Colombo, the city of excellence - Moragoda's aim

*CMC should be run as a service provider

*City could be economic hub of South Asia

By Ranil WIJAYAPALA

His entry to local politics added a new dimension to the election campaign. He stood firm with regard to his policies despite the ups and downs in his political career due to the philosophy he follows in politics. Milinda Moragoda, today has become the centre of attention in the political arena following his decision to contest as the ruling UPFA's Mayoral candidate for the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), the largest Local Authority in the country.

Like his political vision, he wants to make a change in the Colombo city, aiming to make it the economic hub of South East Asia. He says that it is a viable task, provided politics is not involved.

Though the challenge before him is huge, he believes in a clean campaign without making a big noise so that the voters in Colombo are participants of this program and not mere observers. In an interview with the Sunday Observer, he says that there is no question about its capability, because the Government has already proved that it can make a change in the city through the program initiated by Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to beautify the city.

Milinda Moragoda believes that the Colombo Municipality should not be a political institution, but a service provider for ratepayers, devoid of politics and it should be run like a service-providing institution, leaving politics out.

He also says that he is going to put forward his policy statement under the theme 'Colombo the centre of excellence' very soon, so that people can decide who should be their service provider. Following are excerpts of the interview the Sunday Observer had with Milinda Moragoda, the UPFA Mayoral candidate for Colombo.

Q: Having held key ministerial portfolios in different governments, how did you decide to contest as the mayoral candidate of the Colombo Municipal Council?

A: The decision came after an invitation was extended to me by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. After some principal questions and out of respect for the President too, I decided to accept the challenge. At the same time, I think we have to look at Local Government politics today in the context of the modern age, where Local Governments have authority and power to make a difference in the day-to-day lives of people. As a Minister in the Central Government we can influence policies, but the results are not felt immediately. Because it takes years to practise those policy decisions by ordinary people. In the context of local authorities, a Municipality or City Council, you can make an immediate difference.

Local Authorities as companies

The other aspect is that in the modern context, Local authorities are really run like companies. When we look at major cities in the West and in Asia such as Japan, they are run as companies and administered efficiently. The whole idea is to provide services to the people. It is like a service company. Citizens pay rates to the council and the council provides the service to the citizen. So what happens there is the citizen becomes a consumer. In that context it is not a political institution.

In today's context, I see local councils as public service providers, providing services to consumers who are citizens. So it is a totally a different kind of service to being in Parliament and being a Minister. In my view it is no greater or lesser duty. It is on the same level.

So, I thought it is an interesting challenge. Our Urban Councils and Municipal Councils have not come to the level of international councils. What I thought was we could make the Colombo Municipality a centre of excellence, so other municipal councils will also follow it. That is my basic idea.

Q: Were there any conditions either from the Government to you or from you to the Government when deciding your candidacy as the Mayor for the Colombo Municipal Council?

A: The President didn't lay down any conditions. He selected me, I believe, as he thought that I was someone who suits the requirements of Colombo. President Rajapaksa is not somebody who lays down conditions.

Q: You have joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). What made you join the SLFP to contest the election as the Mayoral candidate of the UPFA?

A: The mayoral candidate of the UPFA should come from the largest party in the coalition. The SLFP is the largest party in the UPFA. The President also said that within his vision there is room for people like me. With that in mind, I thought that we could work together.

I put forward certain conditions as you know, but President Rajapaksa said there is room within the SLFP for that kind of thing. The SLFP being the largest party in the coalition has to put forward the Mayoral candidate and he cannot be from a smaller party. I understand that. But he gave me the space to put forward my own ideas within the SLFP vision because he said there is room for such ideas within the SLFP.

Oldest political party

Q: What will happen to the party you have represented earlier?

A: At the moment the Sri Lanka National Congress is there though I am not a member. The Sri Lanka National Congress is the oldest political party in the country.

Q: In which way are you going to make use of your experience as a former minister if you become the Mayor of Colombo?

A: What is useful is having functioned as a minister in the Central Government, it will help me to get things done at certain levels. Hopefully, as a Mayor, I will be able to plan things in a way the Central Government also finds easier to understand and work with us. In addition, the Secretary of Defence has started some work in the city. Since I have held a ministerial portfolio I can work with them. I understand how the Central Government is working and how it takes decisions. That experience will help me manage the Colombo Municipal Council better.

Q: You have taken a big challenge to contest as the Mayoral candidate for Colombo which is more favourable to the United National Party. How are you going to face this challenge and what is your strategy to draw UNP voters towards you?

A: I have seen political challenges as opportunities. As far as I am concerned, the Colombo Municipal Council should be devoid of politics. The reason is, municipal services should not be politicised. For example, which work should be done, whose garbage should be collected, which house should be sprayed for dengue and which house should not be sprayed and which house should be raided for dengue and whose house has to be cleaned... I don't think those are political decisions.

In this context, the CMC should be an example to the country by steering away from politics. I see political parties in this country like tribes. That is wrong. If you try to decide which place should be cleaned and which garbage should be collected, it will become a political issue. That is not desirable. My idea is to bring it above politics.

