Columns

By the time this paper goes to print the voting at the Presidential Election of 2024 would have been completed and the country’s citizens would have given expression to their choice of the Head of State for the next five years.

However, who succeeded in getting the majority of votes will probably be known only, at least, 24 hours later.

Given the number of front runners and the intensity of the election campaigns it is inevitable that whoever is elected to the exalted office will be viewed with misgivings by those who did not cast their vote for him. That is also reflective of the diversity of a democracy that is vibrant, at least, during the run up to an election. 

If the individual elected to office can, by his actions, set at rest such misgivings at the very outset it will be a good start to his term of office and augur well for the future of the country.

Now that the election to the most powerful institution in the country, the office of the Executive Presidency, is over, the Government will have to address the needs of its citizens who have had the bitterest experience of their life time during the last five years.

While focussing on this objective the country will also have to manage the challenge of an equally intense Parliamentary Elections within the next six months (the actual timing will depend on who wins Saturday’s elections).

On one matter all the main candidates are agreed although for different reasons. The economy will have to be carefully resuscitated and the people, particularly the poor and marginalised, given a helping hand to pick up their lives.

Few would agree with President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s view that the economy should take precedence over governance. Rather as stated in this column previously good and wise governance will facilitate not only economic development but also progress in the political, social and other sectors as well.

The new government which will take shape after the parliamentary elections will face many challenges in the months to come. The scourge of corruption which has permeated all sections of society, the weakening of institutions of governance, a world acclaimed health sector which is currently struggling with its own issues due to the fall out of the economic crisis, the increase in poverty and malnutrition and the all-important task of national unity and reconciliation are just a few of such challenges.

No less important is the need to change the corrosive political culture that has adversely impacted the democratic process as well as to address the fundamental issue of political, legal and individual accountability which will help restore the public’s trust in the system of governance.

In terms of constitutional reform, the abolition of the Executive Presidency and changes in the electoral system will have to be given priority.

Sri Lanka will also have to take a closer look at its foreign policy and once again aspire to take its place as a respected member of the international community as it did in the past. In the past few years the country has been struggling to manage the geopolitical challenges which it has had to face due to the economic crisis. An added factor which can affect the security interests of the nation as well as that of its citizens working in the Middle East is the cosying up to Israel.

Not only is the government recklessly putting the lives of its citizens at risk by encouraging and actively sending people to work in Israel at a time when regional tensions are escalating and are perilously close to boiling over, it is also turning a blind eye to reports of many Israelis illegally engaging in business in the country.

While the incoming government will have its plate full with the contemporary challenges that it has to address, the public and civil society too will be called upon to play a much greater role in nation building. It will have to maintain vigilance in keeping the Government on track and not let it lose sight of the larger goals of governance.

One of the critical areas that come to mind is the whole issue of what the International Monetary Fund (IMF) calls “corruption vulnerabilities”. Both the IMF and organised civil society have produced Governance Diagnostic Reports which have highlighted several steps to be taken to improve governance in the country.

However there has been little or no action taken by the government to implement the proposals dealing with the issues of governance that prevents or minimises the likelihood of corruption like legislating for public procurement laws, not accepting unsolicited bids etc.

That corruption is rife in various sectors despite the country being in the throes of an economic crisis is evident from the most recent reports in the media. According to one such report the Commission to Investigate allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has initiated an investigation into a fraud at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) to the tune of R.36 billion involving high officials connected with the Corporation.

The fraud had received the attention of the authorities following a complaint by Presidential candidate Janaka Ratnayake. According to Ratnayake the Auditor General has conducted a comprehensive investigation into these claims and confirmed that significant mismanagement and financial irregularities have taken place.

These are in addition to the VFS visa fiasco and the Adani wind power project which are currently being examined by the Courts.

Thus both the incoming Government and civil society will have their work cut out to get the country back on track. (javidyusuf@gmail.com)