A bill that shows the future?

THE Appropriation Bill is a good reflection of the priorities of the Government. It shows what will get the best support and funding from the State and what the people can expect in the coming year. It will also shape the development goals of the country.

According to the latest Appropriation Bill, a newly-created Ministry of Urban Development along with Defence, Ports and Highways and the Ministry of Economic Development will have the highest allocations for next year.

The new Ministry for Defence and Urban Development coming under President Mahinda Rajapaksa will get close to Rs. 230 billion for 2012, up from Rs. 215 billion that was allocated to the Ministry of Defence in 2011.

Some of the functions allocated to the UDA, including regulation and planned promotion of integrated economic, social and physical development in urban areas and the reclamation and development of lands will now be handled by this Ministry, the Secretary of which is Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

It is disappointing that even after two years of ending the war, the defence expenditure of the country remains so high. Belying expectations for the Government to reduce the military, it has actually gone the opposite way and is now in grave danger of militarising society.

The Army and Police are used in a range of activities. The armed forces are involved with development projects, in welfare and in farming. They are even involved in city beautification, the maintenance of playgroups and shops, of course sports, and now higher education. Their increased presence is evident in subtle changes in daily lives.

People are afraid to talk about issues that the Defence Ministry is involved in. Development projects are increasingly handled by the Police or Army and people are too scared to voice any protests. Of course it is precisely for this reason that they are deployed. The latest Budget shows an even larger emphasis for their usage, which is worrying indeed.

Society cannot and should not accept militarised organizations that do not listen, negotiate and are not made accountable to the public. Their gradual encroachment into civil life is a point that needs widespread public discussion, which will likely not happen because of the fear factor associated with everything militaristic in this country.

The Ministry of Economic Development headed by Minister Basil Rajapaksa will get more than Rs. 104 billion, up from Rs. 75 billion in 2011, while there is also a steep rise in the allocation made to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, which is also headed by President Rajapaksa, which will go up Rs. 124 billion from the Rs. 72.5 allocated in 2011.

The Ports and Highways Ministry has been allocated over Rs. 144 billion, while in 2011, the Highways Ministry was allocated Rs. 102 billion and Ports and Aviation together was allocated Rs. 28.6 billion. There is also an increase in the allocations for both the health and education sectors with the Ministry of Health getting more than Rs. 73 billion, up from Rs. 62 billion in 2011, while the Education Ministry will get around Rs. 33 billion, up from Rs. 30.7 billion in 2011.

However, these are small numbers compared to the massive allocations that have been given to the other ministries of the country. How a country can develop without adequate resources for health and education will be a test that Sri Lanka will have to face in 2012.