Why the call for system change people, every business gets its own problem, that may lead to failure, and it is same with the business of governing a country. All depends on how rulers embark on problem-solving; possible with an efficient and effective cause and effect analysis of the problem, before offering clear guide on how to go about solving it. A way to prevent the occurrence of undesirable things is to properly analysis each problem to identify the root causes and solving them, instead are “playing politics”
Weather it be the leaders in government or the heads of any state authorities this approach of cause and effect analysis is unfamiliar to Sri Lanka. Because every government since country gained independence in 1948 has failed to do a cause and effect analysis on many issues that directly impacted on the welfare of all communities.
Some of the man-made issues that impacted the ruled directly are: a) Making estate workers stateless, b) Introduction of the Language policy, c) Biased colonisation policy, d) Calling Indian Forces to curb insurrections, e) Waging a war against it’s own people, f) Delays in releasing occupied land back to owners long after ending war, g) Undertaking projects not suitable for a country recovering from destructive civil-war of three decades and so on.
In all cases, heads of state at the time made rash decisions without any thoughts of its consequences. Accumulation of all resulted in the country, that was a paradise in 1948 to get bankrupt resulting with defaulting loan repayments to many countries and defaulted sovereign debts amid an economic crisis.
Thus the government is today, unable to resolve all the problems caused by their own mismanagement, was forced to approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for assistance, again done without proper in-house cause and effect analysis of all associated problems.
But the IMF’s response was positive and constructive, whose proposals referred to two areas where services are currently provided free. They are: 1) Charging patients for treatment in outpatient departments of government hospitals, and 2) Charging university students.
IMF has further presented these revenue ideas with the recommendation that relief should be provided only to the poorest people and cover basic expenses.
It was not at all suprising to the distressed multi ethnic and multi religious people in the country to see their government only concerned about winning the next General Elections dismissing the IMF’s ideas as unworkable.
Unfortunately, Sri Lanka maintains a welfare government that provides free education and free health services to its people, and there are reports that the government has unofficially informed the IMF that it does not expect income in the above areas. Our selfish rulers ignored a basic fact that these welfare facilities are affordable, only if country can generate income to meet these costs.
Further, the state has informed already deceived people of increasing direct taxes. While accepting that our tax system has heavy indirect taxes that require reforms; government has without a proper effective cause and effect analysis increase the Direct Tax to bring more into the tax-paying band, is receiving resistance from the working population.
In this sinario, politicians are “playing politics” doing things for only political reasons, instead of doing what is right or what is best for the people. It is this negative attitudes of all governments since 1948, that has made our paradise Island bankrupt; as they always took decisions without analysis of problems be it economic crisis or any other ethnic issues of the people are left unresolved.
Northern Breeze 