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The Moving finger by Lionel Wijesiri

In July 2000, following the narrow victory of President Robert Mugabe's ZANUPF Party, the Bishops of Zimbabwe told their people: "Elections come and go, but we always have to live as neighbours and work together for peace."

The bishop's message also addressed members of Parliament, reminding them that "differences of opinion should not be a cause of division and discrimination, but a source of enrichment and a positive and constructive contribution for the progress and development of our nation."

The Bishop reaffirmed the importance of "working for unity, eradicating corruption and governing transparently, seeking to build houses to create work and improve health and educational programs for the people."

The same message is quite applicable to Sri Lanka today. We have just completed a national election and the people have given their verdict. By the time you read this article the final count would have been known.

Obviously, it cannot please everyone but it is the final verdict.

Looking back

This is also an ideal occasion for all of us to look back beyond elections. We all will agree that Sri Lanka is wonderfully endowed with human and other resources. It does no credit to us, however, that we failed in managing our resources for quick improvement in the quality of life of our people.

Instead of progress and development, which we are entitled to expect from those who governed us, we experienced in the past five decades persistent deterioration in the quality of our governance, leading to instability and the weakening of all public institutions. Good men were shunned and kept away from government while those who should be kept away were drawn near.

Relations between communities that had lived together in peace for many generations became very bitter because of the actions or inaction of government.

The citizens developed distrust in government, and because promises made for the improvement of the conditions of the people were not kept all statements by government met with cynicism.

Government officials became progressively indifferent to propriety of conduct and showed little commitment to promoting the general welfare of the people and the public good. Government and all its agencies became thoroughly corrupt and reckless.

Members of the public had to bribe their way through in Government Institutions to get attention.

The impact of official corruption is so rampant and has earned Sri Lanka a very bad image at home and abroad.

All these have brought the nation to a situation of chaos and near despair. This is the challenge before us.

We have to rise as one, if we are to face the tasks ahead and turn this daunting scene into opportunities in a New Dawn. We can make this election the beginning of a genuine Renaissance.

The aim of the new Government should be to fulfil the expectations and vision of the people that emerged from the past experiences. It must amalgamate these ideas into a National Vision.

Three Areas

In working to achieve that goal, I have identified three strategic areas of action for the year that lies ahead.

One key area of action involves creating an administration that listens and works with the people, and to introduce institutional mechanisms to facilitate these processes.

This will include evidence-based appraisal systems for assessing the performance of the staff at all levels including ministers against their job responsibilities. These measures should also include widening the role of the public and the civil society in the formulation of policy and in the implementation and oversight of various programmes, projects and activities carried out by the government.

The second area of action should focus on streamlining and reducing the size of the public service, on increasing productivity, and promoting the values of service, honesty and integrity, especially in relation to public property and finance. This also means launching a national campaign against corruption to bring in clean and transparent governance.

The third area of action should focus on strengthening the role of the family in the society, and on promoting greater participation of all sectors of the society in nation building.

In this regard, programmes designed to strengthen family values and to increase the participation of the general public and the civil society in the affairs of the nation have to be carried out. The aim of these activities should be to provide a positive environment that will nurture children and youths with high moral, religious and human values.

Politicians too have a duty, in whatever capacity they may find themselves, whether as legislators or ministers, to be committed, and be seen to be committed to the public good. Politicians must carefully examine the budget to ensure that public funds are judiciously spent. They must avoid damage to their own credibility and not vote for themselves special privileges. They must join in the campaign against corruption and help re-establish integrity in the conduct of public affairs.

We have been asked many times in the past to make sacrifices and to be patient. This time, too, we have been asked to make sacrifices and to exercise patience. Let us sincerely hope that the difference will be that in the past, sacrifices were made and patience exercised with little or no results but this time, however, the results of our sacrifice and patience will be clear and manifest for all to see.

Until the next election, let us forget our parties or our affiliations. Let us remember if all of us move forward with commitment, sustained effort, and determination, we shall not fail.

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