Can you see the Big Picture?

3 August 2014 07:51 pm Views - 2258

Political rhetoric can help keep the uninformed people stunned until the economic pressures open their eyes

The present state of society, polity, economy and culture of Sri Lanka deserves a critical appraisal. For, without such an appraisal, it is not possible to figure out how we should go about facilitating change in each of the above areas. Yet, the four areas mentioned above are so broad and complex that it is not possible to identify all the issues involved, let alone discussing them in detail with a view to exploring the ways of resolving them. So, what is attempted in this article is only to provide a broad sketch.

A large majority of people in this country today do not lead contended, stable and peaceful lives. This is a reflection of a high degree of social disorganization. Widespread crime, violence, unrest, mental disorders, accidents, public disorder, drug and alcohol abuse, abuse of children and women are manifestations of a deeper social malaise.
Long established traditions and practices are abandoned to accommodate politically favoured individuals, sending the message to the younger generations that conventions, traditions and long established practices and procedures were no longer in force and the help of an invisible political hand was often the only thing that matters.

"The present-structure of the country’s economy is clearly unsustainable and exerts enormous pressure on the vast majority of people who are engaged in unstable, low income livelihoods."

Sixty per cent of the children who are admitted to schools in the country drop out after GCE (OL). A large majority of those who continue into GCE (AL) are girls; the vast majority of male children leave school and look for employment in the informal sector and overseas, convinced that even university qualifications would not get them decent employment.
So much so, of 142, 000 youths who qualified at the GCE (AL) in 2010, more than 92, 000 are girls, indicating an overwhelming disillusionment with education among young men.

Most of our university students today are young girls and only a sprinkling of young men can be seen in many lecture halls except in fields like engineering and medicine.  So, there are fundamental problems in society that are connected to the economy and the polity.
Many young people do not see prospects for upward social mobility through long established channels. More and more young people are forced to do almost anything to get on with their lives. Increasing lumpenization is a major aspect of Sri Lankan society today. It not only prevents young people from getting decent jobs but also threatens to undermine long established cultural traditions including diverse artistic fields. This is a country that saw a cultural renaissance in the 1960s and the 1970s. The list of artistes who come to our minds is so long that they cannot be even mentioned by name here.  

The visual and performing arts from that period still reverberate not only in this country but also in countries where Sri Lankans have found refuge in large numbers in the recent past. We in this country have virtually reduced democracy to the conduct of popular elections at local and national levels.
Other things that usually go with democratic systems of government in mature democracies are not very important for us. Conduct of some of those who are elected to public office attests to this fact.

"A large majority of people in this country today do not lead contended, stable and peaceful lives. This is a reflection of a high degree of social disorganization. Widespread crime, violence, unrest, mental disorders, accidents, public disorder, drug and alcohol abuse, abuse of children and women are manifestations of a deeper social malaise."

Political parties can no longer be distinguished from one another in terms of clear policy differences. There is hardly any serious public discussion on public policies that the political parties stand for.
It is the distribution of public goods by politicians that mostly matter in electoral contests. Roads, culverts, bridges, subsidies, jobs are highlighted, not how the economy is going to be transformed in order to create sustainable livelihoods and decent jobs or how the education system is going to be reformed to equip children and youth with the skills and attributes that can not only help them find decent jobs but also make them contended and socially responsible citizens. Needless to say that many other critically important policy issues are also ignored by major political parties. It is only fair to say that many policy relevant issues are discussed outside the political domain and many professional and civil society groups and public officials are involved in these deliberations.
Often important documents are produced and even published. Some are even adopted as state policy! But these mostly remain confined to bookshelves in various organisations but do not have much bearing on policy debates at a political level.

The almost total absence of a national level mechanisms to link research and policy such as a national planning council prevents the authorities from making evidence-based policy decisions even in the most critical areas, such as the economy, law and order, health, education, transport and the environment.
As I mentioned in a previous article in this column, the present structure of the country’s economy is clearly unsustainable and exerts enormous pressure on the vast majority of people who are engaged in unstable, low income livelihoods.

Exodus of labour under increasing economic pressure is even more unsustainable and damaging to the domestic economy and society. The wage and inflationary pressure it exerts make productive economic ventures like agriculture and value-added industry more and more unviable. This naturally makes the bridging of the wide trade gap more difficult, making the country more dependent on export of labour.

Political rhetoric can help keep the uninformed and the ignorant people stunned, until the economic pressures open their eyes and ears.
Soothing tele-dramas, reality shows, and popular religious sermons no doubt help many to cope with day-to-day problems but none of these can cushion the helpless masses against the corrosive effects of growing distortions in the economy, society, polity and culture.
These corrosive effects may turn them against each other, within their families, communities and society at large, leading to tragic consequences such as crime, violence, inter-community conflict and suicides.

But, those who have the capacity to see the larger picture need to be socially and morally conscious and help evolve constructive societal responses that can avert major social and economic calamities. This is the only way to ensure a better future for the country and her people.