Editorial

27th December 1998

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Back to the future

It is not an enjoyable task to do a wrap-up of what was largely a yet another aimless year in terms of war, peace, the economy and socio-political issues.

We had more of the same as in 1997 with war still being the most important and most damaging or divisive issue in the country.

We saw the inability of the Government and the security forces to come anywhere near the military objectives they set out to achieve, with the objectives themselves being questionable because of apparent political motives through the link-up of targets and election dates. If proof was needed of the mix up and disarray in political-military objectives, the abandoning of Operation Jaya Sikurui provided it, though as usual it was covered up with some sunshine stories.

The year began with the horror of horrors when the LTTE attacked Sri Lankan Buddhism's holiest shrine, the Sri Dalada Maligawa, as all General Ratwatte's men and horses were finalising plans for the biggest jubilee show in the country.

This brought about the hurried transfer of the whole show from Kandy to Kotte, the sham resignation of Gen. Ratwatte and lots of other showmanship or show-womanship that had lots of style but little in substance.

In the north itself, we saw large sums being spent on rehabilitation and rebuilding of the civil administration structure in Jaffna.

This was obviously intended to show the country and the world that civil administration in the north was back in place. But the assassination of not one but two mayors of Jaffna provided bloody proofs as to who was calling the shots.

Should we not take a hard, sincere and realistic look at what is happening? Are we going to carry the bad and bloody debt of the latter part of this century into the new millennium?

The national economy may yet be surviving the worst of the East Asian financial collapse but at best has produced little or nothing new.

This year's budget presentation was a classic example of how the economy is being managed, or mis-managed as the case may be.

Only weeks before it was presented both the Finance Minister and the Deputy were jetting from one city to another, only to compete with each other for the page 1 photograph showing how keenly they were attending to last minute details of them having to change horses in mid stream as it were.

It seems 1999 will be ushered with yet another round of election violence. The PA is already putting friendly Policemen in key areas and transferring out suspect Cops.

The UNP not to be out-done or out-flanked is putting Cops of yesteryear who did yeoman service to them also in place.

If this is how the elections are going to be waged, then bitter acrimonious politics will be the fate of the people and democracy will be a political mockery.

The heart of the solution is consensus politics, where all parties will put national interest before party or personal interest.

But as we prepare for a new millennium, it looks to be back to the future and Sri Lanka instead of evolving into a modern liberal democratic state will be regressing into, maybe, a ''little bit of totalitarianism'' with the pillars of justice — an independent judiciary being the last bastion of freedom in this country.

Political Column

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