tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12060593797942412832024-02-20T21:32:03.528-08:00 Political SpectatorUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-30178268428339261012022-10-31T21:26:00.000-07:002022-10-31T21:26:10.568-07:00 Are dual citizens a bad lot? <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NXV94VhNv8LBQRdCiay9NLz0_HKcJ6Qnh835ilkgCi3kXYhX38jJ6X3uGJ3mJcwEHokFn8asLaJ0y6Lh_uwNyCYILEvOHPzwD2O2FCpGGwe2Lrv2paycXOjaOu76zI4ch9321RiY99TZRfQnJCS0dqc-qFHusRGD8xZTbpzyaEwWMsVt3HHjK-PpIA/s258/Are%20dual%20citizens.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="258" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NXV94VhNv8LBQRdCiay9NLz0_HKcJ6Qnh835ilkgCi3kXYhX38jJ6X3uGJ3mJcwEHokFn8asLaJ0y6Lh_uwNyCYILEvOHPzwD2O2FCpGGwe2Lrv2paycXOjaOu76zI4ch9321RiY99TZRfQnJCS0dqc-qFHusRGD8xZTbpzyaEwWMsVt3HHjK-PpIA/w640-h456/Are%20dual%20citizens.PNG" width="640" /></a></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By Gamini Abeywardane<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With the
passing of the 21<sup>st</sup> amendment to the Constitution the issue of dual
citizens holding key political positions has come to the public domain again.
Unfortunately in our country greed for political power, rivalry and ill-gotten
money appear to be playing a key role behind the scene and as a result there is
no genuine public discussion on the matter. The majority of those who make
public utterances on this issue do so, on those lines and not on what is good
for the country at this point of time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
allegations are that the restrictions imposed target individuals, but it need
not be the exact case as many countries have continued to maintain such
citizenship restrictions for long due to a variety of reasons. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A key issue
here is the question of loyalty to the country of origin when one has taken an
oath of allegiance to another country. This could be sensitive in certain
circumstances when such a person is sitting in a high position with much
discretionary power.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There have
been instances of nationals of one country holding important positions in
another country even without dual citizenships when that person is most
qualified and there are advantages for the country employing such person. Mark
Joseph Carney, a Canadian economist and a former governor of the Bank of Canada
was appointed the governor of the Bank of England in 2013 and served till 2020.
Another example is John Exter, the American economist who founded the Central
Bank of Ceylon and became its first governor. They were appointments
selectively made for very valid reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If one wants
to argue in favour of dual citizenship holders there are so many examples, but
the question is whether a country should allow a dual citizen to hold a vitally
important position like a legislator, the prime minister or head of state. Most
countries do not allow such things.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">India<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our closest
neighbour and comparable democracy India does not allow holding Indian
citizenship and citizenship of a foreign country simultaneously. In terms of Article
9 of the Constitution of India any person voluntarily acquiring the citizenship
of a foreign country will be relinquishing the Indian citizenship.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They have a
scheme called Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) which only allows people of
Indian origin and their spouses to live and work in India indefinitely, but
does not grant the right to vote in Indian elections or hold public office.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Although
India does not allow dual citizenship at all, they have introduced this system
to get the best out of overseas Indians who want to come and work in India. As
of 2020, there were around six million holders of OCI cards among the Indian
Overseas diaspora.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Australia<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Australia is
also strict in their citizenship laws and native or ‘born and bred’ Australians
cannot obtain the citizenship of another country without losing Australian
nationality. However since they are a country which has been enjoying the
benefit of immigration for decades they allow the immigrants who obtain Australian
citizenship to retain dual citizenships in their countries of origin if it is
allowed by such countries. But the Australian citizenship laws expressly
prohibit foreign nationals and dual citizens from sitting in the parliament.
Section 44 of the Australian Constitution bars foreign citizens and dual
citizens from sitting in the federal legislature.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However in
this issue Australia seems to be alone compared to other major immigration
countries like the USA, Canada, and New Zealand, in prohibiting its citizens
from taking out another citizenship. The UK, it appears, has long promoted dual
citizenship. In these countries having a dual citizenship is not a
disqualification to be a legislator or to hold any other position. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Singapore
despite its much liberal economic outlook has long maintained restrictions on
citizenship. Anyone obtaining Singapore citizenship has to renounce citizenship
in his or her home country as they do not recognize dual nationality.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The major
argument in favour of dual citizenship is that it makes sense in a world of
economic globalisation, instant communications and vastly increased personal
mobility. However with regard to dual citizenship there is no general consensus
among countries. Some countries allow dual citizenship; some prohibit it while
others recognize dual citizenship in some form.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However it
appears that most countries have restrictions arising from government policy
and preferences which again depend on their own circumstances. There is no
universal rule to say whether dual citizenship should be allowed or even if it
is allowed whether that category of persons should be given the right to sit in
the legislature or hold high political positions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">National identity and sovereignty<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A key factor
that has gone into consideration in this matter seems to be the core issue of national
identity and sovereignty and security. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Powerful
countries like the US and the UK have no such issue because no country can
interfere in their internal politics so that they can be quite liberal with
citizenship issues. Similarly migrants are unlikely to outnumber the natives in
those countries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
sensitivity of these issues will be paramount where foreign interferences are
dominant in internal politics of a country and it can be worst when a country
has economically collapsed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The decision
of the Sri Lankan government to ban dual citizens from sitting in the
parliament in the latest constitutional amendment has to be viewed against this
background.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-74537122914974702122022-10-26T08:14:00.002-07:002022-10-26T08:14:47.998-07:00Eran proposes vital first step to eliminate corruption in politics<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNj3NVJHEWWy09yGi6vPQm3ULg-3Dgm-xuPxs6hVZEcbYFm6vgcCltMI0L7oIFsxmq6iKMvohcJNU505HP7kxfOnLqUFrJOJcpb4ThQl6n3hKVZqU3tBTkscmn_aYJ-IuYjEP8FjLsSUiQbOT3nSmdBdJ4U2Naw_UR0PWbz36fn5ZZQME7xzl1VLHNkA/s500/Eran-Wickramaratne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNj3NVJHEWWy09yGi6vPQm3ULg-3Dgm-xuPxs6hVZEcbYFm6vgcCltMI0L7oIFsxmq6iKMvohcJNU505HP7kxfOnLqUFrJOJcpb4ThQl6n3hKVZqU3tBTkscmn_aYJ-IuYjEP8FjLsSUiQbOT3nSmdBdJ4U2Naw_UR0PWbz36fn5ZZQME7xzl1VLHNkA/w640-h426/Eran-Wickramaratne.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By Gamini Abeywardane<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Samagi Jana
Balawegaya Member of Parliament, Eran Wickramaratne through a private members
bill, has presented a very timely and forthright proposal which will address
the core issue of corruption in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wickramaratne
in a Twitter post says he presented this bill in furtherance of public interest
seeking to amend the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Law No.01 of 1975 echoing
the demands for change and accountability.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">According to
him first, it seeks to remove the archaic secrecy provisions within the Act to
keep it in line with the obligations of disclosure under the Right to
Information Act and the principle of maximum disclosure. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Second, he
says the bill seeks to ensure that electoral candidates will submit Asset
Declaration’s with their nomination papers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Third, the
bill has included the country’s President also in the list of individuals to whom
this law applies. Currently there is no requirement for the President to
declare assets. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fourth, the
bill ensures that asset declarations are routinely examined and verified at a
central authority – the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or
Corruption (CIABOC). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fifth, the
bill supports law enforcement to pursue asset recovery in the case of stolen
assets. This has been specifically included to address the demands from the Aragalaya
to recover stolen assets. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wickramaratne
says that if we are to eliminate or minimise corruption, the example needs to
be set by the executive arm of the government. He calls upon all present and
past Presidents, Prime Ministers and Cabinet Ministers to join him in
voluntarily making a public declaration of assets and liabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is a
vital initiative to bring about the transparency and accountability which is a
key demand of the Aragalaya and all other right thinking and honest people who
want to see a better Sri Lanka.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These reforms,
if ever introduced, will restore some confidence in the system of government we
have. However it is doubtful whether the move will garner support from the
current set of corrupt politicians<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-77369692007276913312022-08-14T17:25:00.002-07:002022-08-14T17:28:24.277-07:00We need strong diplomacy to stay out of geo-politics of the region<p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rhJoAOmXBTAFstYK_wd12AYa4tT3Bm6uzPegFG99mjg3FHqgjVGL5nOGDbKJXvTCo6oMZe8heXgEex4MDgF-2ZKWOmZyiapN4GXB3OOhEqbKs1TC_Pin0CKvwrouYxV2nWZ_nWiSUcqGSvclxotyS3Ybqs0t2vDgpcGiDx5IQ2rQ-GQh1BnaObZrYg/s500/insight-chain-s-modern-silk-road.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="500" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rhJoAOmXBTAFstYK_wd12AYa4tT3Bm6uzPegFG99mjg3FHqgjVGL5nOGDbKJXvTCo6oMZe8heXgEex4MDgF-2ZKWOmZyiapN4GXB3OOhEqbKs1TC_Pin0CKvwrouYxV2nWZ_nWiSUcqGSvclxotyS3Ybqs0t2vDgpcGiDx5IQ2rQ-GQh1BnaObZrYg/w640-h384/insight-chain-s-modern-silk-road.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>By Gamini Abeywardane</i></span></p></span><div><br /></div>With the latest controversy over a scheduled visit of Chinese research vessel Yuan Wang 5, which India claims to be a spy ship, to Hambantota, Sri Lanka has been dragged into the centre of a tussle between China and India. The matter got even more complicated with Sri Lanka officially asking China to defer this naval visit in the face of severe opposition from India.<p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">The matter however got resolved at least temporarily after several days of negotiations Sri Lanka government had with the relevant stakeholders -- China, India and the US. However all the signs are that Sri Lanka will continue to suffer similar diplomatic headaches unless the country finds a way out of the geo-politics of the region.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">There was a similar incident previously in 2014 though it did not escalate to this level when India officially protested to the government of Sri Lanka over two Chinese submarines separately docking in a Chinese built terminal in the Port of Colombo.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">In the eighties President J R Jayewardene’s close ties with the United States and poorer relations with India and the growth of LTTE’s terrorism in the northern Sri Lanka resulted in a tense situation with India.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">The final outcome was almost forcible entry of Indian forces into the country and eventual signing of the Indo Lanka Peace Accord which also had a clause preventing the Sri Lanka soil being used by any third party in a manner prejudicial to India’s national security interests.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">All this is clear evidence that we have mismanaged our regional affairs particularly the relations with our closest neighbour India. The issue has a long history with intermittent invasions from India with Chola Empire once extending its tentacles up to the northern parts of Sri Lanka.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Some of these issues got compounded with tacit support extended by India at one stage to separatist groups in northern Sri Lanka who also received military training in India. In the face of such developments often there had been suspicion between the people as well as leaders of the two countries.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">That’s one side of the story but there are many reasons why Sri Lanka should maintain a very cordial relationship with its closest neighbour. The historical link from the arrival of Prince Vijaya and subsequent spread of Buddhism into Sri Lanka from India are sufficient reasons for the two countries to have strong relations with each other. In that sense India is our closest relation with whom we share a wealth of historical, religious and cultural legacies.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">That way Indo - Sri Lanka relations have to be something of a special nature which goes beyond a normal trade or commercial relationship. On the other hand China is an emerging great power with whom Sri Lanka has had long relations particularly commercial links from the fifties and a great friend that we can never afford to lose. China also has come to our aid during our difficult times such as during the bitter war with the LTTE in the north and east and subsequently helped us in many infrastructure projects.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">However managing and balancing our relations with these two countries have become difficult for Sri Lanka in the face of growing tension between India and China. China’s entry into Sri Lanka in the last two decades through investments into ports, airports and the Port City has led to India’s suspicion over possible use of some of these facilities to the detriment of her own security interests.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Given our geographical location and economic involvements we cannot stay clear of this issue and it is important for us to keep our development options as a maritime hub without succumbing to pressures of either India or China. Our future success will depend on how well we can resolve this issue.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">The situation becomes further delicate as Sri Lanka is currently in a deep economic mess and we need the assistance and the cooperation of both India and China as partners of economic development.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">All this is closely linked to China’s revival of the ancient Silk route in which Hambantota Port is a vital link and its natural for China to assert her rights which she says is all about freedom of navigation in the high seas and call at a port is part of that. It’s a larger regional issue beyond the capacity of Sri Lanka to resolve.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Balancing these two factors requires the best of diplomatic skills. Diplomacy with much professionalism and political maturity on the part of our leaders is a vital necessity for Sri Lanka and it will become more so in time to come. Only a neutral but proactive and clear cut and transparent foreign policy with emphasis on strategic regional and global affairs will help the country to avoid facing unwanted issues in the future.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Strengthening our economic relations beyond India and China is vital in our efforts to become an international maritime hub and Japan is an important first step in that direction. Then the next step has to be involving the British, European and US investors in vital sectors such as shipping and power and it is only by doing so Sri Lanka can extricate itself out of this Indo Chinese power struggle. Sri Lanka needs to emerge as a maritime service centre for all and not just for India and China. </span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">What we see today is exactly what happens when leaders deal with a country as it is their personal property ignoring the vital diplomatic a strategic implications. First you work with China to the exclusion of India and when there are repercussions you try to work with India to the exclusion of China and there is no diplomacy at all.</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /></span><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #555555; font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Playing one country against the other has its limitations and there is a greater risk of losing both friends at the end. What we need is a regime of professional diplomacy with transparency in all our external relations with full involvement of trained diplomats and lessor involvement of politicians.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-66103211728776653732022-06-19T03:41:00.000-07:002022-06-19T03:41:48.630-07:00There cannot be a better time to change Sri Lanka’s electoral system<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrP-q_3FYqiCZf0B_PM12PkH_LhLtucVlpcxMILOU4NOcmhEfRt6GCgr_cTcEYb56BdlFwXvDlj5U8cbRw2UTGTPGW3QQk0OslwlKwMEOo8VzJerwBPMRssDspNDn6Mek3vuTleiLDMc-NhSuS_ns8CL5xRuWdJMtBLxaJ0CVjpZ5Q5gejMHhqizoaA/s490/polling%20booth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="490" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrP-q_3FYqiCZf0B_PM12PkH_LhLtucVlpcxMILOU4NOcmhEfRt6GCgr_cTcEYb56BdlFwXvDlj5U8cbRw2UTGTPGW3QQk0OslwlKwMEOo8VzJerwBPMRssDspNDn6Mek3vuTleiLDMc-NhSuS_ns8CL5xRuWdJMtBLxaJ0CVjpZ5Q5gejMHhqizoaA/w640-h470/polling%20booth.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By </span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Gamini Abeywardane<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The much
debated issue of constitutional reforms has surfaced again with the widespread
belief that Sri Lanka needs a system change. This is the result of the worst
ever economic disaster the country has experienced in its contemporary history.
