Place People before Profit

The most important aspect  for any Government is to find out about what mistakes we are making. When the Pandemic and the economic crises are island-wide, making mere statements does not cover the inefficiency

The situation in the country is bad.Indeed, very bad. No longer can the Government hide the fact that we are heading towards an extremely difficult time. We may even have to bring back the coupon system to ensure equitable access to crucial resources. What is important here is to urge the masses to stand by the President and the Government.  Sadly, the goings on in the recent past according to many  did not demonstrate that the Government truly cares about the public in a way that the public will empathise and stand with the Government. 

Define the crisis
The most important aspect  for any Government is to find out about what mistakes we are making. When the Pandemic and the economic crises are island-wide, making mere statements does not cover the inefficiency. First and foremost, the people need to know the truth from theGovernment. Being upfront and explaining to the people the economic crisis and the debt burden is crucial.  ‘ We have enough money’, ‘Government has all the resources’ are statements that the people will not believe as they face this crisis. It is important to be truthful and explain the situation regarding tourism, mid-east income and  exports. What plans are in place for those who have lost employment or their livelihoods. The people have a right to know. 

Just last week it came to light that the importer of  PCR and Rapid Antigen test kits are making colossal & unconscionable profits  . Social media platforms exposed this and naturally it has created a stir. However there is no action to probe into the matter or to explain the high prices. The NMRA must explain to the public the truth of the matter. When respected professionals like Dr. Jayaruwan Bandara insinuates fraud in  actions by the NMRA, the credibility of the state institution is at stake. The public must know why they have to pay a high price for these crucial tests?

Numbers become Names
It is the same with Covid -19. The numbers have become names. Many  people stopped believing the numbers. Because there is no clear source or a system known to the public as to how these death and infected numbers are calculated, there is a notion that the death toll is much higher than what is declared. In 2020, the Government approached Covid 19 as a war against people. The curbing of people instead of covid gave rise to people not taking the health guidelines seriously. The people were not prepared for the 3rd and 4th waves. At least now, it is pivotal to explain the infectiousness of the virus and the need for every citizen to follow the health guidelines. Instead of multiple people talking to the public, one trusted medical expert explaining every day the situation and the actions being taken will make the message clear, simple and credible.

It’s good to have radio announcements to encourage people to go and get the vaccine. But outside the Western province, people appear to be  panicking and fighting for the vaccine .

What does the government want the people to do, to stay safe in the interim? Can we at least now treat this as a health issue  and give clear  information that the only way to reduce the risk of symptomatic corona is the vaccine and even then ,  universal health guidelines must be STRICTLY followed. Also bring forth the indigenous medicine ( not concoctions prepared by voodoo doctors) to boost the immunity of the people.

Future of Education
Schools have been closed for over a year. It did not seem like the Government had any plan to ensure that children could return to school safely. Even the online teaching was due to the commitment of teachers and principals. But that too had now come to a halt due to the Government’s inability to manage instead of confrontation of the crisis. Covid -19 is not going to go away soon. So the public needs to know what the plan is for the long run.

People over Profit
It must be noted that the first and second waves were managed admirably However in early 2021, we lost the plot. With signs of a 3rd wave and many a warning from the health professionals and India going through a severe covid wave, Sri Lanka failed to prepare for the worst case scenario. It is now the opinion of many that the Government is lagging behind in its efforts. 

For a government every life of its citizens should be important. This reminds me that in the 1950’s when 6- 7 lives were lost due to communal clashes, Dudley Senanayake the PM resigned stating ‘I cannot continue as the Prime Minister when lives have been lost’ we must take example from leaders of the past and place human lives before everything else.  That’s when we can claim that we were the best in defeating Corona.

The way to come out of this dire situation is to  establish a National Government. 

Now one may smirk at this idea, but this seems the only viable option. All parties should come together and should be guided by a National Think Tank  comprising of educated, pragmatic professionals and specialists who are willing to place country before profits.  This must be done by the President and the National Think Tank members should not be affiliated to the party in Power but educated individuals with a pragmatic approach to crisis management.

Give Hope and Confidence
At a time of crisis, the Government, especially the leaders, must provide leadership and provide confidence to the people that they have a workable plan to bring the country out of this mess.Leaders must demonstrate that they are genuinely making an effort to solve the crises at hand. 

Unnecessary spending must be stopped by those in power, before asking the public to tighten their belts. 

The leaders must be honest, lay out the problems facing the country and give confidence that the government and its agencies have the capacity to recover and rebuild.

The people want to see the light at the end of the tunnel. At this difficult time give people hope.