A new political culture

The elections for 225 seats in the next Parliament will be held early next month. One-hundred-and-ninety-six parliamentarians will be elected on a district basis while the remaining 29 seats will be from the National List, based on the bonus seats allocated to each party for the total number of votes polled.

Election fever is catching on with the allocation of numbers for the candidates and the propaganda ‘war’ is reaching its peak.

The First Citizen, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has acted in an exemplary manner by inviting all political parties in the fray for a clean election campaign without personal mud-slinging. As the President has clearly pointed out, it is time for all politicians to put a stop to ‘hate politics’. Politicians should take the lead in this regard and all other party leaders should endorse President Rajapaksa’s bold statement and extend their fullest support in this regard.

Candidates should not make false promises or get embroiled in bitter battles for the sake of preferential votes to get elected. The candidates should not force their will on the people, but instead, respect public opinion.

They should not seek more comfort or elevate themselves to a higher pedestal at the expense of the public vote. It is the supreme duty of all candidates who get elected as parliamentarians to work together, sinking petty differences to safeguard the sovereignty of the Motherland and to steer it towards prosperity.

At a time when many party leaders are making a desperate attempt to capture power at any cost, President Rajapaksa has set a fine example by stressing the need amongst UPFA candidates to uphold party discipline and cautioning them about running after preferential votes.

As representatives of the people in the Legislature, it is the bounden duty of party leaders and politicians to set an example to others. They must conduct themselves in an exemplary manner so that people who vote for them will not regret it in the future.

Politicians, especially the Members of the Parliament and those who aspire to become the people’s representatives at the next Parliament, have a sacred responsibility in this regard. They should bear in mind that the masses are closely monitoring their conduct.

As the President has emphasised, the moral renaissance of the nation was as important as its economic renaissance. Achieving one without the other is a futile exercise.

The Maha Sangha and the leaders of other religions could play a pivotal role by helping to create a morally rich society. It is the need of the hour and one and all should work tirelessly to achieve that goal.

The contribution of religious leaders and their continuing efforts in this regard is highly commendable and it’s the duty of the masses to take the message forward to create an atmosphere for such a society.

Whatever heights a nation or a country achieves in physical development would be meaningless if it cannot equally match the same high standards in moral and spiritual development.

Despite losing a colossal sum that the Government would have earned by way of taxes, President Rajapaksa is determined to put a permanent end to the sale of tobacco and alcohol products. The Government has made a commendable and sincere effort to put a full stop to tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse by implementing the Mathata Thitha program.

Concurrently, the Government has implemented several programs to safeguard our cultural and social values and educate the next generation on the importance of those values.

Certain countries in the West, which had destroyed such values in our country, are now preaching to us on human rights. Some countries in the West invaded smaller or weaker countries some centuries ago, totally ignoring the human rights of the people who were living in the former colonies.

Even during that time, Sri Lankans had a high regard for human rights, though these words were not in our vocabulary. Sri Lankans are well known the world over for their hospitality and smiling faces, a unique feature which is hard to find in the West. Traditionally, Sri Lankans have maintained those high cultural values for centuries and these should be preserved for the next generation too.

The government has enhanced facilities to improve the quality of Dhamma education and educate our children on the rich Sri Lankan traditions. Such programs, coupled with other similar measures, had reaped rich dividends in improving moral values amongst individuals during recent times.

President Rajapaksa, who gave an inspiring leadership to the Security Forces to eradicate terrorism, has now embarked on a massive operation to win the economic war as well. His aim is to bring about economic prosperity as well, so that Sri Lanka could stand tall amongst other nations in the world.

The country’s economy has recorded a remarkable turnaround. This is a clear reflection of the recovery in exports, imports, domestic construction, tourism, manufacturing activities, plantation and agriculture.

Though the Opposition is propounding various theories to hoodwink the public, the country’s economic outlook has improved dramatically in the last quarter of last year, following the eradication of terrorism and the global turnaround.

Next month’s general election will provide an opportunity to the masses to endorse the government’s far-reaching policies again. Having registered a landslide victory at the recent presidential elections, the President now seeks a fresh mandate for a stronger government. The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will undoubtedly form a stable government at the conclusion of the April 8 parliamentary elections. The UPFA had always kept faith in the power of the people and had taken tangible steps to uphold the people’s franchise.

It’s time we develop a new political culture. President Rajapaksa has taken the first step towards that end by stressing the need to put the country before self. We must discard party politics even after the elections and work selflessly to crown Mother Lanka with glory.