It is a welcome development that the people of our country have finally
realized the futility of blaming the colonial past for all the ills of our
society. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now there is
unanimity that post-independence populist and opportunistic politics is the
root cause of the calamity that has befallen on the country. The frustration of
the people is amply displayed by the hatred and displeasure they have heaped on
all 225 members of parliament in equal measure. It makes it obvious that the
current electoral system has to be overhauled if we are to have the kind of
parliament that people want.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The proposed
21<sup>st </sup>amendment to the constitution is an essential first step
towards the political reforms that the country needs at this juncture. Piece by
piece approach is certainly better as it is not practicable to introduce all
the necessary reforms in one piece of legislation. The next most important
constitutional amendment is electoral reforms and should be done before the
next election, either presidential or general.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These
reforms should go hand in hand with other essential economic reforms because
there is no point in trying to rebuild the economy without removing the root
causes for its collapse -- concentration of political power in one individual
leading to corruption and electoral system that encourages corruption.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Moreover the
current parliament and its political formation with bitter experiences still
fresh in the memory, is best suited to introduce such major political changes
in the interest of the country. The reform of the electoral system will also
pave the way for abolition of the executive presidency if the majority of the
people wish for it. Either way electoral reforms are a must because it is an
undisputed fact that the current proportional representation (PR) system has
largely contributed to bring down the quality of our parliamentarians and
consequently the image of the whole country in the eyes of the world community.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The much
maligned PR system of voting has discouraged the good and the educated from
entering politics both at national and local level. In the earlier first-past-the-post
system, a good man with some reputation could always aspire to enter the
Parliament with a reasonable amount of campaigning within his electorate which
is geographically not a vast area.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
campaigning or canvassing in such an area could be done without much cost and if
the candidate is from the same electorate it became even easier because the
person is already known in the area. With the introduction of the PR system the
electorate has become larger and now it is one whole administrative district.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Campaigning
in such an area is not possible without a colossal amount of money and unlike
in the early days soon after independence, now it is the corrupt that have more
money and inevitably the honest and the educated are not able to compete with
such people and win an election.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In such a
situation it is not fair to blame the people for electing corrupt men as
members of parliament especially in a scenario where political parties continue
to include corrupt men in their electoral lists. The faulty system which
provides little room for good men and women to enter politics finally gives the
people little choice. The parliament we have today may be the worst that this
system can ever produce and that is why people have gone to the extent of
branding all its 225 members as rogues even ignoring the fact there are a few honest
men among them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The poor quality
of the elected representatives has contributed in large measure to the current
plight of our nation. Mismanagement and economic chaos is inevitable when
parliament does not have enough educated, honest men who can actively
participate in debate, discussion and policy making.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now the elected
politicians have brought down the country economically to its lowest possible level
since independence turning a once prosperous country to a nation of beggars. We
should strike the iron while it is hot and there cannot be a better time to
change the electoral system. It should certainly happen before the next
election whatsoever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-6390904854763610212021-06-19T07:07:00.000-07:002021-06-19T07:07:55.328-07:00Reforms: A silver lining in dark clouds of politics <p> </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRci4kSMMSroBlP7E3gjBr9PiEbL2NSxE3IZq0_gpXXUHQZm-Js-uM3tyPXaLSWteK70okWNOOZqbZZTGi8X6gTjA87lLhSNFlm0EHvt4mydYgsnS1WunBJj4On1oRTZk5F83ZfcXbZ6d/s500/nasikiliza-could-reforming-the-state-owned-enterprise-sector-be-a-big-deal-for-ghana-768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRci4kSMMSroBlP7E3gjBr9PiEbL2NSxE3IZq0_gpXXUHQZm-Js-uM3tyPXaLSWteK70okWNOOZqbZZTGi8X6gTjA87lLhSNFlm0EHvt4mydYgsnS1WunBJj4On1oRTZk5F83ZfcXbZ6d/w640-h640/nasikiliza-could-reforming-the-state-owned-enterprise-sector-be-a-big-deal-for-ghana-768.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div><b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><p><b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></p>By Gamini Abeywardane</i></span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Despite bad
news from pandemic, politics and ship wrecks, a horizon of good news is visible
in the area of long-delayed economic reforms. Amidst many issues, the
government seems to be determined to go ahead with reforms in several sectors
--- petroleum, electricity and gas, for the start which can be expanded.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The burden
added to the economy by state owned enterprises (SOEs) has been a major
obstacle for the economic progress of the country for a long time. Many efforts
to reform them, with the exception of telecom and insurance sectors, have failed
in the past amidst stiff resistance from the trade unions and short sighted
politicians who backed them for petty electoral gains.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fiscal
Management Report 2020–21 of the Ministry of Finance reveals that 31 out of 52
state owned enterprises have incurred an overall loss of Rs 10.4 billion during
the first 8 months of 2020. It is just a tip of the iceberg and it is more than
obvious that its necessary to reform the state owned enterprises and even the
entire public sector itself, if we are to economically progress.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ceylon
Electricity Board, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, Sri Lankan Airlines, SLTB,
Lanka Sathosa, State Engineering Corporation, HDFC Bank and the state owned TV
channels Rupavahini and ITN were among the institutions which incurred heavy
losses, according to the Finance Ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is common
knowledge that many of these SOEs have no commercial purpose, are riddled
with corruption and mismanagement, political interference and consequent lack
of professionalism. So much so several years ago an incumbent finance minister
referred to the worst of them as a set of monsters swallowing the country’s
economy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But none of
them had the political courage to take on the mighty task of reforming them.
They instead looked at the immediate political expediency of keeping them as
they are, though they very well knew the long term economic disasters such
mismanaged entities could bring about.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Despite many
pressures from the interested parties to keep these entities under state
control, a change of heart by the incumbent Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration
is a welcome signal for all those who wish to see some economic progress in our
country.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
government last year formed Selendiva Investments, a company fully owned by the
Treasury. Selendiva Investments has already created a subsidiary which will be
a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to raise capital for the development of three
hotel properties: Grand Hyatt Colombo, Colombo Hilton and the Grand Oriental
Hotel (GOH). Two more SPVs are to be formed later, one for a real estate
cluster and another for the creation of a ‘heritage square’.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The new SPV
will infuse funds into a subsidiary created last year under Waters Edge called
Waters Edge Recreation Ltd which will build and operate mixed development
projects on identified Urban Development Authority-owned or acquired lands
around Colombo and also the Jaffna International Coordinating Centre.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once the
first cluster raises capital for Selendiva, it will proceed to the next clusters
which will include the historic General Post Office, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Cey-Nor land at D R Wijewardene Mawatha and the Gaffoor building in
the Fort.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is supposed
to be a part of a grand scheme led by the Urban Development and Housing
Ministry to follow Singapore’s famous Temasek Holdings model to get the best
returns from the state owned assets.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In 1974, the
Singapore government established Temasek Holdings to own and manage state-owned
enterprises and initially 36 companies directly managed by the government were
placed under its control. Today, Temasek is one of the largest government owned
entities which has transformed state owned enterprises into financially strong
and viable institutions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then there
is the proposal to amalgamate Litro Gas and LAUGFS Gas supposedly to resolve
the debt issues of both companies while transferring the management of the LPG
sector to the private sector. Currently both companies are having high debts to
the banks as a result of operating with prices controls by the government which
is not a sustainable situation any more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
government has also decided to amend the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Act
ending the state monopoly of import, refining and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>marketing, supplying, producing, mixing and
distributing of petroleum products. This is another important development as it
is high time the government gradually moves out of the petroleum business which
has become a highly political issue. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A proposal
by the United States-based energy company M/s New Fortress Energy (NFE) to
acquire 27% of the shares in West Coast Power (Pvt) Ltd (WCPL), owner of the
Kerawalapitiya Yugadhanavi power station is another noteworthy development as
such investments are much needed in the power sector.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The matter
is currently on hold due to objections from the CEB Engineers’ Union, but these
are important developments that have to take place sooner or later because a
complete restructuring of the power sector is necessary to resolve the
country’s future power issues while it will rid the treasury of the burden of financing
CEB’s losses.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
developments of this nature are naturally opposed by the trade unionists,
workers and politicians with populist tendencies who hardly care about the
economics involved in these developments. For many decades we have been
perpetuating inefficiencies, corruption and cronyism in the name of popular votes
and survival of politicians and now it’s time some hard decisions are taken for
the future well-being of the economy however unpopular they may be.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-21376813194140479692021-04-14T07:39:00.003-07:002021-04-14T07:40:24.156-07:00Aflatoxin issue: An ideal platform to set up an effective food administration <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD5f16PpHcCf-5CNYpa0GoKZVX69U0tkXOoypKg0CblBL1j3b-wTnuYRCEeJGgclWUSB0LVAwlmkZ31ngp2ik5JxnGSEn2a2hDmsLhcmfR-adbqkYTjwWbiALGqoRYUwcB9tvov_oQtqM/s500/food-safety-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD5f16PpHcCf-5CNYpa0GoKZVX69U0tkXOoypKg0CblBL1j3b-wTnuYRCEeJGgclWUSB0LVAwlmkZ31ngp2ik5JxnGSEn2a2hDmsLhcmfR-adbqkYTjwWbiALGqoRYUwcB9tvov_oQtqM/w640-h320/food-safety-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">By Gamini Abeywardane<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The recent brouhaha about contaminated palm oil and the
harmful effects of aflatoxin became the subject matter of political debate overshadowing
its actual relevance to the health of the people. It also became a platform for
a kind of trade war between local coconut oil manufacturers and palm oil
importers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Many were talking about the need to punish the culprits and
politics behind it while there was hardly any discussion on finding a permanent
solution to perennial issue of toxic and other harmful content in food and food
ingredients.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is necessary to punish those who have knowingly imported or
distributed edible oils which are contaminated and harmful to the health of the
people. Yet far more important is to have a stronger legal and institutional
mechanism akin to the Food and Drug Administration in the US to deal with this
issue.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Over the years there has been a lackadaisical attitude
towards the quality of foodstuff sold in this country and the general
perception has been that with right influence one can bypass all the
institutions that are responsible for maintaining the quality standards in this
regard.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Food security is obviously a part of the national security
and this probably may be the best opportunity for the authorities to look at
the issue seriously and to come up with a proper solution. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The issue surfaced through palm oil received country much
attention because of the wide media coverage, but it encompasses a range of
things which includes locally made coconut oil, imported and locally grown
fruits and vegetables, confectionaries, bakery products and many other food
items available in the local market.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some of these food items are not subjected quality control
while even those requiring Sri Lanka Standards (SLS) may not be always safe for
consumption because of the weaknesses and loopholes in the quality control
certification process.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Therefore it is clear that while more stringent legislation
is necessary; the existing system also has to be strengthened leaving no room
for unscrupulous traders and producers to misuse it through corrupt means.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">According to Food and Agricultural Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) food security exists when all people, at all times, have
physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food
which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy
life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In other words not only should the people have economic
access to sufficient food they should also be safe and nutritious and therefore
if the available food is not safe for consumption there is no food security.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Food safety</span> refers
to routines in the preparation, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">handling</span> and
storage of <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">food. Safe food
handling</span> practices and procedures should be implemented at every
stage of the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">food</span> production
life cycle if we are to curb health risks and prevent harm to consumers.<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is a well-known fact that the rules and regulations with
regard to food security are very stringent and effectively administered in the
US, UK, the European Union and other developed countries like Japan while they
are poorly administered in the third world countries.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now the issue has come to the public domain in a prominent
manner the government should seize the opportunity to lay the foundation for an
effective quality administration system covering all types of food and food
ingredients that are available for sale in the market. Like national security
it’s a subject that cannot be compromised in the face of popular politics.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-76260801492581931572020-02-14T00:46:00.000-08:002020-02-14T00:56:54.167-08:00Referendum, an ideal way to formulate national policies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1N8A-ajPtafn2unCP55AMStkO-1vPhAPg04X93oyI0__eo3ynsCkSwWFItz6K1eW-EL-1aZ0I6Yu6Yus1_z-zR_MPRTCGPuBr2bMTibXvVIGvQTWODbHsyE2n_sfxZqRsPXP4Cwg1g4kv/s1600/GR-with-Vuce-chancellors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="737" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1N8A-ajPtafn2unCP55AMStkO-1vPhAPg04X93oyI0__eo3ynsCkSwWFItz6K1eW-EL-1aZ0I6Yu6Yus1_z-zR_MPRTCGPuBr2bMTibXvVIGvQTWODbHsyE2n_sfxZqRsPXP4Cwg1g4kv/s640/GR-with-Vuce-chancellors.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Provision for referenda
is a major democratic step in the 1978 Constitution. It can be used very
effectively to find out the opinion of the people on vital national issues. The
irony is that ever since its introduction it has not been used for the intended
purpose. Instead the very man who introduced it, President J R Jayewardene used
the referendum in 1982 to extend the life of the Parliament without holding a
general election.</span></i></b></div>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>By Gamini Abeywardane </b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 115%;">The idea of
using the constitutional option of holding a referendum on a nationally
important matter came from none other than President Gotabaya Rajapaksa this
week. It was when he said he was ready to hold even a national referendum to
change the higher education policy to make it suitable for the country’s modern
needs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">The occasion
was when he met Vice Chancellors of the national universities along with members
of the University Grants Commission to discuss the issues relating to reforms
in higher education. One of the major current issues is the non employability
of particularly arts graduates passing out of the universities due to lack of
vital skills needed in the job market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">The issue is
a long standing one probably coming down from late sixties, but none of the
ruling politicians ever made a genuine effort to sort out the problem. They all
have been talking about the abstract idea of higher education reforms and
appointing committees to make recommendations while practically doing nothing
to sort it out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">With change
of medium of instruction and expansion of university education following
political and social changes that began in 1956 a new problem arose when the
country started producing arts graduates beyond its requirements. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Most of them
were qualified in subjects that had practically no relevance for available jobs
while they lacked the minimum skills in vital subjects like the English
language and information technology. The net result was although the private
sector had opportunities they were not ready to employ these graduates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">We cannot
afford to go on producing large numbers of non-employable graduates at public
expenses. Obviously the system needs major reforms if we are to progress as a
country. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fortunately seems to have correctly
understood the issue and also identified the possible solutions without much loss
of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">He had
suggested teaching these undergraduates information technology and a foreign
language to make them suitable for the employment market. Probably a subject
like management also can be included in addition to a main art subject that a
student can select.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">This is
probably the most simple and practical way of resolving the issue although
there is likely to be opposition from the traditional academic types.We as a
country will not be able to progress unless we introduce some revolutionary
changes in our system of education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">As suggested
by the President referenda can be used as a way of finding out the opinion of
the people on such issues so that whatever the policy changes introduced can be
permanent and long lasting, unaffected by political changes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Provision
for referenda is a major democratic step in the 1978 Constitution. It can be
used very effectively to find out the opinion of the people on vital national
issues. The irony is that ever since its introduction it has not been used for
the intended purpose. Instead the very man who introduced it, President J R
Jayewardene used the referendum in 1982 to extend the life of the Parliament
without holding a general election.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Nearly four
decades later it is a salutary development that a leader has thought of using
it for nationally important issues. It’s a useful method developed in the
Scandinavian countries in order to find the people’s opinion on important
matters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Going one
step further, it can be much beneficial if the mode of conducting a referendum
can be made easier and less costly with modern technology. Since a referendum
is a non-binding one it could be conducted even through the internet. That way
the concept of referenda can be used effectively to develop permanent policies
on all our national issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Often the
ideas promoted by political groups are not necessarily the opinion of the
people, but eventually they are implemented by fooling the politically active
sections of the people causing damage to the country in the long run while the
majority of the people observe in silence. So-called revolutionary changes in
our university system in the sixties are a classic example and that is where
the root of the today’s problem is.<span style="font-size: 20pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-77048452290892109832020-01-15T09:57:00.001-08:002020-01-15T09:57:13.063-08:0019th amendment needs modification<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeaTHbw9fBtNbAzwJp-UwHMav0EH4yR5DBlhQhCCN4ksfOV44zkV-dJwL3EslD-vXAfkb_p0lYCa9S18AwnTd9rWmji5uBevhMEN3_2CfRKKRgZJPXmwGfWkWooD2AUZT6Nz29Ji6g5DWj/s1600/Gotabaya-Rajapaksa-900x540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="500" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeaTHbw9fBtNbAzwJp-UwHMav0EH4yR5DBlhQhCCN4ksfOV44zkV-dJwL3EslD-vXAfkb_p0lYCa9S18AwnTd9rWmji5uBevhMEN3_2CfRKKRgZJPXmwGfWkWooD2AUZT6Nz29Ji6g5DWj/s640/Gotabaya-Rajapaksa-900x540.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.4667px;"><i>By Gamini Abeywardane</i></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.4667px;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Prime
Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa when he met a well-known Buddhist monk recently made
it clear that the 19<sup>th</sup> amendment to the Constitution needs
modification. He indicated that it fetters the executive presidency and the
newly elected President is able to function because he is in the Premier’s
seat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is
obvious from the experience of the previous government that split of powers of
government between the President and the Prime Minister under the current
status is so irrational that the country cannot be governed smoothly if there
is any disagreement between the Prime Minister and the President.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is the
very malady which technically made the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration
wholly ineffective to the extent people felt as if there was no government in
the country. Most of the lapses which threatened the national security causing
great damage to the economy and finally bringing down the very administration
could be attributed to the imbroglio created by the 19<sup>th</sup> amendment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then what is
the solution? It is not certainly going back to the 18<sup>th</sup> amendment
to the Constitution which gave excessive powers to the President. Some of the
good things like the independent commissions created under the 19<sup>th</sup>
amendment should be retained while removing some of the obstacles created for
the executive president directly elected by the people to carry out his normal
functions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For example the
nineteenth amendment prohibits the President from holding ministries;
nevertheless the appointment of ministry secretaries is entirely within the
President’s powers. Cabinet ministers are appointed by the President in
consultation with the Prime Minister while the President remains as the head of
the cabinet and therefore should preside over the cabinet meetings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By virtue of
the Constitution President is the Head of the state and also of the Government.
He is also the commander on chief of all armed forces and he alone has the
power to declare peace or war. Such powers are generally inherent in a head of
state, but here the point is our head of state is directly elected by the
people and the system of government we still have is executive presidency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In such a
situation it can be argued that the executive president who is also the head of
the state and head of government should technically have the power to hold the
defence ministry although the position under the nineteenth amendment is not
quite clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These are
anomalies that need to be rectified and they cannot be done without the two
thirds majority in the Parliament. The next general election that is supposed
to be held in the mid-year is quite crucial in that sense and it may not be
impossible if the President continues to go on the correct track which we believe
he is already on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In case he
is unable to muster that kind of majority on his own he should be supported by
the other political parties in the Parliament to correct this anomaly in order
to ensure smooth functioning of the Constitution and the system of government
it has bestowed on the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-60509252483398438652019-09-21T10:01:00.000-07:002019-09-24T01:24:08.927-07:00Of executive presidency and abolition dreams<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTK29355y8zanh0g1A6TRs3nmEXElzmWzEiV0c3uksr63JYQt6TkTEjRmmt1ulKx8Kh1Ax5TORtvOAxG6_qfjvSM4trOhtX8SL6QtbJczJjr5YpJrqNzUkXoPc7jylrGPZquEqznAgrKqI/s1600/gettyimages-953316096-2048x2048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTK29355y8zanh0g1A6TRs3nmEXElzmWzEiV0c3uksr63JYQt6TkTEjRmmt1ulKx8Kh1Ax5TORtvOAxG6_qfjvSM4trOhtX8SL6QtbJczJjr5YpJrqNzUkXoPc7jylrGPZquEqznAgrKqI/s640/gettyimages-953316096-2048x2048.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The emergency
cabinet meeting aimed at abolishing the executive presidency failed to produce
any results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However it speaks volumes
about the sudden desire to abolish the executive presidency developing in all
quarters of the political spectrum. There is lack of clarity on who called for
the cabinet meeting, but it is clear that such a sudden meeting wouldn’t have
been possible unless there was some agreement between both President and the
Prime Minister. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The abolition
of the executive presidency has been in the political debate since the death of
President Ranasinghe <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Premadasa.
