Looking inward to look outward

This is the week of Budget bashing for some and for others it is the week for inventing cute ways to meet the bashes.

As is usual for most, it is looking at this all in the ‘what’s in it for me?’ mode. For some, it is also about ‘who said what’ and not ‘what’s in what was said’. For some it is merely a game or part of their favourite past-time of opposing for the sake of opposing.

They forget that there are millions out there who do not have the luxury of time or the ability for playing games for it is a hard life they lead out there.

 

Daily battle

Just the other Sunday afternoon, when unexpected rain fell on their fields close to Ambalantota, I saw farmers rush in with all their kith and kin to quickly gather the harvest of mung beans they had sowed a month-and-a-half ago upon the last harvest of paddy.

It was now ready to be harvested and most would have wanted to do it this week. Unexpected rain meant that all of that would be ruined if not taken in fast. Such is the battle most of our entrepreneurial ‘informal private sector’ is called to take on, almost on a daily basis.

Theatrical protest

Here, I take issue with our Parliamentary ‘opposition’ for choosing to stage a meaningless theatrical protest and the ‘walk out’ on the Budget speech after 20 minutes of its commencement.

I also take issue with the reported undesirable conduct on the part of a section of those in Government in what the President chose to call an ‘august assembly’ in keeping with Parliamentary tradition. The dictionary meaning of the word ‘august’ includes ‘dignified,’ ‘noble,’ ‘grand’ and ‘eminent’ and we should be expecting better behaviour from such.

Of course like I, the ordinary citizen did, members of the opposition also could have read the presentation in full. But we the people did not elect an opposition or for that matter anyone out there to stage walkouts, take on strong arm measures on a matter that is of such importance to we the people, the nation and the country.

What is expected of them is to respond and respond intelligently and fairly for they are supposed to be the ones who are to ‘look at what’s in it for the many’ and not ‘what’s in it for me or for a few of us’.  Statements such as “there is no direction, only a host of popular measures” emanating from leaders of the opposition is certainly not adequate for us as explanation of the Budget.

CCC initiative

The initiative taken by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce to hold an interaction immediately after the delivery of the speech is commendable and that perhaps is something the opposition should also have done but with rational national thinking guiding its conduct, not seeking opportunities for petty political manoeuvring.

The photograph this newspaper carried of the Secretary of Finance and two opposition Parliamentarians upon the completion of that session should be a ‘centre piece’ for defining the value of interaction as against petty counteracting.

Giving the devil its due

Here is a quote from the speech the opposition perhaps heard before they ‘walked out’. It was more of an invitation and giving the devil its due, one that we have heard being repeated: “The opposition should also work with us to find solutions to the problems faced by our people and also to find such solutions while ensuring unity. We need to understand that forced solutions cannot be imposed to resolve our internal issues by getting trapped to external forces. We need to realise all this, if we are to sustain the hard won peace and to create national unity and economic development.”

What they perhaps did not have the patience to hear came at the end of it all, in yet another call which to me sounded rational in its presentation i.e.: “To be able to face all this, we need to gather strength through unity and by having one voice. At this moment of presenting my seventh Budget, I wish to assure this august assembly that I will always stand firm for the unity of our alliance Government and to ensure unity and security of the people of our country. The tendency of those in the opposition parties to work in separate groups is not healthy for the country. Like us, they should also stand together for the political vision of their parties, while setting aside personal differences and being humble and matured enough to rectify any wrongs of the past. I feel it is their duty to become a strong opposition to us, having moved away from insulting and venomous politics, and that they should support the Government when steps are taken in the interest of the nation.”

Verbal barrages

While the holding together of unity within the Government must also be on a rational and merit-based footing, it must not allow and tolerate the loose comments emanating from the rank and file whose loose tongues wag in ways unbecoming of those sitting in an ‘august assembly’.

This is equally true of some ex-members who now have chosen to be involved in verbal barrages within their own camp. The intent and purpose should be to turn in earnest what is today a ‘sickly’ political culture, to be one that is based on knowledge, tolerance, intelligent discussion and rational action.

To make this happen the leadership will need to place strong restraint upon some who have chosen to wag their tongues rather than make ‘samyak vacha’ (sound considered speech).

While most of this escapes the English readership and viewership, one only needs to watch the daily Sinhala TV news coverage of ‘Kiyana Katha’ (what is said) to realise how low our political culture has descended to.

Concept of ‘one voice’

The there is the concept of ‘one voice’ for the betterment of the nation and that voice certainly must be a collective voice of both the Government and the opposition and reflect the aspirations of the people of this country. In my mind, that can only be achieved through setting in place institutions and mechanisms that enables honest, open discussion and interaction to build a desirable consensus.

It is words that give push and initiative to deeds. In an environment of wrongful use of words, even noblest intents may not be achievable. In my view, provisions made in the seventh Budget as presented on Monday covers a wide spectrum of our society with measures to encourage local production of essentials, while the intensified focus on infrastructure development such as the ADB-funded initiative of developing 100 regional urban centres could be catalytic in the thrust towards ‘distribution of the fruits of development’.

As has already been pointed out, the pay hike of 10% could be negated by inflation, but not if we all get together to support the large base of the ‘informal private sector’ to increase the production of essential food and other commodities, reduce wastage and enhance productivity. To do this, all need to have the resolve to cooperate for achieving the common good.

A new political culture

It must begin with giving new meaning to setting in place a new political culture which will mean stricter discipline in word and deed within the rank and file of both Government and opposition.

Adherence to the rule of law at all times, setting in place mechanisms to identify and encourage meritocracy at all levels, coming down hard on corruption including corruption associated with cronyism and the setting in place transparently independent commissions for the administration of the various organs of governance will all be needed to accompany the fiscal and financial measures that have been laid out in the Budget proposals.

This perhaps is an essential prerequisite to achieving the words the President had for us at the conclusion of his speech of “we should be committed to build a nation that all of us can be proud of, for the sake of our children and future generations as that is the sole aspiration of our people and nothing else”.

(Renton de Alwis is a former Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism serving two terms during 2000-2002 and again from 2007-2008. He served as Head of the Asia Division of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) based in Singapore from 1990-96 and as CEO of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore from 1997-99. He also served as a Chief Technical Advisor and consultant with the ADB, UNDP, UNWTO, ESCAP, UNICEF and the ILO. Now in retirement, Renton lives away from Colombo in the Deep South of Sri Lanka and is involved in writing and social activism. He can be contacted at [email protected].)