Administering the Colombo city is not a political matter. This is about providing services to the citizens of Colombo. They are paying for these services. They are the consumers of those services. In the Municipality you are obliged to deliver those services.

Municipality devoid of politics

I am trying to modernise the systems. We will be announcing a plan very soon with our policy statement. Our idea is to bring professionalism to the city and to get away from politics. With politics you cannot develop a city. The city has suffered a lot, because the security situation did not allow the city to be itself.

The city is a miniature Sri Lanka. It has all races. It has all religions. It has people speaking different languages, it has many different political parties and also different classes of people. That is the beauty of the city. Therefore, I need to understand that and that the citizen of Colombo should get their services. It should not be about politics, it should be about Colombo city.

Q: But as a first step, you have to win the election to implement your program. You have to get the support of the people from different political parties and also from different ethnic groups. How are you going to do that?

A: My view is winning an election is not a case of getting support from parties and communities. It is about getting the support of the citizen. For that we will put forward a program very soon. And we will explain to them what we will plan to do for the city. It will be done in consultation with the citizens.

They will also get involved in that process. Today, municipal councils around the world are working with the citizens. They are not isolated.

Not a cricket match

I don't see this election as a huge political cricket match or political struggle. This is a matter of convincing the citizens of Colombo. We all require services in our day-to-day lives and we pay rates. So they are consumers and they have the right to vote for any service provider and pay money and expect the service.

I don't consider this as politics. It is about convincing people whether they are Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher or any other. We will not discriminate any citizen based on political parties or religion. This is part of Colombo. The richness of Colombo comes from the cities.

Q: How do you see your main opponent? Is he a challenge to you ?

A: He is an eminent person. He is an experienced person. I am not talking in terms of challenges, I consider them as opportunities. He has said that he wants to run a clean campaign. That is very good. In my political career, I have run campaigns like that.

Q: You have earned a reputation as a person who does not engage in a lot of propaganda during election time. How will you take your campaign forward for this election with your earlier experience ?

A: I started politics with my political philosophy. As the President said, there is room for my philosophy within the SLFP. So I am following that path in this election too.

Q: What kind of campaign are you going to carry out for the election ?

A: My campaign is to put forward my ideas before the people. It will be a good mix. One is at grassroots levels I have always been doing that. It is through discussions that I am going to do that. People like to talk and offer their ideas. Politicians sometimes do not understand that. Politicians like to present their ideas to the people, but the people have their own views. So my meetings are more like discussions. People ask questions when I make statements. That will be done at grassroots level and also at different levels. Then through the media we will explain our policies.

Making citizens participants

Basically, my campaigning is not about personalities. Sri Lankan politics has turned out to be about personalities. Politics should become, in my view, basically about ideas and building institutions. Those should be the key points.

If the people of Colombo have confidence in me and I am voted Mayor, the day I move on I will leave behind an institution that all of us can be proud of. For me, it is about creating policies and institutions and ensuring the institution connects the citizen through the administration of the citizen. My campaign also follows that theme. It is not about having big stages and shouting slogans. They are also interesting. We have to make the citizen a participant to get optimum results.

Q: What are the challenges you have identified in Colombo and how will you confront them if elected Mayor?

A: There are a whole range of issues. Very soon I am putting out the program. The theme is to make Colombo the Centre of Excellence, for that we are focusing on different areas.

For example, we are starting with good governance; that is to have a professional and competent administration in the city.

There will be an attitude change, to consider the rate payer as a consumer and the Council as the service provider. To achieve that we need a competent and professional administration.

The ratepayer wants his plan approved from the Council. For some reason it gets delayed. Then he has the right to come and ask why it is being delayed, officials should be in a position to explain. A plan should be approved within a time frame. There should be a certain period of time for this and if they fail to do that they should explain why it has not been approved.

Colombo, the Centre of Excellence

Then we are talking about constructing roads. For whatever reason, if the road has not been constructed properly, the ratepayer has the right to ask the Municipality why it has not been constructed properly. All the information should be made available to them.

We should be transparent, so the citizens will know what is happening. The best way of avoiding corruption is to bring in transparency to the administration of the CMC.

There are other pressing issues that have to be addressed . If we take the issue about dengue, in controlling dengue the Municipality has a key role to play. It also has the moral role to get the citizens involved, the Central Government involved, non-government organisations involved and constantly having programs to make the people aware of dengue prevention campaigns.

Then we have to look at areas like the work that is being done by the Defence Secretary. He is doing a remarkable job for the beautification of the city where the Municipality has a key role to play. People can see the difference that has been created. That has to be continued and the Municipal Council can add to that.

In a political sense, we have already started work on the city. Because the Defence Secretary, through what he has done already, shows that you can make a difference. For us, we can demonstrate our ability to beautify the city.

Transport within the city has to be developed. We don't have a good service for the people to travel in the city. And if we have reduced traffic congestion, we have to have a good system. So there are various proposals that have been highlighted in our policy presentation.