Chandrika Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena, all had the
abolition of the executive presidency as a main item in their election
manifestos. Some argue that the executive presidency is good for the country,
but if that is so its abolition would not have been an attractive theme for
election manifestos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All
Presidents have promised good things for the country at the time of elections,
but done what is good for them after getting elected. And that has been the
fate of this abolition idea so far. Now it has been at least half abolished
through the nineteenth amendment. In practice what we have now is more like a
quasi-executive presidency as most of its powers have been transferred to the Parliament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result its abolition has become easier
than before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The original
nineteenth amendment draft envisaged creating almost a non-executive
presidency. However due to the Supreme Court determination and resistance from
the then Joint Opposition in the Parliament it was a much different version
which was finally passed and it has created a number of new issues. Accordingly
even a future government will find it difficult to rule the country because of
the possible friction between the Parliament and the President.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By now it is
well accepted that the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution in its present
form is troublesome and needs modifications. However any modification will
involve either transferring powers from the President to the Parliament or vice
versa and will not be practically easy even if the next President and the Prime
Minister are from the same political party.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whatever
prompted the recent emergency cabinet meeting meant for initiating abolition of
the executive presidency was once again not in the interest of the country, but
to safeguard the self-interests of those who initiated it. Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe is now pushed to the wall in the face of mounting pressure from a
sizable faction of his party to nominate Sajith Premadasa as the presidential
candidate. Incumbent President is not in a position to contest for another
term. The move is likely to have even the blessings of former President Mahinda
Rajapaksa because he is constitutionally prevented from running for presidency
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The JVP’s
recent move to abolish the executive presidency through the proposed twentieth
amendment would have been an excellent opportunity to resolve the issue. The
move did not find the support of the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe probably
because of two reasons. Firstly because he had the ambition of getting into the
high post himself and secondly because he thought such a move would facilitate Mahinda
Rajapaksa to capture the governmental power through the Parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However now
it seems too late to introduce any constitutional amendment before the presidential
election. It is unlikely that whoever is elected as the next Executive
President will soon work towards abolishing his own position. The only option
will be to modify the nineteenth amendment to remove unwanted friction between
a future President and the Prime Minister which is again will not be an easy
task.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-20606129664138539012019-08-04T10:55:00.003-07:002021-06-08T10:37:02.221-07:00 Loss making SOEs need urgent reforms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">But no govt. touches the issue
because of political sensitivities</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenj8B3iYvt0VdX-5_fNg3u638Yi4fOOe2pmhbF0r6CdSSgaoUlfgnpKxkUb8BinjQmHewANPLV4G5FRzuSwaw7JpZe9qptaxIBi5BPVmcMQS5Bch4Kg8NdtwTPELu6xBHZyth1BIITht-/s1600/Loss+making+SOEs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenj8B3iYvt0VdX-5_fNg3u638Yi4fOOe2pmhbF0r6CdSSgaoUlfgnpKxkUb8BinjQmHewANPLV4G5FRzuSwaw7JpZe9qptaxIBi5BPVmcMQS5Bch4Kg8NdtwTPELu6xBHZyth1BIITht-/s640/Loss+making+SOEs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>By Gamini Abeywardane</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the developed world the elections are often fought based
on economic and social policies relevant to the time. For example the solutions
to main problems facing the country should be in the manifestos of the
contenders at elections and they should be part of the political debate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unfortunately in our country the situation seems to be quite
different with various unexpected and emotive issues coming into the political
debate around the election times. This has been the pattern ever since we
gained independence.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Politics of the sixties and seventies was dominated by petty
cultural, linguistic and racial issues to the exclusion of vital economic and
national priorities. Who will give more free rice and impractical ideas like
nationalization or providing government jobs took the centre stage of political
debate sidelining the important issues.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then with emergence of separatist ideas and onset of
terrorism in the north the need for countering those tendencies came to the
forefront becoming a dominant factor in all subsequent elections. These
tendencies resulted in some of the critical issues not finding their due place
in the ongoing national debate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One such area that has escaped due attention is the loss
making state enterprises whose burden on the treasury has been escalating at a
rapid speed. According to the Ministry of Finance, during the first quarter of
2019 alone, fifty-five state-owned enterprises made Rs 59 billion in losses. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has been reported that of the state-owned enterprises
that make losses the Ceylon Electricity Board continues to lead the pack with a
Rs 23 billion loss while the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>has made losses of Rs. 21 billion and Lanka
Sathosa Ltd made losses of Rs. 788 million during the first quarter of 2019.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This trend, if not arrested in time, can have catastrophic
effects on the country’s economy and it’s time that political parties open this
subject for public discussion without keeping mum over such issues for petty
electoral advantage.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many politicians in our country have opposed the idea of
privatization or even part privatization for mere political expediency and have
instead advocated reforming loss making entities while they are in state
control. The idea is fine, but our experience is such ideas have not worked
despite much talk about converting such entities into profitable institutions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the contrary, we could see how SriLankan which was a
profitable airline under Emirates management became a monumental loss under
state control. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the other end is Sri
Lanka Telecom which had poor performance as a state entity which now has not
only become a top performer, but has also revolutionized the entire telecom
sector in the country after its partial privatization. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many years ago one had to be a Member of Parliament or a top
government official, if one were to obtain a home phone line. Others had to be
in a waiting list for several years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
now it is a matter of one or two hours and just a phone call away – there are
enough and more telecom players competing with one another to come home and fix
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then take the case of garbage disposal and cleaning of the
city of Colombo. Anyone would remember how untidy the city was with dumps of
garbage strewn here and there, stray dogs often feeding on them while the
municipality had a large number of excess employees among those dedicated to
keep the city clean. It’s no secret that most of them were supporters of
various politicians and many of them were drawing their salaries even without
being physically present at work while attendance were marked through proxies. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now as a result of outsourcing such work to well organized
private sector companies we see a clean city with garbage being removed on
daily basis at the correct time. These companies are no doubt making a good
profit. It’s because they manage their workers well and do the work with the
minimum number of people ensuring maximum utilization of the resources.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A state entity in our country can never achieve that kind of
efficiency because of some inherent issues such as political interference,
mismanagement, corruption, wastage, inefficiency, indiscipline and lack of
incentives. With whatever plans and restructuring efforts we have failed to
produce any positive results in these state enterprises and all know they have
the potential of becoming profit making institutions under right management.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What we have witnessed in our country is that governments at
popular demand keep stuffing all institutions under them with their supporters
irrespective of whether there are vacancies or not, especially when elections
are around. Politicians generally do not work like businessmen. They have no
idea about efficiency or return on investment. They only think of how to remain
in power. Therefore the general tendency is to do whatever is within their
powers to remain in power and that is how most of the state controlled
enterprises became white elephants.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Always there is a vast gap between what is economically
right and what is politically feasible. Politicians themselves often do not
have the necessary discipline to make these institutions work as they
themselves are corrupt. As far as we see making state enterprises profitable
under government control is a near impossible task with our political culture. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Divestiture of assets belonging to the state to private
sector is a method adopted in many countries as a means of converting
lossmaking enterprises into viable entities. Any structural changes in these
entities are generally resisted by the workers and their trade unions as they
feel insecure with reforms while they are happy to continue with the existing
state of affairs. However, these institutions are a burden on the economy and
the people in the long run as ultimately they are sustained with taxes from the
people.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The situation is made worse when politicians, especially
when out of power start backing the wrong side for political gain and try to
undermine any efforts at reforming these institutions. Even any form of
restructuring is viewed by the workers as a first step towards privatization
and therefore generally opposed.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In countries where there is no such political culture like
China, Singapore and UAE state enterprises have often produced good results
under proper management. Even in neighbouring India there are well-run state
enterprises. Some popular examples of such entities are Emirates Airline,
Singapore Airline, Indian Oil Corporation and Sinopec in China. It’s worth
finding out why such achievements are not possible in Sri Lanka. Merely
opposing privatization is not going to solve this problem and if privatization
is not acceptable then we should go for Public Private Partnerships.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As suggested by the current government a few years ago this
can be achieved by setting up a government owned holding company on the model
of Temasek Holdings in Singapore or Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) with
a mandate to consolidate and manage all government portfolios in state
enterprises brought under them. It could provide strategic oversight by
developing and implementing strategy and corporate governance policies for the
long term benefit of the country. However, for whatever reason no visible
progress has been made in this regard.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It is vital to get the private sector into these entities,
if we are to reform them in any meaningful manner. Without introducing good
corporate governance and discipline they can never be reformed. How much of the
shareholding should be divested can be decided depending on the strategic
importance of each enterprise. It is understood that the state should have a
greater say in certain vital areas, nevertheless it is futile to have that say
if these enterprises are only adding burden to the economy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It is important to have a dialog on this issue and explain
to the public the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for reforming
these entities, so that all political parties can contribute by suggesting ways
and means of depoliticizing the management of these entities and improving
profitability without merely opposing reforms for petty political gain.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-64736570040024213572019-07-20T20:07:00.000-07:002019-07-20T20:07:34.762-07:00Why aren’t good people in the Parliament?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px; font-weight: 700;">Can educational qualifications be prescribed for parliamentarians?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Tab_sCh4496-nk_RwXa1AO2xJ2VPoEzTnPjMHFGg1RFLrGo0cSbvnn2eI7pBtsw_oaEqxp0qrlVz2BMvHsP0IUnNORJMYejxDAfl5nfnWwUtH0GTVTWlY6xF5W_rYnEFsYBdDjHJ1D4k/s1600/sri-lanka-parliament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Tab_sCh4496-nk_RwXa1AO2xJ2VPoEzTnPjMHFGg1RFLrGo0cSbvnn2eI7pBtsw_oaEqxp0qrlVz2BMvHsP0IUnNORJMYejxDAfl5nfnWwUtH0GTVTWlY6xF5W_rYnEFsYBdDjHJ1D4k/s640/sri-lanka-parliament.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every nation is supposed to have the
government it deserves. Does it mean the type of Parliament we currently have
is what we Sri Lankans deserve? Technically it cannot be so with a highly
literate population and a history of a high level of education even from the
colonial times. Then what went wrong?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By Gamini Abeywardane</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
diminishing standards of our parliamentarians have been a matter of grave
concern to many in the recent times. The apathy of many MPs towards vital
economic and national issues, the poor contribution they make through their
parliamentary speeches and worst of all rowdy and unruly behaviour of some of
them have triggered the question whether it is possible to lay down some
minimum educational qualifications for parliamentarians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many ask, if
you need a paper qualification even for the lowest rank job in the public
sector how can one become a member of the highest law making body without any
such qualification. Their question sounds logical and reasonable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However the
issue is, in a democracy where universal franchise and equality are highly
regarded it is not possible to deprive any person of the opportunity to become
a representative of his or her people purely on the ground of educational
qualifications. Probably that is why most democracies in the world do not have
such limitations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This
position has been recognized by Section <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">90
of our Constitution which states that<b> e</b></span>very person who is
qualified to be an elector shall be qualified to be elected as a Member of
Parliament unless he is disqualified under the provisions of Article 91. That
literally means if you have the right to vote you also have the right to stand
for election as a Member of the Parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Therefore
under our law it is not possible to stipulate educational qualifications for
parliamentarians. In our neighbouring India the situation is quite different
although they do not legally stipulate such qualifications. About 75 per cent
of MPs in the current Lok Sabha have at least a graduate degree, while 10 per
cent are only matriculates, according to a report by PRS Legislative Research (</span><a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/PRS"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/PRS</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Union
Cabinet always consists of highly educated academics and professionals mostly
with multiple qualifications. The current Cabinet of Narendra Modi who himself
holds a Master’s Degree has 25 members out of which two have doctorates, six
have postgraduate qualifications, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>12 are
graduates while only five have not received university level education. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Every nation
is supposed to have the government it deserves. Does it mean the type of
Parliament we currently have is what we Sri Lankans deserve? Technically it cannot
be so with a highly literate population and a history of a high level of
education even from the colonial times. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
what went wrong?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Terrorism factor <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are
several possible reasons and prime among them is the terrorism factor, specifically
that of the LTTE which posed a threat to the ruling class. In short they
eliminated the best of our potential leaders -- <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>men like Lalith Athulathmudali, Gamini
Dissanayake, C V Gooneratne, Denzil Kobbekaduwa, Janaka Perera, Lukshman
Kadirgamar who could have changed the destinies of our country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When a
country has educated leaders at the top level they in turn tend to attract
like-minded people for the important positions and the chain reaction goes on encouraging
more and more educated and decent professionals into the system. The best way
to weaken a country or its government is to destroy its best leaders both the
current and the potential. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The LTTE
tried to achieve it by eliminating the clever, educated and pragmatic potential
leaders from the south and with that threat no good men entered politics for
several decades. So the vacuum was filled with those closely connected to
existing politicians and their cohorts often promoted from the local and
provincial government levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On the other
hand the LTTE was very careful about whom they wanted to eliminate. They
targeted the broadminded and liberal politicians with a vision for sorting out
the main issues confronting the country while leaving out the mediocre ones.
They never touched the peripheral, communal and chauvinistic ones whom they
thought would ultimately help their plans in the north.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">PR system of voting<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The much
maligned Proportional Representation system of voting is another major reason
which has discouraged good and educated men from entering politics both at
national and local level. In the earlier first- past-the-post system, a good
man with some reputation could always aspire to enter the Parliament with a
reasonable amount of campaigning within his electorate which is geographically
not a vast area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
campaigning or canvassing in such an area could be done without much cost and moreover
if the candidate is from the same electorate it became quite easy because the
person is already known in the area. With the introduction of the PR system the
electorate has become larger and now it’s one whole administrative district.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Campaigning
in such an area is not possible without a colossal amount of money and unlike
in the early days soon after independence, now it’s the corrupt that have more
money and inevitably the good and the educated are not able to compete with
such people and win an election.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then there
is the National List which is expected to be a platform to accommodate some
educated members who are able to make useful contribution to national life
although the Constitution does not lay down any specific criterion for these
appointments. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Unfortunately this list is also is being misused as a means of
appointing candidates rejected by the people at national elections as Members
of Parliament.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In such a
situation it is not fair to blame the people for electing wrong members to
Parliament. The kind of Parliament we have now is not what the people deserve,
it is an electoral outcome distorted by the LTTE’s terrorism through its
systematic elimination and made worse by the PR system of voting. Now the LTTE
menace is over and we should at least modify the existing PR system if we want
to have a set of better parliamentarians and consequently a better government. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-21021130631589035432019-06-30T23:33:00.000-07:002019-06-30T23:33:23.422-07:00Nineteenth amendment: Gridlock or progressive step?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx67kVQXq74ThzMo29-6VmLHGPIjoqLACo5BbLsfXVRVbjJFZKoLbFFLxZqkEfIYb9vEWEWmTsI8I_sb2Gs3sXKwLMi3tPoUbuYFuA4u4GN-HKf_QgtvVTpD4-SV3bLCxPNtknC9whRW86/s1600/Nineteenth+amendment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="680" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx67kVQXq74ThzMo29-6VmLHGPIjoqLACo5BbLsfXVRVbjJFZKoLbFFLxZqkEfIYb9vEWEWmTsI8I_sb2Gs3sXKwLMi3tPoUbuYFuA4u4GN-HKf_QgtvVTpD4-SV3bLCxPNtknC9whRW86/s640/Nineteenth+amendment.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Westminster or prime ministerial
system of government, with whatever its weaknesses, has worked well for
centuries and well-developed traditions and conventions are available to meet
with any situation. We are probably paying for our sins after haphazardly
changing a system of governance which had worked quite well in our country for
a long time.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By Gamini Abeywardane</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The leaders
of the United National party which introduced the 1978 constitution described
it as the panacea for all political ills of the country since independence. The
political opponents of the UNP saw it as the road to dictatorship and end of
all freedoms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All
Presidents that came into power after J R Jayewardene and Ranasinghe Premadasa
climbed on to the pinnacle of power on the promise of abolishing the ‘tyrannical’
executive presidency though none of them stuck to their promises beyond the
election date. Instead, they enjoyed the powers and perquisites of the high
office to the maximum and also examined the possibility of sticking to it
beyond the two terms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The only exception
was Maithripala Sirisena who upon his election tried to deliver his promise
quite honestly. Fresh from the victory backed by all forces who wanted to re-establish
democracy and give the Parliament and the judiciary their due place,
Maithripala had no qualms about giving up the massive powers attached to his
post. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Probably the
reason was, he never contested on his own accord or as a candidate of his own
political party, but was handpicked and persuaded to be the common candidate by
a combine of all those political parties and the civil society groups that
rallied round Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera to topple the Rajapaksa
regime. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Amidst
massive opposition, pandemonium in the Parliament and constitutional snags, Maithripala
could only go half way in terms of delivering his promise of abolishing the
executive presidency. The balance part in terms of the Supreme Court
determination was not possible without holding a national referendum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
nineteenth amendment as such, was the maximum he could have gone, however
honest he would have been in his attempt to deliver his promise. Ironically
enough even he seems to be now regretting over going that far. He now tells the
country that nineteenth amendment is the reason for the mess we are in today ---the
scuffle between the Premier Wickremesinghe and him as well as other political
woes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At the same
time he stated that the eighteenth amendment almost created an absolute
monarchy and there was great need for a change. It is an admission that the
nineteenth amendment, despite its faults, was a progressive step. However, at
last he seems to find fault with both eighteenth and nineteenth amendments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Indirectly,
the suggestion is that it is better to change the nineteenth amendment before
the next presidential election in order to prevent a recurrence of a similar
situation in the future. That seems to have some point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What if the
next two elections also produce a President and a Prime Minister who will pull
in two different directions? By nature of the nineteenth amendment the holders
of the two posts will enjoy some sort of equal power and the worst is if the
presidency and the premiership go to two different political parties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Such a
scenario is not impossible particularly in the current context of confusion and
chaos with no party or individual in politics considered exceptionally popular.
