Cost of Living and delusionary promises

"The people’s representatives spend their time debating .various constitutional issues and the numerous elections to which will they blithely claim will strengthen the democratic rights of the people, while the people are hard pressed to find a parliamentarian who will take the responsibility for the lack of facilities in his electorate, the closure of primary schools and the sorry state of the base hospitals."

by Manel Abhayatna

(October 12, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lankans often tend to delude themselves that the promises made of airy visions of utopian bliss by politicians will be soon realized at least if not now then in the near future. This naïve acceptance enables politicians to make the most profound statements and promises with never a concern about their veracity. Today we hear many politicians claim that though there is poverty yet that poverty does not diminish the quality of life of the people. Poor you may be , the poverty line is stated to begin at around and below Rs 3000 and obviously according to the politicians this amount certainly allows a person to live comfortably no matter the escalating cost of living.

If one were to take a low income poor family or for that matter a middle class family that is fast losing its status and becoming a lower middle class family having a family of four. Breakfast alone without those now luxurious eggs and powdered milk will cost at least two hundred rupees .In a marginalized urban dwelling very few can cook their food using firewood and so kerosene or gas is needed and the price of a coconut is easily in the range of Rs. 35- 40 . It is sad that those who talk so easily about how comfortable the lives of the poor are in this land where the GDP and per capita income is enviable, fail to understand that these two economic indicators do not really show the actual; living conditions of the vast majority of people who are the marginalized urban slum dwellers and the rural agricultural poor.

The people’s representatives spend their time debating .various constitutional issues and the numerous elections to which will they blithely claim will strengthen the democratic rights of the people, while the people are hard pressed to find a parliamentarian who will take the responsibility for the lack of facilities in his electorate, the closure of primary schools and the sorry state of the base hospitals. Instead he will talk of the roads that have been built and the bridges displaying a plaque giving credit to his greatness , while most people start complaining a couple of months later that the bridge is on the verge of collapse and roads have not been well constructed. The Parliamentarian invariably complains to his colleagues’ that people in his electorate are extremely ungrateful!

In fact while the escalating cost of living constitutes spiralling the various authorities with supreme indifference to the needs of the poor continue to increase prices. A few weeks ago the price of wheat flour was increased, according to some wag it was done in order the control the growing incidence of diabetes among the people! The increased price meant that the price of bread rose by three rupees and so too did allied products. Now the private transport services are urging for a revision of prices and the moment the bus rates are increased the cost of living further rises. This affects not the elite but the poor who have to use the public transport system to go for work send their children to school etc. Invariably lack of ready cash increase the school drop out rate and workers too tend to absent themselves more often.

While all these price increases are taking place government claims that economic development is talking place and cities are being spruced up to welcome tourists .In order to make the city safe security lights are being installed even as traffic police are seen at all strategic points. Unfortunately the people friendly police that are being so much touted by the law enforcing authorities are yet to see light of day. A couple of days ago a traffic police office was supervising a road repair near the traffic light close to the Bribery commissions’ office . The signal light was red and a couple of vehicles were waiting for the light to change the police office of course had other ideas and from an adjacent point of the road he was signaling the vehicle to proceed which none of them did , and the poor man was in a rage , perhaps he felt that his office was slighted and he raving and rating at the bemused drivers who were wondering whether they should follow him beckoning them to proceed standing at the pavement or wait till the lights change. Fortunately before the police officer could get really nasty the lights changed and off whizzed the cars yet hearing comment on the parentage of the drivers who had ignored his hand signal! So much for a people friendly police!