Citizens Obligations and Commitments to their Country

By Engr. Kanthar Balanathan

DipEE (UK), GradCert (RelEng-Monash), DipBus&Adm (Finance-Massey), C.Eng., MIEE, 

Former Director of Power Engineering Solutions Pty Ltd, Consulting Electrical Engineers

Leading Engineer of the World 2006, UK Authority Award

 

1.     General

In general, everyone assumes that the literacy rate in their country will dictate the degree of democratic candour, economic sustainability, and growth of their country. Sri Lanka literacy rate in 2020 was 92.38%, an 0.13% increase from 2019. What is literacy rate? People ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life. World’s technology and politics is increasing in the current era along with growth of other things. There is a significant difference between a person/group in the 15^th century and the 21^st century. Along with technology and economic growth, people are expected to understand the environment and the risks in life. Writers’ assumption is that literacy rate is linked to perceptive ability. Quote: What are perceptive abilities? If someone calls you perceptive, they mean you are good at understanding things or figuring things out. Perceptive people are insightful, intelligent, and able to see what others cannot see or figure out. The communities in SL suffer significantly on perceptive ability and the politicians take advantage of this shortfall for their own advantage and achievement. Although people can read and write, otherwise they are dumb in understanding and figuring things out. It is up to the primary and secondary schools to teach and make the students enhance their perceptive ability. The primary and secondary groups must talk sense and not make people dumb. Parents who are educated and perceptive should help their children to enhance their neural activity and ability.

2.     Ancient Politics

Since literacy rate and perceptive ability were down the governing authorities did not want uneducated or non-perceptive people to understand politics and economics. Only elites and rich people were allowed to enter politics. Elites are rich people. This made the society weak in perceptual ability. For example, the ancient people in the North were Nagas. The migrants who were brought by King Magha of Orissa were mostly Malayali and Pallavars, majority being Malayali. The Kingdom made the natives, Nagas to do menial work and stamped them low castes. Today’s low caste people in the North and Vanni are Nagas and Veddas. History will prove the caste system in Kerala.

Similar events occurred in the South. Malayali’s were brought to the Central Kingdom, and they became up-country Sinhalese, and the others, the Yakkas and the Veddas became the low-country Sinhalese. The division gave birth. However, the perceptive ability did not enrich and improve due to oppression by the kingdom. The Yakkas were addressed as “Holman”, meaning Ghosts. The author lived in Kamburupitiya in the fifties.

3.     Current Politics

As years passed, the system was cleaned, and the education quality was improved. However, the people’s common sense did not improve. The political system interfered with the Universities and Colleges. Students were brain washed with political ideologies, like, socialism and communism. The quality of education in the economics and political perspective was not induced and made mandatory to the students at least up to year nine or ten level students. Every young from the poor family wanted socialism or communism with no understanding of the negative deleterious economic impact to the country. SriLanka did not advocate “competition” among the industries. People interpreted “Democracy” in a different perspective.

Democracy is governance by the people elected by the people. Therefore, the people who elect and the people who are elected have a responsibility and obligation and commitment to the country. Sri Lanka is far away from the practice of “democracy”. Citizens still need more education and understanding of governance and commitment (obligation) to their country.

4.     SL Governance, Democracy and Practice

Governance in SL offer free medical, hospital facilities, medicines, and free surgery. Subsidised transport and free education to students. Most of the services are offered at subsidised rate or free to people. Citizens should understand this part of the governance service and shall pay the taxes due to the government. The important quality of this benchmarks is to understand that the GOSL satisfies their obligation to the people, however, people shall be clear in their conscience of this assistance and honour their commitments.

The issues in governance is that the politicians pay money as collaterals for every vote they buy. The politicians then play politics to draw the money paid as collaterals via bribery and commissions. Who is at fault? The intelligence and perceptual ability of the people appeals here in that the people do not understand the impact of bribery received as collateral. “Democracy fails here”. This shortfall is practiced in the third world and developing world only. India and SL are heavy on collaterals during election. The constraint here is that unwanted elements who have no knowledge of political science/education can creep into the parliament and practice the evils. The government fails when unwanted elements plant Buddha statues in areas not appropriate to religious activity. Buddha does not pay their salaries, medicines, and supply rice and ambul thiyal etc. Buddha does not postulate technological advancement. Buddha prepared some philosophy during his young age, which is yet to be proven, and was developed along the years by philosophers which they will not agree. Same with the Tamils also. Tamils spend significant amount of money to build temples, have poojas etc, neglecting in the development of science and technology. Do the people cogitate that Buddha and Lord Shiva are going to develop Sri Lanka? Development is man made and must be completed by humans with brain. Humanisms plays important role here. All these shortfalls transpire because of the shortfall of intelligence and perceptual abilities in the citizens. Majority of SriLankans suffer in the following: Perceptual ability, Self-motivation, creativity, innovation, self-discipline, and flexibility. The following are considered key imperative to Politicians:

a.      Demonstration of accepting responsibility during challenging and changing situation and accept that “Change is a Constant”. Hon. Kanchana Wijesekera, Minister for Energy and Power should be commended on this element of personal attributes.

b.      Hon Minister Douglas Devananda should be commended for accepting changing and challenging situations and promoting Unity. Hon DD shall be given adequate support by the GOSL. Hon DD’s personal  attributes are positive and supportive

c.      Lateral thinking and believe that behavioural pattern inflicts upon leadership quality.

d.      Trust that Science gives us knowledge and Art is the application of the skills and knowledge.

e.      Shall have investigative and conceptualising ability.

f.       Finally, citizens shall look after the Roots and the Trees will be safe.

There are politicians like Sarath Weerasekara and Wimal Weerawanse who have a long way to climb up to be good politicians and the two are only saturated with racial tradition only. Have a severe shortfall in understanding economics, politics, GDP, growth, and democracy.  Always jabber and yammer about Tamil race and Buddhism.

SriLanka may have to change her name from Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to some other useful virtual name, because there is no Democracy, Socialism, or Humanism that prevails in SL. What is required is pure Capitalism for people to work and produce turnover which may have a vision horizon of further 25 years.