Then, the only option will be to go on for another four and half years as the
President under the nineteenth amendment will have no authority to dissolve
Parliament before such time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Consensus<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is only
the consensus among political parties that can resolve such an issue in a
democracy. However, our experience is that consensus on such a major issue is
never possible in our system where the greed for power and perks overtakes
national interest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That way the
country has no other option than tolerating all the ills of the Constitution
and the system until some party obtains two thirds majority in the Parliament
which is again a near impossibility under the prevailing proportional
representation system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thus the
possibility is for the nineteenth amendment in the present form to remain a
part of the Constitution whether one likes it or not. All this would have been
avoided if the process to draft a new Constitution that began in the Parliament
several years ago had seen its fruition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A major part
of the work in that regard has been already done, but it is not possible to go
ahead with it in the prevailing political climate. It is also unlikely that a
future government will be able to revive that process and continue with it from
where it has been stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However,
with date for Presidential elections fast approaching there is no time for
debate over any such things and inevitably the matter will be left to the next
President and the Parliament to resolve. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So the
likelihood is that there will not be any possibility for a totally new Constitution,
but piecemeal changes may be introduced from time to time depending on the
outcome of each election. We will have to live with each amendment for some
time to see how workable they are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Future
politics will be complicated with unexpected issues coming up because of the
friction between Parliament and the President. The reason is there are no
conventions or precedents in our system because we are still experimenting with
our presidential form of government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Judicial interpretation<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The only
hope in this regard can be the judicial process which will be able to play a
decisive role in interpreting the provisions of the Constitution as happened in
the recent judgments of the superior courts in the unsuccessful attempt to
dissolve the Parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The matter can
also get resolved to some extent if the next government gets a clear majority
in the Parliament. Still there is a greater possibility that many of the
matters of friction among the various agencies of the government will end up in
courts and that can be one way of resolving some of these issues once and for
all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A Constitution
like any other system has to evolve and maybe we are going through this
evolution. Further amendments or judicial interpretations will become necessary
to overcome every obstacle that we may confront on the path of our
constitutional development. The country’s courts will have a definite role to
play in it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Westminster or
prime ministerial system of government, with whatever its weaknesses, has
worked well for centuries and well-developed traditions and conventions are
available to meet with any situation. We are probably paying for our sins after
haphazardly changing a system of governance which had worked quite well in our
country for a long time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-88596605172066734522019-06-15T10:22:00.004-07:002019-06-15T10:39:21.398-07:00Tussle between President and Parliament<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Will it be a permanent feature in our political system?</b></i></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_pYvsGdp7cxyWCNiY5gaCFCq6H-O49T23cRu6QkkKfe_BRG7sPGtiUNVx7ruT1ZE6liOf67AsYv6bYE06tuJqAyyvAyVXAmnwo7lW5eMWpKGuk-7MQULWtJUHcwjO0qFZR0t_e7lqwXn/s1600/ranil-maithri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="600" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_pYvsGdp7cxyWCNiY5gaCFCq6H-O49T23cRu6QkkKfe_BRG7sPGtiUNVx7ruT1ZE6liOf67AsYv6bYE06tuJqAyyvAyVXAmnwo7lW5eMWpKGuk-7MQULWtJUHcwjO0qFZR0t_e7lqwXn/s640/ranil-maithri.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">It is doubtful whether elections alone can resolve the major
problems in politics today, namely the instability emanating from the inherent
faults of the system of government which got further complicated with the
nineteenth amendment to the Constitution.</span></b></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>By Gamini
Abeywardane</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The tussle between the President and the Parliament that has
been going on for several years, plunging the country into a deep crisis, has
come to a climax again with the on-going parliamentary enquiry into the Easter
Sunday terrorist attack.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The key officials of the security and intelligence
establishment who have been called upon to testify before the parliamentary
select committee are between the Devil and the deep blue sea. On the one hand,
the President reprimands them not to participate in it, while on the other the
Speaker reminds them of the possible repercussions, if they do not obey the
dictates of the Parliament.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While this drama is going on, President in protest has
refused to hold the weekly Cabinet meetings bringing every major government
activity and decision making process to a grinding halt. The Leader of the
Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa has called for a parliamentary vote backed by two
thirds of the members enabling a snap election to resolve the matter, while the
government led by the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has proposed a
parliamentary resolution compelling the President to have the Cabinet meetings.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A similar situation arose several months ago when the
President tried to dissolve the Parliament and call for a general election
which was resisted by the Parliament on the ground the President had no power
to do so. Finally the matter had to be resolved with the intervention of the
country’s highest courts and the country suffered heavily due to the
uncertainty that prevailed for 51 days.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whatever the consequences for the country, it is unlikely
that the UNP will agree to have an early parliamentary election. In all
probability what is likely to happen is dragging on the weak government as it
happened in the past several years, with no benefit for the country. In between
there is a possibility of some of these issues further escalating and ending up
in courts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the current complex political landscape, a worst scenario
would be to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections and then to end
up in a similar situation again with the President elected from one party and a
different party obtaining the majority in the Parliament. Though remote, these
are not impossibilities in view of the fact that people are completely fed up
with the current set of parliamentarians as well as the political system.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That way it is doubtful whether elections alone can resolve
the major problems in politics today, namely the instability emanating from the
inherent faults of the system of government which got further complicated with
the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Irony is that the Constitution which JR Jayewardene
introduced with the intention of giving political stability to the country has
ultimately resulted in destabilizing the country. Unlike in the Westminster
system, under the current set up Parliament is incapable of changing the
government which includes the presidency as well and any state of instability
can get prolonged without a solution. That is exactly what we are experiencing
today. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The solution may be to modify the nineteenth amendment to
the Constitution or to go back to the Westminster system. However, none of
these changes are likely to take place with all the main players in politics
looking at the impending elections with the prime objective of getting into the
hot seats of power.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some academics have argued that with the nineteenth
amendment President’s powers are drastically pruned down and the next President
will not be able to hold any Cabinet portfolios and will be more or less a
ceremonial figurehead. However, such a scenario is unlikely as the President
will continue to be elected directly by the people while he will also remain as
the head of the Cabinet. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The executive presidency has not been officially abolished
and the Supreme Court in its determination on the nineteenth amendment has
specifically stated that certain powers of the presidency cannot be removed
without holding a referendum. That way if a President is elected from a
different party he will have substantial clout to put a spoke in the Prime
Minister’s wheel as is happening now.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other major issue is that some of the provisions in the
hurriedly prepared nineteenth amendment are not clear-cut and could lead to
confusion and more legal issues again and again, in case the President and the
Prime Minister are elected from two different political parties. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today we are suffering the disastrous effects of trying to
be a constitutional laboratory by drastically changing the system of government
the country had been gradually accustomed to since the introduction of
universal franchise in 1931. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Constitution that J R Jayewardene envisaged for whatever
good or bad reasons has also been haphazardly modified by too many amendments
within a too short a period distorting the spirit of the document. Most of these amendments were to suit the whims
and fancies of those in power and not introduced in the interest of the
country.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In this situation it is difficult to expect any winning
party at a future election to modify the system for the greater interest of the
country. The tendency we have witnessed in the past is the winner will try to
consolidate his or her position during his tenure irrespective of whatever the
future consequences for the country.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As it is, the most suitable thing is for all
major political parties to get together and do the necessary changes to the
political system to bring about some political stability. This can be done by
amending the existing post nineteenth amendment presidential system or by
reverting back to the time-tested Westminster model adjusted according to the
current needs of our country</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-54264447940671957332019-05-26T09:27:00.000-07:002019-05-26T09:31:41.231-07:00PR system and executive presidency<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The bane of Sri Lankan politics</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsqS86X8LL2DxfSs6A-JmG97lNCSgLzvrtwCrCDT_LQW_9_jYipBA83eSbtiA7k_wq6AmCOMp_6G0cMZ8e2k9kbb_QnoynHAF8BJ0eoME0KOqKrwW6Wv5jg5etlAc6DSst54LseN-ejZF/s1600/z_p01-Pact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsqS86X8LL2DxfSs6A-JmG97lNCSgLzvrtwCrCDT_LQW_9_jYipBA83eSbtiA7k_wq6AmCOMp_6G0cMZ8e2k9kbb_QnoynHAF8BJ0eoME0KOqKrwW6Wv5jg5etlAc6DSst54LseN-ejZF/s640/z_p01-Pact.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">By Gamini Abeywardane<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">When JR Jayewardene
introduced the executive presidency his main declared reason for it was the
much needed stability for the country. His argument was that under the
Westminster system the country had had too many elections and since
independence no government ran for its full term until 1970. He believed that it
was a great obstacle for country’s economic progress.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">However,what
was not stated in public was the fact that the UNP had the island wide total majority
of votes in most elections including when the party was badly defeated. What it
meant in other words was, if the country had an executive president elected by
the people the UNP could perpetuate its rule<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Let’s look
at the past and see whether these declared and undeclared objectives were
achieved as anticipated. Whether the first expectation --the stability for the
country was achieved or not is abundantly clear when one looks at the messy
status of the current government we have in power. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The most
stable period under the executive presidency was the eleven year period of J R
Jayewardene. However, that stability did not come from the presidency itself,
but mostly from the five-sixth majority in Parliament which JRJ obtained under
the Westminster system in 1977. He kept the same majority for his second term
as well, by extending the life of the Parliament through a referendum.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then
Chandrika Kumaratunga’s presidency was marked with confusion and uncertainty
with a thin parliamentary majority obtained through the support of the Sri
Lanka Muslim Congress and later the UNP getting the majority through crossovers
and so on. It was no better than the so called unstable periods under the
previous Westminster system. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Dream of perpetual UNP power<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The same way
the second and undeclared objective of JRJ, that is to perpetuate the UNP in
power did not happen. If you look at the period up to 2015 since introduction
of presidential system, out of the 37 years the UNP ruled only for 17 years
which means that JRJ erred in his assumption. However, from the country’s point
of view which party was in power was immaterial as long as it was the decision
of the people. The most important point is that the system never gave the
country the kind of stability it was intended to give.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Some seem to
believe that it was because of the might of the executive presidency that Sri
Lanka managed to end the scourge of LTTE terrorism. However it is also relevant
to note that the country successfully faced the 1962 coup attempt as well as
the JVP insurrection of 1971 under the Westminster system of government.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">There are so
many examples in the democratic world where parliamentary system of government
has provided sufficient stability and strength for the countries to face any
type of grave situation. Neighbouring India is perhaps the most shining example
in this regard. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In a
parliamentary system it is difficult for an unpopular leader or government to
remain in power unlike in a presidential system. Any difficult situation can be
overcome through the Parliament itself by changing the old order and putting a
new leadership in power without much hassle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Quite the
opposite is happening in our country under the executive presidential system. Instead
of the expected stability for the country every person who gets into the hot
seat becomes greedy and tries every trick in the book to stay in power and
looks at the possibility of extending the tenure even by few months.
Resignations are unheard of, and greed is such resigning is akin to death for
an incumbent president.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">PR system of votes<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The
proportional representation system of elections was introduced as it goes hand
in hand with the executive presidency. The idea was to avoid unwanted landslides
and ensure reasonable representation to every political party based on the
number of votes received from each district. That way each minority party was
expected to receive some representation in the Parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">That result
would have been achieved and as a result every small party has a member in the
Parliament. At the same time it has created a host of new problems pushing the
minorities away from the main stream political parties. This has also given
birth to a number of ethnicity based political parties further polarizing the
society which was already divided.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">On the other
hand the PR system while preventing landslides has created a worse situation where
no party can get a clear majority in the Parliament thereby negating political
stability for the country. Today we are suffering the effects of this more than
ever before – the country has no stable government and the main political
parties are pandering to the wishes of small minority parties for their
survival. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is clear
that the executive presidency is the root cause for many of the country’s
problems. Creation of power hungry leaders, who cannot be removed during their
tenure irrespective of whatever consequences to the country, has caused much
damage to the political evolution of the country.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Critical stage<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now the
country has reached a critical stage where the majority of the people have got
fed up with the existing system and practically lost faith in all 225 Members
of the Parliament. This is certainly a sad story for a country which has
enjoyed an unbroken democratic tradition of close to nine decades.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Presidential
system with its authoritarian tendencies has effectively prevented the
emergence of potential new leaders. Instead it has helped the development of a
new band of rustic third rated politicians most of whom are henchmen neither
keen nor qualified to be future leaders. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has discouraged good men from entering
politics making it easy for the bad lot to survive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">As a result
the country is facing a shortage of potential leaders while the people have no
faith in the current set of politicians who are fighting for leadership stakes.
In such a situation it is naïve to believe that the next presidential election will
sort out the current political, economic and social crisis. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The only way
out will be for all the political leaders, if not, at least the leaders of
three major power blocs, that is the President, Prime Minister and the Leader
of the Opposition to discuss this issue and come up with a suitable
constitutional solution without delay. Reverting back to a parliamentary system
with a modified electoral system and holding parliamentary elections under an
interim constitution could be one way of tackling the situation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">This can
happen only if the country is blessed with honest and national minded
politicians who can place the country above their own self-interest at least at
a critical time. The misfortune of our country is the lack of such men and
women and it is difficult to believe that there will be any change in the
foreseeable future.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-17798988412305391542019-05-14T11:36:00.001-07:002019-05-14T11:36:08.097-07:00National Security needs a defined constitutional and legal status<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Non-military aspects should also be included in its scope</strong><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzr1M_34K4K3cCNvHBXpoD6w257ItMY92FCSmBgLd9r4L4ofYfr5vnf6UuF2sxvuF3Soj0WERwkw2JPvQFq_JlEyASBn_XqRUOAI_m1KDMRl0Gnu1FtQVIoU3xCF5mnkOm3p_UOuJFAHn6/s1600/Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="780" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzr1M_34K4K3cCNvHBXpoD6w257ItMY92FCSmBgLd9r4L4ofYfr5vnf6UuF2sxvuF3Soj0WERwkw2JPvQFq_JlEyASBn_XqRUOAI_m1KDMRl0Gnu1FtQVIoU3xCF5mnkOm3p_UOuJFAHn6/s640/Pic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></em></strong></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">The reality is with change of
government people in defence administration also change and the only way to
have some permanency and continuity in the system is by having a national
security administration defined by law, so that it will be mandatory for all
elected governments to honour it irrespective of personal preference of the
leaders.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Gamini Abeywardane<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is no
secret that disunity at the highest levels and insufficient priority for the
subject of national security had largely contributed to the failures on the
part of the government to prevent or mitigate the effects of dastardly
terrorist attack on Easter Sunday. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Blaming and shaming
apart we need to now find some way of avoiding the repetition of such things in
the future. One thing that is now clear is that the National Security Council
(NSC), the highest body responsible for the country’s security failed to act
upon the warnings given by the intelligence services.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are
also allegations that some of the vital members of the NSC were not invited to
several meetings because of the personality clashes at the top level of the
political leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is
fundamentally because the current Constitution makes it possible to have the
President and the Prime Minister from two different political parties leading
to friction at the highest level.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A legal basis for national security<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Preventing
such a situation of dual governance is not possible without a major
constitutional change which is unlikely to happen in the near future. Rather
than waiting for the impossible it is prudent to resolve this within a
reasonable time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, deleterious
effects of such political developments on national security can be prevented,
if the NSC is given a more defined legal status with a wider membership, scope
and mandatory provisions regarding how it should function.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For example,
the United States National Security Council has been established by the
National Security Act of 1947 and has a well-defined structure. Chaired by the
President, the NSC has five statutory attendees, regular attendees and additional
participants. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In addition
to the President, the statutory attendees are Vice President, Secretary of
State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Energy and Secretary of the Treasury.
It is also supported by a system of committees which includes Principals
Committee, Deputies Committee and several Policy Coordination Committees.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In addition
to the defence and intelligence officials the system also ensures the
participation of other relevant officials such as the Attorney General, Assistant
to the President for Economic Policy, Ambassador to the United Nations, Director
of Office of Management and Budget whose expertise and views are important for
the country’s national security and there is no room for shutting out anybody
on personal grounds. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Status of
the country’s security does not depend on who is in the presidency or which
political party controls the Senate or the House of representatives because the
system by law enables the sitting President to have total control over the
national security establishment. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though there
is no such a regular mechanism prescribed by law in our country it is well
known that national security and intelligence matters were quite adroitly
handled by the then Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa during the previous
government.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was a
rare combination of a committed group of military and non-military personnel
which ensured the successful conduct of the war against the LTTE terrorism. And
the type of security coordination prevailed at the time has been commended
worldwide and even most recently by former US ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert
Blake.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, the
reality is that with change of government people in defence administration also
change and the only way to have some permanency and continuity in the system is
by having a national security administration defined by law, so that it will be
mandatory for all elected governments to honour it irrespective of personal
preference of the leaders.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Need for revamping <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now with the
current developments the need has also arisen to revamp the entire national
security system and widen its scope taking into consideration both internal and
external threats. New improved ways of intelligence gathering and processing
have become necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With
external threats, there is also a strong need to include non-military aspects
of national security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although
originally conceived as protection against military attack, national security
is now widely understood to include non-military dimensions, including the
security from terrorism and crime, economic security, energy security,
environmental security, food security, cyber security and so forth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Such
expansion in the scope of national security will also require the services of a
wide range of experts and technocrats. This will entail a major overhaul in the
national security system and the best way would be for all that to be detailed
in a properly drafted national security law.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another
important aspect in such a system would be to provide the necessary facilities
and the freedom of operation and even immunity where necessary for the
intelligence agencies and their operatives to accomplish their tasks without
political interference. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our country
has faced three types of terrorism, each time involving one of the three main communities.
