{"id":229402,"date":"2022-10-07T04:06:32","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T22:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=229402"},"modified":"2022-10-18T03:47:55","modified_gmt":"2022-10-17T22:17:55","slug":"is-post-crisis-essential-reforms-being-effectively-progressed-if-not-what-is-the-way-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-post-crisis-essential-reforms-being-effectively-progressed-if-not-what-is-the-way-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Post-Crisis Essential Reforms Being Effectively Progressed?\u00a0If Not What Is The Way Forward?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Chandra Jayaratne<\/a> –<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Chandra Jayaratne<\/p><\/div>\n

Post the Socio, Political, Economic and Governance Crises driving Sri Lanka towards a failed state classification, are our leaders in Power, the Executive and the Legislators, with responsibility and due accountability to deliver Sri Lanka and its present and future citizens out of the abyss presently precariously placed, effectively governing the country with\u00a0cohesive long term nationally value adding sustainable strategic actions, supported by visionary leadership, placing the interests of the nation and its people first<\/b>? and are\u00a0they building coalitions internationally\u00a0and locally, and especially with common citizen’s, seeking support for moving forward with the essential reforms, whilst proactively protecting in priority the interests of the poor, disadvantaged and vulnerable\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0segments;<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0and lead to the systems changes desired by the society at large\u00a0<\/b>?<\/p>\n

If not what next steps should the international community and intellectual and caring Civil Society do in response?<\/b><\/p>\n

It is nearly three months since a new regime took office; and have they been able to attend to the needs and demands of our common citizenry and society at large who are \u00a0seeking systems change oriented essential\u00a0reforms and at the same time win the support of the international community?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The answer at a prima facie level appears\u00a0to be a big NO as seen from validating the following questions:<\/b><\/p>\n

1. Have steps been taken to form an effective and supportive national all party government for an agreed\u00a0 limited period to single mindedly focus on stabilizing the economy and society; and thereafter giving way to a people’s choice for leaders in governance via fresh elections to elect a new government to take charge of good governance based socio-\u00a0economic\u00a0recovery?<\/p>\n

2. Have essentials\u00a0necessary for daily life and livelihoods been made available, especially to a majority of the citizens who have\u00a0been\u00a0 deprived\u00a0 ( eg. nutritious food, medicines, milk powder, fuel, daily in use public services)?<\/p>\n

3. Has the Impact of cost of living increases, especially in above essentials, been minimized and steps taken to prevent\u00a0hyperinflation led risks?<\/p>\n

4. Have job losses, loss of local\/export markets as well as relocation of value adding business units as a consequence of the crisis been minimized by strategic proactive actions? and towards the same has the state developed strategic actions to support vulnerable SME’s and attract new sustainable value adding and new job opportunities creating businesses?<\/p>\n

5. Have new options for enhancement of factor productivity been facilitated? Have the best use of technology, innovations, best practices and creative\u00a0restructures been promoted to improve\u00a0quality, consistency and productivity of outputs essential for sustainable growth?<\/p>\n

6. Have sustainable value adding new investments, especially in foreign exchange earning industries and services, global supply chains, and regional service linkages been attracted?<\/p>\n

7. Have essential\u00a0tax reforms to raise tax revenue\u00a0to GDP to the minimum\u00a0required levels of 18 % to achieve\u00a0a primary surplus\u00a0within 2 years been introduced, following the essential principles of taxing those with capacity to pay, with emphasis on direct taxation vs. indirect taxation?<\/p>\n

8. Have essential state\u00a0expenditure reforms eliminating all wasteful and non cash flow return\u00a0based capital spends been progressed whilst allocating equitably\u00a0 scarce resources in protecting the poor and vulnerable groups, in achieving a primary surplus\u00a0within 2 years ?<\/p>\n

9. Have steps been taken to reform loss making and unproductive state owned enterprises and cut back on high resource allocations for defense, unproductive state employment and state assets not yielding adequate economic free cash flow returns?<\/p>\n

