National consensus against COVID-19
Friday 03rd April, 2020
As the country battled the slowly expanding Coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has again met with, and briefed, the leaders of political parties represented in the last Parliament on the current status and Governmental measures to defeat it.
It was only on the previous day that the success of the country’s COVID-19 offensive was lauded by none other than WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a telephone call with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and a subsequent Twitter post. In his Twitter message, the WHO Director General said he thanked President Rajapaksa “for mobilizing the whole of Government in the fight against the COVID-19”.
Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa had first convened an all-party meeting on March 24 as the country shifted from its initial organised reaction to the sudden invasion of this deadly, previously unknown, virus to a proactive strategy to counter the pandemic. In yesterday’s meeting, the Prime Minister and top Defence and Health officials updated the party leaders on the ongoing measures and priorities in coping with the contingency.
Party leaders attending the meeting reiterated their support for the nation’s endeavour to meet the unprecedented health crisis while raising issues in relation to different aspects of the impact on the population.
In the absence of Parliament, it is important that the Government maintains an engagement with the other political leaderships in the country. Such regular interactions with other, parallel national political leaderships that are representative of the people (having been elected Parliamentarians and former ministers) enables the Government to hear more about public concerns and specific needs in relation to the pandemic. Such feedback helps the authorities combating the pandemic fine-tune their strategies that contain its spread as well as mitigate its growing impact on society and the national economy.
Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa had first convened an all-party meeting on March 24 as the country shifted from its initial organised reaction to the sudden invasion of this deadly, previously unknown, virus to a proactive strategy to counter the pandemic. In yesterday’s meeting, the Prime Minister and top Defence and Health officials updated the party leaders on the ongoing measures and priorities in coping with the contingency.
Party leaders attending the meeting reiterated their support for the nation’s endeavour to meet the unprecedented health crisis while raising issues in relation to different aspects of the impact on the population.
In the absence of Parliament, it is important that the Government maintains an engagement with the other political leaderships in the country. Such regular interactions with other, parallel national political leaderships that are representative of the people (having been elected Parliamentarians and former ministers) enables the Government to hear more about public concerns and specific needs in relation to the pandemic. Such feedback helps the authorities combating the pandemic fine-tune their strategies that contain its spread as well as mitigate its growing impact on society and the national economy.
As pointed out previously in these columns, the current health crisis is of such a potentially catastrophic scale that our whole society should be mobilised fully in response. Such a comprehensive societal response can only be generated by simultaneous action by all political interest groups. Collective leadership in various forms is needed because a pandemic, by its very nature, requires a disciplined response by every citizen in the interests of themselves and of society as a whole.
The challenge to the political class is manifold. The immediate, intense, health offensive needs the maximum public co-operation irrespective of any specific social group differentiation. And it is needed fast since speed is key to targeting the viral spread and its rapid social attrition.
At the same time, such public collaboration can only be obtained by catering to public needs arising from such unprecedented actions as a total, continuous, lockdown on human activity and movement. People are going to be reluctant to cease all productive work unless they have some assurance that suspended livelihoods would be offset by various forms of social and economic support.
The Government is sensitive to this and has already initiated action.
Meanwhile, a complex, modern and, once-thriving national economy that is now undermined by a pandemic needs management.
Different sectors of the economic and different financial dynamics, for example, will affect different social layers as well as different geographical regions. Hence, the need for inputs by parties representing different sections of the populace.
Citizens will want an assurance that the urgent needs of all sectors would be catered to irrespective of political affiliation or socio-cultural affinity. Such assurances are a useful psychological foundation to generate the kind of wholehearted and diligent public compliance with required pandemic counter measures.
Navy scores again
Even as its troops and specialist human resources are devoted to the fight on land against the Coronavirus pandemic, the Navy has been equally tireless in its ranging of the high seas around the island – as shown by its latest success against big-time narcotics smuggling.
Scouring the high seas as far as 835 km south of Sri Lanka, a long range maritime patrol ship of the Navy intercepted a shipload of 605kg crystal methamphetamine (Ice) and around 579kg of ketamine valued at a record Rs. 12.5 billion.
This is the first such detection at such a long range in the history of the Navy and the service should justly be proud of its achievement, especially since its operation was carried out amid its engagement with a dangerous pandemic on land.