Two insurrections by the JVP, nearly three decades of LTTE terrorism and now
Islamist terrorism which has international routes. Historically each time we
crushed one type of terrorism we had become complaisant assuming that terrorism
would not raise its head again.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With the
latest developments it is clear that terrorism with its global dimensions is
going to be a permanent threat to human life. Thus eternal vigilance should be
a precondition in our country if we are to achieve any progress, be it
economic, social or cultural. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All this
will need a practical approach and simply fighting with each other and dwelling
in theoretical imaginations about future economic progress based only on
regional development will not carry us anywhere. The security of the nation has
to be a paramount consideration in the whole equation and it should be kept
above mundane party politics. (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Writer
can be contacted on gamini4@gmail.com</b>)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></u></strong> </div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-51750400015551887572019-04-28T08:16:00.001-07:002019-04-28T08:18:26.943-07:00National security should be above politics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
There is a strong need to be security conscious</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiUb7V_yVqtLjCjAlYHqc1D47XUWMsiOvTGPJ5tA2hEkHs7wWuh9xf_yln7tv2c0Iqa8gqXY9FZf60o_IIJ9Ctwx3608ze6seM5-blIUsLK2nIcWOdDXYFM8dqceOlcMdL6Ow53E938Vs/s1600/Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="780" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiUb7V_yVqtLjCjAlYHqc1D47XUWMsiOvTGPJ5tA2hEkHs7wWuh9xf_yln7tv2c0Iqa8gqXY9FZf60o_IIJ9Ctwx3608ze6seM5-blIUsLK2nIcWOdDXYFM8dqceOlcMdL6Ow53E938Vs/s1600/Pic.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b> </div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em><strong>The whole country now knows the
defects were at the upper most level of the security establishment and the
reason for it was the rift between the country’s President and the Prime
Minister. As a result the upper echelon of the security establishment had lost
its cohesiveness and was not operating at full steam.<o:p></o:p></strong></em></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">By Gamini Abeywardane<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Ten years of
peace in our country following the defeat of the LTTE has been disturbed by the
dastardly Easter Sunday terror attacks that shook the world. Public domain is
full of theories and opinion over security lapses on our part and who should be
held responsible for them.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">While it is
important to analyze the relevant data to find out answers to these questions, it
is also equally important to re-establish the impenetrable security network we
once had and improve it further to meet the kind of international terrorist
threats now we are exposed to.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">With
experience of nearly thirty years of war against the LTTE terrorists we had
established one of the best intelligence networks in the world. Although some
allege that these networks were weakened with efforts towards reconciliation
and prosecution of some intelligence officials for wrong doings during the time
of war, that position is not entirely true.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Any one
looking at the content of warning letters sent by the two relevant DIGs which
together contained most of the vital information regarding the planned suicide attacks
will understand that both police and military intelligence units were doing
their job well.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="background: yellow; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; mso-highlight: yellow;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Rift in the government<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The whole
country now knows the defects were at the upper most level of the security
establishment and the reason for it was the rift between the country’s
President and the Prime Minister. As a result the upper echelon of the security
establishment had lost its cohesiveness and was not operating at full steam.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">There has
not been any agreed policy on the composition of the Security Council and if
there was any such practice the Prime Minister and the Inspector General of
Police would not have been kept out of the council meetings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Whenever the
President who is the Minister of Defence was out of the country the practice in
the past had been to make an acting appointment. But under the new dispensation
the practice seems to have been disregarded. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">During
President J R Jayewardene’s time this issue never arose because Lalith
Athulathmudali functioned as the Minister for Internal Security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similarly during the presidencies of R. Premadasa
and Chandrika Kumaratunga, Ranjan Wijeratne and Anuruddha Ratwatte respectively
were deputy defence ministers and both of them had cabinet rankings and used to
handle most of the defence matters on their own.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The reasons
that contributed to the security lapses such as non-appointment of a deputy
defence minister with a cabinet ranking, the lackadaisical attitude towards the
Security Council, non-appointment of a competent Defence Secretary and the
inactiveness of the IGP show that security was not a top priority of the
government and security matters have not been discussed at the cabinet level.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">All this
points to one fact, that is when the country’s President and the Prime Minister
are from two different political parties the security of the country is likely
be at stake. This is even further corroborated by certain developments that
took place during the UNP government from 2000 to 2004 under Chandrika Kumaratunga’s
presidency.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Despite
Chandrika being the head of the cabinet differences emerged between her and the
cabinet and she used to boycott most of the cabinet meetings. The rift became
worse with her taking over of a few ministries citing national security as the
reason and finally this led to the premature dismissal of the UNF government of
Ranil Wickremesinghe.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">However, the
current crisis situation has to be overcome with unity among all political
parties in the parliament while a long term strategy has to be formulated with
necessary constitutional amendments to ensure that national security will not
be compromised in the face of political issues.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">National security above politics<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Either the
national security has to be kept above politics through some constitutional and
legal mechanism or the current constitution has to be amended to prevent a
situation where the President and the Prime Minister are elected from two
different political parties. Unless one of these things happens a similar
situation can arise again in the future as well.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Like in the
US and many other developed countries permanent institutions need to be set up
to handle intelligence gathering and processing at the national level while the
composition and the operation of the Security Council has to be legally defined
and kept outside general politics of the country.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">A country
which has faced numerous security threats -- two insurrections, a separatist
war and finally an international terrorist threat --<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>can never afford to take national security
lightly and it’s time to place national security above everything else in the
country.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">There are
allegations that the current government has been too involved in national
reconciliation efforts and that was one of the reasons for neglecting national
security. The fact is those are two distinct areas that should not be mixed up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Reconciliation
among communities is necessary after an internal war, but it cannot be achieved
if there is re-emergence of terrorism. In that sense, a foolproof system of
national security is a prerequisite for national reconciliation. In other words
reconciliation cannot be achieved at the expense of national security.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In this age
and time where terrorist groups are powerful enough to shake even mighty
nations, emergence or re-emergence of terrorism could be a matter of time. So,
the mere fact that the war is over in our country should not be a reason to be
complacent about national security.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">With a
history of insurgencies, terrorism and war running into well over three
decades, Sri Lanka can ill-afford to ignore the need for strengthening its
armed forces and intelligence services. This will become more relevant as the
country grows economically and increases its asset base – industrial
installations, power stations, ports and airports etc.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the
context of current internal and regional developments, it is likely that
terrorism will continue to remain an eternal threat in the foreseeable future.
No country can afford to be lax on matters of security and the latest happenings
are a grim reminder for the necessity of being security conscious at all times.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">(Writer can be contacted on:
gamini4@gmail.com)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-33895256037344298222019-04-13T22:28:00.005-07:002019-04-13T22:29:15.333-07:00When will the power problem be resolved forever?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJATZ4EqZOmULR7AaYtzElM0l1TE_zahQQTfwWsdxuSjPTnIuehXsFKe7QwSRtGcyKTTri6tAQDJZSuDqUdTGQCmpeWWe1titPLd4-e6GExQOMUcM7oldbziTJCWFVa52FcvfEeEZQ4GA/s1600/Pic+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJATZ4EqZOmULR7AaYtzElM0l1TE_zahQQTfwWsdxuSjPTnIuehXsFKe7QwSRtGcyKTTri6tAQDJZSuDqUdTGQCmpeWWe1titPLd4-e6GExQOMUcM7oldbziTJCWFVa52FcvfEeEZQ4GA/s1600/Pic+1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b> </div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Restructuring
of electricity sector will also require a huge amount of capital and it goes
without saying that private capital has to be infused into the system in some
way. Like in many state owned loss making institutions the very word ‘private capital’
is anathema to CEB workers who have vehemently opposed these restructuring
plans.All major political parties are aware of the situation, but when in
opposition they also try to make political capital out of these issues by
opposing the restructuring moves</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">By Gamini Abeywardane<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The country just
witnessed one of the worst blackouts in the recent times. Power cuts imposed twice
a day, sometimes even without prior notice left most consumers furious and
frustrated. The politicians and the top officials as usual were blamed for the
calamity which caused much damage to the economy. In time for the New Year
problem has been temporarily fixed hiring a barge mounted power plant amidst
allegations of corruption. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The minister
in charge proudly announced that there will not be any power cuts hereafter.
But he owes the country a full explanation on how he is going to do that when
we all know that it’s not possible. Critics say that continued power supply is
possible only during the New Year season because of the decreased demand and
power cuts at some point afterwards will be inevitable. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is part
of a cycle of events which we Sri Lankans have been witnessing from time to
time over several decades. Politicians are engaged in leveling allegations
against one another making political capital out of the unfortunate situation
while some of them are alleged to be profiting from sudden power purchases.
Country as a whole has to suffer huge economic losses while the people have to
undergo many hardships. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Long unresolved crisis</span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">At the root
of all this is the long unresolved power shortage. For too long we depended on
hydroelectricity and when consumption increased power shortages and power cuts
became the order of the day. There was no consistent effort to identify the
correct power mix and increase the output in keeping with the increasing
demand. In short, for several decades there has not been any definite plan or
consensus among the political leadership for systematic development of the
power sector.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The Ceylon
Electricity Board (CEB) has been run as an inefficient, oversized and loss
making outfit for politicians to provide employment for their supporters.
Because of its monopolistic nature and the presence of strong engineering
unions no politicians had the courage to reform or restructure the CEB though
it has been a long felt need. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Major
reforms in the power sector became impossible due to lack of funding and
opposition from various quarters. Finally the problem became too acute
compelling the government to urgently look for other sources of power and coal
power plant at Norochcholai was one such solution in a hurry. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the not
so distant past the machines at Norochcholai stopped for umpteen times due to
technical issues. There were allegations of corruption and use of substandard
components in the commissioning of that plant and most of the blame in this
regard has been heaped on the previous government. There have also been
questions about poor environment management raising huge issues about future
use of coal.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">However, all
governments that ran this country in the past several decades are equally
blameworthy for the power sector mess although both major political parties
have been preaching on this topic with a lot of wisdom whenever they are in the
opposition. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">At the same
time, one should not forget that plans by many governments to build such power
plants had to be shelved in the face of mounting opposition by environmental
groups and other politically motivated activists in the past.Despite whatever
its negatives, the addition of 300MWof power from Norochcholai averted major
power cuts in the last few years.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">However,
energy experts have pointed out that due to the inability to complete the
proposed 500MW coal power plant in Sampur on time, country is likely to face a
power crisis in 2020, similar to the situation in 2000. There has also been a
long delay in implementing the 300MW power plant at Kerawalapitiya due to some
controversy over awarding the tender. Sampur project had been cancelled because
of the opposition for use of coal on environmental reasons. Whatever the
reasons the end result is a power shortage causing hardship to people and great
loss to the economy and the responsibility for any failure should lie with the
government of the day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Power mafia<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the
meantime several privately owned diesel power plants also entered the power
sector making use of the severe shortage of power. These are all temporary
solutions, but there have been allegations of the CEB purchasing power at high
prices. Thus, there seem to be an electricity mafia involving politicians, CEB
officials and the businessmen. At the centre of all this is the unresolved
power crisis and the politics behind it which makes it even more difficult to
resolve the issue.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Then there
is the other side of the issue, the high cost of electricity in Sri Lanka. Our
electricity costs are probably the highest in South Asia and it is no doubt a
great disincentive for foreign investors while also adding to the people’s cost
of living here. </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">Because of that, electricity
is subsidized to domestic and industrial consumers. Since the electricity
tariff is not cost reflective, every year the CEB makes a loss close to Rs. 50
billion. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The only way
proposed by economists, power sector experts and multi-lateral aid agencies
such as the World Bank and the ADB to resolve this issue is to restructure the
CEB which is an inefficient entity with colossal debts amounting to billions of
rupees which has already become a burden on the treasury. In order to increase
efficiency of the CEB and to resolve its debt issue, it has been proposed that
three of its main functions –generation, transmission and distribution, should
be separated. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Restructuring
will also require a huge amount of capital and it goes without saying that
private capital has to be infused into the system in some way. Like in many
state owned loss making institutions the very word ‘private capital’ is
anathema to CEB workers who have vehemently opposed these restructuring plans. All
major political parties are aware of the situation, but when in opposition they
also try to make political capital out of these issues by opposing the
restructuring moves.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">If we are to
avert any future catastrophes in the power sector only way out is to seriously
look at these restructuring plans and implement whatever is suitable from the country’s
point of view with infusion of private sector capital where necessary. Country
is already seeing the positive results of such restructuring in the once
maligned telecom sector and there is no reason why same norms cannot be applied
to the power sector.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">However the
reality is that no government is bold enough to take on the strong trade unions
in the CEB because of its monopolistic nature. Although they know that
restructuring the power sector is a necessity, no politician had the courage to
face its political and electoral consequences and such moves become even
suicidal especially when the elections are round the corner. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Whenever a drought
continues for long and the weather gods are not in our favour, food shortages
are the first thing to hit us followed by the energy shortage. Where the power
issue is concerned we have been talking too long about inadvisability of
continuing to depend on hydro power and the need for going into other sources
of energy. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Many
researchers have, with scientific data and statistics pointed out clearly and
well in time, the country’s future requirements of energy as the economy grows
and how to meet that. All calculations on the right mix of various energy
sources such as hydro, thermal, coal and renewable energy had been done several
years ago, but the question remains whether proper attention has been given to
these suggestions and proposals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Renewable energy<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Hydro
electricity is weather-dependent while both thermal and coal power are
expensive and also not environmental friendly. And in this situation, the
virtues of renewable energy are many and especially in a country where sunshine
and wind are abundant, it is one of the most viable forms of energy. However,
why no concerted effort has been made to use renewable energy, more
specifically solar power despite sunshine throughout the year, is a question
that begs an answer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Even in
countries like the US there have been arguments to say that there is a national
conspiracy to prevent renewable energy from becoming the primary source of
energy. In the US the conspirators are said to be the fossil fuel industry
which continues to rake in exorbitant profits on oil and gas while it refuses
to make any significant investment in renewable energy.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the US main
stream news media too has been accused of being subservient to the corporate
interests and abstaining from doing any serious coverage on the viability of
renewable energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The members of the
Congress have been accused of being addicted to the big buck they receive from
big oil and other traditional oil sources to block any worthwhile renewable
energy legislation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">According to
the US Department of energy, the amount of solar energy that hits the surface
of the earth every hour is greater than the total amount of energy that the
entire human population requires in a year. While the facts remain so, if we
know that it works why don’t we use renewable energy in place of heavily
polluting oil, gas or coal?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The primary
reason is that the cost of renewable energy is still relatively high compared
to fossil fuels although the gap is closing as the cost of natural gas and oil
continue to rise. The price to install photovoltaic panels on the average home
is quite high and affordable only for those who are well off. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">But the
common experience is when some product is mass-produced its price per unit
should plummet. The one million dollar question is why solar power and wind
power products are not promoted in a serious manner with appropriate duty
concessions and mass produced. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">With diesel
mafia and connected interest groups being powerful in the energy sector the
situation in Sri Lanka cannot be much different from the US and it’s time for
us to have a fresh look at this energy issue<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>and formulate a stronger national policy on renewable energy and promote
specifically solar and wind power. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">On the
overall energy issue the government seems to have risen from a deep slumber and
appointed a cabinet committee under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
to look at the short and medium term solutions to the power sector issues. Even
if they do their job properly it will only be a temporary solution. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is a
strong need to have an independent body or mechanism fully empowered to handle
the power sector on a long term basis in terms of the laws governing the sector
while also meeting the growing demand as the country goes into its next stage
of development. Such an outfit should have the authority to raise the necessary
capital from whatever the legitimate sources with adequate participation of the
government without having to depend on inexperienced politicians to handle this
vital issue. It should also have its own mechanism to minimize room for
corruption. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Though
originally created for that purpose the CEB in its current form is woefully
incapable of handling such a job. That is why restructuring this institution
has become a vital necessity and that has to be done while the politicians in
power look for temporary and short term solutions to the issue. We have been
talking about it for too long and now with memories of power cuts still being
fresh it’s time to concentrate on this onerous but vital task.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">(The writer can be contacted on:
gamini4@gmail.com)</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-20575868024171809352019-04-04T08:37:00.002-07:002019-04-04T09:16:31.685-07:00 Will the budget offer some solution to public transport issue?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMF8RImyeZ1Z9kGcWCI142DMoTfuM3DIXR6ExWUF4m_qWNW3dYm89pR6eudqGFyblGB46wwYIP6mxZhqjtnZYq8iFeG_tRC_gt7aEAXaUlCUg0sgeHtLkzOgKwOtMK5dSHjqQr3s155am/s1600/image_1473356204-78e1f3c185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="600" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMF8RImyeZ1Z9kGcWCI142DMoTfuM3DIXR6ExWUF4m_qWNW3dYm89pR6eudqGFyblGB46wwYIP6mxZhqjtnZYq8iFeG_tRC_gt7aEAXaUlCUg0sgeHtLkzOgKwOtMK5dSHjqQr3s155am/s640/image_1473356204-78e1f3c185.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<u><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></u><em><strong> </strong></em></div>
<em><strong></strong></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<em><strong>"How the
buses run on the city routes during the peak hours of the day scaring all other
road users to death is ample testimony for the dire need to put an end to the
current primitive system of operating buses. The question is how the proposed system
can be implemented without getting bus operations in each district under the
control of one single authority"<o:p></o:p></strong></em></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">By Gamini Abeywardane <o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The budget among its many proposals which have received
mixed reactions seems to contain some valuable suggestions targeting the much
needed modernization of the public transport sector. It has clinically looked
at the public transport sector identifying some of the main causes for its
chaotic situation today. The approach has been to look at it from a long term
perspective rather than proposing some quick fixes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">However, going by the history of our budgets and their
implementation most Sri Lankans would be quite skeptical until these proposals
are fully implemented. Overall, the Budget 2019 which is before the Parliament appears
to be one instance where problems of public transport have been looked at
rationally at least.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The most significant proposal is the idea of getting the
revenue from all buses into a Revenue Support Fund as a transitional
arrangement and paying the bus owners on monthly basis for the number of
kilometers operated. This could be a solution to the central issue right now which
is the unhealthy competition to collect passengers at the expense of the safety
and convenience of both commuters and pedestrians on the road. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">How the buses run on the city routes during the peak hours
of the day scaring all other road users to death is ample testimony for the
dire need to put an end to the current primitive system of operating buses. The
question is how the proposed system can be implemented without getting bus
operations in each district under the control of one single authority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The rat race for a bigger daily revenue collection is an
inherent problem in a public transport service operated with individually owned
buses. Most buses are bought with leasing facilities from financial
institutions and as a result bus owners fix a high daily target for the crew.
