Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne calls for Deshodaya principles during and after presidential poll

Tuesday, 6 January 2015 01:49 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Internationally-renowned Sri Lankan civil society leader and founder of the Sarvodaya network, which works with the grassroots of Sri Lankan society for their upliftment and awakening to a new moral order, on Thursday strengthened the voice of civil society by outlining the expectations of the public at large in the run-up to the presidential election and beyond. At a gathering attended by religious, political, professional and civil society leaders and the Media at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, he outlined the Deshodaya concept of good governance enshrined in principles of national unity, maintenance of law and order and impartiality of the judicial system, respect for fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly, ability to obtain fair treatment without politicisation, and an end to large scale bribery and corruption. Seeing the deteriorating situation of law and order and increased violence in the run-up to the poll, Dr. Ariyaratne saw the necessity to appeal to all religious, political, business, professional and civil society leaders as well as the law enforcers and the media to play their due roles at this critical time. “We have never got involved in party and power politics since our inauguration almost six decades ago. During the last 42

parliamentary, presidential and other elections, we gave our fullest cooperation to the Elections Commissioner, PAFFREL and other organisations to protect law and order to ensure a non-violent, free and fair election,” stated Dr. Ariyaratne. He added: “During this election too I have requested members of the Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya and 15 other national level organisations and thousands of legally-incorporated village level societies to ensure that a peaceful, just and fair election is held. Sarvodaya would abstain from taking sides, as it has always done. We will cooperate with the Elections Commissioner and the law enforcing authorities to allow voters to cast their vote without exposing themselves to violence. We should always work for non-violence and peace before, during and after elections.” Outlining the Deshodaya concept, he said: “The existing system of party politics does not suit our culture. It promotes divisions, hatred, fear and ignorance in people. In this system – Metta or loving kindness, Karuna or compassionate action, Muditha or altruistic joy and Upeksha or equanimity – cannot be developed. Therefore, we believe in building up an indigenous alternative system which is devoid of party and power politics but promotes consensual, direct, participatory and totally decentralised politics. Ours is a system where democracy evolves from the bottom-up. We call it praja or gramaswaraj or a village self-governance system. During the last five years, we experimented with this system successfully in 3,000 villages in all parts of the country. Today in the 25 districts, we have 26 national awakening or Deshodaya Councils. At divisional level, we have 304 divisional councils. We are working very hard to bring about a transformation in the consciousness of people.” On specific ills of today’s Sri Lankan society, he said: “We should honestly accept the weaknesses in the present system. All those involved in politics, social welfare and development should strive to correct these shortcomings, some of which are as follows: Our failure to unite as one Sri Lankan nation transcending barriers of caste, race, religion and power politics; breakdown in law and order, and the suspicion people have about the impartiality of the judicial system; concerns people have about not having their fundamental freedoms, like the freedom of expression and the right of assembly; concerns and fear caused by the inability of ordinary citizens to get fair treatment from Government institutions because of politicisation; and cases of large-scale of bribery and corruption, wastage and taking of commissions.” “All public service, professional and civil society partners should come to a consensus that these weaknesses have to be corrected. Sarvodaya will give its support to all parties who are seeking to correct these ills. Historically, it was the Maha Sangha who played the main role in correcting these weaknesses. We respectfully appeal to them to unite themselves and work with other religious leaders and give impartial, moral leadership to the country. We are all happy that the 30-year war has come to an end. All parties who got hurt during this period should be helped to normalise their lives. We must heal the wounds created in the hearts of people. Sarvodaya will continue to engage itself in this noble task,” he said. In conclusion, Dr. Ariyaratne emphasised: “In the event future governments and leaders fail to uphold true democratic principles, we shall not hesitate to intervene by mobilising people’s power to secure their rights.”