Change and freedom

This week is a special one for Sri Lanka as the country celebrates 72 years of independence. It is a good time to evaluate our achievements as a nation over these many decades, but it has to be an aspect which is approached carefully and, usually, with mixed sentiments. This is largely because there are many, many things yet to be done to ensure prosperity and harmony for all Sri Lankans.

As a population, it is natural to aspire to both prosperity and harmony, as they are intrinsic to a nation’s wellbeing and future. All citizens wish to live in a peaceful environment, have a decent standard of life, and provide a stable future for their children. As Sri Lanka is a democracy, they also aspire to have access to certain rights and freedoms, enshrined in a democratic system of governance. 

These democratic rights and freedoms may mean different things to different people, but in general they include economic independence, equality before the law, independent democratic institutions, and the right to political representation, as well as a plethora of other values commonly defined under human and political rights. As Sri Lanka enters its eighth decade of independence, there are many questions over whether these rights have been adequately provided, and whether they are universally accessible to all Sri Lankans.

Sri Lanka is just two months into the term of a new President, and there is much hope and expectation that the political and policy failures of the past can be corrected, especially in the realm of governance and economic prosperity. But this is an uphill task, not only because of the tricky fundamentals of Sri Lanka’s economy, but also because fighting corruption has become a tangle of conundrums. 

Over the weekend, details emerged of yet another massive fraud, where a wife of a top executive was paid $ 2 million by Airbus to ink the deal that has cost colossal amounts of public funds. Next week, Parliament will debate the forensic reports of Central Bank bond sales, perhaps the biggest corruption scandal to hit Sri Lanka since the hedging issue. Despite all the light that has been shone on corruption, it remains one of the biggest issues facing Sri Lanka, with successive Governments failing to address it adequately by strengthening institutions.  

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered an investigation, but problems within SriLankan Airlines have already been outlined in a Presidential Commission inquiry report that was handed over last year. The report would be a good place to start unravelling the extent of the corruption. One good step would be to release the report to Parliament, so that the public have a chance to know the true extent of how their taxes have been squandered. It is hoped that President Rajapaksa actively promotes bringing those responsible before the law, so that Sri Lanka can finally begin emerging from the scourge of corruption.    

Equally important are Sri Lanka’s issues over a political solution to the ethnic issue, accountability, and minority rights. The Government’s decision not to sing the national anthem in Tamil at the official celebrations shows the gaps in genuine reconciliation efforts. With the United Nations Human Rights (UNHRC) sessions beginning later this month, this issue will re-emerge into the limelight, and possibly require more soul-searching and stronger progressive policies by the Government and citizens.