The wages of the bus crew depend on the volume of the daily collection.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The situation is made worse because there is no practice of
issuing tickets to the passengers which has given the opportunity for the drivers
and conductors to pilfer whatever the collection made over and above the
stipulated daily target. It should also be noted that every attempt by the
authorities to make issue of tickets compulsory in the past has been resisted and
stifled by the bus operators.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">At the moment there
is no employment security, proper salary structure or EPF and ETF benefits for
those employed in the private buses making the situation worse. Drivers and
conductors in this sector lack any permanency of employment or social status
quite in contrast to the situation prevailing in countries where there are well
developed transport systems. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Drawing attention to this issue, Finance Minister Mangala
Samaraweera, in his budget speech, said that private sector bus employees will
be given better job security with EPF and ETF benefits and will be eligible to
get loan facilities as an incentive for better service towards passengers. It
is a fine idea, but it is necessary to have some sort of permanent employment
for them before this could be introduced and it is doubtful whether such a
system can be implemented under a regime of individual bus operators.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Poor quality buses<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The poor quality of buses in the public transport system at
the moment is another huge issue. It is a known fact that the majority of buses
belonging to both private sector operators and the SLTB are goods transport
vehicles converted into passenger buses and as a result they lack the standard comforts
found in original passenger transport vehicles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">When these buses were introduced to our roads several
decades ago only very a few people owned motor vehicles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The income levels of the people were quite
low and nobody looked for comforts. Today the situation has completely changed
and people look for more and more comforts and that is why there is a major
shift from use of public transport to private motor vehicles.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Finance Minister admitted that fact when he said “Our
transport sector is yet not meeting the needs of a middle-income county.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a remedy he proposes a Bus Modernization
Program in the next five years to transform bus services across the country. It
is proposed to expand the SLTB’s fleet with addition of 250 buses with safety
and user-friendly standards in the next two years while they will also
introduce buses that are more suited for those with special needs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">A concessionary loan scheme ‘City Ride’, under ‘Enterprise
Sri Lanka’, has been proposed where the Government will bare 75% of the
interest cost for private bus fleet owners to expand their fleets by a total of
1000 luxury buses. The private bus owners who are willing to purchase luxury
buses instead of the existing old buses and the reputed companies who are
willing to provide comfortable transport services for their employees will be
entitled to this loan facility.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Under this scheme the maximum loan amount will be Rs 10
million with an annual effective interest rate of 13.86% while 75% of the
interest will be borne by the government. The repayment period will be five
years including a one year grace period.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There are proposals aimed at upgrading and systematic
phasing out of three wheelers which now have become an integral part of our
transport system. ‘Mini Taxi / Electric Three Wheeler’ scheme under ‘Enterprise
Sri Lanka’ will be introduced to upgrade current three wheelers into electric three
wheelers and small cars that will be more environmentally friendly, safer and
comfortable. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Persons who are 35 years of age or above, who own three-wheelers
currently used for hiring purposes will be eligible for this loan while the
existing three-wheelers should be disposed. The maximum loan amount available
under the scheme will be Rs 2 million with an annual effective interest rate of
13.86% while 75% of the interest will be borne by the government with a
repayment period of five years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Multimodal transport hubs<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is also a proposal to introduce within the next few
months, starting with the Central and the Western Provinces, pre-paid fare
cards, electronic tracking of buses, using GPS and information on next bus and
bus schedules, delivered to the palm of the passenger through mobile
applications. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Modern multimodal passenger terminals will be introduced
starting from Makumbura and will include Kandy, Kadawatha, Pettah and Moratuwa.
The budget also proposes to establish a Joint Bus Operations Control Centre connected
to live digital data streams throughout the country to make bus transport an
attractive option. The budget proposes to allocate Rs 1300 million to support
these investments.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Recognizing the significant demand for improved railway
services in the country, it has also been proposed to enlist the support of the
private sector. In this regard, the minister proposes to allow the private
sector to lease/rent Sri Lanka Railway’s carriages, and improve their facilities
in the four main lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">These proposals together seem to have the potential to bring
about some fundamental changes in our public transport system without
resistance from any segments connected to the transport industry both in the
state and private sectors. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Theoretically at least, this seems to be a good beginning
because more effective remedies like getting the private sector capital and
management skills into government owned bus transport services or railway networks
is not possible without facing resistance and much disruption in our country
under the present circumstances. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">However, as the saying goes the proof of the pudding is in
the eating and the country has to wait and see how much of these seemingly good
proposals would be effectively implemented during the period covered by the
Budget 2019 that is expected to be passed by the Parliament this week. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">(<em>The writer can be
contacted on</em>: <a href="mailto:gamini4@gmail.com">gamini4@gmail.com</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-62350119599322268002019-03-19T00:08:00.000-07:002019-03-19T00:08:12.936-07:00Executive Presidency: Can it be abolished in a hurry?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXabaRdbbb0t8VOFdpSHnUZIBCilF3dZw6tHf3FBdo1hxDyYJXIu6tnk7NWmqvuGhqUQHPfs4Swmm-OgFtHBOhkfbp8zB3JDN7-A2Mz7vuMTIE_tcmYgOWbsbwD_BDwVF8EY9dng9T-CA/s1600/Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXabaRdbbb0t8VOFdpSHnUZIBCilF3dZw6tHf3FBdo1hxDyYJXIu6tnk7NWmqvuGhqUQHPfs4Swmm-OgFtHBOhkfbp8zB3JDN7-A2Mz7vuMTIE_tcmYgOWbsbwD_BDwVF8EY9dng9T-CA/s1600/Pic.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">With no party
enjoying a majority in the Parliament, now it’s a favourable alignment of forces in the political
landscape for such a constitutional change and the JVP seems to have struck it
at the most opportune time. Our political leaders in most instances have acted
in their own interest and they are sure to do so this time as well, but it will
incidentally do some good for the country if the result is going to be
abolition of the executive presidency. </span></i></b></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By Gamini Abeywardane</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Abolition of
the executive presidency has surfaced in the political debate again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since early nineties the matter has been
brought up many times in election promises -- first by Chandrika Kumaratunga in
1994, then by Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2005 and 2010, and lastly by Maithripala
Sirisena in 2015. Yet for all, none of them kept their promises and instead
displayed their duplicity by trying to enhance their power or stick to it as
long as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The only
minor deviation from this trend was visible when Maithripala Sirisena agreed to
prune down some of the presidential powers by establishing independent
commissions and imposing a two term limit for a person to hold the presidency,
through the nineteenth amendment. However, it became possible as it happened
hot on the heels of the 2015 presidential election which was fought on the
broad theme of curtailing authoritarian trends and introducing good governance.
It was introduced within a few months of the election and there was hardly any time
for a change of mind by the head of state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All that is good
evidence for one to believe that any changes to the executive presidency has to
be introduced only in the first part of one’s term and towards the latter part
any incumbent President will try to find ways and means to consolidate his
position and come back to power for a second term. However, this is the first
time that the idea of abolishing the presidency has come to the centre-stage
towards the end of a government’s term and has also become the subject of
discussion among the three powerful political leaders of the country representing
different political groups -- Maithripala Sirisena, Ranil Wickremesinghe and
Mahinda Rajapaksa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hidden consensus <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">JVP which
brought forth the idea in the form of a twentieth amendment proposal has been
in the forefront pushing the matter forward and discussing it with all relevant
stakeholders and the Tamil National Alliance. Although the UNP had initially
promised to abolish the executive presidency, towards the latter stages they
did not display much enthusiasm to do so. However, with doubts over Ranil
Wickremesinghe’s ability to win a presidential election and division of opinion
in the party on the selection of a presidential candidate the UNP has now begun
to look at the idea favourably.\<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This matter
has special relevance and advantage for Mahinda Rajapaksa because by virtue of
the nineteenth amendment he is effectively debarred from contesting for a third
term. Thus, the only avenue available for him to become politically powerful
again is through a prime ministerial system and that is why he has told the JVP
leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake that he is in favour of abolishing the
executive presidency although he is not ready to support the proposed twentieth
amendment in its present form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The joint
opposition led by Mahinda Rajapaksa has not so far reached any consensus on a
presidential candidate although Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has indicated his
willingness and intensified his campaign. There seem to be a lot of confusion
there as Rajapaksas themselves appear to be divided on the issue while the US
citizenship issue of Gotabhaya is still not resolved. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then for Maithripala
Sirisena the idea can be much attractive as his position is weakening day by
day with little or no prospects for wining a second term. On the contrary he may
stand the chance of becoming the non-executive head of state in return if he
supports the abolition of the executive presidency. It would have been possible
for him to think of a second term if the political coup he staged with Mahinda
Rajapaksa had succeeded and there would have been some understanding between
the two to that effect, but now the scenario has completely changed and that is
why the proposed discussions between Sirisena and Rajapaksa on this matter has still
not materialized.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In this
situation the proposal is much likely to receive the support of the former
President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the TNA and all civil society groups that have
been clamouring for abolition of the executive presidency. However, the TNA
will not simply back it and naturally they will expect a solution to the
northern problem as well through the same constitutional amendment which
finally has to be approved by the people at a referendum. It can be a new
opportunity to resolve the northern issue because the same amendment can
include a devolution package and establishment of a Senate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It can also
be an opportunity to modify or abolish the much maligned PR system of
elections. Opposition will come from minority political parties if there is any
attempt to abolish the PR system, but they may agree to a reasonable
modification to the electoral system with 30 or 40 percent PR and the rest on a
first-past-the-post system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the
current situation a return to the Westminster system of government can be personally
advantageous to all the main political leaders of the country. However some of
the vocal politicians currently in the joint opposition may not like the idea
because most of them do not have strong political parties that can
independently survive in a parliamentary system of government. Instead they
seem to be more comfortable with hanging on to a strong individual in the form
of an Executive President.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Opportune moment<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With no party
enjoying a majority in the Parliament, now it’s a favourable<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>alignment of forces in the political
landscape for such a constitutional change and the JVP seems to have struck it
at the most opportune time. Our political leaders in most instances have acted
in their own interest and they are sure to do so this time as well, but it will
incidentally do some good for the country if the result is going to be abolition
of the executive presidency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Moreover
such a move will also ensure that the political power will remain in the hands
of these two or three groups and with the traditional political families. The
continuance of the presidential system with a two term limit will result in new
individuals and new groups capturing the political power in the country.
Therefore, it is very likely that all these three groups will act in such a way
to retain the political power among themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Time constraint<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However, the
question remains that with presidential elections being due in November whether
the limited time available will be sufficient to effect such a major political
change. It will not be possible to scrap the executive presidency without
modifying the electoral system as the PR system and executive presidency are
closely interconnected. The other issue is another set of constitutional
proposals which may also aim at abolishing the executive presidency while also
addressing all other relevant issues including devolution of power has been
already developed through the Constitutional Assembly and is now before the Parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In such a
scenario it is difficult for the major political parties to look at the issue
of abolishing the executive presidency in isolation while ignoring the issues
of devolution of power and electoral system. If such an amendment is to
successfully go through the passage of Parliament it should receive the
blessings of the minority communities and the small political parties as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In this
context it is difficult to imagine that the proposal, however attractive it may
be to major political players, will gather the necessary momentum to become a
reality within the available short period before the presidential election. In
such a situation, it can be a priority for the next government and the set of
constitutional proposals that have been developed through the Constitutional
Assembly can be the basis for such a change. (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The writer can be contacted on gamini4@gmail.com)</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-15278447578852308112019-03-02T08:22:00.001-08:002019-03-02T08:34:13.460-08:00If Constitutional Council is bad, what is better?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUvG3K1WfJ19jXwFVro7PF8Gf0m2Pq2OUPrFG_TLCcrUiJCT845ZcF7xWqJQldwTF0WsurbDEtRPagcWSPz0W9tVbQBJH04y_14_JCI06HzC6gtodVS_Ge64hcW7KhkY2Zi6dz90pDVCK/s1600/Parliament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUvG3K1WfJ19jXwFVro7PF8Gf0m2Pq2OUPrFG_TLCcrUiJCT845ZcF7xWqJQldwTF0WsurbDEtRPagcWSPz0W9tVbQBJH04y_14_JCI06HzC6gtodVS_Ge64hcW7KhkY2Zi6dz90pDVCK/s400/Parliament.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">By Gamini Abeywardane</span></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">A debate
over the constitutional council was triggered by President Maithripala Sirisena’s
angry remarks criticizing the Constitutional Council following his disagreement
with it over some key judicial appointments. Some people who are not happy with
it for whatever reasons, have gone to the extent of even calling for its
abolition. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">But the
million dollar question is: What then is the solution? Are we to go back to the
eighteenth amendment giving all powers to one person?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having seen the ugly side of the eighteenth
amendment all major political parties agreed to introduce the nineteenth
amendment and it is unlikely that there will be any compromise on that.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZA_7r4RmgIOoqDJxHVTL02jT9O4Dfd8baVuLExX58Yj2aWvn9qXS7qY36RASqTsgwgaM_1b3seY1UAVVU1nNkP3xxYfL-MjYEBVr3mcWB5l6UL2MeV0F8ODMJs2-aVCqBMBiyuU1ruITU/s1600/Maithripala+Sirisena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="660" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZA_7r4RmgIOoqDJxHVTL02jT9O4Dfd8baVuLExX58Yj2aWvn9qXS7qY36RASqTsgwgaM_1b3seY1UAVVU1nNkP3xxYfL-MjYEBVr3mcWB5l6UL2MeV0F8ODMJs2-aVCqBMBiyuU1ruITU/s320/Maithripala+Sirisena.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maithripala Sirisena</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">However, following
the recent debate on the Constitutional Council in the Parliament some
politicians have now proposed a reduction in the number of parliamentarians in
the Constitutional Council, while some others have gone to the extent of
proposing completely an independent body without any political party
representatives in it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Original draft</span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In this
regard, it is worthwhile to re-examine the original Nineteenth Amendment Bill
that was presented in the Parliament in March 2015 and the debate that
followed.The original bill proposed a ten member Constitutional Council
consisting of the Prime Minister, the Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition and
seven other members who were not supposed to be Members of Parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The seven
independent members were supposed to be: One person appointed by the President;
five persons appointed by the President on the nomination of both the Prime
Minister and the Leader of the Opposition; and one person nominated by
agreement of the majority of the Members of the Parliament belonging to
political parties or independent groups other than the respective political
parties or independent groups to which the Prime Minister and the Leader of the
Opposition belong, and appointed by the President.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The bill
also spelt out that the seven persons so appointed should be persons of
eminence and integrity who have distinguished themselves in public or professional
life and who are not members of any political party. In short, the idea was as
far as possible to depoliticize the process of appointing members of all the
independent commissions operating under the Constitutional Council. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The
unfortunate thing was these provisions were vehemently opposed by members of
the Opposition who demanded a council with a majority of Members of Parliament,
perhaps because they were against the inclusion of civil society members due to
reasons best known to them.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RVkgqFLLlNd1ToNYiQmKmzopyIVskNIWL1MvZvVEXIqKhnDJqF4lgRnd3eTeoi6wOzSbN_IzAgcT2swNSS2u8GxKyMWuKxnELWRJenMvrBQj2IX5NZWB8KQGB7qhwUGnYczToQZbLxJR/s1600/Dinesh+Gunawardena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="900" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RVkgqFLLlNd1ToNYiQmKmzopyIVskNIWL1MvZvVEXIqKhnDJqF4lgRnd3eTeoi6wOzSbN_IzAgcT2swNSS2u8GxKyMWuKxnELWRJenMvrBQj2IX5NZWB8KQGB7qhwUGnYczToQZbLxJR/s200/Dinesh+Gunawardena.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinesh Gunawardena</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Opposition
members Dinesh Gunawardena and Vasudeva Nanayakkara at the Committee Stage
debate strongly opposed the idea of having a majority of civil society members
in the Constitutional Council and instead wanted seven out of its ten members
to be Members of Parliament.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi002sMjnaySHfHGiP41GTUEmDQ7NX0rd98poR3Qng3DQOfdFG1qYo7yHDnBKxKm_H3TSAN-_j55vgXDFwY0weIrZqF_E7yChDcGK0OZZ5d1Nck-OtwB02PSZvgluXfdtY5j7ZWS5ioYzTQ/s1600/Vasudeva+Nanayakkara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="400" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi002sMjnaySHfHGiP41GTUEmDQ7NX0rd98poR3Qng3DQOfdFG1qYo7yHDnBKxKm_H3TSAN-_j55vgXDFwY0weIrZqF_E7yChDcGK0OZZ5d1Nck-OtwB02PSZvgluXfdtY5j7ZWS5ioYzTQ/s200/Vasudeva+Nanayakkara.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vasudeva Nanayakkara</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Amidst these
objections it was difficult for the government to obtain the required two-thirds
majority to pass the amendment and as a compromise it was agreed that out of
the seven members only three members should be from outside the Parliament. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">If not for
this situation, the Constitutional Council would have had a set of
distinguished people from outside the Parliament as the majority of its members
resulting in a depoliticized Constitutional Council. It is rather ironic that
the very people who were against the appointment of independent members are now
asking for reconstitution of the Constitutional Council to include more
independent members.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Mechanism to prevent deadlock<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then there is
a need to remedy the situation which led to the current deadlock in appointing
the President of the Court of Appeal. Such inordinate delay in making vital
appointments can erode the confidence of the people in the system and therefore
it is necessary to have a reasonable mechanism to avoid a deadlock arising from
a disagreement between the Constitutional Council and the President.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Another
allegation made by the President is that the Constitutional Council has not
given any valid reasons when it rejected the names of some of the judges proposed
by him for promotion to the higher judiciary. There had also been augments to
the effect that in a democracy these processes should be transparent and people
have a right to know the reasons for such rejections.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">But it
should also be noted that promotions in any organization are not a matter of
right for the employees, but to some extent a matter of discretion on the part
of the management and it’s more so when people are promoted to high positions.
