Compared to a politician what a doctor could do is so little - Dr. Sudath Damsinghe ....

10 February 2014 04:30 am Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 0 Bookmark

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The elections to the Western and Southern Provincial Councils is in full swing. Not only traditional politicians but personalities from well reputed and respected professions have also joined the fray for the March elections. spoke to two medical practitioners, one who is contesting from the Colombo District on the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ticket while the other is contesting from the Gampaha District on the opposition United National Party (UNP) ticket.

Compared to a politician what a doctor could do is so little

Dr. Sudath Damsinghe

A Doctor by profession and a personality who has made a name as an effective communicator through the media Sudath Damsinghe will be contesting on UPFA ticket from the Colombo District in the elections to the Western Provincial Council. In an interview with Dailymirror he said his intention to get into politics was to broaden his involvement with social services which he had been doing for about two decades.

Q: You are a Doctor by profession. What made you to enter politics, a completely different arena?
It is because I think this is the best time to get into politics. What is politics? Politics is about us. In an era where lots of ideas are expressed on politics I thought as a professional, this is the best time to give my contribution. I respect the government and the party. I thought I will present myself as a candidate after I received an invitation from the party.

Q: Many claim politics to be muddy or dirty. As a professional do you think it is suitable for you to get involved in a field such as this?
It is how people use the powers vested in them. For example as a Doctor, there are certain powers vested in me. I act according to them. Problems arise when people misuse or abuse the powers given to them. I have few main concerns which I wish to address. I have no intention of abusing the powers I am vested with.

Therefore there will be no such issues. But as I said what is important is how we look at it and how we use the powers and positions we receive.

Q: You said you have a few concerns to act on. What are these?
I am interested in four areas. First is on children with special need in education. There is no proper social or Institutional interference in that sector. It is essential to implement a programme focused and based on them. At the moment there is a lacuna in providing for their education needs.

Secondly I will like to focus on vocational education. There seem to be nowhere to go for students who complete their Advanced Level studies. They are clueless on what to do after secondary education. We have recognized the need to implement a system of tertiary education. In fact I have already begun my work in this regard. As a result we have been able to offer NVQ level certificates for students who follow courses in Bio Medical Equipment Technology and also in physical fitness education.
I will also focus on the school system. Under the contemporary system; students, teachers and parents only focus on examinations. There is no room for other extra curricular activities. The teachers do not have the knowledge on how to act when unexpected situations arise. So I will like to pay attention to the teaching of first aid.

Third area I will focus on is the nourishment and communication. I believe it is important to promote effective education among children. It can be a good answer for many issues in the education system.

Fourthly I will focus on the empowering of women. There needs to be a change in attitudes towards the role of women in society. Today many women will listen to sermons on food and nourishment and after that will go home with a packet of “kottu roti”. It is essential to educate them. Taking behavioural changes into account it seems that women getting to be addicted to alcohol. The true values in women are declining.

Q: There are many political parties in Sri Lanka. As a novice in politics why did you want to contest from the UPFA?
It is because only they have the sort of political environment I like. At a moment like this it is mandatory to be with the winning party. If I join a party which has no say then there is a very little I can do for society. As a Doctor I do the maximum I can do but that seems so little. As a member of the UPFA I know I can do much more. I like the principles it espouses and I have lot of friends in the party.

Q: But you are a newcomer to the field. What if someone challenges your lack of knowledge in
politics?
As I told you earlier it is the way each one looks at politics. If we look at politics as a social process then this issue will not arise. It is about what you do.

Q: You have established your identity as a Doctor. Will that change once you enter politics?
No I will maintain my identity despite my entry into politics. I have always campaigned for environmental protection. Hence I will not use posters or leaflets at my election campaign. I know I will get good support from the media as I have maintained a good rapport with them. There is no need for me to change my personality because I have already achieved something remarkable among the people.

Q: A lot of people get into politics as it enables them to earn money. Is this also one of your aims?
As a Doctor I have not earned much money. I still use my 18-car. If I wanted to I can earn money and may have been a billionaire by now. I chose to serve people. Joining politics will not change my motives. I joined to serve people, nothing else.

Q: Are you confident about your victory?
I am confident of victory. I know I will win when taking into account the responses I received from the day I was nominated. It won’t be a scrapping through; I am certain of winning with a highest number of votes.

