Sunday Times 2
Awake! All ye citizens to your right to sovereignty
This ‘Wakeup Call’ is addressed to every citizen of the Sri Lankan Nation; to all our citizens, whatever ethnic group they belong to, whatever their cultural heritage, whatever language they speak, whatever religion they practise, whatever political party they belong to or support; in short to all those who comprise this pluralistic society.
With another presidential election pending, it is time for all of us to take stock seriously of the current situation our country is in. At this moment, when election fever is building up, let us hope that this time, at least, the electoral contest will not degenerate into a shouting, mud-slinging, shooting match with pressing issues being overlooked, in the heat of the battle for retention of power by the present regime and for seizing that power by a mixed group of challengers.
It is important for us to remember that over the years regime change changed nothing; except labels and faces. No! The need of the hour is a radical change in the style of governance — governance in the firm form of one that moves towards a people-centred mode of running the country. It is high time for the people themselves to call the electoral tune. They must ensure that the post-election administration is in fact people-centred, regardless of pre-election promises, inducements, financial and otherwise or intimidation and threats veiled or clearly evident. We have to be wide awake, vigilant, determined and mindful of what is going on all the time.
I must stress emphatically that change in the individual holding the position of President is not the answer to this country’s problem. The evil lies not in any particular individual call him President or Prime Minister. The evil lies in the nature of the presidency, as it exists now. The target of both sides in this tussle should not be the incumbent president, but the unlimited powers of a presidency hand-in-hand with an 18th amendment, which gives the holder of this office monarchical powers. The thrust of the opposition should be that their aim is to curb the unlimited powers of the Head of State, whoever that may be. It is this message that should be got across to the people and it is this objective a sovereign people must focus upon.
While emphasising clearly, where the evil lies, this message will also lay to rest the much hyped accusation of ‘an international conspiracy.’
For years we have been sovereign only in name; a sovereignty enshrined in bold, unambiguous letters in the written constitution of this land called the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The aim of this call is to stir a slumbering people to rouse themselves up from their somnolence and to act firmly and swiftly to ensure that we, the people, truly regain the sovereignty that is our birthright.
This is an obligation we owe to ourselves, to our country and to future generations. Too long have we allowed politicians of varied hues to play football with our sovereignty; riding into power on our weary backs. By we, I mean the vast majority of our non-privileged or underprivileged people who struggle daily to obtain just three simple, yet nutritious meals, travel to and from work using inadequate public transport and strive to give their children a proper education in non-private schools.
The underprivileged, seek these bare necessities of living, while a small minority of power-wielding politicians and highly placed public officers (to refer to the latter as public servants is a huge yet sad joke, since these officials serve only their political masters and their kith and kin and associated sycophants) move around in luxury vehicles, amassing fortunes. They often travel abroad and stay in five-star hotels, not to mention other perks like backup vehicles and security escorts, even for their children, as they move from one casino to another. The expenses for this good time enjoyed by a chosen few are met from public funds i.e. the peoples’ money. The true public servant of old who tries to serve the public is by-passed, promotion wise, and banished into an ineffectual corner or compelled to resign.
The fault lies not in the stars or in ‘karma’, but deep down within ourselves. So it is time for us to act fast, firmly, yet peacefully.
The air is thickened rapidly with pledged promises, unfortunately possibly followed up with the traditional danger of a protracted post-election period during which these promises are progressively shattered, unless we the true backbone and strength of the country rouse ourselves and, with determination and a clear objective in view, take control of the situation. It is essential that the people (as clearly defined by me above), ensure that our constitutionally guaranteed sovereignty is in fact truly established and maintained, and is clearly visible and felt by the people; as demonstrated by the day to day administrative actions of the government in power.
This country can only be saved if we act collectively, drawing together diverse pressure groups; each group realising, without reservation, that while there are differences of ethnicity, language, culture and religion, these differences have to be overlooked, for the greater good of building a voluntarily based single nation.
The primary and essentially vital requirement for achieving the goal of re-establishing the sovereignty of the people, is for all diverse groups, to ensure, by consent, not by coercion, direct or indirect, that we build a united nation: A nation where every citizen recognises not only his or her own rights but the equal rights of ‘the other’. In this united nation there is no place for first class and second class citizens. What I demand as a right for myself has to be equally enjoyed by ‘the other.’
It is essential that, in the name of national unity, each one of us takes a solemn oath within his own conscience that ‘I sincerely believe that all citizens are equal, all have the right to enjoy the freedoms enjoyed by the others’. There is no question of the majority group dominating and oppressing a numerically smaller group. It is only such a pledge given by each and every citizen that will build up a collective strength and harmony to battle divisiveness which has been the bane of our nation.
It is essential that we all agree that the highest priority be given to the re-establishment of law and order in this country. Today lawlessness rides, cow-boy like, spreading mayhem, unchecked by those responsible for the maintenance of law and order and the equal protection of all citizens; if the miscreants are powerful politicians of the government in power or their henchmen/women.
The highest priority must be given to ensuring that all citizens are considered equal in the eyes of the law and that justice prevails and is meted out without favour, however powerful or highly connected those involved be. To achieve this essential aim of ensuring the dispensation of justice in an even-handed manner in the best hallowed traditions of once upon a time, it is imperative that the institutions constitutionally entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining these high standards, namely, the police and the judiciary, must be detergent washed clean of the muddying shackles of political pressure and interference.
The cleansing is essential to ensure the other important goals that we intend to achieve. With the re-establishment of law and order heading the list, the more important of these are abolishing or pruning the powers of the office of the executive presidency, annulling the 18th amendment, stopping massive wastage and misuse of state funds and guaranteeing the fundamental rights of every citizen — the freedom of expression, including the right of dissent and peaceful protest, the freedom of the media to criticise the rulers and those close to them, in the public interest, the right to information and an electoral and police commission independent of external pressures and influence, the right to freedom of worship. All these freedoms will have to be enjoyed within the parameters of the law of the land. In addition, there should be the right to conduct business with government offices in the language of a citizen’s choice, i.e. any of the two national languages, Sinhala or Tamil or the link language English.
Instituting all these changes will naturally take time, but if the earlier stated principle of the equal status of each and every citizen is borne in mind by a sovereign people, is honestly accepted and strictly adhered to, in time, all these desirable changes should fall into place. This is the last chance the people have to ensure that the country is heading in the right direction, and if this chance is lost, it would be a tragedy for this land and its people.
I have deliberately steered clear of foreign policy, because this too will fall into place, once on the above guidelines, meritocracy replaces mediocrity and sycophancy, in appointments to the diplomatic service; in particular to high office.
May we the people ensure that this election is free, fair and clean, not merely in the often blinkered eyes of international monitors who are led around by government officials usually in debt to the powers that be.