Judges of superior courts and other key officials in the government like the Attorney
General, the Inspector General of Police also fall into this category.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then, how
practical it is to give reasons publicly for rejecting some nominees? One may
argue in favour of such transparency, but disclosure of one’s unsuitableness
may trigger unwanted public discussion over these appointments while also
causing damage to persons whose names have been rejected.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Such
discussion could be very much like allowing public discussion on the correctness
of judicial decisions and the end result could be hampering the smooth
functioning of the system itself. Key persons in the country publicly
criticizing these appointments will erode the people’s confidence in the system.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Public
discussion of such matters may be common in the US and some countries in the West,but
in our country it could be treated as prejudicial to the smooth functioning of
the court system particularly in the context of the culture in our country.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Seniority and promotions<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">A certain
minimum number of years of service will be necessary for a promotion or
appointment to akey post. However, seniority alone should never be the
criterion for appointments or promotions in any institution, be it in the judiciary,
the state sector or the private sector. Seniority has to be considered along
with other factors such as competency, integrity and educational
qualifications. If seniority alone can be the only criterion promotions can be
almost automatic and there will not be any need for the Constitutional Council
or the President to get involved in such appointments.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The signs
are that the ongoing process to introduce a new Constitution will take longer
than anticipated. However the current deadlck with regard to some key
appointments have to be resolved without delay. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The best
option now is for all political parties to agree without delay and introduce
the same provisions with regard to the Constitutional Council contained in the
original nineteenth amendment bill. That will ensure a depoliticized
constitutional Council which will include seven independent members who are not
politicians, so that spirit of the nineteenth amendment as envisaged by those who
advocated good governance will be retained.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-47238812217509039852019-02-12T01:51:00.000-08:002019-02-14T23:42:35.098-08:00New constitution: Is this the correct time?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJM9YI4nDdir2W5dq3WzWvT-F3dkQnE1nG8V8AEYxx43C0ZmVOJydBKx_zWuJvuKWzxNhSwx-gaMwbvtzucv3oa0Bxvw9JAqmSSmHaTIkXMOkk8-haYa6frvfQPD082wg1XZsDtQQTZHUu/s1600/parliament-of-sri-lanka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="595" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJM9YI4nDdir2W5dq3WzWvT-F3dkQnE1nG8V8AEYxx43C0ZmVOJydBKx_zWuJvuKWzxNhSwx-gaMwbvtzucv3oa0Bxvw9JAqmSSmHaTIkXMOkk8-haYa6frvfQPD082wg1XZsDtQQTZHUu/s640/parliament-of-sri-lanka.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">"I</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">n most countries the majority of the people do not understand the importance of a constitution as they mistakenly think it does not have any direct bearing on their lives. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">All this seems to be arising out of ignorance that a good constitution is fundamental to all economic and social well-being of a nation."</span></span><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></b><br />
<div>
<b><span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-size: small;">By Gamini Abeywardane</span></span></b></div>
</div>
</h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.4667px;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The debate over a new constitution has come to the fore again. Many critics especially those who do not like to see any progress in this regard due to personal agendas are raising issues saying that there are many other grave issues facing the country which needs to be tackled before introducing a new constitution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">If there is a strong need for something in a country that has to be done at whatever time possible. No politically honest person will argue against the need for a totally new constitution. The election of 2015 was fought on the theme of abolishing the current constitution and establishing a system of good governance while resolving the national issue once and for all. All the minority communities as well as educated and right-thinking sections of the population whole-heatedly supported a political change with this intention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The importance of a good constitution became clearer than ever before during the recent constitutional crisis which finally had to be resolved by the country’s highest court. Most people who earlier asked whether the constitution was for the people to eat (<i>Vyavasthava Kannada</i>), were reading that document day and night during this seven weeks of political and economic turmoil. So much so all the printed copies of the constitution and the nineteenth amendment were sold out like hot cakes and there was a shortage of them at the government publications bureau.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><b>Need for a new constitution</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The need for a new constitution began with anti-democratic and authoritarian trends experienced under the present constitution at different times. That is why both past Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga (in 1994) and Mahinda Rajapaksa (in 2005) and present President Maithripala Sirisena (in 2015) included abolition of the executive presidency as one of the main items in their presidential election </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">manifestos<span style="font-size: 12pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">I</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">n most countries the majority of the people do not understand the importance of a constitution as they mistakenly think it does not have any direct bearing on their lives. Even here our political landscape is full of rhetoric to say there are more important issues than a constitution at this point of time. All this has become possible because of the ignorance of the majority that a good constitution is fundamental to all economic and social well-being of a nation.</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="background-color: white;">It </span>becomes more so in a multi-ethnic country which has a history of conflict among different communities. On the top of it, there is a segment of politicians who are not genuinely interested in sorting out any of these issues and try every trick in the book to stifle the implementation of a new constitution for their own political survival.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><u style="background-color: white;">For the chauvinist and racist politicians both in the south and the north, the unresolved northern issue is a very useful thing much like the beggar’s wound (<i>HingannageThuwale</i>) as it is easy for them to survive in politics by harping on this issue. It is much easier to inflame communal feelings among people than finding actual solutions to social and economic issues faced by them.</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The issue about the constitution has a long history in our country. When we got our independence there was no demand for separation from the Tamil mainstream politicians. They all agreed upon the Soulbury Constitution which was drafted after a consultation process which went on for more than two years. It had adequate protection for minority interests and continued to be our supreme law until 1972.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The first republican constitution of 1972 was a majority community imposed document which took away some of the specific provisions protecting the interests of minorities. It was bulldozed through a revolutionary method by a Constituent Assembly which sat outside the parliament without the participation of the Tamil parliamentarians. The whole exercise was carried out with the intention of severing all colonial constitutional links to facilitate quick implementation of socialistic policies of the then United Front government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Then, the constitution of 1978 was similarly forced upon the country by the J R Jayewardene government by making use of the five-sixth majority they had in the parliament. It changed the whole governing and electoral system of the country by introducing the executive presidency and the underlying intention, it appeared, was to perpetuate the grip of the United National Party in Sri Lankan politics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">A significant constitutional development thereafter, was the introduction of the thirteenth amendment to the constitution which drastically changed the nature of the executive by taking away the powers to make key appointments and handing it over to several independent commissions. This was a great achievement because in passing this piece of legislation there was unanimity in the parliament which is a rare thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">But unfortunately, this was short-lived as it was replaced by the eighteenth amendment which gave all those powers back to the executive president. It enhanced the power of the executive presidency by removing the two-term restriction. This led to a near dictatorial situation threatening rule of law as well as good governance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The nineteenth amendment which is in force at the moment came as a direct result of the need for changing this situation. However, it addressed only the good governance issue by establishing a constitutional council and independent commissions and introducing a more democratic mechanism for appointing persons to some high posts. It was a hurriedly introduced interim measure and therefore did not address the vital national issue of power devolution which was left to an entirely new constitution as promised in the 2015 election campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Accordingly, a process to draft a new constitution began with the formation of a Constitutional Assembly in March 2016 where all 225 members of parliament sit as a committee. Thereafter, a Steering Committee consisting of 21 members reflecting the general political party leadership within Parliament was appointed for preparation of a constitutional proposal. From that time onwards through public representation committee and by other means the views of all sections of the people have been accommodated in the process of making a set of constitutional proposals which has finally gone into the tentative draft which has now come before the steering committee.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">The final draft of a constitutional bill has to be prepared based on these proposals. In order for that to become law, it must be passed in the parliament by a two thirds majority and finally approved by the people in a nationwide referendum. This sort of long and participatory process will ensure that a constitution so adopted will have the approbation of the people and therefore likely to last long. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<b>Proper procedure</b><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">In other words this is the first time a constitution is being prepared with adequate time allocated for the process and giving opportunities to all segments of the people to make representations akin to the process followed in India when they wrote their own constitution soon after independence. This is also the first time after independence, all the communities, particularly the Tamils are participating in a constitution making process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Therefore, if these efforts become successful all the elements that are necessary for this document to be long lasting are present unlike in the previous instances. Therefore, the timing for its finalization is immaterial, if it is going to do some good for the country. The best time is the time whenever two thirds of the members of the parliament can agree on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">It could be done by the current government or could be the first priority for the next government. <u>Seventy years have passed since independence and it’s time that we develop the right constitution for the country ending the fears over dividing the country. We need to get all communities and all regions to actively participate in economic development if we are not to become the losers in South Asia in this fast changing world scenario.</u></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-2005801783991603372017-12-03T09:17:00.000-08:002017-12-03T09:17:19.824-08:00Local polls: A referendum on the two-party rule<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3ENTfZoPhopebeYAxQfv5-dJXgXknHPapDCIsIn3TW5J3Ys9qi-_3ms7R6TVR5BzKghuwqZXuVbhKkyjsUyxn-M00iwgs7HtrxrOeQJ-tdZ4ZJvjYsUuXt97BT8zIUAaQB25QV2hSBnI/s1600/vote-415x260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="415" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3ENTfZoPhopebeYAxQfv5-dJXgXknHPapDCIsIn3TW5J3Ys9qi-_3ms7R6TVR5BzKghuwqZXuVbhKkyjsUyxn-M00iwgs7HtrxrOeQJ-tdZ4ZJvjYsUuXt97BT8zIUAaQB25QV2hSBnI/s640/vote-415x260.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em></em></strong> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em>By Gamini Abeywardane</em></strong></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With the
withdrawal of the fundamental rights petitions in the Court of Appeal against
the delimitation gazette, the holding of the local government elections has now
become almost a certainty. Nearly two years of delay has been attributed to
both genuine efforts to complete much wanted election reforms as well as
attempts to postpone elections till the anticipated settlement of the major
rift in the SLFP.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although,
the inordinate delay cannot be justified, the electoral reforms which
introduced a mix of 60 percent first-past-the-post and 40 percent PR which
ensures a representative for each electoral ward is a salutary measure. Delimitation
of wards to accommodate the demographic changes that have taken place after the
wards were carved out several decades ago was also an important development.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Moreover,
the reform of the electoral system was one of the main objectives of the
national unity government and thus the time genuinely taken for completion of
that part of the reform is well justified. The efforts to patch up the
differences between the two warring factions of the SLFP – the official
SLFP<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>led by President Maithripala Sirisena and the Joint
Opposition led by Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa – also is understandable because,
if succeeded, that would prevent a humiliating defeat for the party.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A defeat
would certainly be a bad experience for a political party led by the country’s
President who has maintained a reasonable level of popularity both nationally
and internationally. Those who were behind the reconciliatory moves from the
Sirisena group would have thought that an electoral defeat for the party would
mean a greater shift of the party membership towards the Former President, making
it difficult for President Sirisena to keep his grip over the party.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At the same
time such a defeat would also mean a bad omen for some of the SLFP cabinet
ministers who have been half-heartedly remaining in the government, while
having secret links with the Joint Opposition. Worst of all, some of them are
defeated candidates or who have crossed over to the government after the change
of government and accommodated as MPs on the national list. Naturally, they
have the worst fears about the future and their only intention is to remain in
power for few more years. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are
people with similar issues on the Joint Opposition as well. Most of them have
pending FCID inquiries or court cases against them and have no political future
on their own. For their very survival they have no alternative other than
depending on the residual popularity of Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as
the war winning national leader.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, for
President Sirisena, it’s not the end of the world. For him there are many
options including working further with the UNP to accomplish the remaining
goals of the National Unity Government. They include the complete resolution of
the national issue and carrying out the remaining economic and other reforms. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In fact, one
should not forget that most of the international support and recognition for
him, is with the expectation that he will deliver these goals brining about the
much needed economic transformation. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fulfillment
of these expectations is sure to make him an unforgettable national leader who
will also enjoy the support of the minorities. And that would give him a
special status independent of the electoral success of his party and he could
even become the President and Head of State for another term, probably through
a vote in the parliament, though minus some of the executive powers he enjoys
at present.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the other
hand, President Sirisena must surely be aware that joining hands with the Joint
Opposition would mean electoral success at the local level, but could be
suicidal for him at national level particularly with the prospects of Mahinda
Rajapaksa faction taking over the control of the SLFP. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
unsuccessful dialogue between the two factions and some of the impossible
demands made by the leaders of these groups and the fact that some of their
leading members publicly opposed unity talks, also showed that there was no
genuine desire to join together. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite
these developments the current situation is that elections are likely to be
held simultaneously throughout the country under the new system as planned earlier,
though there can be a slight delay with dates being pushed to somewhere early
February.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The UNP is
like to gain out of the rift in the SLFP, at the same time it is not easy for
the Mahinda Rajapaksa backed Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna (SLPP) also to make a
major impact. The past experience shows that it is not easy for a breakaway group
from a main stream party to succeed in politics.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is likely
that the political heat will be over with the conclusion of the election,
whatever its outcome may be. With the threat from the breakaway group subsiding,
the official SLFP will be able to determine its future direction. One cannot even
rule out the possibility of the two parties in the unity government forming
joint governments in some local authorities as well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though, a
local level election it will be an important mid-term election which in reality
be a referendum on the future direction of party politics in the country. The people
will see the real electoral strength of each party, independent of the outward
manifestations often seen in the form of disproportionate noise and protest
campaigns.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-30240425947489192062017-11-25T07:12:00.002-08:002017-11-25T07:12:40.404-08:00Amidst no faith motions more prospects of early LG polls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0aPfn6KaIHilhOMGzIgwsDs26WxgMHlJO3lLzv0_bernjQoP6B1_6lJr-CkhDvQGclbZpEhChXFel4NoUimirC-VilIIU_BDJSU1Ug7mR8Dg1esw4stM0L-cqlYupiQTAB6jAKmugoa1v/s1600/imgonline-com-ua-twotoone-RKAxIYWKrCl20bb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="900" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0aPfn6KaIHilhOMGzIgwsDs26WxgMHlJO3lLzv0_bernjQoP6B1_6lJr-CkhDvQGclbZpEhChXFel4NoUimirC-VilIIU_BDJSU1Ug7mR8Dg1esw4stM0L-cqlYupiQTAB6jAKmugoa1v/s640/imgonline-com-ua-twotoone-RKAxIYWKrCl20bb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 36pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b> </div>
<strong><em>By Gamini Abeywardane</em></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The week began with the much waited climax in the Treasury
Bond saga with none other than Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe giving
evidence before the Bond Commission on Monday. It was an unprecedented
development where the country’s prime Minister had to fall in line with a
presidential commission of inquiry appointed by the very administration in
which he himself is an important component. To that extent, it displayed the
true nature of the democratic environment prevailing in the country, in
contrast to what Sri Lankans witnessed in the last several decades.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The commission being only a fact finding exercise, as usual,
it will end with a formal report with certain recommendations. There is a long
way before anyone can be found guilty of any wrongs and legally punished. Even
if any legal process is to be carried on in that direction, it has to be an
entirely a different exercise and a time consuming one.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some of the SLFP Ministers who were among those pressurizing
President Sirisena to appoint the Commission of Inquiry into the controversial
bond issue apparently were elated that they managed to get even the Prime
Minister before the commission and expose some of those from the UNP camp who were
responsible for the alleged fraud. Both the Joint Opposition and the JVP
apparently tried to claim the credit for getting a Commission of Inquiry
appointed to look into the matter.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There have been sensible debate as well as mere political
mudslinging and empty noise over the issue. Although final result of this
exercise is not predictable much damage has been caused to those who are
accused of involvement in this scandal, the worst affected being former finance
minister Ravi Karunanayake who has been already sent to political wilderness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nevertheless, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who came
to be testified before the commission on his own volition apparently made some
political capital out of it with nothing having gone against him at the
commission. He made use of the opportunity to explain the macro picture
surrounding the bond issue such as the urgent need for money at the time, why
auction system was introduced for bond issues and some aspects of the
government’s economic programme. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ministers Malik Samarawickrama and Kabir Hashim who were
called before the commission earlier also came out of it without much damage
for themselves. The most devastating effect of the appointment of this
commission was on Minister Ravi Karunanayake and some of the reformist young
backbenchers of the UNP made use of the opportunity to force him out of the
political mainstream at least for the time being. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The backbencher group led by Deputy Minister Ajith Perera
throughout tried to display a different stance over this issue, publicly saying
that it was an unfortunate incident in which the UNP should not have got
involved and those who are responsible should be punished. They tried their
best to maintain their image as a cleaner group within the party and use the
scandal to expedite the reform process they were clamouring for.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, the opposite happened when it partially boomeranged
on them. A good many of that group together with some UNP members of the COPE,
the parliamentary committee which earlier looked into the scandal, also got
implicated over some sensitive telephone conversations with Arjun Aloysius
around the time COPE inquiry was going on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, the public sittings of the Bond Commission are over and
its final report is due to be handed over to the President shortly. There was a
huge media show surrounding the whole exercise while the only tangible outcome
for the moment was the removal of Ravi Karunanayake from the cabinet of
ministers.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the joint Opposition led by Former President Mahinda
Rajapaksa the bond scandal was a blessing in disguise. Although many are now
trying to claim the credit for getting the bond commission appointed a greater
amount of it should go to them because they were the group which vigorously
campaigned for a high level probe into the matter which was later picked by
others as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This unfortunately happened at a time when the whole country
was waiting for some progress over the probe into allegations of massive crimes
and corruption against the bigwigs of the former government and the new scandal
gave them a fantastic opportunity to cover up themselves from the public eye at
least for the moment.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Local elections<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the dust settled over the bond commission local
government election issue has begun to occupy the media space with the
possibility of elections getting further postponed in the face of the stay
order issued<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>by the Court of Appeal
preventing the implementation of the gazette notification pertaining to Local
Government bodies until December 4.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The popular belief was that the filing of fundamental rights
cases by voters in several districts was a sinister move by interested parties
to postpone elections indefinitely. Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister
Faizer Mustapha for quite some time has been in the middle of this controversy
with accusations leveled against him for using various legal loopholes to
postpone the elections.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meanwhile, the reluctance of the SLFP led by President
Maithripala Sirisena to face any elections at this time due to the internal
split in the party has been attributed to these attempts to postpone local
government elections. Amidst these political moves public opinion has been
building against the idea of postponing elections with rights groups voicing
their opinion against it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">UNP which earlier appeared to be colluding with attempts to
postpone elections now seems to have changed their stance, perhaps after
realizing that the ground situation is in their favour. Another reason for the
change of attitude would have been the displeasure in the UNP camp amidst
growing tension that has been building between the coalition partners following
revelations at the bond commission.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In this background now both Joint Opposition and the JVP
have already handed over two separate Motions of No Confidence against the
Provincial Council and Local Government Minister Faizer Mustapha alleging that
he has deliberately complicated matters to ensure postponement of local polls
and thereby undermined the people’s right to vote.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meanwhile, the backbenchers of the UNP also have stated that
Minister Mustapha has acted in such a way that democratic rights of the voters
have been violated and that they would support any No Confidence Motion against
him in Parliament. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also has asked the legal
committee of the UNP to examine the possibility of having LG polls before
February 4 next year.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Speaker Karu Jayasuriya is expected to have a meeting of
all political parties in the Parliament to take a decision in this regard.
