Lack of basic needs, fall of present society

By shanika sriyananda

Premier Ratnasiri Wickramanayake in an interview with the 'Sunday Observer said that the underworld was not fully controlled but still the government was keeping a sharp eye on their activities.

"The Government has controlled the underworld greatly but this is not enough and cannot be satisfied with the progress", he said.

Here are the excerpts of the interview:

Q: The crime rate, including crimes committed by the LTTE terrorists have been increased and what are the actions taken by the Government to curb crimes ?

A: There is a big change in the society now. There are no values. Those days when we heard about a murder the entire society was in shock. People talked about it with sadness. But, today, it is the other side. When people hear that a person is killed no one would take notice. Killing a man is just like killing a cat or a dog. So there is big change in attitudes among the present generation. There are so many reasons for this situation. Some times it may be due to the foreign invasion and due to missing linkage with the religious institutions.

We were a society that went to school after worshipping our parents. On the other hand, those days we had close links with religion and its leaders. Now, there are no values and the charming village life style, which was closely knitted with the family, has been disturbed.

With the foreign invasion, their rituals alienated here and they destroyed our own rich economic systems to popularise their culture and economies. Everything became commercialised. Therefore, they destroyed the basic foundation of this country and this has resulted in creation of this very disturbed society, which runs behind money. So in this society, murders, corruption and other social evil are taking place unabatedly. Meantime, the terrorism has also become a scourge and a threat to the country. In one side, the society should be brought back a society which respect values and ethics while eliminating alcohol and drug menace, which causes many evils. One of the main objectives of the government is to turn this corrupted society into a very harmonious society which practice rich values.

These cannot be done within two or three days. I am happy to note that according to latest statistics the rate of smoking and alcoholism have come down. More children are going to Sunday schools now and more people are going to religious institutions like temples, kovils and mosques. These are good signs, which we can keep hopes for a better future. The government intends to achieve our targets through these good signs. We need to change the attitudes of the present society to bring down the crime rate.

Q: How the government plans to tackle terrorism?

A: This is the major concern of the government. We cannot allow them to rule the country at gun point. They wanted to break a part of this country and how can we do so. We, all the communities lived with unity as sisters and brothers under one Sri Lanka for years. One can tell that their rights were not granted. This may not be 100 percent true. But this is not a reason to take to arms and to kill their own leaders. Not only their leaders but the leaders in the South too. Where are we heading and where is the end of this? The leadership is a thing that develop with much difficulties. Destroying the leadership means that destroying the whole country. So terrorism should be eliminated. There is no other way. On the other hand we should have a dialogue to identify the needs of majority of Tamil people of this country. This should be identified through negotiations. The government is in this stand now.

Q: Can the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) arrive a common standing to resolve the national problem?

A: Yes. This is why President Mahinda Rajapaksa has initiated the APRC . We have to discuss how to go for the negotiating table and what are we going to been discussed with the Tamil people of this country. Now this is discussing at the APRC. The government needs to tell the country as well as the international community that these are the resolutions to end the national problem. But these are not resolutions by the government. These are based on the ideas of all the political parties in the Parliament and this is more or less a national program. The final outcome would not represent the ideas of the SLFP or the government but a collective effort of all the political parties. The solution should be a permanent solutions and not just to put patches. Then we have to go for constitutional changes and we need a two third majority of the Parliament. While the government taking every effort to destroy terrorism, we are in the process of finding lasting solution for the national problem through the APRC to do justice to the Tamil community.

Q: Is there any idea to amend the CFA?

A: No. There is no formal idea to do so.

Q: Does the government plan to go for peace talks again?

A: Once the APRC proposals are ready we would go for talks. The invitation is open always.

Q: Majority of people are worrying over the present price hikes of essential food items and what are the actions that the government has taken to facilitate the common man?

