Macabre politicians and questionable financial pundits bring doom to Serendib?

  The country is in turmoil, politically, economically and socially, owing to incohesive planning and policies adopted by the government. There have been contradictions and confusion in every sphere of government activity since day one of when it took office whether it is related to managing Covid, food security, education or ensuring the continuous supply of fuel and electricity. The current situation with the shortage of fuel and interruptions to the electricity supply has affected businesses and households and brought the country to a virtual standstill The inability of the state apparatus to navigate the country spans a period of nearly two and a half years after its pompous victory through deceptive electoral strategies. The political project of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) came into being following the Easter Sunday explosions that rocked Colombo and elsewhere. The SLPP thought it was the most advantageous moment to put forward their political project. The devised theme, national security with a communal flavour embodied in it, caught the electoral market in no time. People from across the spectrum rallied around the SLPP with faith and trust that they would deliver a better country for them to live in without fear and suspicion. The Sinhala Buddhist tribal tendencies were also on display, with Buddhist monks who were into politics more than the dhamma, playing a vital role in village-level campaigns and stressing the importance of electing a Buddhist leader with a clear Buddhist majority for the country to forge ahead. “Vistas of Splendour and Prosperity, “ the government election manifesto, was put forward as a policy document which spelt out the policies of the new government. But it's shelf life has been short-lived because of the failure of the administration to live up to the proclaimed standards. At the SLPP’s recent rally which was held in the Salgado grounds in Anuradhapura, a litmus test to gauge its popularity, the president reiterated his pledge to deliver everything that is incorporated in the manifesto without any shortcomings. However, since the famous Salgado meeting, the people have been experiencing daily power outages that have been lasting nearly four to five hours. These power cuts, the hours of which have varied, have brought upon a cumulative effect on the people. It had especially affected students preparing for their crucial Advanced Level examination, traditionally considered the gateway to higher education. Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing parliament said it has affected immensely, the progressive development of these students and stressed they could seek redress from the Courts by asking for it to intervene. There appears to be no redress either from the Ministry of Energy or the Ceylon Electricity Board. On the contrary, they have increased the duration of the power cuts in the last few days. It is vital to explore the power generating capacity of the power stations operating under the Ceylon Electricity Board. The total volume as it stands today amounts to 4888 megawatts. The daily requirement is less than 300 megawatts and hence the argument that the present crisis is due to the failure of the previous government to construct power stations is an assertion that will not hold water. The reason, in reality, is that most of the power stations have ground to a halt for want of either diesel or furnace oil. The bare truth is that the government does not have adequate money, even after scraping the bottom of its coffers, to purchase fuel stocks. It has prompted an unusual situation because it has never happened in the post-independence era up to date. It is a shame on the people who are in the driving seat and handling the financial matters of the state. The financial pundits of the state probably think they are implementing a recipe to avoid disaster and are taking all meaningful steps available for a quick economic recovery, but without seeking the assistance of institutions such as the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank. The critical and contentious issue is whether they are doing their best for economic recovery or otherwise.   If they are doing their best to repair the ailing economy, the question that arises is, why did the financial pundits have to honour the payment of the sovereign bond of US$ 500 million when the country is facing a critical phase of an economic avalanche? All the numerous economic experts believed that the government could have negotiated and differed the payment for some time. These are pertinent questions that people need comprehensive answers and explanations about the government’s economic management plans. Coming back to the IMF or other financial institutions, the contention put forward by the so-called more progressive elements within the government is that it should not seek the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at any cost. The left-oriented members of the coalition government opine that the IMF may lay down conditions that are unfavourable for the people because they will involve measures that will call on them to go through many a hardship. If the involvement of the IMF comes to pass and the government relies on it to restructure the economy, there could be political hiccups in the ruling coalition. Although the eligible time for IMF support may have lapsed and may be too late now, there could still be a way out for the country to ease the burden. The people now mock the politicians who think that the involvement of the IMF would spell disastrous consequences for Sri Lanka. At the same time they question if there can be a worse situation than what they have been currently put into by the present set of politicians in the government. This government, after all, mixed up its priorities from the very beginning. Having assumed office in late 2019, the government invited disaster by writing off taxes of big-time business tycoons to the tune of six hundred billion rupees. This step may have had a knock-on- effect on the country’s financial stability, forcing the authorities to print money and draw the fixed assets of state banks. Now it has come to a point where the government has begun to show its incapabilities in implementing financial discipline. Under the yahapalana government the people enjoyed many benefits. Petrol prices stood at Rs 117, domestic gas Rs 1250, rice and other essential foods were in plenty and at affordable prices. The fundamental rights of the people were upheld far better. The freedom of movement and expression was guaranteed and no white vans or state terrorism was visible in any form. The ground situation was amenable for anybody to engage in any protest. On top of all these, government servants enjoyed a large salary increment. Notwithstanding the benefits, the people thought they could have a better ruler to reap more benefits and opportunities. Eventually, the people have had to unreservedly lament their mistakes for having faith in an unyielding government. They feel they are doomed.-ALAKESWARA