Priority to politics, instead of a lucrative medicinal profession

Dr. Kavinda Jayawardana

Following in his father’s footsteps, young Doctor Kavinda Jayawardana, who is Dr. Jayalath Jayawardana’s son, said he would be contesting the elections to the Western Provincial Council. In an interview with Dailymirror he said he would launch his political career from the grassroots level and was willing to work with youth empowerment in mind.

Q: Although you hail from a political background, this is your debut into politics. Being a Doctor by profession what made you to enter politics so suddenly?
Yes, this seems to be my first foray into politics. But coming from a political background I have been immersed in politics since my childhood. In 1994, I was going around the country with my father during the presidential elections. My experience taught me about the lives of the people and of course politics. In 1998 when Ja-Ela bomb exploded I was distributing leaflets. From my childhood, politics was something that was in my blood.
The catalyst that pushed me into politics was my father’s death and requests made by my members of family and others including religious leaders and my father’s supporters. Seeing and experiencing the pros and cons of the existing political system even as a youth, I thought this is my opportunity to serve my country and our people. Therefore I decided to follow my father’s foot steps.

Q: What made you select provincial elections instead of parliamentary elections?
I am a born and bred UNPer. I want to serve people in the Gampaha district just as my father did. Without knowing who is with me I cannot set out on a longer journey. Let me do something from the grassroots level. There are many popular personalities who have got elected to parliament but do not know who brought them there or why they are there. They do neither serve the party nor the people. On the contrary I believe it is important to be in touch with the people and walk this journey with them. I have not selected politics as a career but to further my aim of being a servant of the people.

Q: You are a doctor by profession. Politics and Medicine are two contrasting fields. Do you think you can balance both?
I will balance both. But I will focus more on politics from now on. I emphasise that this won’t be my occupation. I want to serve people and want to be with them. Just because I am a doctor, it does not mean that I have to be stationery. I may earn lot of money if I practice, but I choose to do something else.

Once I did a project at the Madu hospital. I did that not with the intention of scoring political points; I did that as a service. Hence I will continue in my profession and balance it with politics.

Q: Many children of politicians are contesting the upcoming election. This has made a hit and a fashion wave in the political scenario. What is your point of view with this regard and would you consider yourself as a part of this?
I cannot help people looking at the current trends that way. Anyone can do politics. But as I believe what is important is to know what you want to do and what you are going to do irrespective of what political party you belong to. It is sad that so many sectors are being increasingly politicised. Different parties might say that I am here because I am Dr. Jayalath Jayawardana’s son. Most certainly I have his blessings. politics is something in my blood.

With regard to children of politicians getting into politics, I actually cannot say it is bad. Not everyone who succeeds their parents into politics is successful and not everyone was unsuccessful either.

Q: There are many conflicts within the party. Do you think joining UNP is a wise choice?
Every party has conflicts. When we look at history, especially the opposition has had a lot of issues, which is natural. The party is handling issues well. What is important is our collective action. We need to change the existing system and topple the government. If we fail to act now we will have to regret it later.

Q: If elected, what plans do you have for the Western Province?
If I get elected I would focus on the health system and mostly on the education system. There should be a change in the education system. We need to agree on a system for all the schools and educate our youth so that they can be fruitfully employed. The youth are not given opportunities or shown a correct path. It is also essential to focus on secondary education.

I will focus on religious harmony since there are issues about that as well. Religious institutions have to be upgraded.

We need to concentrate on infrastructure. This does not mean that the concentration should be only on roads. There are many other areas which we need to focus on. For instance the fishing industry must be improved in areas like Negombo. It is a tourism area as well.

Overall I will say that apart from these particular areas of development I will strongly concentrate on the empowerment of the youth.

Q: What is your opinion about the present government?
For the present government, development means only developing roads. They pay attention to roads while completely neglecting the Education sector. Although they have the “Mathata Thitha” programme where is it? We find tonnes and tonnes of Ethanol, containers of heroin being imported to this country. We are definitely not happy with what is going on.

Q: Are you positive about a UNP victory and about your victory?
Definitely there is no question about victory. The leadership has given an opportunity to young blood. Even the media is talking about us and the change that is taking place. We will definitely have a massive success and there will be a change in the prevailing system.

With the blessings of all the religions I believe I can win and I am positive about it.

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