Firing at a moving target
Whether the curfew will be lifted tomorrow as previously announced, in Colombo and the other districts where it has continued for several days, was unclear when this was being written. Decisions to relax the curfew have been announced before and changed subsequently. Nobody could be blamed for this as the responsible authorities are confronted by a moving target with the ground situation changing not by the days but by the hour. There is no escaping the reality that the general public has been severely affected by what is happening around us. It is not a matter of windfall holidays or almost traffic-less roads for those who can venture out of their homes armed with a curfew pass or other identification establishing that they are working for an essential service. All of us are greatly affected, many more so than others.
As is the way of the world, the better off are less hurt than the vast majority. Armed with laptop computers and smart phones, they can shop online from supermarkets that will deliver their groceries to their doorstep. Many banking facilities that modern technology has delivered in recent years offer them the convenience of online banking. Business can done with pharmacies and drug stores without physically presenting themselves ensuring they are not starved of essential medication. Their pockets are not empty like those of the daily wage earners who live by the day and are faced with a fearful predicament. There are millions of such people in the country and despite the best efforts of the concerned authorities, what relief that has been offered is a fraction of actual need.
The evening news bulletins of the different television stations bring vivid pictures of what is happening at various offices paying out the meagre five thousand rupee allowance. The queues are long and the people in them are angry. Hot words are exchanged with officials who can offer very little redress. Given the galloping inflation which has been rampant in this country for the past several years, five thousand rupees will not go far in purchasing essentials to feed even a small family. It will not be long before a cash-strapped government will have to make another round of payments if the lockdown continues. Given the difficulties that those lining-up for the dole must suffer to draw what is really a pittance, the question can be asked why a ten thousand rupee allowance was not paid in the first instance. The answers are many, the first among them being that the exchequer is not a bottomless pit; and paying even the five thousand rupees has strained the Treasury to near breaking point. Also, if ten thousand rupees is paid as a first instalment, there will be expectation of a similar payment the second time round.
With a general election scheduled for June 20, what is most galling is that there are credible allegations that even these payments have been politicized. It has been alleged that the symbol of the front-running political party has been printed on some of the forms on which the applications must be made. There have also been an allegation that these forms have been distributed from the homes of local politicians. How many of these are factual and how many fictitious we do not know. But we live in a country where much of what the state does is blatantly and brazenly politicized. Even letters of appointment to the state services are handed over at expensive tamashas by politicians who act as though the salaries paid to the recruits come out of their own pockets. We all know that meritocracy in obtaining state appointments has long been subordinated to political ‘pull.’ Too often these state sector jobs are simply not there or are most redundant in the context of salary expenditure. They are created by politicians who want ‘jobs for the boys’ – of course in return for their votes. As a result the state sector is bloated beyond belief with tens of thousands of passengers paid at the taxpayers’ expense.
There has been wide acclaim that Sri Lanka has faced a seemingly insurmountable challenge reasonably well. For a country of our size and population the numbers of infected persons have been contained with an efficient system of contact tracing to which military intelligence has contributed much. The number of deaths has been a handful and the number of recoveries satisfactory. The frontline comprising health care personnel, the military and the police together with the often maligned public service have risen magnificently to the occasion. Obviously, we like the rest of the world cannot afford any kind of complacency and put our guard down. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is on record saying that while he would like the stringent restrictions to remain in force for another month, nearly half the country’s national product comes from the Western Province. That implied that the government, perforce, must get the country working as quickly as possible. Our regular columnist, Kumar David, has socked home that need in his contribution this week. The impact of the virus is human, social, political and most importantly economical. There has been vigorous debate on whether the impending election be held as scheduled or postponed indefinitely. Both proponents and opponents on both sides of the fence are sadly making their case from a political and not a national perspective. The president has ruled out invoking the consultative jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to get an independent opinion. Who can be blamed for thinking that this reluctance is rooted in the belief that he may not get the answer he wants. That’s perhaps Sri Lanka’s greatest tragedy – that even at a time such as this, the national interest is not held paramount.
