The post-Prabhakaran government strategy in Sri Lanka and overseas
In the post-Prabhakaran scenario in Sri Lanka there is an immediate need for the GoSL to engage both the Sri Lankan public and the international community in a meaningful manner, or at least to appear to do so. To date this has not happened. The government’s decision-making from all accounts and actions is too centralized. Opposition MP have not yet been able to visit the IDP camps, a fact that not only breeds discontent among elected members of parliament but also could be seen as gross abuse of government power. It is true that after the end of the government had a great deal of domestic political capital, however, this honeymoon period is now over. GoSL MUST stop playing hardball with powerful international players such as the EU and the United States. While these countries certainly have no moral right to preach to SL regarding HR, they do have much needed AID money and international political capital, which we as a small low-income country need. Domestically, the president and the establishment would have to engage and follow up on ideas offered by various factions in Sri Lanka to show that they are capable of accommodation. Doing so would pave the way for power-sharing, as well as rebuilding bridges that have been destroyed. Internationally, we need to engage the international community, by appointing to the foreign ministry competent individuals who are up to the task. The politicization of the foreign ministry would have adverse consequences both for the government and the country at large.
The next major challenge for Sri Lanka would be an economic one, the manner the government handles the IDP issue would have significant economic impact. International community response towards Sri Lanka in the coming months and years would have a significant outcome on weather we grow at 8-9% of GDP for the next ten years or 5-6% of GDP. Presently there is a great deal of aid money tied to the IDP’s, if the government choose to move progressively and quickly on the IDP issue, there would be much needed AID money flowing in to the country. This would help the government tremendously, at present GoSL has very little money for capital expenditure (for infrastructure projects). Thus, playing hardball with international states would not add up to advantages for the Sri Lankan population at large, it only serves the bruised ego’s of a few in government. If the GoSL engages the IDP issue head on, there would be less material that both western states and international organizations can use to discredit the Sri Lankan Government.
Domestically addressing the IDP issue would be of great importance. Currently the government policy of keeping way local members of parliament away from the IDP camps has negative outcomes for both the government and the country at large. Furthermore, it would destroy the faith of some elected members in parliament from the fringes of the political sphere, leading them to loose hope in democracy and further radicalizing there believes. All elected members who are responsible for the people of Sri Lanka must be given full access to IDP camps.
The “Single mindness” that helped the government win the war will not help it govern democratic state, there would have to be compromise between the current government thinking and what the opposition parties wants. The government would need the help of opposition in rebuilding what is a war torn country, and removing them from all decision making process, in issues of great national importance is a counter productive exercise both for the Sri Lankan state and the government.
The government would have to also take steps to reduce the draconian emergency regulations that are currently in place. Even though the government has the interest of the public at large, the perceptions and the aspirations of the people are changing in a post-war scenario and these needs to be accommodated, to show that real change is happening. Political prudence have to be exercised the heavy-handed approach the government used would have to give in to a softer one.
The government must now do two things; it has to engage the opposition and engage the international community. The war mentality serves a purpose, and that is to fight a war. Now that the war is over we would have to move away from confrontation to engagement. I believe the current government is capable of reaching out to the Sri Lankan opposition; there concerns have to be listened to and then addressed. In the realm of international affairs, GoSL would need to instill the most competent individuals in the foreign ministry. Under the former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadiragama the Sri Lankan foreign ministry reached new high in international affairs, this distinction is no more. Under the current foreign ministers watch we have seen the politicization of the ministry of foreign affairs, with individuals who have next to no experience being placed in positions of great national importance.
I believe by taking a very few concrete steps in the right direction, Sri Lanka could win the war of perceptions both internationally and domestically as a functioning democratic state, which aspire for the greatest benefit for its newly liberated people and would be yet again a shining beacon of democracy in the world.
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“Internationally, we need to engage the international community, by appointing to the foreign ministry competent individuals who are up to the task. The politicization of the foreign ministry would have adverse consequences both for the government and the country at large.”
Interesting article. I worked in the Foreign Ministry from 2001-2005 as a Research Officer on contract basis. The Foreign Ministry has a mix of competent and incompetent individuals. Many of the younger graduates in the Ministry lack basic English language skills. Because of that they will not be able to represent this country effectively when they are appointed abroad. Knowing Sinhala and Tamil is not going to be of much use. Political appointments have always been there. Perhaps it is worse today than what it was in the past.
