Priority mix up or deliberate mess-up? - Editorial

Did we Sri Lankans ask for an airport in Mattala and a port in Hambantota? Wonder whether even the people in Hambantota did. Did we ask for a budget airline which is not more than a vanity project? Do we need Deyata Kirula every year? Definitely not! Do we need 1000 CC Ducatis?

In response, most of you might question, ‘What the heck is Ducati?’ We didn’t ask for an electricity price hike. But like everything else, the government generously gave us that too!

It is now very clear that the  Mahinda Rajapaksa government has mixed up—or should we say messed up—its priorities. Instead of restructuring and streamlining the operations of the loss making state owned Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the government has brought in a whopping tariff hike to suppress the people and limit their freedom and liberty.

On the contrary, the management of the CEB has been given a very munificent incentive making each and every ordinary citizen in this country to suffer. If the government thinks that the tariff increase will enhance the operational efficiencies of the CEB and cut losses substantially, well we would say that is just wishful thinking!
In his analysis on Sri Lanka’s economy in our sister paper Sunday Times, veteran economist, Dr. Nimal Sandaratne very correctly pointed out the priority mess up of the Rajapaksa government.

“While agreeing that measures need to be taken to improve the operational efficiency of public enterprises, it is difficult to concede that revisions of energy prices are a step in the right direction. Reforms in the management of these public enterprises should be the priority and should precede price increases. The increase in electricity prices would increase the cost of living and the cost of industrial production,” Dr. Sanderatne noted.

Maybe this all visible priority mess-up would be the style of the Rajapaksa government in maintaining its power. It is evident that all these priority mess-ups by the government have played their respective roles as distractions, diverting people's attention from the real issues— lack of liberty, rule of law and recognition of the rights of the citizens, which include minorities.

From the national festivities to Poya day sermons at Temple Trees to tying up of people to trees by ministers, to showcasing of the sacred Kapilavastu relics to some of the so called mega infrastructure development projects to recent electricity tariff hikes are distractions created by the ruling clan to distract the people from the real issues.

The Opposition shouted at the electricity tariff hike at the Parliament yesterday and some leftist parties staged protests. But soon all will be forgotten until the government creates a new distraction. Until people stand for their rights, liberty and establishment of rule of law, neither infrastructure projects nor tariff hikes could bring prosperity and development to a country socially, economically and politically.