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This year has been one of historic political change. People have great expectations for political and social transformation and economic change. Will the expectations be realised?

Change

This year will be remembered as one when the old order changed, yielding place to a new government with expectations of a united country free of corruption that would usher in a prosperous economy for all.

We are at the end of a transformative year when the old order was wrung out and a new era was ushered in with the expectation of economic growth that would benefit all—the dream of “a rich and beautiful country for all.”

The pertinent question is whether these expectations would be realised.

Recollection

Those who are old enough to remember the election victory of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike would recall his party secured an overwhelming victory, reducing the ruling party’s strength to a mere eight seats in a parliament of 101 members.

Even more significant was that the victory was expected to usher in an ‘age of the common man.’

Period of transition

Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike often characterised the country as being in a period of transition when the old order was dying and the new was struggling to be born.

Bandaranaike’s expectation for the nation was articulated eloquently on Independence Day, February 4, 1948, when he said that political independence should be consummated by economic growth and social justice. Regrettably, this was not achieved.

We must not allow the expectations of this people’s victory this year to flounder and fail.

National unity

One significant aspect of the expectations of this year’s political change must not be allowed to fade away. That is the promise of achieving national unity. Never in the 76 years of the country’s independence has there been the opportunity to forge national unity as now. The opportunity to be a united nation where all citizens feel a sense of belonging as equal citizens, irrespective of ethnic, religious, and linguistic differences, must be seized.

Paramount prerequisite

There is a pertinent reason why this paramount prerequisite for the nation’s development could be achieved. All parties pledged to usher in a united nation with equality for all.

A united nation sans communalism would be a huge contributory factor for economic growth and development.

Corruption

Another expectation of paramount significance is the promise to eradicate corruption. The eradication of bribery and corruption at the highest levels of government would be vitally important. The government’s resolve on this must not falter or fail.

Widespread

Bribery and corruption are, however, widespread in our society. Its total eradication is unrealistic. It must be contained by systems that reduce the possibility of such corruption, such as by digitalisation and incorruptible systems.

Significant

The achievement of national unity and the reduction of corruption are themselves significant factors to drive economic growth. Yet, a host of other issues have to be resolved to achieve economic stability and growth.

Economic policies

These include appropriate economic policies and their effective implementation. The work ethic of our society, especially those in the public services and among teachers and other professionals, has to be changed. These are difficult endeavours that would take time. The initial steps must, however, be taken immediately.

Distraction

In the last few weeks, the government has been distracted from its formidable tasks by a spoke in its wheels. Curiously, it is not a spoke thrust by the opposition. It is self-inflicted, so to speak. It was as irrelevant as amusing.

Academic qualifications

There is no requirement for the Speaker of Parliament to have any academic qualification or even a school education. Sri Lanka’s first Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Don Stephen Senanayake, the venerated Father of the Nation, is said to have had only a 5th-grade education.

Damage

The rather irrelevant issue of whether the elected speaker has a doctorate has undermined the credibility and integrity of the JVP/NPP government needlessly. However, several relevant questions have arisen.

First, is the party leadership unaware of its own members’ integrity to have selected Ashoka Ranwala as the speaker? Second, why did they choose a first-timer in the house to be a speaker when they had another MP who had been an MP for several years? It appears that the JVP/NPP leaders had not realised or gauged the capacity of their members.

Unfortunate

Nevertheless, it is unfortunate that this unimportant issue has vitiated the transformative capacity of the government. The government must regain the public’s confidence.

Conclusion

This year would be remembered as one when the old order changed and a new one was ushered in. Our hope and expectation must surely be to transform the political culture, social values, work ethic, and morality to achieve a rich and prosperous society for all.

This cannot be achieved in a year or even five, but the foundations can be laid and the first and most important steps taken. However, already some faltering steps have weakened the government’s capacity to make that uphill task a reality.

The road to achieving an economy that ensures prosperity for all cannot be achieved by good intentions alone; it has to be achieved by a multiplicity of strategies effectively implemented. The poor cannot be made rich by making the rich poorer. Yet the rich must surely give unto Caesar that which is needed for development.

Pragmatic economic policies that ensure fiscal consolidation and economic stability are vital. The containment of corruption is another economic imperative. Increasing production for exports is critically important. All these cannot be achieved in a day, a month, or a year, but the firm foundations must be laid now to achieve a rich and prosperous society for all. It must be one that ensures sufficiency for all rather than superfluity for some.

The government should not be distracted by trivialities, such as the academic qualifications of MPs, as has happened in recent weeks. The government’s focus must be on the eradication of corruption, forging national unity, and the transformation of the political culture, social values, and work ethic. The country needs to move away from trivialities to the enormous challenges before it to transform the country into a vibrant, united nation.

The government’s efforts to eradicate corruption, achieve a united nation, and transform the country’s political culture and social values are formidable challenges from which it should not be distracted by trivialities or misguided by extreme ideologies.