What about the ‘political solution’ and all the work the APRC/APC did? Would that not get the govt. political capital both domestically (at least among the minorities) and internationally and isn’t it a priority as well? Especially as all the groundwork has been done already? Isn’t that a priority that would address some of the other issues as well?
This article contains lots of good aspirations. Naturally, these are aspirations shared by almost everyone. They are about improving the domestic situation to overcome internal frustrations, and international work needed to abandon a foolish policy of denial of domestic problems relating to human rights. The achievement of the solution to domestic problems requires a rational approach and, in the international scale, there is hardly any point in trying to bluff the rest of the world by blaming them for their problems as an excuse for our lack of respect for the rights of our own people.
However, from aspirations to making changes on the ground is the problem. At that point, we simply have to look at our own mirror and ask whether we have the capacity to achieve this aspiration. At that point, we need to admit some of the impediments we cannot escape from.
Solving any problems requires decision making and this implies that we need to have a basically workable political system that can make necessary decisions. We have not had that system since we adopted the constitution of 1978. To talk about post-Prabahakaran era is to talk about an absence – an absence of an individual and the type of politics that came as a result of a particular period. However, the phrase does not reflect what actually exists. We are in fact living still in Jayawardene/Rajapaksha era. That is the actual environment in which we live. Our domestic and international problems are as a result of this political system.
Now that the imperatives of a military period is over, it is time to understand and deal with the imperatives that arise out of an unworkable and completely counterproductive political system. Without this, our aspirations will just remain aspirations while domestic and international problems will continue to be damning. The ending of the executive presidency, and thereby beginning the post-Jayawardene/Rajapaksha era should be always linked with our aspirations for domestic and international betterment.
Niranjan, your absolutely right in pointing out that there are political appointments in the Foreign Service is fairly constitutional, I agree but I oppose such blatant abuse of privilege. Furthermore, at a critical junction of our history we should have the best people doing the job. What must happen is steps being taken to depoliticize of the FM, so we can attract the best possible candidates for the jobs.
As far as the APRC proposals, yes, the implementation of the recommendations would go along way in addressing the grievances of the minorities in Sri Lanka, but as the saying goes, “its useless arranging the furniture when the house is on fire”, thus, we must resolve the IDP issue first and then move to other issues. APRC would be a good starting point, once we have addressed the IDP issue. We must give devolve power to the minorities thereafter.
Finally, there is little doubt that the executive presidency in Sri Lanka needs to go. It reduces the checks and balances that are necessary in state to function democratically. The sad state of affairs in Sri Lanka could be attributed to the centralization of political power. Something which has been happening since the 1972 constitution, when the Ministers gained tremendous powers to control appointments, transfers etc. What must happen in Sri Lanka, is constitutionally we need to turn back the clock, the people must take precedence.
Lahiru,
I agree with what you have said. However, I strongly feel that nothing is going to change.
There is no doubt that the Foreign Service needs the best people it can recruit. But if you look at the graduates who sit the foreign service examination you will realise that they are not the brightest university graduates in the country. The best university graduates either join the private sector or go abroad. The foreign service salaries are very poor when they work in Sri Lanka. They can of course earn well when abroad. But at the moment the Government has cut down on certain perks that SLFS officers were getting when posted abroad. The salary issue is the biggest problem when it comes to recruiting bright graduates to the service. The second problem is that of English. The majority of our arts graduates are poor in English language skills and our universities and schools are doing absolutely nothing to change that.
The best days of the Foreign Ministry in terms of the quality of staff was before 1977 when defense and external affairs was one Ministry. JRJ changed that and made it into two Ministries.
The APRC is a tool which the Government used to bluff the international community especially India and buy time while the war was on. And now that the war is over the report will most likely be shelved. Minister Tissa Vitharana and the majority group “A” did their best to devolve substancial power to the minority Tamil community in their reports. But the hawks within the Government have had their say and it is most unlikely that the President will devolve power as per the APRC report. Even the 13 amendment to the Constitution is not been fully implemented. It never was by any Government.
The IDP issue will remain. I know some IDP’s are been resettled right now, but the majority of IDP’s will remain behind barbed wire for quite some more time to come from the looks of it. There are various reasons for this.
