|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 3 April 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Editorial |  |
| News Business Features Security
|
Please forward your comments to the
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 One year of UPFA governance Today, the UPFA Government celebrates one year in office. This in itself is an achievement given the nature of the hung Parliament that the elections produced. The UPFA not only consolidated its power it was able to win over substantial sections from the Opposition to its side ensuring a stable majority for governance. Prophets of doom were doomed. However, hope springs eternal in their hearts. We could recall here the claims of Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe that the UNP would be in power by April this year, which is by now. Now they are predicting and anxiously anticipating a break-up of the UPFA. Perhaps they would have to wait like the proverbial goat that followed the jackal. For the SLFP it is yet another experience of coalition politics. Apparently it has learnt lessons from its past mistakes and has shown more dexterity in managing crises. For the JVP it marked coming of age. They have been able to master the art of survival without compromising its independence unlike its ideological kinsmen- the LSSP and the CPSL, who preceded them in invading the terrain of bourgeois coalitions. Yet lessons there are for both parties to learn. That does not diminish the credit that is due to them both. Of course, much credit should go to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga for navigating the ship of state in stormy seas. The UPFA government faced daunting challenges in its first year in office. It faced natural disasters like widespread acute drought, devastating floods and to cap it all the worst tragedy in the country's history - the December 26 tsunami last year. On the economic front unprecedented rise in petroleum prices dealt a serious blow to expectations of lowering the cost of living. It is to the credit of the Government that amidst all these challenges it was able to recruit a record number of unemployed and under-employed graduates into the public service. Besides it released the embargo on public service appointments the UNF government had imposed. Public servants were also rewarded with a salary increase and moves are afoot to extend a similar wage increase to private sector employees. Agricultural subsidies have been restored to the relief of peasants. True, much remains to be done and re-done in the wake of the devastating tsunami. What is important is to steer along the path chartered by the first budget of the UPFA that marked a turning point in initiating people-friendly policies. On the occasion of its first anniversary the UPFA government is best advised to remember the wish of the electorate which expressed a desire to wean away from the Washington Consensus policies blindly followed up to then. The people, after all are the sole power that could salvage any government. In spite of the fanatical communal and religious fundamentalist rhetoric that emanated even from within its ranks the UPFA Government was able to maintain the ceasefire and prevent religious clashes that seemed imminent towards the end of 2003. The biggest challenge it faces today is to advance the peace process whilst keeping the coalition intact. This could be done only by going direct to the people and soliciting their advice. The setting up of a joint tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction mechanism with the LTTE in the Northeast could be a good beginning towards that objective. On this first anniversary we warn the government not to get entangled in trivial issues that the UNP would raise in order to divert the government's attention from vital issues that affect the people with the ulterior motive of cashing in on the resulting mass discontent. End of an era Pope John Paul II is nearing death at the time these words are written. He has been at the helm of the Vatican for over 26 years. His period of reign has several remarkable features. He was the first Pope to come from behind the Iron Curtain. Fortuitous circumstances led to his election when his native country was revolting against the Communist regime. An ardent supporter of Lech Walesa's Solidarity Movement he was a conservative to the core. Having assumed office, however, he assumed a middle path distancing himself equally from the crimes of Capitalism and Imperialism. A fierce critic of the Iraq War, he was also critical of the policies of the West that led to pauperization of millions of the poor. He was also the most widely travelled Pope in the history of the Vatican. He visited 117 countries to meet the faithful. He was in the forefront of the struggle to save Catholicism from the invasion of North American missionaries into Latin America and elsewhere. Being he first Pope to be elected outside Rome he has also set a precedent where the future Popes may come from diverse parts of the world including Latin America. He will be leaving behind a legacy that is hard to replace. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security | Produced by Lake House |
