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| Sunday, 11 September 2005 |
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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 New thinking, new leadership The country is on the threshold of a Presidential election. As usual everything would be geared to the election mode from now on. An election, however, is a time for contemplation, introspection and retrospection. Above all it is a time for daydreams, a time to expound future visions. Unlike in a General election, the candidate assumes a greater role than the party to which he belongs. Hence voters will generally judge on the personality of the candidate, his integrity, track record and his vision. Under our executive presidential system it is the individual that enters into a social contract with the people for a predetermined period of time. It is this social contract that ultimately decides his performance and destiny in the years to come. Hence it is imperative for the candidates to feel the heartbeat of the people, their aspirations and needs. Considering our dismal track record since independence we must admit that we have failed. The only consolation is that we, as a Third World nation are not alone in this predicament. A careful study of this sad state throughout the Third World reveals that we have been unable to charter an independent and progressive path of development. We have failed to identify the nature of our existing specific social relations. We have tried various formulae on borrowed thought either from the West or the East. Therefore, it is imperative that we charter a new path of development to suit our specific needs. The masses are fully conscious of this need. That is why they rejected the Regaining Sri Lanka program of the former government. Similar sentiments were expressed throughout the Third World. Ours is an economy dependent on the West. Our development is skewed. It is a pro-rich economic strategy that we pursued up to now. Still it remains dominant despite loud talks on empowering the poor. Whatever the surplus we produce evaporates in the face of unequal terms of trade in the global market. The latter is no level playing field. It is balanced in favour of the technologically advanced and rich countries. The only way we could prosper is by developing ways and means to upgrade technology in key areas where we could dictate terms in the global market. Taking advantages of regional cooperation and entering the global market as conglomerates dealing with primary products could be another means towards the same objective. All these require a change in our economic priorities. The neo-liberal prescriptions that we have now followed for over a quarter of a century have dismally failed. Renowned economists have illustrated the ill effects of such policies. It is sad that some consider these neo-liberal policies as sacrosanct and inviolable. The time has come for new thinking, new policies. The people have to decide which candidate stands for the out-worn disastrous economic policies or which candidate has new thinking and new direction in chartering a path of development for our country. We need policies that are truly national and not subservient to any foreign power. It is good to have friends the world over. Yet no friend should be our master. They will have to decide which candidate is pro-poor in deed for in words everybody would be pro-poor. It should be remembered that no meaningful development is possible if half our population cannot get out of poverty and become citizens gainfully contributing to the national economy. Reducing poverty does not also mean perpetual subsidising of the poor. No development is possible if we are to live in the shadow of the fratricidal ethnic war. We have to safeguard the ceasefire and move on to positive peace through negotiations. All presidential candidates have to bear in mind that they could put their grandiose plans into action only if another war is averted and a just peace is bargained. World Summit 2005 In a few days world leaders will meet in New York to review the progress achieved since the Millennium Summit in the year 2000. They will focus on the key issues of ending poverty, promoting human rights and fighting terrorism. Also on the agenda of the Summit are proposals for the reform of the United Nations so as to make it more democratic and efficient. These proposals include inter alia the creation of a Peacebuilding Commission, establishment of a Human Rights Council, expansion of the UN Security Council and streamlining the deliberations of the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The deliberations would no doubt involve tough bargaining as developed and developing nations have divergent views on many issues. We wish the Summit all success and hope that it s deliberations would result in a more democratic and more efficient world body. |
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