Creating unnecessary problems

Wasantha Priya Ramanayake Translated by A.A.M. Nizam

No one from the private sector requested that they be given a pension payment. It seems that they did not have such an idea even in their subconscious mind. But the government took the initiative. It seems that such thinking came into being since the President was always a leader who was close to the hearts of the working community.

Generally speaking, the Mahinda Rajapaksa government since 2005 expanded the pension payment of the public servants and did not curtail or slash it. The government further expanded the public service and provided pensions for all new entrants. But the governments that ruled previously were different.

It was Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s United Front Government of 1970 that attempted first to curtail the pensions. The Finance Minister of that government, Dr. N.M. Perera, who was a trade union leader in the past, took the lead in curtailing pension. It is no secret that Dr. N.M. Perera took steps to curtail the pension of the bank employees.

Welfare programmes

The United National Party governments after 1977 also made many attempts to restrict the pension of the public servants but they had to refrain from such actions in the face of strong opposition by the working population. Once on the advice of the chairman of the World Bank Robert McNamara, a draft bill was prepared to convert the Employees Trust Fund to a pension scheme. It was also abandoned due to opposition to the move. It is in line with international experience that curtailment of pension in the public sector takes place as it was in the past.

Private sector employees

Generally the governments now do not interfere in the welfare programmes such as pensions. It has become the work of Trust Funds administered by the private sector. What happens in other countries is to credit some percentage of funds from the national budget and place the responsibility to the relevant fund committees. At present the value of one pension fund in the United States amounts to U.S.$ 11.7 billion. It was U.S.$ 6.5 billion in 2008. It increased, not due to interference by the government. It increased due to the efficiency of the trustees who were not prone to corruption. At present we are even unable to properly administer the Farmers’ Pension Fund. That is due to corruption and malpractices.

But, it seems that the Mahinda Rajapaksa government does not accept the tradition of these international Pension Funds. Instead it thought of establishing a Pension Fund for the private sector employees and to take responsibility for it. It is good progressive thinking. This pension scheme seems to be good. Especially on the part of the working population, it is an addition of another privilege to the allowances being received now. It gets introduced as a new proposal without curtailment or slashing of what is being received now.

Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara also states that this is a good arrangement. Vasu is a trade union leader. The President is his friend. But it is clear that he is not prepared to betray the working class for the sake of the ministerial portfolio or for friendship. Therefore, if the new proposal was not a right thing Vasu will not venture to support it in this manner. The Director General of Pensions also says that this is a very good scheme.

Free Trade Zone

Initially the working population had two uncertainties about this matter. One was non-payment of pension to the wife of the deceased. The government agreed to rectify this. The second was if someone retired before completion of 10 years, non-repayment of the amounts deducted. Subsequently the government agreed either to pay 60 percent of the concerned amount or to provide the option for the contributor to pay the balance instalments. The government also agreed to revise the Bill accordingly.

But, even these compromises did not lessen their objections. At a recent discussion held at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone one female employee got up and shouted saying that we do not want the pension, repeated several times we do not want, and we do not want.

That employee did not reduce her tone even looking at the mature and elderly minister seated opposite her. She was so angry. The youth are normally radical. The value of a pension payment will be felt only when someone attains old age. If they do not want, are you crazy to give it to them by force? Although no one has asked this question from the government this is the question that everyone has.

Political motives

Subsequently the government became realistic and withdrew the Pension Bill. That is also good. The government was forced to get pushed to this situation because it did not enlighten the working population about this matter properly. The Opposition has taken advantage of this weakness. That is how the Opposition parties are. Although the government abandoned the matter there was no decline in the demonstrations.

But the demonstration continued the following day as well.

It is because of this that suspicions about the hidden political motives arise. By now the Police have also provided the cadaver of an innocent youth for the Opposition to market. That incident is a sad one. It needs to be condemned. The Police have put the government in trouble. It is good that the Inspector General of Police resigned accepting this fact. It is clear from the statement of the IGP that the government did not give orders to use live bullets at this incident. There are two high-ranking Police officers in custody. In addition to this a Committee has been appointed led by former High Court Judge Mahanama Tillekeratne.

This is a good example. There was also a similar incident during the time of Chandrika Kumaratunga. During that time because of Police shooting at a demonstration of the Opposition, two youths got killed. Regarding this there was no clear action from the government’s side. That day media personnel also got assaulted. No action was taken on it. This indicated from where the Police got their orders. The difference between then and now is very clear. The government has proved that it is not prepared to get pushed by as a result of arrogant mistakes done by others.

Farming community

The great Five Forces propping up President Mahinda Rajapaksa are still with him. The government attempted to bring forward this pension scheme for the benefit of the working population. The Rs 60,000 million the government spends on the fertilizer subsidy is for the farming community. No government has provided such a massive fertilizer subsidy. But this government does not know how to get appreciation for such glorious work. There is no point in blaming the Opposition for that. Some of the Heads in the University Grants Commission think that professors and lecturers can be controlled with a stick. They have not shown the necessity of acting compromisingly and appreciably in dealing with the intelligentsia.

It seems that instead they are attempting to use coercion. The radical leftists of the by-gone days have become raw bureaucrats now. Therefore, a turbulent situation has arisen in the universities. Despite all this the Great Five Forces have not yet got distanced from the President.

However, by now the government has invented problems on many fronts. These have been done unnecessarily. Sometimes it seems that these problems have been created as a result of arrogance. The Labour Ministry is unaware of what is being done by the Finance Ministry. It is like the task of the worker being taken over by the ‘book keeper’.

All are attempting to score by themselves. Ultimately it has become necessary for the President to shoulder all these burdens. If it is so there is no need for a government.

Democratic characteristics

It is not necessary to remind President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the Executive Presidency is similar to a dumping yard. Although it is a powerful post the nature of the post is like that. Garbage of others also get dumped into that yard. However, it is not prudent to ignore it saying let it be dumped.

Firstly, the characters of a defensive nature seen in the performance of certain spheres should be changed to political and democratic characteristics. In Katunayake it was this defensive characteristic that surfaced unintentionally. This change is required to halt the Katunayake incident there itself.

It has become a contemporary requirement of the Opposition to draw the youth to the roads. This challenge should be faced politically and not by the baton or the bullets of the Police.

It has become a contemporary need of the Opposition to topple as powerful President as President Mahinda Rajapaksa. If the weak Opposition is to be strengthened by the government side no one will be able to do anything. This is called as ‘regime change’. Such ‘regime changes’ can be done by externally as well as internally by the forces who require such a change.

This President who won a 30-year long war also has the opportunity of becoming a statesman like Nelson Mandela who brought real liberation to South Africa. It exists even now. The road that has to be traversed is a difficult one. It is democracy. It is indeed a crime to let pass such an opportunity.