Public sector and Armed Forces work must be appreciated

One thing that is crystal clear in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah is that Sri Lanka’s public sector workers and members of the tri-forces and Police rise to the occasion when the country is in dire need for their services.

Those in the public service have diligently taken up the task of providing relief to those affected by the disaster while members of the Armed Forces are assisting people trapped in different places due to landslides and floods while also undertaking the grim tasks for recovering the remains of those who have lost their lives. The Sri Lanka Police has also stepped in to ensure law and order, particularly to ensure that the homes of the people displaced by the natural disaster are safeguarded while they are in shelters.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has called on the public officials and the Armed Forces and Police to ensure that those affected  are given all the necessary funds.

Ironically it is the same President who not so long ago thought it fit to talk down to State sector officials at various gatherings asking those who can’t work according to the Government policies to quit. 

As for the NPP Government’s attitude toward the members of the Armed Forces, it has been more indifferent than engaging. The President did not attend the National War Heroes Days commemoration in May this year and only made it at the last minute due to pressure from ex-servicemen organisations that backed the NPP in the last two elections. This is in sharp contrast to him going gung-ho over the commemoration of fallen JVP leaders last month.

After taking office, the NPP decided to do away with the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)  saying it was no longer necessary and its duties will be handled by the Defence Ministry. The CDS was responsible for coordinating joint operations across the Army, Navy, and Air Force coordinating much of the work connected to the vaccination program during the COVID-19 outbreak making it a highly successful operation. However, no one has been appointed to the post since its last incumbent General Shavendra Silva retired in December 2024. The Government would do well to rethink its decision not to appoint a CDS given that proper coordination between the to-force is vital at a time of a national calamity.

The Government is in the unenviable position of having to deal with the most unexpected situation. The NPP has been fortunate that those who ruled the country before 2024 December ensured that a 30 year long separatist was ended, a pandemic dealt with, and an economic crisis brought to a manageable level by the time President Dissanayake took power. What comes now is for the Government to manage.

Those in the NPP have been shouting from the rooftops, particularly during the past election campaigns about a 76-year-old curse.  If one believes in curses, then it is possible for political opponents to turn around and say that the country could be facing worse curses from its 77th year onward. But logically speaking, natural calamities can happen anywhere, at any time and the country has to have a cohesive disaster management plan without waiting for the next one  to strike and then rushing into ad hoc plans.

Climate change is causing havoc across the world and even in the best-case scenario the country has to expect similar disasters will take place and come up with a proper plan of action. But for now, the Government must focus on providing relief to those affected by the disaster and getting the infrastructure in place and stop its motherly treatment toward those working in the State services.