The Executive Presidency and the centralisation of political power in one individual needs to be changed to give more power to the people in the running of their own affairs. But it will not happen due to obvious reasons even though promises are made by political parties before election time that in the event they come to power they will take steps to change the Constitution and get rid of the Executive President. I hear it now from the opposition.
Dear Niranjan,
Thanks much for your most thoughtful observations. Its quite shameless how each government, with perhaps the exception of the UNP under Ranil increased the number of public servants in the country in a bid to win votes. This is one of the major reasons for the salaries of public servants being down, not only does the low salaries a disincentive for the qualified, it becomes a major incentive for petty corruption in the public service.
The education system much like the FM has been deeply politicized, which is a huge tragedy. We are playing a serious game with the future of our country, and we stand to be truly be left behind due to the lack of quality education compared to most of our neighboring countries. We have due to political expediency left behind the youth of Sri Lanka in the name of the 20,000 students or so who gain entrance to public universities in Sri Lanka.
I dont think there would be major changes in the FM, though I am hopeful that some common sense will prevail.
Niranjan >>
I agree with what you have to say about the Foreign service. It’s truly appalling. While I’m normally not one to insist that English language skills be exceptional, the foreign service is a different matter altogether.
As for devolution of power, I would personally prefer devolution along “non racial” lines. I don’t agree with the idea of constitutional recognition of racial divisions, a throwback to a medieval state of affairs at best.
“the majority of IDP’s will remain behind barbed wire for quite some more time to come from the looks of it. There are various reasons for this.”
What are those reasons in your reckoning?
Somewhat,
“As for devolution of power, I would personally prefer devolution along “non racial” lines. I don’t agree with the idea of constitutional recognition of racial divisions, a throwback to a medieval state of affairs at best.”
There is validity in what you have said above; however, how would you go about safeguarding the Tamil language that a section of Sri Lankans spoke from the ancient times in Sri Lanka? Is Sri Lanka ready to give the Tamil language it’s due rights? How do you resolve the institutionalised racism that exists within the government departments including the Police and Armed forces that personify the government ethos that Sri Lanka belongs to the Sinhalese only?
You must first give careful consideration as to why the Tamil Politicians came to the conclusion of separate state! Do you believe that, the current regime is afoot accommodating the minorities or subjugating them?
It is easier said that, there should not be any racial boundaries in Sri Lanka; when one community is held supreme, there will always be sub-ordinates in Sri Lanka, and another words, there will always be racial boundaries even if they are not territorially segregated!
Sorry correction to my Pseudonym; it should be as now!
APRC? Not yet finalised! How many years is it taking to finalise a proposal? It was cited as steps towards peace negotiations at the UNHRC in 2007/8. It’s now being cited as ”parallel political dialogue” (EU Notice of 19 October 2009) in the submission to EU GSP+ appeal. The visiting Tamil Nadu MPs were told by the President APRC proposal is not yet finalised? Will it ever be finalised?
When the successive Sri Lankan governments stop controlling damage(which is LYING in simple words) we may have Just Peace. Otherwise we’ll do with Negative Peace(the South can get on with ”business as usual” and the Northeast will have to keep decaying).
Because the South is unwilling to give political devolution the ”proposal for negotiation” takes years to fomulate. But all ”peace talks” were not given even a small fraction of the time they should have been given. Reasonaby successful peace talks around the world within the last hundred years or so have been taking months on end for peace talks/negotiations. But in the last 25/30 years the actual time spent on ”peace talks” in Sri Lanka was enough just to ”settle down” to start talking. Leave alone the preparation of negotiating skills needed to tackle the deep rift between the two sides.
Dear Lahiru,
Yes, as you say it is only Ranil Wickremasinghe and his UNF coalition which decided to freeze recruitment to the public service. I was in the Foreign Ministry at that time. However, there was a lot of opposition to his move especially among newly passed out university graduates and undergraduates. I was doing a post graduate diploma in archaelogy at the PGIAR in 2004 and almost every graduate that I knew was opposed to the move to freeze recruitment. They all voted for the UPFA at the 2004 general election. The JVP capitalised on that.
There is no question that the Foreign Ministry needs qualified people who can present an argument in a rational manner. Effecting a change in global public opinion requires intelligent presentation as well as supporting facts. But from where are we to find such people ? Our universities do not produce such people anymore. I am refering to arts graduates from our universities. I think the science graduates are better. They are more intelligent and have better English language skills. I am harping on English because I think this country needs English educated people badly.
