Be true to yourself when taking to politics - Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka

By Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Outspoken and forthright, Senior Minister for Good Governance and Infrastructure Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka continues to be as vibrant as ever in national politics. Political acumen was his merit to deserve many a Ministerial portfolio culminating in Prime Ministership. The Sunday Observer interviewed him on a variety of issues.

Minister Wickramanayaka said if the TNA wants to serve the people in a democratic way, first and foremost, they should give up their call for federalism. Once they declare that they want a separate state, then they can’t take part in the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC). The PSC is not there to create a separate state. The PSC is there to find answers to the problems faced by the Tamil community. If the TNA proclaims that they are for a separate state, it would be rather difficult for them to take part in the PSC. Both Sinhala and Tamil communities have been living together for many decades. As long as the TNA maintains the concept of a separate state, then sitting in the PSC is out of the question as the PSC will not permit that.

Commenting on the critics of escalating violence, the Minister said there is a school of thought which argue that the number of crimes in the past few months of this year has not gone up compared to the corresponding period last year. He said that he did not agree with this theory.

There are crimes committed all over the country in various forms against children and women. The numbers may remain same when compared to the previous year. The fact remains, that there are serious offences perpetrated on society. So they have to be eradicated.

Here are excerpts of the interview:

Q: The Government has consolidated itself both politically and economically and entertains no fears of challenge by the Opposition. What made the Government to hold the Provincial Council elections prematurely at tremendous cost?

A: Democracy is very expensive. If democracy is to be practised, elections should be held regularly; sometimes it may be before the due date. The fact remains that it’s a salient feature of democracy and that is why I say the democracy is expensive.

Q: Price reduction of several consumer commodities is a relief to the low income groups. But the Opposition charges that it is a ploy to win the forthcoming Provincial Council elections. What have you got to say about the Opposition allegation?

A: An allegation can be made by anyone as a matter of fact. But whether such allegation is true or not has to be analyzed. On one hand, people say that the prices of consumer commodities are going up and it should be reduced. Even when the prices are reduced, still allegations are made. The Government has no choice. The Opposition was demanding that the prices should be brought down. When the prices are brought down, they allege that it is because of the elections. Whether it is for elections or not, it is a fact the prices of several consumer commodities have come down.

Q: Critics of escalating violence, political abuse, organised rackets, unpatriotic practices and bribery and corruption pin-point the 1978 constitution as the root cause for them. Would you like to explain this?

A: I agree with that school of thought to a certain degree. Of course, one must realise there are enough laws which have been enacted in the statute book. Unfortunately they have not been implemented. The death penalty is one of them. One may not agree with it or not defend it. The fact remains, that it is in the statute book as the law of the land. Once the death sentence is passed by the court it is authoritative and I feel that it should be carried out irrespective of consequences. It the law is not respected or implemented, people might lose their confidence in the entire legal system.

Of course, there is another school of thought that the number of crimes committed during the past few months of this year has not gone up when compared to the corresponding period last year. I don’t agree with this theory whether the previous year’s crime rate is same or lower, or it is on the increase. That is the truth. There are different crimes committed all over the country against children and women. The numbers may remain same compared to that of the previous year, These are serious offences against the society. So they have to be eradicated.

Q: Tea, rubber and coconut are no longer the vibrant foreign exchange earners. Some African countries, India or Bangladesh have become our competitors. What has gone wrong with the estate management for this sorry state?

A: I don’t think anybody can blame the state management for that matter. It is a fact that Kenya is producing tea. The planters who left this country when their estates were taken over under the LRC law, began to develop tea estates in Kenya. Automatically our foreign exchange earnings declined, which does not mean our tea has lost the market.

The only thing is that if we can sell the same old Ceylon tea we produced, I think the demand will be there again. Now some people think Ceylon tea is no longer Ceylon tea because of other tea producers such as India and Bangladesh. If we can maintain that quality of pure Ceylon tea we produced and the same old tea which the Englishmen tasted at that time, then we will have a market. That is my position. You can’t blame the management of tea estates for this drastic fall in the market for Ceylon tea. We have to find ways and means of competing with others. We should reduce our costs as far as possible and competitiveness in the quality and the quantity as well.

That is the only way that we can tackle this problem. Merely because other countries too produce tea, we should not be frightened and say that we can’t compete. Why do we say that? If other countries can produce quality tea, why can’t we do that? It is true that our labour regulations are very strong when compared to those in Kenya. Their wages are higher.

Q: Sri Lanka protects Theravada Buddhism. The present treasure-hunting spree has done a serious damage to the places of Buddhist worship. Why have not the culprits been punished?

A: If the Police question a person whether he has committed a crime, he will always say no. There are other ways of finding out the truth. When other alternatives are resorted to, the human rights organisations will scream to high heavens. One must try to balance. It is true that archaeological sites are being destroyed. They have immense national value. We must realise that the Government alone cannot tackle this problem. The people should also co-orperate. From childhood, children should be educated to understand the value of our ancient treasures, culture and patterns of thinking.

