Sunday Times 2
‘Bottom to Top engagement’ lacking in war against coronavirus
Full kudos is due to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the prompt orders passed down to combat the coronavirus that leads to the deadly Covid-19 decease. The selfless dedication to the task by the medical staff, Police and the Tri-Services has to be highly appreciated. By this, Sri Lanka has set an example to the rest of the world as accepted by many foreign luminaries.
In my last article on the topic of the coronavirus, I highlighted some areas where we could improve on the good work being done with more cooperation on the part of the people and better coordination on the part of government agencies.
It now behoves us to re-think about the issue of lack of cooperation on the part of the people. This issue is evident from the repeated preventive measures being announced over the electronic media.
I have had numerous responses to my previous article especially from my old police colleagues. The consensus is that social mobilisation (the Praja Police concept) is lacking.
The Health Department, the Police, the Tri-Services and the Public Administration have all rallied round in this situation and given to us, the public, invaluable service. It was a great start under the circumstances, but has got stale and is going over the people. The reason for this is that it has been only a ‘Top to Bottom’ engagement.
The need is equally a ‘Bottom to Top’ engagement to the effort. The idea is that the means currently being deployed should be supplemented by a form of social mobilisation at the rural village and the individual homestead level. The socio-economic needs of the villages in this situation are a myriad that cannot be seen from a ‘Top to Bottom’ process.
These can be understood at the very bottom level by the village police constable, the grama niladhari, the public health inspector and other village level officials. The needs of the villager are easily identified by these officials. Their scattered individual efforts need to be mobilised from right below as it cannot be done from the top. Volunteers too can be called into this effort.
The point here is that the approach to the current crisis has to come from both ends. The resilience of the people is better realised in the ‘Bottom to Top’ perspective. There is no direction to that end at this moment.
The crisis that confronts the country has, in fact, many dimensions. They are not seen from the centre due to want of perspective. A ‘Bottom to Top’ effort must be engaged in aid to the ‘Top to Bottom’ directions handed down.
These collective ideas from Retired Senior Police Officers with a world of experience, would be of good use to the Presidential Task Force, and will be sent there and copied to the President and Prime Minister.
(The writer is a Retired Senior Superintendent of Police. He can be contacted at seneviratnetz@gmail.com)