By Siri Gamage –

Dr. Siri Gamage

It is important to reflect on the impending election to elect an executive President next Saturday – not necessarily because I support such a position but because who will occupy it? Executive President is a key part of the existing political establishment and the corresponding system. Though elected by people in a national election, the extent of unchecked power associated with the role and expenditure have been the subject of public discussion and even criticism over the decades. Governing the system for the benefit of all requires a system representative of diverse sections of the population more than one person with enormous power.

Notwithstanding of above observations, the country is faced with a choice between several key contenders. One will become the president and people will have to live with the choice they make for a period of several more years.

Governance should be for the benefit of all citizens to make life easier and allow people to realise their dreams and aspirations in an organised way. A president should not be turned into a Godly figure and a personality cult. He should be a facilitator rather than someone. Who controls the life of citizens – directly or indirectly? In a country with limited resources, he should find ways to live within means and advocate the same for others in government, his own office and in parliament. A government that spends more than it receives by way of income is bound to fail.

What is unique in this election is the fact that there is a serious contender to the established political parties. i.e. NPP. Established parties that ruled the county since Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948 have become diluted and fragmented in recent decades. Elected politicians who cross over from one party to another have become the laughing stock among the general voter. Principles are no more the virtue. Personal gain is.

Sri Lanka is facing a severe economic crisis that is unprecedented. Its effects are apparent in many ways. Neoliberal economics under conditions of globalisation are supposed to lift many struggling families out of poverty to the middle class. However, what has happened with recent economic crisis is that the middle class has become poor. The living conditions have been severely eroded. The gap between the rich and poor has widened. People who depend on a fixed wage are the ones affected most next to those without a regular income.

Traditional parties and coalitions have not been able to provide solutions to the multiple problems that the country and nation are facing. In fact, the accusation is that they are the creators of the problems including heavy borrowing from internal and external agencies and leaving the country with a debt crisis. Same old same old promises are not going to be enough this time. Mentality of the people based on lived experiences has changed. Voters ae not in a mood to preserve the status quo. They are reportedly looking for an alternative. That alternative this time appears to be NPP led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

NPP appears to have done the hard work in terms of preparing various policies necessary to address core problems facing the country and move forward with confidences instead of further drawn into the dependencies on external lenders. This includes areas like education, health, production, business activity, tourism, IT and more. Having thought about the problems and potential solutions, NPP has released several policies as well as an election manifesto hinting at the changes required in the existing system. This is important when charting a future path for the nation.

NPP also talks about the need to eliminate waste and corruption by those in power. It is planning to cut down on the many perks available to elected politicians. Net goal is to establish trust in the system.

Protecting national assets without privatisation is another plan by NPP. This is very important today when the trend in the opposite direction.

Whatever happens next Saturday. Sri Lanka needs a political authority and a system that works for the benefit of all – not a privileged few. People of all walks of life – other than the rich 10% – are hurting and have lost confidence in the existing governance system. I hope the person who emerges victorious will hear the cries of people for a better system to govern the country for the next decade! People are not the enemy. Absence of a governance system for forward march is the need of the hour.