Ceylon Today Editorial

Electricity is a right

22 September 2016

On Tuesday this newspaper carried an article quoting the power regulator which said that the country may face power cuts in another two years time from now, if the State owned Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB's) low cost generation plan in respect of the institution of such power generation plants during the period 2017-2020 is not implemented.

These proposed plants are essentially to be run by low cost thermal and hydro power, it's said.

This warning from the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka comes on the back of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) abandoning the 500 mega watt Coal Power Project at Sampur which was to be built with Indian aid, allegedly on the back of environmental concerns.

But the question before GoSL is, does it want development or environment protection?

However, is it the choice, in order to counter a looming power crisis in the absence of seemingly timely, low cost power generation allegedly due to the scrapping of the Sampur Coal Power Project, to buy the more expensive 'emergency' power which will be provided to by independent power producers (IPPs) in such a situation?

The premise of GoSL's actions or inactions, in this instance 'electricity power', revolves round accountability, or more precisely the lack of it, or possibly the total lack of it.

Nonetheless, in as much as GoSL is accountable to the people of this country in respect of the environment, it's also accountable to ensure that the public is provided with uninterrupted power supply at the least possible cost, in respect of the provision of this service.

Electricity is not only needed to light up homes and all that, it's also needed to light up factories, offices and also to power certain machinery required in the production process. Hospitals, certain life saving apparatus employed in similar such sanatoriums also require electricity to ensure that patients who need such life support machines, and in the case of prematurely born babies who live in electricity powered incubators, don't die, due to the lack or the absence of such power.

Electricity cost incurred for the public good by GoSL, also need to be answered to, by the State. Is it the least cost electricity generated that is being provided? If not, why not?

If electricity is absent, factories and offices too may not be able to function. And if such institutions are unable to operate due to no fault of theirs, employment generation is affected. And if job generation takes a hit, that causes civil unrest and instability in the country.

Sri Lanka suffered two southern insurgencies and one northern insurgency (which also spread to the East, because it was the Tamils who dominate the North and are in sizeable numbers in the East who engineered such an insurgency) in the past; the root cause of it was youth unemployment, be it in the manufacturing, services and agriculture sectors, or in two or all of these three sectors.

These three insurgencies, the last of which was defeated only seven years ago, bled the country nearly white. They virtually killed the flower of Sri Lanka's youth; caused immense destruction to other lives and property; left with them scars, most of which are emotional and permanent in nature among some of the survivors and also expedited a 'labour' and brain drain.

In the midst of these electricity related developments ('retardatory developments' may be a more apt phrase to describe such events), GoSL and the Power and Energy Ministry have seemingly chosen to maintain a 'stoic' silence.

The problem is, especially in the Sri Lankan context, politicians once in power, choose to live on ivory towers, surrounded by hangers on , 'yes' men and bootlickers, totally divorced from reality.

They will suffer no power crisis because, if that actually takes place they will have generators, employed at public expense to provide them with power, be it to illuminate their homes or make their air conditioners (A/Cs) run, while the ordinary citizens who voted them into power, leave alone living in a permanent state of sweat because they have no money to buy A/Cs, or even if they do have, will not be able to pay their inflated electricity bills because of A/C consumption for a sustained period of time, will have to live in darkness, till the next rains come to dispel the current drought and once more provide power to the country, led by hydro-electric energy.

Or, otherwise, GoSL may provide emergency power if the country is overcome by such a contingency, by employing the more expensive IPPs, but at what cost to the exchequer and to the public at large? Electricity, nay least cost electricity, is a fundamental human right, it's not an option.

Daily News Editorial

Govt. has done right by Sarath Fonseka

22 September 2016

Rural Development Minister Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka, to use a cricketing metaphor, hit all round the wicket in parliament on Tuesday, during the debate on his Ministry's supplementary estimate. As expected there were howls of protest from the Joint Opposition when the former Army Commander rose to speak. Fonseka became the target of the JO in the wake of the recent book “Road to Nandikadal” authored by retired Major General Kamal Gunaratna. Responding to taunts about the suitability of his appointment to a Cabinet post, Minister Fonseka said he had more than a right and entitlement to all the honours and positions conferred on him, for the pivotal role played by him to rid the country of the scourge of terrorism.

Certainly, no Sri Lankan with a genuine love for the country, would begrudge the titles and honours conferred on Minister Fonseka who led the tri-forces to a successful conclusion of the three decades old war and in the process almost paying the supreme sacrifice. Although the war was won by a combined effort of the tri-forces’ chiefs and the political leadership, there is little doubt that Fonseka's reputation for daring and strategic brilliance, which was well known to the powers that be, automatically placed the Sinha regiment veteran in the hot seat. That he was hailed as the best Army Commander in the world, following the war victory, no doubt was a grudging admission of his prowess as a battle hardened warrior who faced the enemy in the eye as opposed to those who directed the war from their ivory towers.

Answering his critics in parliament Field Marshal Fonseka declared that a book will be out soon about the dedication and sacrifices made by all the 200,000 soldiers who put their collective shoulder to the war victory. In a clear reference to the recent book released by his onetime subordinate, Field Marshal Fonseka said the satakaya group was trying to hang onto a single book written by just one among his 20 divisional commanders. A book will also soon be out, on their version, by the rest of his divisional commanders which will throw a different light on events.

It looks like the Sri Lankan public will be in for some good entertainment with one general contradicting the other on battlefield events and who was responsible for which victory and who pulled the rug under whose feet. In such a scenario the JO no doubt will be the loser, being unable to accuse the UNP of dealing a blow to the morale of the war heroes, because this is something that will now be self inflicted, come the books on the war, with its diverse and divisive accounts.