Our education system as whole is poor. Politics has ruined it. The teachers do not know what or how to teach. Take a look at the Island Newspaper page 6 today Education Minister Susil Premajayantha says “that out of 405 graduate teachers qualified to teach advanced level students studying in english medium only eight had passed english as a subject at the GCE advanced level examination. That says it all about English language I guess. I wonder what happens to the rest of the subjects ?
On a personal note I was once told by an English educated person and a frequent contributer to the newspapers that “foreign educated Sri Lankans should leave this country and go live abroad.” – His argument is that foreign educated Sri Lankans are globalised and hence Sri Lanka is better off without them. I guess he does not like globalisation. From what he said I gather that there is hostility towards foreign graduates and also English language in particular from even English educated people. I just cannot comprehend their way of thinking. So how can we become another Singapore or something remotely close to that when people harbour such attitudes ?
We do not have an education system to suit the 21 century and we never will. It is simple as that. Actually we or rather the majority of us prefer to live in the past perhaps in the 1970′s and not in the present. I mean in terms of attitudes. Furthermore, Socialism of the 1970′s variety is back in a very subtle way. If you are very perceptive you will see and feel it.
Somewhat Disgusted,
Re your comments around devolution around racial lines. It is an interesting dilemma. Does one devolve power to all the provinces then? Given our politicians tendencies to become chandiyas once they get in power, are we creating a whole new set of opportunities for corruption and abuse of power? The north and east provinces weren’t, I don’t believe, created for racial purposes. The northern province happens to be one where tamils are an overwhelming majority and the eastern province one with equal representation. they do have government administrative needs, in terms of language, that are very different from other parts of the country – and the government as it is presently constituted has shown a remarkable inability to deal with that. Devolution by its very essence is meant to deliver a system of governance that can accommodate different regional needs (be it race/language/culture) within the framework of one country. How do you see the devolution process evolving, if at all?
Niranjan,
A very happy Friday to you. I hope we can dare to dream perhaps, things would change as far as education in Sri Lanka. As you correctly pointed out, we simply dont spend enough on education, we spend far less money that the developed world as % of our GDP and if we ever hope to catch it, we have to start investing in this sector. The truth of the matter is 20,000 or so graduates who is lucky enough to get in to the University system holds another 150,000 students back. Time and time again, we have seen insecure university graduates get on to the street so that others cant get it. Its simply not the politicians, its most Sri Lankans at large that are responsible for the current situation in the education sector. I wonder why some times, the 150,000 students who dont get in to universities get on to the streets? asking for more funding, better educational opportunities, etc.
I hope the politicization would come to an end in Sri Lanka, Politicians as well as Sri Lankans at large would have to stop being short-run profit maximizers and start looking at the bigger picture. This is perhaps wishful thinking, but if we dont we would never get out the quagmire we are in now.
Lahiru,
A happy Friday to you as well. I agree with what you said about university students and Sri Lankans at large. The problem is with attitudes. How to change attitudes ? Through education perhaps. But if the education system is in a mess then how can we change attitudes ?
We were always in a quagmire. Now it has got deeper.
Lahiru,
“I believe by taking a very few concrete steps in the right direction, Sri Lanka could win the war of perceptions both internationally and domestically as a functioning democratic state, which aspire for the greatest benefit for its newly liberated people and would be yet again a shining beacon of democracy in the world.”
For Sri Lanka to win the war of perceptions we need to put our house in order first. We need to work as a united country, but we are far too divided and racist to achieve that.
People talking about democracy should realise you have been behaving like a banana republic in not recongnizing the Tamil’s rights. You have been practicing too much rights and trying to be too clever. A king is in making, now on you don’t practice democratic rights, some rights will be given to you and you practice them and them alone!
Tamil areas need more democrazisation until the country as a whole strike a balance. Then only the coiuntry as a whole can have meaningful debate about “Democracy”.
Dear Ravi,
Sri Lanka,for most of its modern history has only been a nominal democracy. Sri Lankans’ regularly cite high turn out numbers at elections as reason for the country being ‘democratic’. All Sri Lankan’s need democracy, after reading your comment, I take it that you dont reside in Sri Lanka. Any individual living in the country would tell you, if your Tamil, Sinhala, Muslim or any other ethnicity that the north, east, south west is all is dire need of democracy and basic rights.