By Fr Chryso Pieris SJ –

Fr Chryso Pieris SJ

Going in through the other’s door and coming out through one’s own. This is the strategy of Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the NPP.

When they took over the reins of government, obviously they took over all the liabilities and few assets of the previous government. They accepted to work with the IMF, with debt restructuring, with bi-lateral agreements and conditions the previous government had with other countries and companies, with all the tainted, inimical or otherwise administrative officers.

They are not in a mighty hurry to change everything overnight. Destructive chaotic upheavals are primitive like the French or Bolshevik revolutions. But the NPP will change the corrupt anti-people system. They will do it slowly and steadily more like the patiently plodding tortoise rather than the clueless rushing hither and thither of the rabbit. This is: Enter through the other’s door and exit through one’s own.

This is what the poor, luckless, disunited opposition doesn’t understand. It is more likely they understand it all right but do not want to believe it. Because they know that the slow and steady success of the NPP is their nemesis which will finish them off. They have no alternative to present to the people except keep on nagging that NPP is not catching thieves nor bringing down the prices of goods. They are asking where is the prosperous country and the beautiful living? They want the ideal in concrete form here and now; what chicanery … and in barely two months!

In fact, the founder of the Society of Jesus or the Jesuit Order, Ignatius of Loyola who is a great teacher of management, whose methods of management are copied even by big companies who are secular, has this to say about taking over an institution as its top officer like the superior, the manager, the principal, the OIC, the governor, the Minister, the Prime Minister or the President. When you take over an institution do not change anything for six months. Watching the running of the institution, monitor its strengths and weaknesses … and in six months you will know what to change and what not to change without messing up. The NPP government is only two months old. And they have entered into governing the country through the door of the previous government. But they will, with the “Clean Sri Lanka” dream, vision and goal, come out through their own door.

“Clean Sri Lanka” is not just a dream; it is a planned program that is achievable. Fr Rashmi Fernando SJ has in another article in the Colombo Telegraph likened it to the “I have a dream” of Martin Luther King. Both MLK and AKD are visionaries who can change a whole society and lead a country to realize the dream. If MLK’s life was not cut short by an assassin he could have been the first black president of America not Obama.

Watching the parliamentary proceedings, especially the way the opposition asks questions and disturbs serious discussions; it is very clear they have nothing to offer except destructive, abusive and verbose inanities. The two Pohottuwa brats behave like immature teenage drop outs. Their only aim is to upset the government high ups and make them lose their patience. And when they succeed, they gleefully giggle looking at each other. All in all, the opposition is disgusting. It is really sad, sad for the country.

It took sometime for me to understand well what “Clean Sri Lanka” really means. As AKD explains it; it has to originate from the top and trickle down to every man woman and child in the country. It happens in three phases; first the government has to be clean in every sense. The 159 MPs are already an example. They know their AR and FR and they abide by them. They certainly have a personal involvement and commitment to make Sri Lanka not just clean but also great. They are credible and reliable. The second phase is the conversion of the administrative officers to the vision and life-style of “Clean Sri Lanka”. It is slowly been done and AKD is quite firm with those who do not want to fall in line with it. Finally, the last phase is to sell “Clean Sri Lanka” to the general public. People who voted en masse for NPP knew something about it from listening to AKD and others elaborating on it before the two elections. But I do not think they realized how much effort they have to put in to make this program a success. All the people need to get involved in this excellent project; they must be conscientized, enthused and encouraged; this is the responsibility of the NPP cadres and every decent citizen of the country and the sooner they do it the better.