Time to sharpen sword of accountability

Auspicious times, sticking to traditions, blessings of religious dignitaries, a celebration lunch instead of Kavun and Kiribath, with congratulations, clapping and back slapping herald in the signing of yet another Memorandum of Understanding.

This time around, the occasion for joy is a marriage of a different kind, between the two giant parties that shared power in Sri Lanka since independence. They promise to uphold good governance and resolve a crisis created and propagated by the parties themselves in the past. Their track record is one of trickery, bickering and sabotage of one another to gain and keep the seats of power, placing personal interests first and party second with the nation and its people last. In the context of the past performance, this event is indeed a joyous one for all, especially the common citizens comprising the civil society which has borne the brunt of their past misdeeds. Hope lies eternal in man kind as they hang on to even a thread of hope for better days ahead, a new dawn realizing a distant dream.

Joining the band wagon of celebrations are the business chambers and the big boys of the private sector. They say “Ha Hurrah” and count their chickens even before the chicks come of age. Some even take full page advertisement to paint the usually white dove in twin colours of the parties and announce that the much desired peace will be soon at hand. With the exception of a very few who announce their joy with a tinge of caution, every one else is elated concluding that a rosy future is near at hand.

It is indeed an occasion for celebration, now at least that the two major parties have agreed to place the nation and its people first in some the key areas and resolve the burning issues of the nation and leading the nation forward in a path of growth and prosperity for all and not a few. It is also an occasion for joy for the private sector as it has consistently advocated bipartisan approach in key national issues, a dream once pronounced by a chamber leader in the form of a vision 2020 that began with a peace treaty between the rebels and the government made possible by the southern key parties agreeing to adopt a long term binding bipartisan national policy.

Without being an eternal pessimist or an eternal optimist should not the private sector leaders now practice what is preached by them as best practice in board room governance - develop and have in place effective mechanisms that identify all potential risks with necessary processes, practices and management action to mitigate such risks?

The risks that this MOU could follow the patterns of the past, (including the Liam Fox agreement and the recent left alliance led MOU’s and Chinthanya’s) need acknowledgement. Unfortunately, only a very few see the risks of this MOU being implemented in a manner with negative long term impact on the nation and its people.

Will the private sector accept that there could be some risks (the significance and probability of each risk being at varying levels in the grid) that can impact negatively on the private sector, the people and the nation? The risks of the two major parties deciding to take the broadly worded and non specific MOU to a level that it looks back again at first what can be delivered to the leaders, the parties, their henchmen and to those who pay “pooja and pagah” to those in power.

Could the common bonds extend negatively to the area of governance in the form of the hawks on both sides deciding to take a military solution rather than a negotiated settlement, exercising the powers to strengthen the benefits of the majority community and majority religion sacrificing the minority rights further, more ministries and perks for the elected from all sides of the divide, manipulate the enforcement arms of the law, order and security and the judicial system, meritocracy and transparency being undermined, corruption and waste being ignored, human and personal rights being violated, policy regimes vesting power with leaders to favour those in their favour and discriminate those not in favour, the illicit drugs and alcohol barons ruling the roost with the support of their political masters, contracts being awarded to the highest bidder with an offer of a purse and perks to the decision makers, press freedom and freedom of expression being curtailed, long term macro economic, price, and balance of payments stability being sacrificed for short term gain and productivity and competitiveness being negatively impacted by policy regimes and postponement of much needed reforms and above all forgetting those in actual poverty and disadvantage and their due place for support going to party supporters!

It is now time to cease the “Ha Hurrah and back slapping” and sharpen the sword of accountability via alliances with the media, civil society and well meaning religious and society leaders, a process to be led by the private sector to exercise collective accountability on all for good governance, placing the interests of the nation and its people first.