10. Have all commitments, preconditions and best practice recommendations in governance\u00a0agreed to with the IMF at staff level been effectively progressed?<\/p>\n

11. Have necessary professional\u00a0steps been taken with commitment in reaching agreement with creditors for the debt restructure without added risks of a consequential destabilization of the local financial\u00a0and banking systems?<\/p>\n

12. Have attempts to secure bridging finance until the IMF Loan facility and other commercial borrowings abilities been successful?<\/p>\n

13. Have friendly states and international financial\u00a0institutions\/INGO\u2019s other than India, come up with substantial\u00a0humanitarian support and development finance\u00a0facilities a d have these been effectively distributed to minimize the negative impacts on poor\/disadvantaged and vulnerable segments?<\/p>\n

14. Have effective steps been taken to reverse the unacceptable\u00a0policies and lack of timely facilities\u00a0for optimum productivity and outputs of the agricultural\u00a0sector,\u00a0especially making available fertilizer, agro chemicals and fuel on a timely basis, in order ensure optimum local production of staple foods and thus avoid risks of food shortages and possible famine?<\/p>\n

15. Have the planned constitutional, legal and regulatory reforms to improve the democratic and rule of law based governance\u00a0framework focusing on minimization waste, corruption, illicit financial\u00a0flows been effectively initiated, enacted and implemented?<\/p>\n

16. Have steps been taken to ensure the independence, integrity and capability of law enforcement agencies (especially the Attorney General\u2019s Department, Police and Auditor General\u2019s Department) and independent\u00a0regulatory authorities\/agencies (including Independent Commissions)<\/p>\n

17. Have effective steps been taken to enhance transparency, integrity, economy, efficiency and effectiveness of procurement systems and decision making? are oversight mechanisms of audit and oversight committees of parliament operating with professionalism and independence armed with powers of surcharge and powers to refer for prosecution acts of misfeasance?<\/p>\n

18. Have effective steps been taken to recover\u00a0proceeds of crime, stolen state assets\u00a0and to impose sanctions against economic crimes, misfeasance in public office, money laundering, corruption, serious frauds and illicit financial flows?<\/p>\n

19. Have positive signals, recognitions and acknowledgements both locally and internationally, especially by key international state actors, been witnessed noting that systems changes have led to improved democratic good governance, protection of rights and freedoms, upholding the rule of law, justice, equitable treatment\u00a0of all stakeholders of society,\u00a0 justice for victims of war, repression, control of risks and economic crimes and unjust enrichment, unfair discriminations of segments of society and effective compliance\u00a0with international\u00a0treaties and conventions?<\/p>\n

20. Have strategic steps signaling that positive\u00a0and thought leadership driven plans and actions meeting the needs and aspirations of the majority of citizens (including the youth, women, and elderly and vulnerable segment), entrepreneurs, investors, global markets\/supply chains and value adding enterprises, a system change has begun in earnest\u00a0led by visionary leaders placing the interests of the nation, its citizens and associated stakeholders their sole commitment?<\/p>\n

If the last three months outcomes and the short term expected outcomes are not positive towards signaling the required systems and governance framework changes and thus are unlikely to effectively move Sri Lanka\u00a0 out of the myriad of crises facing it and only false hopes and empty promises and misrepresentations are the emerging signals along with continuing corruption and bad governance under the radar, what should caring citizens professional and intellectual community in society do to assure an acceptable future for the young and unborn citizens?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":208480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2186,46,8,2375],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-229402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-featured-news","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nIs Post-Crisis Essential Reforms Being Effectively Progressed?\u00a0If Not What Is The Way Forward? - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-post-crisis-essential-reforms-being-effectively-progressed-if-not-what-is-the-way-forward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Post-Crisis Essential Reforms Being Effectively Progressed?\u00a0If Not What Is The Way Forward? 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