STATE OF THE NATION
VIEWPOINTS
‘ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MIEN’ TO THE FORE
Wijith DeChickera notes that our new chief executive says he means business – and watches in the hope that he would keep his promises
A simple yet symbolically charged commemoration of Sri Lanka’s 77th anniversary of independence set the tone for a forward-thinking milieu for nation, state, country, people and their still new government.
If President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s (AKD) words are to be taken at face value – and Sri Lanka’s chief executive has given the polity no cause for concern regarding his sincerity – the country is poised on the cusp of a new era of revival for national development in all spheres, tantamount to a renascence.
And if his auditors heeded the clear sharp words coming from the heart and mouth of this son of the soil, they would be able to see beyond those carefully crafted sentiments uttered at Independence Square to the much hyped theme of a ‘national renaissance.’
AKD spoke plainly but in polished Sinhala about the imperative for the people to join hands with their elected representatives in the march forward to refreshing times of prosperity and peace with justice.
Admitting in his candid manner that while he together with his government may have right vision (or words to that effect), it would be only the concerted efforts of people from all walks of life and professionals islandwide that could rescue Sri Lanka from its erstwhile doldrums…
And restore the confidence of all and sundry in the ability of a once bankrupt nation (that word was not used) to rise again – and achieve its latent destiny.
At a meaningful ceremony that truncated reams of red tape typically associated with the pomp and pageantry of previous Independence Days, the president’s appeal spoke volumes to people of goodwill, commonsense and a burning desire to see sustainable national development being recharged under a capable, visionary, competent, accountable and hopefully corruption free administration.
In two hours, the president led commemoration of national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and those usual suspects associated with patriotic paraphernalia traditionally unpacked and paraded annually, dispensed with pomposity, pointless pageantry and stuffy demeanours among the often self-important dignitaries puffed up more with personal pride than the decorum of a solemn joyful national occasion.
The head of state – who opens his own doors and opts not to ride to state functions in luxurious Mercedes limousines or even the iconic singular Maybach of old – set the tone for a simple but straightforward agenda for Sri Lanka’s future developmental trajectory.
While not neglecting our national duty to honour fallen guardians of the realm who sacrificed life and limb in the defence of their motherland, a demonstrably empathetic administration managed well the incumbency of accommodating other demographics that had been maimed or wounded by Sri Lanka’s protracted wars and conflicts.
A symbolically charged cultural dance interpretation upheld the cause of marginalised children, women and men – a timely reversal of the priorities that previous patriarchal governments had observed to the neglect of the oppressed and often victimised segments of Sri Lankan society.
In not failing to felicitate Sri Lanka’s traditionally much hymned ‘national heroes’ whilst embracing the marginalised women, men and children of seven decades and more, this meaningful commemoration brought to mind the need for a more pluralistic, inclusive and accommodative model of growth, development and progress (or ‘GDP’).
Such a model – as embodied in a studied display of pluralism and inclusivity at independence celebrations – redounds to the refreshing ethic embraced by an administration in which the redoubtable Dr. Harini Amarasuriya is prime minister, and a host of women in parliament represent the country’s patient and yet still suffering masses.
Perhaps providing a much needed counterpoint to the kudos that National People’s Power (NPP) stalwarts accrued in the aftermath of a feel-good ceremony in which every child of Mother Lanka could partake – vide the rendition of the national anthem in Tamil as well – is the puzzling lacunae of progress in a few fields of enterprise people long expected from a Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led government.
These questions marks span the gamut from a perplexingly lackadaisical approach to abolishing the odious excesses of the executive presidency through consternation at the release of suspects in emblematic criminal cases including the brutal assassination of an outspoken national newspaper editor, to the dismaying adoption of that draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) under another name…
And what happened to the earnest Easter Sunday attacks investigation? Underwhelming for an over-promising government!
Be that as it may, there are those who would say that these are still early days for a newbie administration struggling to acclimatise…
And others who maintain that a tyro government must be given time to set the wheels of justice and sustainable development in motion before undertaking any round condemnation of a regime that still has not only a resounding mandate but a lion’s share of popular backing across citizens of all demographics despite certain shortcomings.
So business minded citizens serious about any ‘renaissance’ in the political, socioeconomic, cultural, judicial and ethnic relational spheres should support the welcome initiatives while remaining critically engaged with the lapses of those driving governance and GDP.
