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| Tuesday, 6 April 2004 |
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A new and dynamic way forward after elections by Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala Many issues came up at the General Election. It is high time that the politicians and the political party in power and in the opposition work towards the development of the country as a whole without any party politics and providing fairplay and justice to the citizens of the country. Election manifestos although well publicized have hitherto been confined to the elections and once in power all these are forgotten.
Therefore political stability, economic development, a new culture, ethics, morality, integrity, performance evaluation, meritocracy, law and order, simplicity, and financial discipline are considered essential elements to govern the country. Political stability For a party that is elected with a majority to stay in power and govern it is essential that the constitution should provide stability to the party and its leadership. The present proportional representation scheme while been beneficial for the smaller parties does not provide the bigger parties a fair opportunity to obtain an absolute majority. Further the election of parliamentarians on a district basis has resulted in the electorates and the voters been left high and dry as there is no single responsibility on one elected member to be responsible to his elctorate. Further the parliamentarians have a gigantic task in canvassing for votes and requires tons of money which also leads to corruption. Therefore the much awaited amendments to the constitution have to be given priority if the country is to be ruled by a stable government with authority for the benefit of the of the people. The abolishment of the Executive Presidency and giving the power to the Parliament is a long awaited decision that has to be now put into action to have a stable and democratic government. Economic development This could only take place in a stable political climate. This would mean that peace not only in the North and East but in the South has to be achieved if the country is to progress forwards. The need for consensus of the two major parties and the minority communities on a common policy has to be agreed as this is important to both major political parties to take the country forward. This should be void of party politics and politicians should place the country first. The major policies of free economy should stay unchanged while the main dispute on the privatization of some of the main state institutions should be considered on their merits rather than on hurried foreign advice or to earn a quick buck by its sale. Economic development should not only be limited to the stock market or to the Colombo District but will have to be spread throughout the country. This would mean that investors should be encouraged to go to the outstations on a similar basis to the 200 hundred garment factories programme which is today the only major industrial development in the rural sector and for the BOI to undertake this task from a central point acting as a one stop shop rather than breaking themselves into zones without having the management, resources nor the infrastructure to undertake decentralization on such a gigantic scale. Privatisation of state institutions This seems to be a controversial issue as the state institutions that are left behind such as banks, electricity, water supply are essentials in an underdeveloped country such as Sri Lanka with the rural population being in the majority. These institutions have been built with the sweat and toil of the founders and those who worked thereafter and have enabled many a small man and villages to develop. In the case of state banks the owners are the people of the country who have placed their money in deposit and these deposits are far in excess of the paltry share capital of the banks and the government has a duty to safeguard these deposits and the public would be more confident with the government ownership rather than foreign or local private sector. Most of these deposits come from the rural sector and this has to be kept in mind by the government. In fact the big businessmen are using the funds in the rural sector for their business activities confined only to the major cities or the Western Province. The main reason for the failure of the public sector is mismanagement due to political interference and the Singapore experience of ownership with the government and separate management should be implemented as an urgent basis without making the people to once again suffer for the ills of the politicians. This should apply to all state institutions such as the Banks, Port, Lotteries , BOI, EDB, Fisheries, Electricity, Water and many more which are all presently ruined by political interference. Therefore strict accountability should be enforced so that the Chairmen and the Board of Directors will be responsible for the operations and will be liable for any mismanagement. Also an organization similar to the SEC the guardian for quoted companies should be set up to monitor all state sector organizations and they should for a start submit half yearly and yearly accounts within three months of the respective periods and thereafter on a quarterly basis similar to quoted companies. Here again the political influence should be removed including that from the treasury and other ministries which has been the bane of the public sector in Sri Lanka. The appointments to these boards should be on predetermined criteria where competent persons are appointed and not political stooges or candidates who have lost the elections. These radical changes should enable the state sector to be on a level playing field with the private sector and to be rid of political influence thus making these institutions to be properly managed and be viable. A new political culture A new political culture based on the main objective of serving the people rather than the politicians taking the power into their hands after elections and serving themselves and their immediate henchmen should be done away with. Honesty, integrity, the code of conduct, maintenance of law and order and accountability are important principles they should adhere to. Also waste and corruption should be immediately brought under strict control and all those given responsibility should be accountable and be liable for penal action for mismanagement. Appointment of the Cabinet of Ministers and Deputy Ministers This has been discussed at various forums and hence an important item in the agenda of any incoming government should be to have the ideal size between 20 to 25 keeping in mind the capabilities, responsibilities, accountability and cost. The incoming government should restrict the Cabinet of Ministers to 20 but should not definitely exceed 25. A similar amount of deputies should be appointed. The total of Ministers and Deputies should be 40 and not to exceed 50 any way. Another matter of concern is the salaries, allowances and fringe benefits enjoyed by Ministers, Deputies and MP's. Politicians should not make use various allowances and misuse of facilities but should be given a fixed salary inclusive of all fringe benefits and allowances which is accountable. It is estimated that each Minister cost the government app. Rs 500,000 to Rs 1.0 Million per month, a Deputy Rs 300,000 to Rs 500,000 per month and MP's Rs 100,000 to 250,000 per month. Hence it is of utmost importance to have a control on the public money spent on those elected by the people of this country. The salaries should be predetermined together with the allowances and perks applicable. The total package applicable to Ministers including salary, vehicle, petrol, telephone, housing, security and other perks should not exceed Rs 150,000/. per month. They should be entitled to only one vehicle, and for petrol an allowance not exceeding Rs 25,000/, telephone not exceeding 15,000 will be applicable. All these to be included in the salary package of Rs 150,000/ per month. Any amounts in excess will have to be met by the Ministers from their personal funds. For Deputy Ministers the total payment for salaries and benefits such as vehicle, housing, security, including all allowances and benefits should not exceed Rs 100,000/. Per month. (To be continued) |
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