About garbage collection, again the Defence Secretary has already done a lot of work. Now we have to have long-term solutions. Because, in the short-term, we have solved many issues and there have to be long-term solutions to take that forward.

The issue of urban housing for the poor. Again we have a program of our own. We are putting up housing apartment complexes for the urban poor. There is a misunderstanding that people will be relocated. That is not the case. The city, the rich and poor, they are all part of the city. Because, the poor are working in the city and the rich are also working in the city.

The poor are providing services to the city and the rich are also providing services to the city. You can't move people away from their neighbourhoods.

There is no plan to do that. There will be an effort to ensure that you find more prominent solutions. I think we have to get used to apartment living. We still haven't got used to that type of society. But in a city you have to build skyscrapers. So we have put that solution in our policy statement.

The message here is we have a program. We have an immediate program, a 100-day program and a long-term program which we are forwarding very soon which will be done in an unusual way.

The difference is that we have already started. So we don't have to prove ourselves. Because it has already started. The Defence Secretary has given the lead and both of us are working together. I have worked closely with him and it is easy for us to work together because we have a good relationship.

Economic hub of the region

Q: In your opinion what kind of city should Colombo be in another decade or two?

A:Our policy proposal is to make Colombo the economic hub of South Asia. We should do that because it is a beautiful city compared to a lot of South Asian cities. The beauty is that it makes our quality of life good.

We must encourage foreign expatriates to live here so that they can work in India or wherever, but they can live here.

Like in Singapore where the quality of life immediately improved with expatriates living there. When services come up the quality of life improves because of foreign investment.

What I see here is if I have 10 years for action, then Colombo will be a regional economic hub. I think it is possible, provided we leave politics out.

That is why I said the Municipality should not be a place for politics. It should be providing a service.

Q: There is a proposal to establish a Colombo Metropolitan Corporation. Is there any possibility that this could dilute the powers of authority of the CMC? Do you have any details or ideas on how the two bodies will work together, possibly without a conflict?

A: At the moment, these proposals are not being developed. I feel, at the moment, we are thinking of the city itself. When it comes to linking it with other suburbs such as Kotte, Dehiwala or Mount Lavinia, there are other means of doing that by coordinating with the Central Government. That is an idea that has not been developed as yet. I think the exact model has not come up.

Q: You have functioned as the Senior Advisor on Foreign Affairs to the President. Will you be continuing in that role, regardless of your future assignments or positions?

A: I have resigned from that position to contest the elections. President Rajapaksa and I have a close relationship and whether I have a title or not I have always given my assistance to him. I don't need designations for that.

Q: This is the first election to be held under the normal law of the country after lifting the State of Emergency. How do you feel about this situation ?

A: Now, step by step we are returning to normality. This is another step in that direction. That is the way it should be. I think the city of Colombo can be like a beacon, by creating a new culture for Sri Lanka.

For Sri Lanka to go forward, we must have all communities living together harmoniously. In Colombo, for decades, we have had no problems among communities. Therefore, I think Colombo can be the model for post-conflict Sri Lanka where all communities live together and speak different languages and observe different religions.

The rich and poor are able to walk freely in Independence Square or in any park in Kotahena. That freedom is there. So this will be a model to demonstrate freedom.

Living in high-rise buildings

Q: What is your plan to improve the quality of life of the people living in several settlements in the city?

A: This is about building communities. Countries such as Singapore also faced this problem. I think city living in the 21st century has to go through certain cultural orientations. Our first decision is that all citizens should be able to live in the neighbourhood and they should not be moved out of Colombo. They should have schools, they should have access to jobs and businesses.

In Singapore, for example they have Cantonese living in the city. Cantons are equivalent to the shanty areas. From cantons they came to better apartments, not that high but with four or five storeys.

There, people know the concept of living in high-rise buildings. We are also going through a similar evaluation. Now, very often, in a small house two to three families live. If they have three apartments, they can live separately. That is a community where they get playgrounds and sports and other facilities and the community develops around that area. This is about creating communities. Initially we have to create model communities, so that people can see those communities and have confidence in them.

Q: The issue with regard to these problem at present is that there is no awareness among communities about what is happening. What are your solutions for this situation?

A: For this, we have to have consultations with them and create a couple of model communities. Then people can see this is what is going to happen and understand that their children are going to get a better life. If they were using common toilets they can have individual toilets and separate bathrooms. The way to do this is to create two or three model communities very quickly and tell the others to see them. That is how things happened in countries such as China.

I think that is what we have to do. So, in 10 years, Colombo will be completely different. If citizens are involved in this process and if they understand this process, there won't be any problems. They have the assurance that they won't be relocated and they will not be moved to Avissawella or some distant area. Whatever will be done within the city would be fair to the inhabitants.

Q: What is your message to the Colombo citizen?

A: My message basically is that we should all get together, regardless of political parties, regardless of race, regardless of religion, regardless of class, leave politics out of Colombo and concentrate on making it a better place for all of us to live together. If we think that way, we will move forward.

If we knock against politics, we start talking about political issues which have no relevance in making the quality of life better and the city will not receive anything in the end.