Whether the curfew will be lifted tomorrow as previously announced, in Colombo and the other districts where it has continued for several days, was unclear when this was being written. Decisions to relax the curfew have been announced before and changed subsequently. Nobody could be blamed for this as the responsible authorities are confronted by a moving target with the ground situation changing not by the days but by the hour. There is no escaping the reality that the general public has been severely affected by what is happening around us. It is not a matter of windfall holidays or almost traffic-less roads for those who can venture out of their homes armed with a curfew pass or other identification establishing that they are working for an essential service. All of us are greatly affected, many more so than others.
As is the way of the world, the better off are less hurt than the vast majority. Armed with laptop computers and smart phones, they can shop online from supermarkets that will deliver their groceries to their doorstep. Many banking facilities that modern technology has delivered in recent years offer them the convenience of online banking. Business can done with pharmacies and drug stores without physically presenting themselves ensuring they are not starved of essential medication. Their pockets are not empty like those of the daily wage earners who live by the day and are faced with a fearful predicament. There are millions of such people in the country and despite the best efforts of the concerned authorities, what relief that has been offered is a fraction of actual need.
The evening news bulletins of the different television stations bring vivid pictures of what is happening at various offices paying out the meagre five thousand rupee allowance. The queues are long and the people in them are angry. Hot words are exchanged with officials who can offer very little redress. Given the galloping inflation which has been rampant in this country for the past several years, five thousand rupees will not go far in purchasing essentials to feed even a small family. It will not be long before a cash-strapped government will have to make another round of payments if the lockdown continues. Given the difficulties that those lining-up for the dole must suffer to draw what is really a pittance, the question can be asked why a ten thousand rupee allowance was not paid in the first instance. The answers are many, the first among them being that the exchequer is not a bottomless pit; and paying even the five thousand rupees has strained the Treasury to near breaking point. Also, if ten thousand rupees is paid as a first instalment, there will be expectation of a similar payment the second time round.
With a general election scheduled for June 20, what is most galling is that there are credible allegations that even these payments have been politicized. It has been alleged that the symbol of the front-running political party has been printed on some of the forms on which the applications must be made. There have also been an allegation that these forms have been distributed from the homes of local politicians. How many of these are factual and how many fictitious we do not know. But we live in a country where much of what the state does is blatantly and brazenly politicized. Even letters of appointment to the state services are handed over at expensive tamashas by politicians who act as though the salaries paid to the recruits come out of their own pockets. We all know that meritocracy in obtaining state appointments has long been subordinated to political ‘pull.’ Too often these state sector jobs are simply not there or are most redundant in the context of salary expenditure. They are created by politicians who want ‘jobs for the boys’ – of course in return for their votes. As a result the state sector is bloated beyond belief with tens of thousands of passengers paid at the taxpayers’ expense.
There has been wide acclaim that Sri Lanka has faced a seemingly insurmountable challenge reasonably well. For a country of our size and population the numbers of infected persons have been contained with an efficient system of contact tracing to which military intelligence has contributed much. The number of deaths has been a handful and the number of recoveries satisfactory. The frontline comprising health care personnel, the military and the police together with the often maligned public service have risen magnificently to the occasion. Obviously, we like the rest of the world cannot afford any kind of complacency and put our guard down. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is on record saying that while he would like the stringent restrictions to remain in force for another month, nearly half the country’s national product comes from the Western Province. That implied that the government, perforce, must get the country working as quickly as possible. Our regular columnist, Kumar David, has socked home that need in his contribution this week. The impact of the virus is human, social, political and most importantly economical. There has been vigorous debate on whether the impending election be held as scheduled or postponed indefinitely. Both proponents and opponents on both sides of the fence are sadly making their case from a political and not a national perspective. The president has ruled out invoking the consultative jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to get an independent opinion. Who can be blamed for thinking that this reluctance is rooted in the belief that he may not get the answer he wants. That’s perhaps Sri Lanka’s greatest tragedy – that even at a time such as this, the national interest is not held paramount.
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