Colombo's development issues
The solitary win for the
UNP at the Colombo Municipal Council at the recent last phase of
the Local Government poll, raises some uncomfortable posers for
it, although the tendency among some of its supporters is to see
it as an important consolation prize of some sort.
As some ministers have already pointed out, the UNP's
solitary triumph at the CMC has been a somewhat pyrrhic one,
because its overall vote in Colombo has declined from the last
occasion it contested the CMC on its own steam. Besides, there
has been a vote decline for the UNP in some polling divisions
which have been looked upon as its strongholds.
Therefore, a closer look at the Colombo poll would reveal
some troubling posers for the UNP and an indepth exploration of
the causes for these should prove very thought provoking for the
more perceptive observer. Right away, it must be said that the
UNP followed a flawed polls strategy of playing on the fears of
the economic underclass in the city, that they would be
relocated at the cost of housing, jobs, schooling and other
essentials, if the UPFA was voted in. The presumption behind
this strategy was that the disadvantaged in Colombo were quite
complacent with their lot and should be left 'undisturbed'. In
short, poverty and squalor should be allowed to perpetuate
themselves at the expense of development. It is such fatalistic
thinking which has prevented sections of Colombo from climbing
out of their crippling circumstances, over the years.
In contrast, the government has adopted a forward-thinking
strategy in Colombo and outside and this accounts for the UPFA
winning four-fifths of the country's Local Government
institutions. A couple of days back we reported on the plans of
the Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common
Amenities Ministry to not only provide better housing for those
residing in Colombo's underserved areas, but also of its efforts
in generating suitable livelihoods for the youth of these areas,
through micro-finance programmes and related projects which
would positively affect lives. Besides, there is a welcome state
emphasis on the eradication of those seemingly perpetual
blights, such as, hard drug abuse, alcoholism and criminality.
All such positive measures should be warmly welcomed and we
urge the state to go right ahead with these projects which would
positively impact in a huge way, the lives of ordinary people.
The authorities could derive added enthusiasm for these ventures
through President Rajapaksa's recent pronouncement that the
state would remain committed to Colombo's development.
Colombo's in-coming mayor M. J. M. Muzzamil is on record that
he favours cooperation with the government and this too should
be considered a positive development. We believe that the issue
of development is far too important a question to be sacrificed
on the altar of petty politics and urge the relevant parties to
arrive at a consensus over how the progress of Colombo could be
proceeded with.
On a deeper analysis, it could be found that development
should be ushered in a holistic manner. While infrastructure
development is vitally important, people could never be left out
of the development picture. Employment generation and livelihood
development would have the effect of increasing prosperity among
the disadvantaged, and this would have the overall effect of
bringing about equitable growth. It is when all this and more
happens that crime could be curtailed and social peace ushered
to a degree.
Needless to say, when development in the truest sense of the
word is made a reality, there would be greater upward social
mobility and the latter could result in a citizenry which is not
only literate and enlightened but more caring of its social and
physical environment.
Now that the UPFA has been voted into power in almost the
totality of the Local Government bodies, we urge that equitable
development be given pride of place in all these LG areas. We
call for holistic development. |