-Written by Anubhavananda
(Lanka-e-News -26.Nov.2024,11.40 pm) On August 16, 1996, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party-led People’s Alliance (PA) emerged victorious in the general elections, ending 17 years of United National Party (UNP) rule. However, under the leadership of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the PA failed to secure an outright parliamentary majority. Despite securing 3,887,823 votes (48.94%) and 105 seats, it fell short of a simple majority. Meanwhile, the UNP, even after 17 years of controversial governance, managed to obtain 3,498,370 votes (44.04%) and 94 seats. With the support of seven seats from Ashraff's Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and one from the Kandurata People's Front, the PA formed a coalition government with a combined total of 113 seats.
The new government’s cabinet had only a few experienced members, including Sirimavo Bandaranaike, K.B. Ratnayake, and Ratnasiri Wickremanayake. However, Sirimavo Bandaranaike was in poor health and was given a non-functional ministerial role. K.B. Ratnayake, fluent in Sinhala, Tamil, and English, was appointed Speaker of Parliament. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, who had a brief stint as a Cabinet Minister in the 1975 coalition government, was given significant responsibilities in the new administration, including Ministries of Public Administration, Home Affairs, and Plantation Industries. He also served as the Leader of the House. Apart from Ratnasiri, the cabinet lacked individuals with substantial administrative experience.
Civil servants who had served under the UNP for 17 years quickly adapted to the new administration. By merely changing their allegiances, they began to manipulate the inexperienced ministers. While the public, disillusioned by the corruption and repression of the UNP, demanded clean governance, the state officials' goals often conflicted with these aspirations. These officials even obstructed justice for those politically victimized under the UNP regime.
The bureaucracy was so powerful that even party supporters who had worked tirelessly to bring the PA to power began referring to their own government as the "Ponna" (ineffectual) government. This term reflected their disappointment in seeing the administration succumb to the old bureaucratic machinery.
Three decades later, little seems to have changed. The current National People's Power (NPP) government, enjoying a supermajority, is also accused of being a puppet in the hands of state officials. Recent controversies, such as Viyani Gunathilake, a former Ministry of Public Security secretary, securing a passport in record time while ordinary citizens waited months, highlight this troubling dynamic.
Despite introducing an online appointment system to streamline passport issuance, preferential treatment for former ministers and parliamentarians persists. Figures like Nimal Lanza and Sarath Weerasekara have reportedly obtained passports within hours, bypassing regular queues. This stark inequality undermines public trust in the administration.
If past abuses by officials like Viyani Gunathilake had been addressed decisively, the current spate of irregularities might have been avoided. The silence and inaction of the Maalima government on these issues could lead to greater public dissatisfaction, endangering its political future.
The administration must recognize that the people’s overwhelming mandate was not an endorsement of bureaucratic inefficiency or favoritism. Failure to address these systemic issues could tarnish the government’s credibility and impact its longevity.
As JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva recently remarked, the party’s political future depends on maintaining the trust of the people. For the Maalima government, this observation should serve as a wake-up call. Ignoring these challenges could spell disaster for both the administration and its broader political aspirations.
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by (2024-11-26 22:36:01)
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