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| Sunday, 28 March 2004 |
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For a People's Manifesto - 2004 : Towards a Just and Peace-building Government and Society Issued by Centre for Society and Religion The general election has been called because the Government led by the UNP and the President with the People's Alliance were unable to agree on the way of solving the ethnic problem and consolidating peace in the country. The first priority in the post election period after 2nd April 2004 should be for the major groups of political parties to come to a consensus on resolving this problem, based on a principled long term solution such as the acceptance by all concerned of a united Sri Lanka with a federal form of power sharing as agreed to at Oslo, with special provision of the rights and aspirations of the Tamil and Muslim communities. On that basis an agreement has to be arrived at for the interim administration of the Northern and Eastern provinces with adequate powers for the Tamil community for self-government within a federal set up and a recognition of the rights of the Muslims in the districts where they form a majority or very substantial proposition of the population. The consolidation of peace and the rehabilitation of the refugees and reconstruction of the North-East should be a top priority in all aspects of our policies. Tamil plantation workers to be treated as full citizens with equal rights. The political parties to promise to attend to the reform of the Constitution to have a workable form of government:- * Either reform the Constitution for the President to be the nominal head of government, with the Executive being drawn from the majority in Parliament - as in the Westminster system * or retain the Executive Presidency and vest the Executive powers in the President - as in the USA. In the meantime agree on a consensus government to resolve the ethnic problem, ensure peace in the country and decide on the Constitution through a Constituent Assembly. An overall re-orientation - An alternative is necessary, is possible. In this election campaign much attention is paid by most parties and commentators to the resolution of the ethnic conflict and of the constitutional problem and relationship between the Executive President and the Prime Minister. These are the most urgent issues and the cause of the dissolution of Parliament and the holding of these general elections. However there are other causes which affect our country and its peoples on a longer term basis and with more profound impact irrespective of ethnicity and mainstream party politics. These are implied in the electoral dialogue but not so much emphasized. We refer to the socio-economic policies of the country, which have taken a turn in 1977 that has affected the country since then. In the period of internal self-government from 1931 with universal franchise and after Independence in 1948, the policies of the State in Sri Lanka were rather in favour of the poor and the needy. Hence free education since 1942, (up to university from 1945) free health services even from British times. Along with the free rice ration, free health services and free education, the people were able to improve in their health, literacy and social consciousness. The leaders of the nationalist and left movements were largely responsible for creating public opinion on the need to direct State policy to the service of the needy. During the first 29 years since Independence the country was moving in its options between capitalism and some form of socialistic society, and neutrality in international relations in the context of the cold war. All the governments from 1948 to 1977 especially after 1956 accepted an important role for the State in economic and social development. They had a policy of promoting State corporations as a means of developing sectors such as industry, trade and services that could not be handled adequately by the Sri Lankan private sector. It was accepted that the State had an important role in regulating the economy, in helping local agriculture and industry and in the development of technology, while safeguarding the national interest. This policy was so much the accepted general line, that the Constitution of 1978 was said to be of the "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka". Since 1977 Sri Lanka has followed a policy of an open economy, opening our markets to foreign imports, investment and technology and expecting suitable economic and social development. Both major parties and all governments since 1977 have followed this model with some variations in accent. The standard of life of the well to do improved, and the others too benefited from the advantages of the open market economy. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, capitalism was the only economic system at an international level. The country had got so accustomed to and entrenched in the monopolar capitalistic system by 1994, that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party led by Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga also opted for free enterprise capitalism - with a human face - thrown in for good measure. With this shift in the SLFP, there is then no major difference in economic and social policies of the two mainstream national parties that have ruled this country since Independence. There were or are differences in accent in so far as the UNP may be more right wing and the SLFP, has a history of a socialistic past and alliance with the Left parties. Business and even Trade Unions may feel they can rely on both these parties not to rock State too much by conservative or radical socio-economic policies. An Evaluation We need to be open to modern developments as in technology, communication, health services, education. We need capital and savings for investment. This openness without adequate planning in relation to the common good of all in society and the genuine development of our skills, resource utilisation, safeguarding our markets has brought about many problems such as *the increasing gap between the rich and the poor, the elite and the masses of all ethnic communities. *the opportunities concerning employment, health, housing, transportation, education, access to power are increasingly unequal for the rich and the poor. *the liberalization of economy and social development is leading to the development of private facilities in all these spheres to the advantage of the rich and niggardly supply of public services to the poor. *the proportion of public expenditure for the needy in these spheres has been decreasing over the years. An important necessity in the electoral dialogue is that the parties and candidates consider the economic and social policies for the future, taking into effect the situation of the country and the people after 27 years of the open free market economy since 1977. Since both major parties hold similar views on these issues they may not debate much on them or accentuate them in their manifestos. Even other groups that are concerned with the unity and identity of the country may not be so concerned as to who really owns Sri Lanka, and how and in what way the whole country is evolving. We need an economy and social development of a middle path that combines economic growth with social justice and genuine democracy that sees to the peoples needs, aspirations and utilizes well the resources of all the communities and areas in our country. Corruption and favouritism need to be checked beginning from the top. The import of in-essentials and narcotics should be prevented. The drawbacks of the present open economy are compounded by -the prevailing income and class differences -the endemic corruption at all echelons of society -the growing violence, gangsterism and underworld activities -the menace of drugs -the breakdown of law and order -the inordinate delays in the operation of the law, of police inquiries and hearing of cases in Courts, and political interference in the enforcement of the law. -Education is becoming more commercialized and neglecting the development of integrated and cultured persons. While there is an increase in incomes and overall improvement in facilities, there is no solution to the problems of inequality in incomes, housing, education, health services, transportation if the free market, open economy system is maintained without safeguards for the national interests and for social justice in economic development. A policy package needs to be evolved for each of the areas of government and economic development to counteract the evils of unbridled capitalism and foster a genuine development of all the people with more employment and income generation, skill development and provision of fair facilities and opportunities for all. A public dialogue on ideologies of development, values of social justice and structures or organisation is essential at this stage. All the political parties and candidates must be asked how they will follow a path that is genuinely in the country's and people's interests. |
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