Citizens must surely appreciate the hard work of its Armed Forces personnel. This is all the more reason to fully cooperate with the pandemic counter measures so as not to betray the commitment of its defence forces.
It was only on the previous day that the success of the country’s COVID-19 offensive was lauded by none other than WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a telephone call with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and a subsequent Twitter post. In his Twitter message, the WHO Director General said he thanked President Rajapaksa “for mobilizing the whole of Government in the fight against the COVID-19”.
Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa had first convened an all-party meeting on March 24 as the country shifted from its initial organised reaction to the sudden invasion of this deadly, previously unknown, virus to a proactive strategy to counter the pandemic. In yesterday’s meeting, the Prime Minister and top Defence and Health officials updated the party leaders on the ongoing measures and priorities in coping with the contingency.
Party leaders attending the meeting reiterated their support for the nation’s endeavour to meet the unprecedented health crisis while raising issues in relation to different aspects of the impact on the population.
In the absence of Parliament, it is important that the Government maintains an engagement with the other political leaderships in the country. Such regular interactions with other, parallel national political leaderships that are representative of the people (having been elected Parliamentarians and former ministers) enables the Government to hear more about public concerns and specific needs in relation to the pandemic. Such feedback helps the authorities combating the pandemic fine-tune their strategies that contain its spread as well as mitigate its growing impact on society and the national economy.
Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa had first convened an all-party meeting on March 24 as the country shifted from its initial organised reaction to the sudden invasion of this deadly, previously unknown, virus to a proactive strategy to counter the pandemic. In yesterday’s meeting, the Prime Minister and top Defence and Health officials updated the party leaders on the ongoing measures and priorities in coping with the contingency.
Party leaders attending the meeting reiterated their support for the nation’s endeavour to meet the unprecedented health crisis while raising issues in relation to different aspects of the impact on the population.
In the absence of Parliament, it is important that the Government maintains an engagement with the other political leaderships in the country. Such regular interactions with other, parallel national political leaderships that are representative of the people (having been elected Parliamentarians and former ministers) enables the Government to hear more about public concerns and specific needs in relation to the pandemic. Such feedback helps the authorities combating the pandemic fine-tune their strategies that contain its spread as well as mitigate its growing impact on society and the national economy.
As pointed out previously in these columns, the current health crisis is of such a potentially catastrophic scale that our whole society should be mobilised fully in response. Such a comprehensive societal response can only be generated by simultaneous action by all political interest groups. Collective leadership in various forms is needed because a pandemic, by its very nature, requires a disciplined response by every citizen in the interests of themselves and of society as a whole.
The challenge to the political class is manifold. The immediate, intense, health offensive needs the maximum public co-operation irrespective of any specific social group differentiation. And it is needed fast since speed is key to targeting the viral spread and its rapid social attrition.
At the same time, such public collaboration can only be obtained by catering to public needs arising from such unprecedented actions as a total, continuous, lockdown on human activity and movement. People are going to be reluctant to cease all productive work unless they have some assurance that suspended livelihoods would be offset by various forms of social and economic support.
The Government is sensitive to this and has already initiated action.
Meanwhile, a complex, modern and, once-thriving national economy that is now undermined by a pandemic needs management.
Different sectors of the economic and different financial dynamics, for example, will affect different social layers as well as different geographical regions. Hence, the need for inputs by parties representing different sections of the populace.
Citizens will want an assurance that the urgent needs of all sectors would be catered to irrespective of political affiliation or socio-cultural affinity. Such assurances are a useful psychological foundation to generate the kind of wholehearted and diligent public compliance with required pandemic counter measures.
Navy scores again
Even as its troops and specialist human resources are devoted to the fight on land against the Coronavirus pandemic, the Navy has been equally tireless in its ranging of the high seas around the island – as shown by its latest success against big-time narcotics smuggling.
Scouring the high seas as far as 835 km south of Sri Lanka, a long range maritime patrol ship of the Navy intercepted a shipload of 605kg crystal methamphetamine (Ice) and around 579kg of ketamine valued at a record Rs. 12.5 billion.
This is the first such detection at such a long range in the history of the Navy and the service should justly be proud of its achievement, especially since its operation was carried out amid its engagement with a dangerous pandemic on land.
Citizens must surely appreciate the hard work of its Armed Forces personnel. This is all the more reason to fully cooperate with the pandemic counter measures so as not to betray the commitment of its defence forces.
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