Towards political unity

Two news items that we carried prominently on our front page yesterday would have caught the attention of all right-thinking citizens who yearn for political and communal harmony in our land. UNP veteran K. N. Choksy, PC, has said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has benefitted the nation by wiping out terrorism and restoring economic progress. In another development, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has highly commended the efforts of Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa MP and Resettlement Minister Rishard Badhiutheen in resettling the displaced families in the Northern Province.

It is significant that Members of two parties which bitterly oppose the Government on many fronts have openly praised the Government’s handling of the peace and reconciliation process. In the words of MP Choksy, “there is one further important national task left to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, which I am confident he can achieve. That is to establish ethnic understanding and amity between the major communities”.

This is indeed a major challenge facing the Government. President Rajapaksa has shown the way by visiting the newly resettled families in the Vanni and ordering the acceleration of resettlement. No fears should be entertained on that count, as MP Basil Rajapaksa has already overseen the resettlement of a record number of IDPs so far.

Political and community amity is essential at this critical juncture. The war has ended, but we are faced with the monumental task of rehabilitating former war-torn regions and creating lasting peace.

All progressive forces should join hands with the Government to complete this noble mission. The Opposition should and must engage in constructive criticism, but opposing even the commendable achievements of the Government will not endear them to the people. MPs Choksy and N. Srikantha have shown that the Opposition should not hesitate to praise the good deeds of the Government. This will hopefully set a precedent where the Government and the Opposition could work together in earnest for the betterment of the Nation.

Elections and political work should not be seen as a hindrance to this process. Elections are an inherent feature in a democracy. With two major elections due in the next few months, politicians on all sides must not lose sight of the primary task of rebuilding the Nation at this hour. This is another reason why the country needs a strong Executive Presidency which can withstand and resist internal and external forces bent on destabilizing the country. Sri Lanka is on the cusp of achieving lasting peace and reconciliation and no room should be left to harm that aim.

Easing traffic woes

Traffic congestion is a fact of life in Colombo and in other key cities in the country.

Colombo suffers the most because it has the largest number of vehicles - around 100,000 vehicles enter the City daily. With hundreds of new vehicles entering the roads every day, the existing roads can hardly cope. This leads to bumper-to-bumper traffic. Some short journeys within the City can take up to one hour during the so-called morning and evening rush hours.

Ironically, traffic lights can sometimes compound the problem instead of resolving it. This is mainly because the lights are not synchronized.

The ideal scenario would be ensuring a smooth flow of traffic in a given direction by turning the lights green at all intersections along that particular stretch of the road. Now, vehicles have to stop every 50 metres or so as the signal lights are not coordinated.

Sanity seems to have prevailed at last as road planners have realised this stark reality. The four-kilometre stretch of road from Ayurveda Junction, Rajagiriya, to Horton Place roundabout would no longer be a motorists’ headache with the installation of a new synchronized traffic light system within the next few days, Colombo Municipal Council Competent Authority Omar Kamil has said. This journey sometimes takes up to one hour due to the chaotic signalling system. Some policemen make it even worse by overriding the signals and ordering motorists to run red lights.

The improvement of traffic signals is a welcome move that should be expanded to other parts of the City. All traffic lights should also be equipped with countdown timers, as seen at Castle Street.

The widening of major roads in Colombo, the installation of flyovers and the construction of an Outer Circular Road will also contribute towards a smoother flow of traffic.

Driver education on safe and disciplined driving is also essential, not to mention a superior public transport system such as a metro/tube that will convince more motorists to keep their cars at home.

The Cityliner shuttle bus service is slowly but surely becoming a success, but an even more refined and faster public transport service is needed for Colombo. The authorities should try more innovative methods to control the flow of traffic within the City.