In a landmark speech delivered in Parliament on Thursday at its inaugural session, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa outlined several goals, benchmarks and pillars that would form the basis of his governance over the next five years.
The first task at hand, according to the President, is the formulation of a new Constitution that can reflect and take on present challenges. This would be preceded by the removal of the 19th Amendment, which even its founders and architects have criticised. The 19th Amendment makes a mockery of the office of the President, leaving him or her virtually powerless to take any decision regarding the affairs of the State. However, from what we have heard, the Government does intend to keep some features of this Amendment as well as legislation such as the Right to Information (RTI), which should be appreciated by all.
It is also expected that the new Constitution will have even stronger safeguards for protecting National Security and the country’s sovereignty. Having lived in peace for 10 years, the Easter attacks gave the entire nation a jolt that neglecting national security even for a second could be catastrophic in this age of transnational terrorism. Obviously, the President’s strong stand against narcotics, child abuse, underworld and organised crime and other such vices will herald the introduction of tough new laws.
As the President correctly said, it is imperative to effect changes to the present Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system. It does have certain good points such as giving an opportunity for minority representation, but its negatives far outweigh the benefits. Candidates have to campaign throughout an entire district, leading to massive expenses and intra-party rivalries and even free-for-alls. The toxic atmosphere on the campaign trail leaves many potential professional candidates, especially women, out in the cold. Thus the contemplated new Constitution should incorporate elements of an electoral system that combines the best features of both PR and the earlier First-Past-the-Post system to give both parties and candidates a fair chance.
The next plank of the Presidential speech was the fight against fraud and corruption, the bane of administration and governance in this country. The President was adamant that he would not try to save anyone from the Government or outside of it who is found guilty of acts of corruption. This will be good news for all those who decry the undercurrent of corruption in many State institutions.
An even bigger challenge awaits the Government and the President in the form of a moribund economy, battered by the Coronavirus pandemic that forced a four-month curfew. Reviving this economy will be no easy task, but the President spoke of the importance of giving pride of place to local industries and exports as we move away from the import-driven model that has been followed for almost seven decades. There is no doubt that Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will rise to this challenge along with State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal and other officials.
Talking of officials, gone is the usual method of appointing unqualified persons solely on political patronage. In his speech, the President pointed out that all appointments will henceforth be made on merit basis by a competent panel.
Be it officials or Ministers, they will not be able to escape the President’s watchful eye. The President noted in his policy statement that there will be no room for shirkers in his administration. All Ministers and State Ministers have to present a concrete plan for the next several years, which the President will closely monitor. The President has told in no uncertain terms that he would not hesitate to take action against Ministers, State Ministers and officials who shirk their responsibilities.
This is indeed a welcome change from the normal status quo in the past where the Ministers were left to their own devices in plush air-conditioned rooms after being appointed. They will have to be on-site handling their programs and projects, a far cry from the days when some Ministers and MPs did not even visit their own electorates after being elected. Now they will have to be accountable to Parliament and the people, under the President’s guidance.
As outlined in the President’s speech, health and education will be important pivots in the new administration. Sri Lanka was able to contain the Coronavirus pandemic to this extent thanks to the free healthcare service which was ably supported by the Tri Forces and the Police. But there still are many shortcomings in the health service. For example, many rural hospitals can be improved and upgraded so that villagers do not have to rush to a major hospital 20-30 Km away in an emergency. The same goes for rural schools, which lack teachers and many other facilities. Ideally, the mad rush for Grade One admissions for so-called ‘popular schools’ can be avoided if all schools islandwide are upgraded.
The President made one more important point – that many simple problems faced by the people have not been addressed for the past 72 years, from the drinking water shortage to the human-elephant conflict. This is a telling indictment on how matters have been handled up to now. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, with his combination of military discipline and administrative efficiency will no doubt make an effort to address these problems as soon as possible. All those in the Government and the Opposition as well as the public must support him and the Prime Minister in this noble endeavour with no conditions attached in the interest of our great nation.