished audience, some of whom were well known to him.
Looking back with an open mind for any changes in the political culture, at this stage when the new administration is in its second year, one can straightaway see that changes have commenced and the politicians in power do not seem to be above the law as earlier, and it is evident that the law enforcement agencies function sans political interference. We do not see anymore, the processions of security vehicles rushing in front and behind those carrying politicos in power, much to the inconvenience of the travelling public, sometimes even with key roads closed for other traffic. Also, the government has brought in legislation to remove privileges ( like government bungalows) allowed by law to those who have completed presidential terms, leaving only security formally deemed essential for them. Moreover, the government is on a firmly committed run to completely eradicate the narcotic menace which has spread its tentacles island-wide aiming at mostly the youth, and functioning with the blessings of the then politicians in power.This is an essential move for the intended ‘civilisational turn’ to be successful, but commitment of the leadership alone is not sufficient and it requires the cooperation of all relevant officials and each and every member of the general public, which the President has sought vide his recent address at a large public gathering, for it to be a success.
With regard to the administration culture, it seems that strike threats in the state sector are being handled with a firm hand, but with fair play, and the postal strike that dragged on and the threatened CEB strike are cases in point. Public discontent regarding strikes and threats for strikers, was most evident, and public support for strikes never manifested. Of course, in the state administration, there could be points,(manned by officials who were favourites of previous administrations )which are resistant to the changes and the government is seen to be pushing for them to cooperate, with the new system being brought in, or voluntarily leave, thus facilitating the intended change for the betterment of the people at large.Corruption engaged in by politicians and officials in authority which was rampant earlier seems to be under check, with a now proactive CIABOC ( Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery Or Corruption)which seems to have a no-nonsense Director General, functioning with a firm hand,who also unearths (for further action) files concealed or suppressed at the CIABOC for years through manipulation.
However,some bad patches (manned by officials who were favourites of the previous administrations) still remain and these mitigate the progress of the move towards the expected ‘civilizational turn’.For example, opening ceremonies at public cost which was a bad practice, then despised much by the current rulers who were in the opposition, still continue. Also,there has been at least one pronouncement by a government MP, towards urging the relevant officials to ignore a court decision and it got lot of media publicity.Such pronouncements do not augur well for the current administration, which abhorred such actions by previous regimes with much veracity, when in the opposition. In addition,there are instances where critical legislation, and even educational reforms are being attempted to be brought in without sufficient stakeholder consultation.This is not a desirable practice and will adversely affect the expected move towards the intended positive changes, that the people demanded.Also,currently, there is much unnecessary media publicity for the capture (incl.questioning) by the police, of criminals involved in high profile cases including murder, prior to questioning by the CID and production in courts.This is unprofessional for the police and reflects badly on the new administration in power.In addition,service delivery by public officials across the board in Sri Lanka definitely needs improvement, if the expected changes are to be materialized and their punctuality, commitment to service, efficiency and effectiveness coupled with honesty has to definitely improve.Time is passing and the Easter tragedy of 2019 yet remains unsolved and we are now in the seventh year since that D-day and expedition of its inquiries is dragging on for too long even under the new administration and calls for positive action, to achieve an early solution, in keeping with the pre-election promises made to the people and the Catholic Church.Also,high profile allegations and cases thereon(involving murder,disappearances,corruption, money laundering,dishonesty etc.) against the members of a former first family, some dating far back as 2005/2006, still remain pending, perhaps due to manipulation over the years, and this status quo has to now change and whoever who has erred has to face the arms of the law, without delay.
Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI) is much needed for the economic revival of this country, but as per media reports, there are actual instances where official lethargy still suppresses FDI, instead of promoting the same and this needs early attention of the policy makers.
In this country, the practice over the years has been that destruction in public, of narcotics taken into custody by the law enforcement authorities has not been carried out with transparency and with the current detection of increasingly large hauls of narcotics, one wonders what in effect is happening to these massive stocks and whether there are no ways for these narcotics to leak back to the market outside with the support of any conniving officials, which is not an impossibility here, with the level of corruption that has prevailed over the years.Hence, serious government attention is called for towards regular destruction in public, of captured hauls of narcotics, of course subject to legal conditions and requirements.
Last but not least, public attitudes and civic mindedness have to necessarily improve and the ‘why worry if I am not affected ‘(“mata mokada”) type of thinking that is generally prevalent, has to change for the better.
It is granted that the intended changes in the system that the people demanded and the correspondent promises made by the party in power cannot be in practice brought about to fruition overnight. But seeing is believing and for the take-off towards the intended ‘civilisational turn’ to materialize,significant mid course steps should be seen to be under implementation, and for this to happen, the chosen leader has to get the best support from his team, coupled with public commitment for national progress.Let us hope for the best for Sri Lanka, this beautiful island country of ours
A.BEDGAR PERERA.... bedgarperera@gmail.com) …. whose favoured title for this Appraisal was “PROGRESS OF THE MOVE TOWARDS A “ CIVILISATIONAL TURN” BROUGHT ABOUT THROUGH THE CHANGE OF ADMINISTRATION”
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Excellent thoughts by the writer in terms of seeing the cultural shift everyone dreams of for Sri Lanka. Some of the old practices are slow to change. A case in point is the privileged class of public servants, epitomized by GMOA, who think they deserve privileges not available to the rest of the officers in the public service or the public. There is a lot more work needed to make the ‘civilization turn’ take root.
Let’s hope there will be the proposed changes, for a bettrer future.
There was an interesting article written in Sinhala by a Buddhist priest who is a Professor at Bhikku University in Anuradhapura. I’d appreciate it if you could all read that article to see the changes promised and the changes made. We talk of the Rule of Law, which is applied selectively. We say the law is above all, including the politicians. but Which Government Minister has been brought before the law? How can Ministers predict in the Parliament about what the judiciary would do? Where is the national security? The Central Bank Governor talks of stability. Prices are soaring. He says there is USD 6 billion in reserves. How much of it is borrowed?