Daily News Editorial

Round one to GMOA?

20 October 2016

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) may be giving itself a pat on its collective back having elicited and received a draft copy of the National Trade Policy from the Government. It was reported yesterday that the GMOA had received the draft of the NTP from Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama. The Policy was prepared at the instance of the GMOA and no doubt it has much cause for celebration having scored a victory of sorts against the Government against which it had a running battle in recent times over ETCA.

Still, the medicos are a difficult lot to please. They say that those responsible for preparing the NTP are the very ones who are opposed to it and has called for the appointment of a Presidential Commission to prepare and implement the NTP. However, given the hostility it has displayed towards the government, it is moot that the GMOA will now sue for peace. It is bound to pick holes in the NTP proper and even find fault with the composition of the Presidential Commission, if and when the government accedes to such a request.

Which begs the question as to why the government considers itself to be obliged to the GMOA, or any other body for that matter, to go to the extent of giving into the dictates of what is after all a trade union where it (government) is made to compromise on something important such as its national trade policy. What has trade agreements, entered into by the government with India or any other country, to do with the medical profession which ought to be far removed from such issues? What if a local Engineers’ association or an Architects’ body demand from the government not to enter into this agreement or that agreement, that relates to the government’s economic and trade policy to promote investment and generate employment? Is the government going to cave in and do their bidding?

One may not agree with the late President J.R. Jayewardene on many things. But one has to admire his uncompromising stand on many issues. It was JRJ who ventured to say “Let the robber barons come”, at a time there was a surge of protests and opposition, particularly by the left parties to the concessions being granted to foreign companies to set up business locally. This, at a time when the government was confronted with a massive unemployment problem, a legacy of the just departed United Front government. In JR’s book the end justified the means and the unemployment problem was solved to a large extend with the opening of the economy.

Similarly, the government should pluck up courage to tell nosy trade unions where to get off and get on with its business. Besides, the doctors should not be allowed to shove their oar into matters of state. They should confine themselves to ministering the sick. The government should also cease the practice of consulting with every Tom, Dick and Harry for their inputs prior to preparing the national budget. Recently Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake was seen requesting folk in Trincomalee for their ideas to be incorporated in the upcoming budget. This has been the practice even with former Presidents CBK and MR although whether these were merely publicity stunts only they will be able to tell.

Budgets are a serious business that chart the government’s fiscal policy and the economic path. There is no place in it for inputs by laymen. Similarly no trade union should be allowed to dictate government policy. A government has a duty to do what is best for the country and its people and if the GMOA’s demands go contrary to this, the government should tell it where to get off.

DEW says a mouthful

Veteran Communist Party stalwart and former Minister DEW Gunasekera said a mouthful when he opined the other day that the popularity of a leader or political party cannot be gauged by crowds at public rallies. He pointed out that if that was the case Donald Trump would be currently leading in the opinion polls in the White House race. It would have been better if this advise was proffered to his erstwhile boss former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to whom crowds are everything.

It is this Achillele’s heel of Rajapaksa that made him believe that the Presidential Election was in the bag. When Rajapaksa visited Polonnaruwa, the electorate of his main rival, he was so overwhelmed by the crowds jana ganga that he proclaimed that was the largest crowd ever assembled in that historic city and that victory for him was a certainty. When the votes were counted, Rajapaksa had lost Polonnaruwa by a majority of 30,000 plus.

DEW cannot also be unaware that the Reds in their hay day attracted the largest crowds for their May Day rallies, but unless it contested in alliance with the SLFP, the CP or LSSP did not make any headway electoral wise and was completely erased from the electoral map at the 1977 General Election when it went it alone. Therefore, like DEW said, crowds are no barometer for popularity, particularly in this day and age of the communication revolution.