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Small is beautiful

In a refreshing change by Lankan standards, the reins of governance are now in the hands of a relatively small cabinet. The era of overblown, wasteful cabinets seems to have come to an end and the wish of the majority of citizens is likely to be that it would remain that way.

For, what befits a small Third World country such as ours is a manageable, smoothly - functioning cabinet which would forge ahead with the task of governance and development rather than gobble-up our scarce financial and other resources as a result of being disproportionately large.

A comparatively small cabinet, therefore, is indicative of a down-to-earth, business-like approach to governance while being symptomatic of the Government's laudable desire to cut down on wasteful public expenditure. As far as the average citizen is concerned, Governments are elected for the principal purpose of ensuring hers or his essential needs.

Jumbo-sized cabinets, which have been coming down to us from around the late Eighties, have been satisfying politicians' manias for perks and privileges rather than address the principal aims of governance. The new cabinet, therefore, on account of its relative smallness and manageability fits in well with current national aspirations.

As we have been indicating over the past few days, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has set the correct tone and parameters of governance by emphasizing the importance of peace and national harmony.

There is no escaping the fact that the country has to forge ahead as one, united entity through a willingness and ability to accommodate legitimate minority interests and power-sharing aspirations. This is the great and essential task for the future. Rumblings in any quarter therefore, of a communal nature, on seat allocations for minorities and related trivia could be a leap backwards. Such bickerings could hamper ongoing nation and peace-building efforts.

The ideal would have been a Government of National Reconciliation where all political parties represented in parliament would have a share in governance but the PA's proposal to cooperate with the Government in all progressive policy measures is equally laudable. We call on both the Government and the opposition to work in a collaborative and fraternal spirit because the national interest is all important. We also welcome the JVP's espousal of a non-communal policy platform.

All factors, therefore, seem to be in place to re-launch the peace process. For the first time in years we have a broad national consensus on the need for a negotiated political settlement. This unique opportunity should be seized to establish a durable and just peace.

• Editorial of  The Observer - 12.12.2001: Sinhala ultra-nationalism

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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