There are four simple questions for your attention and free use that can create a momentum in this country to elect the most suitable and patriotic persons to the parliament.
by Chula Goonasekera
It is 72 years since our independence. A free country received for our own control in 1948 is now debt ridden over and above what we can repay, thanks to our democratically elected politicians promising a better Sri Lanka at each election. Current Government wants to increase our debt ceiling even further and hold our 2nd and 3rd unborn generations to ransom. Another election is due at hands length.
Media, your responsibility is huge. Could you please focus on matters that really matter to us, especially when you interview and broadcast political promises and policies. This will help us as a country create a fundamental understanding in the voter base as to what really matters for the future and elect parliamentarians who would focus on public matters important to us and not for their own well-being and welfare.
There are four simple questions for your attention and free use that can create a momentum in this country to elect the most suitable and patriotic persons to the parliament. Just ask from all political office seekers what they plan to do about these burning, but purposefully buried fundamental patriotic questions?
1. Energy is a major need for our country. Why do our politicians promote coal and diesel power plants when we can generate power free? We have plenty of sunlight to generate solar-power, constant flow of wind to generate wind-power and water in excess to generate hydro-power. Why do we not promote these instead of coal power plants that need daily fuel import? Why not we give two solar panels free to each household? That will reduce the costs lot more and reduce our carbon imprint. It will also prevent the use of our foreign reserves to employ foreigners to install and maintain outdated and environmentally damaging equipment in this country. Why do politicians want more vehicles that burn imported fuels and conversely, why cannot they promote transport systems that are more public centric? Why can’t they promote vehicles with less emissions such an electric cars with a subsidy? Yet, they promote the opposite. Why? All above will reduce our likelihood for natural disasters too.
2. No country can develop without discipline. Discipline comes from education and also implementation of regulation. The latter needs an impartial system of law and order. Politicians who had flouted regulations for their own benefit/ corruption, have nothing to offer. Why do politicians wish to have double national identities, turn a blind eye to the heinous crimes of financial fraud and attempt to politicise even the courts, and attempt to govern by fear? No politician has shown any interest to improve road discipline where 9 people die on the roads every day in contrast, to the 7 during war time. Then, all politicos were very keen to talk of our losses but not a hum these days to reduce road deaths. Why is this double standard? Isn’t there sufficient business value involved?
3. Most politicians survive by slogans of division based on race, religion or some other factor. Why cannot they talk as Sri Lankans and not as an individual representing a particular race or a fraction of a race or religion? Any issue in the north, south, east or west should be looked upon as a Sri Lankan problem. This racial or religious polarization is only for their own gain and survival and not us. We will never unite and prosper as a country with this kind of politicians in power.
4. The proportion of graduates in the workforce in any developed country exceeds 30-40%. Those countries spend 8-10% of their GDP for educations. We have had governments that spent only 1% of GDP for education. At present we admit 5% of our student population to university leaving the rest to find their own fate. They are not even allowed to seek higher education at their own expense in our country and programs of demand are not allowed to be developed in the private sector either. Then, why cannot we spend 8-10% of public money to develop higher education in this country instead of supporting mega cabinets and ministerial portfolios?
Media, the ball is in your court. You are our saviour! Please invite more professional opinions enabling public make an informed judgement.
Chula Goonasekera is a Retired Academic
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