Q: Although LTTE terrorism has been rooted out yet the militancy of terrorist lobbyists is strongly felt. Could our diplomatic corps alone tackle this problem or is there a need to set up a separate wing to combat it?

A: I don’t think there is a need to set up a separate wing. There is a strong foreign element working against the Sri Lankan Government. In some countries, they have become a force to reckon with. There are local political parties in those countries who depend on their votes.

As long as this problem remains we will have to put up with it. Don’t ask me how we are going to tackle it. I have no answer to it. In Canada, there is a vital section of the community in various electorates who could determine the person who will win the elections. Naturally various political parties are under obligation to those groups. They have voting rights in England.

These are the problems in democratic countries. Setting up of another organization is not the answer. You are asking me directly whether the diplomatic corps have failed. Setting up an another organisation means, you imagine that it has failed. I don’t agree with that theory. For the last so many years, the role of the diplomatic corps was different. As long as the terrorism was on, they were putting forward the Government point of view. That is right. But after terrorism was eradicated the problem cropped up regarding violations which are supposed to have been committed during the period. One must realise that you can’t combat terrorism like that. You can’t count the number of deaths while attacking an enemy. They are asking how many had died? How can we answer it? We don’t know how many had died from our side and their side. We can’t be counting while fighting terrorism. Before they raise this question, they must realise to what extent these are practicable.

Q: A competent bureaucracy itself could ensure a cleaner and productive administration to the benefit of the taxpayer. How far have our bureaucrats succeeded in this effort?

A: Those days administrative machinery was geared to take up the changes in the society. Various laws were enacted by Parliament to meet such situations. Later the number of administrators had been increased with no proper training or guidance. As a result, sometimes unlike in the past, when they face a problem, they don’t know how to tackle it. The easiest way they follow even today is to say that” no we can’t do that” and send the people away. That should not be the attitude of a Government officer. He must always try to find the answer to the problem. Proper training is the answer to public officers from the lowest level to the highest.

Q: If not for the TNA’s and JVP’s dilly-dallying tactics, the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) would have by now completed its job. What is the rationale behind their lukewarm conduct which is detrimental to the country?

A: As far as I could see, the PSC is the only body that can answer this question. Unfortunately the TNA has not nominated any member to the PSC yet. They have not decided whether they would take part in it or not. I see TNA as a responsible political party in a democratic country. If they believe in democracy, they must take part in the deliberations of the PSC, as it is a body consisting of number of all political parties and various schools of thought. Some might not agree with the TNA and some might go half way.

The PSC would pave the way to arrive at a solution through discussions. I feel very strongly that if the TNA wants to serve the people in a democratic way, first and foremost, they should give up their call for federalism. If they say that they want a separate State, then they can’t take part in the Select Committee. The PSC is not there to create a separate State.

It is there to find answers to the problems faced by the Tamil community. Both Sinhala and Tamil communities have been living together for so many decades. As long as the TNA maintains the concept of a separate State, then sitting in the PSC is out of the context. The PSC will not permit that. TNA’s participation is vital. We really want to answer their problems. I don’t attach much importance to other things.

Q: After much vacillation, the SLMC has now decided to go it alone for the Provincial Council elections. How do you look at this political picture?

A: The UPFA is a very broader alliance. It can be adjusted and readjusted to face situations. While remaining in the alliance, the SLMC is contesting the Eastern Province alone. That is possible because the UPFA is a very broad organisation. This is not a political party. The SLFP has a very definite program of work. It has discipline on its members. There is no such thing in the alliance and it is very broad. One could leave and rejoin it at any time. While remaining in the alliance, the SLMC can come to a decision through discussion with the alliance that it will contest the Eastern province on their own. If there is an agreement, I don’t see anything wrong in that decision. If a political party feels that it can serve their people better by separately contesting, why not allow them. Of course one must keep in mind that you are in an alliance. While keeping this in mind, the SLMC can contest.

Q: Would you like to compare the politicians of ‘60s and ‘70s with their present day counterparts?

A: How can you compare? The needs of the ‘70s are no longer there and that society is not there now. The present society is quite different. Demands of the society are also different. So I don’t think we can compare. But you might be able to compare the qualities of the people. Because the political system and electoral system are different.

The country has moved forward. So things have changed. In that scenario, I don’t think one can compare the situation which prevailed in ‘60s with what is now.

Q: You are supposed to be one of the longest serving Parliamentarians in the legislature with a very clean record. What is your advice to newcomers to the political stage?

A: First and foremost one should decide whether one is in politics to dedicate oneself to an honest way of living. Politics should not be a board on which you can rest your feet and say now I am permitted to do everything I was not allowed those days.

That school of thought must not be there. You must be pure as far as possible. Eschew unwholesome desires and specially where bribery and corruption is concerned, one must dedicate oneself to eradicate it. These are ills which can make democracy a nullity. My advice is that you should be a honest person. If you wish to earn money, politics is not the field. There may be other fields where you could earn money as a businessman. If you want to make money, don’t take to politics.