Scoffing at the attempt by the JO to collect Rs. 2 million compensation on behalf of the soldier who shot dead a LTTEer fleeing from an army camp, Fonseka asked why couldn't the JO pay this money from the foreign bank accounts, where its leaders had stashed their ill gotten wealth, instead of taxing the poor people. After all, Fonseka seemed to say, Rs. 2 million was chicken feed when one considers the accumulated loot.

Be that as it may, the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government should be commended for appropriately rewarding Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka who not only had to face the guns, bombs, and bullets in the theatre of war but also made to suffer indignities and privations as a prisoner in Welikada. Not only that, the country's war winning Army Commander also had the misfortune of seeing his family scattered and driven into exile during the hour of trials. Up to date, no one is aware as to what happened to this case in which the former Army Commander was found guilty and thrown behind bars. The Yahapalanaya government should price out this whole matter, at least now, in order to ascertain if this was in fact an act of revenge against Fonseka for daring to challenge the maha rajano at the hustings. The government owes it to the former Army Commander, to clear his name, as the military leader who rid the country of terrorism.

Hats off to Dinesh

It s heartening indeed that Joint Opposition parliamentary group leader Dinesh Gunawardena has raised the matter of the death of an estate Tamil youth in Pussellawa while in police custody in parliament on Tuesday. This is because one doesn't usually associate the JO of taking up issues affecting the minority communities. It is not clear if this is an attempt to woo the minorities by the JO who had hitherto breathed fire against any concessions granted to these segments. However one is constrained give them the benefit of the doubt in this instance, given the stature of a politician such as Dinesh Gunawardena who after all is the son of Phillip, the father of Marxism in this country, who eschewed communalism.

The Island Editorial

Polls Phobia

22 September 2016

A group of SLFP local government (LG) politicians loyal to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa staged a protest in Colombo on Tuesday, demanding that the much-delayed mini polls be held forthwith. They raked the government over the coals for postponing the elections on some flimsy pretext for political reasons.

President Maithripala Sirisena is in a quandary. He succeeded in forming a joint administration with the UNP after being elected last year. Following the general election a few months later, he made the SLFP join the UNP to form what is described as a national unity government. A president without his party solidly behind him is like a banana without the skin as they say in this country.

So, if the President is to retain his grip on the SLFP vis-à-vis a determined effort by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to wrest control of the party, he will have to lead the SLFP’s LG polls campaign himself and defeat the UNP. But, his problem is that his candidates will have to compete with the SLFP rebels as well who are sure to enter the fray from another party, or an independent group, backed by Rajapaksa. This is a worrisome proposition for President Sirisena in that the SLFPers won’t vote for his candidates if they have the slightest doubt that he would opt for a joint administration with the UNP at the LG level as well. On the other hand, though he controls the SLFP’s decision making body and its organisers, he cannot rest assured that the rank and file of the party are with him. If he fails to steer the SLFP to victory at the next LG polls, the party membership is likely to rebel against him and he will be at the mercy of the UNP completely for political survival as a mere figurehead in such an eventuality.

The UNP pretends to be cock-a-hoop about the possibility of the SLFP suffering a split, which will, no doubt, be to its advantage at the LG polls. But, if President Sirisena loses control of the SLFP, the present joint administration will be doomed with the SLFPers within its ministerial ranks voting with their feet lest they should also be rejected by the party membership. Should what is feared come to pass, the UNP would have to enlist the backing of either the TNA or engineer crossovers from the SLFP to muster a working majority in Parliament. Both these options are problematic. The TNA favours federalism and the SLFP defections will weaken President Sirisena’s position further and strengthen the position of the Rajapaksas. Hence, the government decision to keep postponing LG polls!

What the protesting ex-LG members seem to have forgotten is that it is the SLFP which started the bad practice of postponing elections. In 1975, the SLFP-led United Front government blatantly abused its two-thirds majority to extend its parliamentary term by two years. But, it could not avert an ignominious defeat in 1977, when the UNP secured a mammoth majority.

J. R. Jayewardene declared he would roll back the electoral map, but he failed in his endeavour. He would spin in his grave if he knew that the present government with some of his kinsmen at the helm has surpassed him posthumously.

Most of the civil society outfits which have taken upon themselves the task of cleansing the electoral process of malpractices and were instrumental in creating conditions for the formation of the present administration are not flogging the issue of the postponement of LG polls the way they should. Cynics ask how they can be expected to take on the government which is backed by their foreign paymasters.

Brecht has his character, Galileo, say in the Life of Galileo: ‘Unhappy is the land that is in need of heroes’. Similarly, one, disturbed by the hypocrisy of the self-appointed messiahs who promised good governance, may say: ‘Unhappy is the land that is in need of statesmen.’

The only way to preserve democracy is to ensure that the government in power fears the people and not the other way around. This is not possible if a political party of a coalition is allowed to get entrenched in power for far too long by securing more than one term. If the Rajapaksa government had won the last presidential and parliamentary elections as well, the many scams its grandees were involved in would have gone uninvestigated. Likewise, the corrupt deals such as the Central Bank bond scams and the Customs SUV racket, under the present administration, will get probed only in the event of a change of government. When it comes to electing politicians people have to set a thief to catch a thief for want of a better alternative.

Let those who resort to postponing polls for fear of losing them be warned that they are making a terrible mistake. They are only causing public resentment to well up and burst forth sooner than expected. Their effort is as futile as ‘trying to control dysentery with a loincloth’.