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| Sunday, 11 April 2004 |
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Editorial |  |
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Editor, Sunday Observer. E-mail: [email protected] Snail mail : Sunday Observer, 35, D.R.Wijewardana Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Telephone : 94 11 2429239 / 2331181 Fax : 94 11 2429230 Hope and humility The hopes and aspirations of the nation battered and bruised by the inept, corruption riddled, vacillating two years tenure, of the UNF Government rests with the UPFA, the Cabinet of Ministers which was sworn-in yesterday. A great responsibility lies on the shoulders of the new Ministers. They must get down to work immediately to get the country out of the terrible mess it is in. An unenvious mess that the new Government has inherited from its predecessors who were full of bombast, empty rhetoric steeped in corruption, nepotism and favouritism. A Government which made the poor poorer and the rich richer, a Government which was only concerned with stuffing their individual pockets with filthy lucre, becoming instant billionaires not caring a jot or tittle for the long suffering masses who through some unfortunate aberration of good judgement voted the UNF into power. It did not take the people long to rue that day. Fortunately, circumstances of its own making forced the UNF to face an election. And, the UNF whose largest component was the UNP, was kicked out ceremoniously. The new Ministers sworn in yesterday, have in their leader President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse two senior politicians untainted by even a whiff of corruption, with impeccable records of integrity, justice and fairplay. Similarly the new Ministers must be like Caesar's wife, above suspicion. They must emulate the President and her Prime Minister. The country is in such critical a situation that the Ministers must cut out the tamashas and get down to brass tacks. They should always bear in mind, that they must conduct themselves with absolute humility, that they are there to serve the people and not the other way round, as so often happens after a few months in power. Ministers must identify themselves with the people. They must see to their well-being. Not be too busy to give ear to their problems, to keep the promises made at election time. The Ministers must not walk on air as in the past, but with their feet firmly planted on the ground. They must remember they have been placed in power by the people to serve them. Or else, they, too, will be summarily booted out. Let them leave no room for this. The country cannot afford it. |
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