Due to the politicized public service, people started expressing their displeasure to public servants decades ago. Especially our memory and experience goes back to the beginning of the Samurdhi movement created under the government of Chandrika Bandaranaike who came to power in 1994. As soon as it started, the Janasaviya movement came to an end. Subsequently, all the Samurdhi officers recruited for the Samurdhi assistance program were their followers appointed by the then politicians of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Samurdhi officials kicked out the poor in the villages, giving Samurdhi benefits only to members of the SLFP and inciting political hatred among the people. They created a party divide among the people.
In those days, rulers as well as government officials did not serve the common people. They worked only for the people who promoted their political parties. As a result, people look at the public service in Sri Lanka with contempt.
Even strikes were not for the people. For them. Doctors and even teachers persecuted the people. This situation happened because of the disreputable things they had done to public servants for decades. Frauds, corruption and even irregularities committed by hundreds of thousands of salaried public servants have been exposed before the COPE Committee. Looking at the current situation in the country, it is clear that public servants as well as past and present governments have done nothing for the betterment of Sri Lankan citizens.
Meanwhile, with the announcement made last night that “fuel is only for essential services”, they have not been able to do their jobs to alleviate the hunger of their children. People are questioning the government as to whether doing a job to quench the hunger of children is not an essential service. Through that social media. Thousands of people are still waiting in line for fuel.
Rulers hate people who talk about issues in the country and point them out. They use state power against them. But above all, people stand up for their hunger. But sadly or reluctantly, changing our writing tradition, we have to write that President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is primarily responsible for all this.
The problem that does not solve the problems of the people properly is to keep all the powers with the President. His statement to the nation after the 9th attack prompted some to expect change. It is the belief that giving all powers to Parliament through Article 21 will bring some relief to the people. Therefore, it is not too late or the President should delegate powers to Parliament and allow the country to move forward in silence.
It would be a great pity if the President now realizes that there can be no room for him to die freely when so many things like starving people, riots and so on are going on without going too far.
