Sri Lanka: Overcoming the crisis

by Victor IvanI have penned this article with the view to enlightening the political leaders of the country and those who express ideological views and are interested in the subject, the need for having an objective and pragmatic program for overcoming the crisis facing Sri Lanka and rescuing the country from falling into a state of anarchy. As a political critic who has foreseen this crisis beforehand and written extensively about it before it burst out, I feel that I am obliged to explain the reality of the situation as I see it, and suggest the course of action to be taken to overcome the crisis.

Also, I am writing this article at a time when the spiralling journey of the country towards anarchy has intensified its whirl in a new round. Obviously, this situation does not seem to have come to the serious attention of the rulers or the opposition political parties in the country.

As long as the feeling that nothing effective is being done to end the crisis persists in the society, the crisis will invariably drive the country towards anarchy. The schools have been compelled to suspend term tests due to the lack of papers to print question papers.

The Lotteries Board has suspended the sale of lotteries due to the shortage of papers. The Electricity Board has encountered a crisis of not being able to issue monthly bills because of the paper problem.

The country, knowingly or unknowingly, is heading for anarchy.Bertrand Russell, a well-known British philosopher and social critic was of the view that anarchy is worse than dictatorship.

The pressure exerted by the crisis on the people seems to have made the people act aggressively. The issue of the country moving towards anarchy does not appear to have been taken seriously by the leaders of the Government or Opposition.

It is very dangerous to play with the crisis except finding real and sustainable remedies to solve it.Approaching the IMFThe decision of the Government though belated to seek advice and loan relief from the International Monetary Fund to resolve the balance of payments crisis can be considered a right approach.

If this decision was taken soon after the pressure of the balance of payments crisis was felt, which is not so easy to resolve, the price Sri Lanka had to pay would not have been so big. When the exchange rate which had been controlled artificially for a long period of time was suddenly allowed to float, inevitably there would be a huge increase in the commodity prices causing an unbearable pressure on the people.

lthough the Government has a responsibility to take necessary steps to alleviate the burden it makes on the people, it did not possess the necessary strategic vision to do it. Consequently, the extent of suffering the general public had to undergo has been enormous.

It must be said that there was a huge confusion in the way the Government used to perceive things. The extent of damage done to Sri Lanka's agriculture by banning the import of chemical fertilisers and pesticides under the guise of rescuing Sri Lanka from chronic kidney disease was huge.

Despite all these serious mistakes, approaching the International Monetary Fund to...