Observers say that in the event all of them insist on going ahead with the
elections, a motion can be passed by the Parliament to that effect with a two
third majority to go ahead with elections as planned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meanwhile, there seem to be a lot of pressure being built up
asking minister Mustapha to resign from his ministerial position before any No
Confidence Motion is presented in Parliament and if that happens he will be the
third minister to resign on similar issues in the recent times with Ravi Karunanayake
and Wijedasa Rajapaksa being the other two.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With lessor or no prospects of the two warring factions of
the SLFP getting together, if the elections are held the general belief is that
the ground situation will be much favorable to the UNP. It is true that the
ruling joint government has not gained any popularity in the recent times,
while the Joint Opposition not being in control of any established political
party will also be not in a position to make much of an electoral impact.
Therefore, politically speaking it will be a strange situation where the voters
will be compelled to elect the best out of the bad lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If the elections are held it will be an opportunity for each
party to know its real strength which in reality could be different from disproportionate
noise they have been making on the political stage. It will also provide an
opportunity for the people to show their response to all political and other
developments that have been taking place since the last general election in
2015. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, whatever happens in a local government election, it
is unlikely to bring about a major change in the government and the SLFP led by
President Maithripala Sirisena and the UNP led by Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremeseinghe will have no alternative other than going ahead with their
joint administration until the next major national election.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-4161757115486473222017-11-11T21:14:00.005-08:002017-11-18T06:54:01.095-08:00Bottom line of the petroleum issue<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRPJhXsRiDauGmKDY1Umvt1UFCUJB13ATjZz1JpOczMY45RFRDp9eysMlHX9okIgz1vN2e1Z8bnCMU6NTZ5Wd2Zo9CqQJ-vGs1sf5zUNv_cdinMjnO_mmFblhyvD_FTIOQ6qlcUIdhGtd/s1600/Petrol+queue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRPJhXsRiDauGmKDY1Umvt1UFCUJB13ATjZz1JpOczMY45RFRDp9eysMlHX9okIgz1vN2e1Z8bnCMU6NTZ5Wd2Zo9CqQJ-vGs1sf5zUNv_cdinMjnO_mmFblhyvD_FTIOQ6qlcUIdhGtd/s1600/Petrol+queue.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 30pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b> </div>
<span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Only proper liberalization can
resolve the problem</em></span> <o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<strong><em>By Gamini Abeywardane</em></strong> <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The Cabinet sub-committee appointed to look into the
recent petrol crisis, has found that the failure to maintain buffer stocks and
the absence of a mechanism to carry out emergency supplies were the reasons for
the shortage.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span></o:p></span></span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The committee also raised doubts as to how the delay in
the arrival of the two shipments – one ordered by the Ceylon Petroleum
Corporation (CPC) and the other by the Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC) – and
the breakdown of the refinery, all happened around the same time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Based on the committee report, Petroleum Resources
Development Minister Arjuna Ranatunga had directed the CID to conduct an
inquiry into this matter. Whatever the outcome of this investigation, it is not
going to resolve the issue in the long run and it could be a matter of time
before another shortage occurs.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">This is certainly an indictment on our current petroleum
management system</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">. </span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">The
severe shortage of petrol, long queues at fuel stations which lasted nearly a
week created much frustration among the masses. Irrespective of whatever the
reasons behind, it talks volumes about the state of affairs in the energy
administration in the country. Each party involved in the issue tried to pass
the buck on to the other, while no one has taken responsibility for the crisis
situation that arose.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></b>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">The
immediate reason for the calamity was the rejection by the authorities, of a shipment
of petrol meant for Lanka IOC, on the ground the product was substandard.
Spreading of this news resulted in panic buying of fuel increasing the daily
average sales beyond the supply capacity of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation
(CPC) resulting in a shortage.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Meantime,
there have been allegations that officials of the CPC had failed to keep
sufficient stocks to meet an emergency. Around the same time the stories about
an inexplicable breakdown at the Oil Refinery at Sapugaskanda and political
pressure to unload the substandard oils shipment etc. indicate the level of politics
and possibilities of corruption around oil business.<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, much light
has been thrown on these factors by the findings of the Cabinet sub-committee
which looked into the matter. It is supposed to have recommended a regulatory
mechanism to avoid repetition of such situations.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br /><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">The quantum
of monies involved in these deals is such even in the past there have been
enough and more allegations of corruption involving politicians handling the
subject, directors as well as high officials of the CPC. We have also witnessed
the disastrous effects of substandard petrol being imported and released to the
market and how government had to pay compensation for the damages caused to
vehicles.<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">There are
also conspiracy theories and possibilities of sabotage etc. to make the current
government unpopular in the face of highly probable local government elections
in the near future. Despite these possibilities what is clear is that there is
a serious issue in managing the petroleum industry in the country.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br /><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">There are doubts
as to whether country has gained anything by nationalizing the petroleum
industry in 1961. At the time the government had no involvement in the
petroleum business. Market was controlled by Shell while Esso and Caltex had
relatively smaller market share and import, storage and distribution went on
smoothly.<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Nationalization
of the industry would have been inevitable because of the need for the state to
control the commanding heights of the economy in terms of the political
thinking at the time. But the question is whether we have gained much out of
it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Since the
government takeover of the petroleum industry the CPC continued as a monopoly
till 2003. With unsustainable losses and other inherent issues normally
associated with the government sector, the need for deregulating the industry
arose and accordingly the monopoly of the CPC was ended with the formation of
LIOC, a subsidiary of the Indian Oil Corporation being given nearly a one third
share in the local petroleum market in 2003.<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Storage
units in Kolannawa and Muthurajawela were made common user facilities by
establishing a separate company called Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminal
Limited (CPSTL) with the joint participation of the Government, CPC and LIOC.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Following the
Petroleum Products (Special Provisions) Act passed in 2002 there were plans to
have three players – the CPC and two other suppliers in the petroleum market
along with a common storage facility.<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Accordingly,
all arrangements were ready with 100 petrol sheds kept under treasury to be
handed over to a third player who was to be picked on an open bid system.
However, with political changes that did not happen and as a result the
expected level of openness or competition has not been achieved in the market.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Had that
happened the real benefit of liberalizing the petroleum market would have been
achieved with more players in the market and the government having to get
involved only in quality control and regulating aspects. This would have been
much similar to the situation that prevails in the telecom sector after
privatization.<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">If that had happened
much of today’s problems associated with the petroleum market like what we have
just witnessed and even threats of sudden stoppage of work will not be a
problem for anybody. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">More over in
today’s world it is foolhardy to think that potential foreign investors will
come and operate in a country where the whole transport system can become
inactive in a moment due to shortage of petrol and diesel due to wild cat
strikes or whatever other reason.<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Therefore,
the best way to have some energy security in the coutry and stability in the
petroleum market would be to have a third player or more in the market and for
the government to regulate it in an efficient manner. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Even the
current storage system should be re-examined because a central storage system
also has its inherent weaknesses and it’s too much of a risk to depend on one
entity for storage. Perhaps, it may be more practical to have more players with
each one having its own storage facility.<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Building new
storage facilities may be out of the question in present times because of the
high costs involved. No private investor, foreign or local, will spend such a
colossal amount of money, especially in an unstable environment with possibility
of state takeovers and so on.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">The idea of
putting the world war 11 era oil tanks in Trincomallee to some good use also
becomes relevant in this context as it will also go hand in hand with this
issue. If these tanks are utilized in a fruitful manner Sri Lanka will never
have a domestic oil shortage and keeping such a buffer stock will ease our
problems even in the face of a worldwide petroleum issue. <o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">So, the way
out is to have a more open attitude towards the petroleum market with more
players. Unfortunately with the latest fuel shortage for which the immediate
reason appeared to be the low quality shipment ordered by the LIOC, interested
parties have spread the distorted opinion that it is the privatization that
created the issue.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">The
strangest thing is that although the petroleum monopoly of the CPC is supposed
to have been ended, 82% of the market is still controlled by them and LIOC has
only 18%. In such a situation it is highly illogical to blame the small player
saying that the reason for the shortage is the rejection of a shipment of
theirs over a quality issue. <o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">In fact, in
such a scenario the bigger player should be able to cash on the situation by
releasing additional stocks to the market and increasing their sales. So it is
clear that the real reason for the current unhealthy situation is the country’s
inability to complete the liberalization process in the manner it was
originally planned. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">If there are
three or more players with nobody having the market control and a proper
regulatory mechanism, there can never be shortages and that seems to be the
only way to resolve this permanently. Only such a situation will protect the
market from disastrous impacts of sudden shortages or work stoppages by
employees of one player.<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">However,
because of the political sensitivities no government will be able to choose
that path in the near future. But, if we are to resolve this issue permanently
and lay the foundation for a stable economic future such decisions will have to
be taken one day.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span> </span> </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1206059379794241283.post-92081876623220500682017-11-05T05:08:00.000-08:002017-11-05T06:57:41.671-08:00SAITM issue, likely to be reloved<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span></b> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But overall standards should not be
compromised<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></span></span></span></b></div>
<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em></em></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>By Gamini Abeywardane</em></span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The
seemingly irresolvable SAITM issue has shown some signs of being resolved in
the near future. The government’s decision to remove it from the control of Dr.
Neville Fernando family and run it as a not-for-profit entity under the
supervision of the University Grants Commission (UGC), in terms of the
recommendations of Harsha de Silva committee has received some favourable
response from the GMOA. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">If the GMOA
still has some concerns over the admission criterion, overall quality standards
or clinical training, it is quite understandable going by our past experience
in setting up private medical educational institutions. SAITM as well as
infamous North Colombo Medical College (NCMC) which happened to be closed down
in the eighties amidst severe protests by medical students of the state
universities is a grim reminder of our history of trying to do right things in
the wrong way.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Private medical education<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Private
medical education is not a bad thing, but world over there are stringent
criteria for admitting students to medical schools because of the sensitivities
involved in the work of the doctors whose competency is a key factor in saving
the lives of thousands of patients. Therefore, the minimum entry qualifications
for medical studies are quite high compared to what is required for higher
education in Arts, Humanities or Pure Science.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Unfortunately,
what usually happens in our country is whenever the private sector launches medical
schools on a fee levying basis those who are involved in them including
respected medical professionals try to misuse those institutions for their
mediocre sons and daughters to enter the medical profession. Often the entry
requirements are kept at a minimum level having such ulterior motives in mind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is a
proposal to attach the SAITM operation together with its current students to Sri
Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLITT) at Malabe which has been
running for quite some time now, as a not-for-profit higher educational
institute for IT and engineering. Under whatever set up the school is going to
be placed in future, some justice should be done to its current students who
have been wasting both time and money for quite some time due to no fault of
theirs. At the same time future intakes should be picked on a proper admission
criterion with definite arrangements for clinical training and maintenance of
overall high standards.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now, the
issue of SAITM has become internationally known, whatever we do in future in
the field of medical education should be properly done because it will affect
the country’s reputation for quality of its higher education. With many private
institutions of higher education already operating in the country and newer
ones coming up frequently, it is time for the government to step in and establish
quality control mechanisms for higher education as found in the western
countries where private higher education is popular.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In fact
there was a similar issue recently with regard to the foreign law degrees
awarded through some of the local higher educational institutions when the Council
of Legal Education refused to accept them. However, the issue did not attract
much public attention as it was settled well in time. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The issue
arose because some of the content based on Sri Lankan law included in the
foreign degrees and their assignment based evaluation process were
questionable. This too arose due to the lack of a suitable quality control
mechanism for awarding of degrees through private institutions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Politics in higher education<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">With proper mechanisms
the country can avoid unwanted controversies in whatever new medical schools or
other institutions of higher education which are set up in the future. It’s bad
enough we have done the same mistake twice – in NCMC and SAITM, because of the
lack of proper policy or quality control system in higher education. It’s true
these were done under two different regimes, but education policies should not
differ depending on the government in power.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The worst
scenario as we have just witnessed is when things are done in the wrong way; it
opens opportunities for various bankrupt political groups to make capital out
of it. In the SAITM issue medical students of the state universities had a
genuine grievance because of issues of standards and entry qualifications. The
GMOA came in because it was an issue affecting the medical profession.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">However,
when the issue was dragging for too long without a solution some sections of
the JVP as well as Frontline Socialist Party and their affiliate Inter
University Students Federation saw much potential for new slogans and seized
the opportunity organizing massive student protest campaigns. Some of them went
to the extent of demanding total closure of SAITM and putting a stop to private
medical education.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">With these
latest government proposals which have been partially accepted by the GMOA, there
are some hopes for resolving it and the most displeased over this development
would be those political groups who were making capital out of it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Quality control<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Introduction
of stringent quality controls will not only take politics out of higher
education but also will enhance the quality and make our higher education more
acceptable internationally. This is quite important because Sri Lanka with its
educated population has all the potential of becoming an education hub in the
region attracting even reputed international educational institutions into the
country.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Private
medical education is quite an accepted thing everywhere in the world. Some of
the best medical schools in the world are private institutions, but governments
in respective countries monitor them with strict standards. Therefore, what is
needed here too is a proper monitoring regime for higher education with strict
standards for medical education. Such high standards should apply to all higher
education institutions in the country, be they private or state controlled. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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