Saturday, 15 March 2014 00:00
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THIS week, the United National Party published manifestos for the upcoming Western and Southern Provincial Council elections. This document has built on a significant precedent set by the Tamil National Alliance to release a comprehensive policy statement ahead of historic northern provincial elections last year. The Marxist JVP, redefining and reinventing itself under a dynamic new leader followed suit earlier in this polls cycle, releasing a manifesto entitled ‘Our Vision’ setting out the party’s key priorities and ideologies going forward.
The UNP document unveiled at Sirikotha on Wednesday appears to be more than just another list of pre-election promises. The manifesto is a deliberately thought out, progressive document, which envisions several positive inputs into provincial governance and administration.
While the ceremonial release of the manifestos in no way redeem the main opposition party for the tragi-comedy that played out during nomination season for this election, it appears to be a significant step in the right direction.
The Party’s manifestos for the two provinces infuse some much needed hope into the opposition campaign. The major thrust of the document is a commitment to good governance and transparency, in an age of rampant government sector corruption.
After trying and failing several times to enact Right to Information laws in the country at the national level to foster greater accountability and transparency in Government, the UNP has gone back to the drawing board. Its provincial manifestos include a pledge to enact right to information laws in the provincial assemblies if the party is elected to govern. The promise is a significant one, for right to information laws enacted provincially will pit provincial governance against national governance and transparency at provincial level, if achieved will put to shame an incumbent national leadership that remains determined to conduct its business in the shadows and without public participation.
Among the other key facets of the UNP policy document are the pledges to establish a special task force on drugs, free public transport for senior citizens and a provincial health insurance plan that covers treatment at private hospitals. Targeting communities in the west and the south, the manifestos set out the party’s policy towards the fisheries, agriculture and industrial sectors. The policy statements also focus on bettering education and health facilities and incentives for job creation. Crucially, the UNP manifestos envision the establishment of boards of experts and technocrats to guide policy with specialised inputs at a provincial level.
Undoubtedly such ideas require execution at the national level, but it is step in the right direction that the UNP has decided to start somewhere. The provinces are as good a place as any. The fact that the party has made this effort despite the fact that the Government maintains a massive edge over the opposition in both regions is just as heartening. Whatever its performance in the 29 March poll, the UNP must be commended for acting – for the first time in a long time – like a Government in waiting, the fundamental duty of a democratic opposition.
