Comrade Dissanayake Must Visit Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya’s extreme cold condition might make the less affluent locals shiver, but it is promoted as a holiday destination among the rich  

If we turn the pages of time there were two groups which were clearly not involved in developing this nation by being involved with the work of past governments. One is the private sector and the other is the JVP which is the key party marshalling the NPP. The private sector preferred to mind its business and the JVP didn’t wish to team up with any government and get its hands dirty.

NPP Leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake has stated on numerous occasions that the alliance he leads will appoint as Heads of State Institutions, professionals with a proven educational background.

At the time of writing this column, personal information of an individual such as where he was born and bred, his family name, political affiliation and if he can be known play a major role in Sri Lankan politics. The National People’s Power (NPP) has hinted that all would change if a government is formed under this newly formed alliance. NPP Leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake has stated on numerous occasions that the alliance he leads will appoint as Heads of State Institutions, professionals with a proven educational background. He has also said during media interviews that Heads of certain State Institutions need both educational qualifications plus political acumen to deliver, but academic qualifications would suffice if the subject matter is very technical; like
generating electricity. 

If in the event the NPP forms a government it would surely attempt to rid the society of the caste and ‘old school tie’ system that operates even now. Then the new ‘caste’ that’ll occupy the decision making chairs in state institutes would be represented by the educated. 
This is a change that would be embraced by career professionals, but for that to happen there must be an election without delay. A question that can be asked by far thinking people is how much of a change planned by the very ambitious NPP can be implemented? 
If we turn the pages of time there were two groups which were clearly not involved in developing this nation by being involved with the work of past governments. One is the private sector and the other is the JVP which is the key party marshalling the NPP. The private sector preferred to mind its business and the JVP didn’t wish to team up with any government and get its hands dirty. When Dr. Nalaka Godahewa presented his book ‘Helidarawwa’ in 2017 highlighting the existing environment of the country from a social, political and economic angle Ven. Medagoda Abhayatissa Thera responded by stating, “Godahewa must be lauded for his publication because he has shared his knowledge with the people through a book at a time when educated people shy away from addressing the nation on national issues as independent critiques. It must be stated that the JVP always stood as a firm critic of most governments and did so quite independently. They didn’t even side with the main opposition despite the fact that they were a minority party in
the Parliament.  
We need to analyse this JVP, and see how it raised money for its activities and most importantly how its hierarchy lived quite luxuriously - in recent years - when most of its party members have had no steady income. Now most of the top level decision makers of the JVP are in their 50s. And maybe for the past 30 years, these senior JVPers have survived each day, pursuing a passion called ‘leftist politics’, and also having to keep the home fires burning because these men folk wearing the red caps have had no worthwhile income. For the JVP, but not necessarily those in their alliance, it has been a long wait for a political dream that may be realised soon – or in other words a period of starvation sans power likely to see an end. 
The Greens, the Blues and later the Pohottuwa Party did extremely well in ‘marketing’ poverty and the ‘helplessness’ of the people. The JVP marketed ushering in a corruption free disciplined nation. The Reds have underscored time and again that whatever the programme the government initiated would raise the income of the worker. Recently Dissanayake told the media that he was against any moves by the Government of Sri Lanka that would sell several of the island’s dairies to India’s Amul Company. However, he has said that he visited India to convey to India that a government under his alliance was willing to work with the island’s closest neighbour with the purpose of obtaining knowledge on dairies to improve businesses here in Sri Lanka. Dissanayake has said that if India’s knowledge is implemented here, our dairies would be able to give to farmers about 80% of the profits generated from the dairy business. For that to happen, our dairies would have to be run as cooperatives; akin to how it’s done in India.  

NPP’s Dr. Harini Amarasuriya is a politician belonging to the affluent society. She had her first degrees in education from a local university and obtained higher qualifications from a foreign university. She could be the first from this affluent society to work so closely with the JVP and its alliance and be successful in
entering Parliament. 
She probably understands that the rich or the affluent also have to bear some kind of sufferings in this life and it’s not only the less affluent whose lives revolve around extreme hardships. This is an aspect common in life that the JVP must understand. The NPP will do away with or give the least recognition to the subtle caste system that still operates discretely and has value in most societies. 
It is certain that the NPP will spread its tentacles in the hot and humid northern and eastern provinces and also in the cold climes of the Central Province; especially Nuwara Eliya. The NPP Leader has spelt out plans to involve the private sector in the drive to rebuild this nation. It is the private sector that has taught the hospitality trade here in this island, and that the ‘cold’ that the poor man cannot bear in Nuwara Eliya has a ‘caste’ which is termed low; however, that same ‘cold’ weather is marketed differently to affluent people as a luxury, with invitations extended by proprietors to try out their holiday homes or circuit bungalows in “Little England”. It’s interesting to see how a future NPP regime and its leader would unite a workers’ world or a commoners’ world with a business community, which till today has stayed clear of politics. Vegetables are growing, flowers are blossoming, holiday homes are making money and the majority of the people are content in Nuwara Eliya and even sport smiling faces. What have you to say to such a community,
Comrade Dissanayake?