A: Still the electricity prices have not gone up. Sri Lanka was a self sufficient country. With the foreign invasions we lost our rich economy. Now we are fortunate that we are self sufficient in rice. In 1970 to 1977 we were self sufficient with red onions, big onions and chilies. Today we have to import them all. Two months ago dried chilies went up to Rs. 162. Now it has been reduced to Rs. 90. Big onions and sugar prices are now reduced. But no one talks about price reductions. Oil is beyond our control. So, the government believes that the food items that we need should be produced locally. The raw materials that we need for our production should not be exported. They should be exported only as value added items and then we can get high foreign exchange and can also create many job opportunities. For example, tea should not be sent as bulks but with new packagings and with new flavours. We must send people for foreign jobs with training. There is a huge demand for skilled persons.

Q: The government says that while defeating terrorists, the government has not neglected carrying out development projects. How do you assess this statement?

A: Yes, though the government has given prominence to defeat terrorism, we have not neglected the development of the country. Terrorism is not a hinderance to country's development process. We are to open an airport and a harbour in the southern part of the country. The two mega power projects - the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant and Upper Kothmale Hydro Power Project would be completed soon. And the government is in the process of setting up of another power project in Trincomalee. Meanwhile, mega projects to develop the country's infrastructure, including roads, and industries are on the cards. The government has decided to move our development projects from the Western Province to the other less developed provinces. Under this Eastern province has also taken into consideration. A power project will be commissioned in Trincomalee and an industrial zone will be set up in Ampara. Two other industrial zones will be established in Monaragala and Kurunegala. The investors are willing to invest in these projects.

Q: Is that true that there is a drop in investments due to bombs explosions and other terrorist attacks?

A: No. There may be a drop but the recent bomb blasts cannot stop foreign investors coming in. A visiting Korean delegation last week assured that they are willing to invest the environment in the country is better for new investments. This is not a dark era and we have stepped into a new era, in which the people can keep hope for a better future. But each and every citizen of this country should be a part of this endeavour to achieve that. .

Q: Does the government have any plans to promote tourism in the country?

A: We have a separate propaganda and the Minister of Tourism is now in the process of preparing that. We believe there are lapses in propaganda through Embassies. So we have planned to take part in trade fairs. Especially our main target is to bring tourists from China and if one per cent of the total Chinese population come to Sri Lanka, the country would achieve its target. Compared to last year, the number of tourists from China during the last six months have gone up.

Q: Even the international community have criticised the government's decision to remove the Tamil people from the lodges in Colombo. What is the government's stand on this issue?

A: We get the total responsibility of it. We are not trying to put the blame on the officials but we take the responsibility of it as a responsible government. There may be some problems when the program was implementing. However, there is a big threat to the country because of those who could not prove their identity. The government has a right to check on these people as the present situation is not just normal days. The country is under terrorist threats. The government's main task is to protect its people. We do not blame the government officials.

Q: Can the government give the guarantee that sudden eviction like these would not take place in future?

A: No. we cannot give 100 percent guarantee. Can we tell that there won't be bomb blasts? We are not going to do such evictions but in the future we are going to take the suspected people into custody and question and to take legal action against them.

Q: During the last few months we heard about disappearances and abductions that took place in Colombo. People, especially the Tamil people live with fear. What actions can the government take to bring the culprits to the book?

A: Once there were eight dead bodies found in the Wattala area and later Karuna faction identified the bodies and claimed that the group belongs to them. These are very difficult to explain and we do not know who does these. The other point is that several killer groups. The LTTE, the Karuna faction and other under world gangs operate in Colombo and fighting with each other. The only thing that the government do is to be vigilant on these groups and their activities. The President, who met the families of disappeared persons have appointed a Committee to look into their complaints and direct the law enforcement authorities to take speedy actions.

Q: Would you explain the steps taken by the government to nab these under world kin pins?

A: We have set up a hot line, and lots of underworld members were nabbed after receiving information to the hot-line. The government has controlled the under world greatly but this is not enough and can not be satisfied with the progress. The under world operations are not totally controlled and in some places still it is functioning. But the government is keeping a sharp eye on their activities.

[email protected]