Where has he gone wrong? PM’s dilemma

The PM is embroiled in so many unnecessary distractions that detract from his brief! Added to which I just got two sms one of which said “the Court Issues an Order to prevent 4 Joint Opposition MPs from commencing the protest march from Kandy tomorrow” and immediately thereafter received, “ the Court issues restraining order on 2 Govt. Ministers NOT to commence recruitment drive by UNP, scheduled for tomorrow morning in Kandy town”. Two further furors we can do without! Looks like tit for tat to the alien invader!

This is sounding like a joke, using the Courts to play musical chairs, whilst the people of the Country are wondering what is going on.

As if the furor caused by the PM complaining, naming and shaming Editors was not enough to get the whole press riled up about their Primadonna status that is NOT warranted, a slew of anti Govt. writing is flooding social media, with no grace. This is all much ado about nothing, as we live in an environment that the Media, don’t know how to use their new found freedom for the benefit of the Country. They are abusing it for their own survival, but are NOT providing new thought to crises of the day, and suggestions for their solution.

If that weren’t enough Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has talked about regulating the Media, which in the current context of the PM’s allegations is not the right time to talk about it, no matter how unprofessional the media are. We have to face the reality that due to a dictatorship for 10 years, Media Ethics and Independence is new and most media do not know how to responsibly report, hence the catch 22~

On this allied note, the Director General of Govt. Information was involved in some brawl where he offered to resign and that was not accepted, all because of saying something that manic depressive media misunderstood. The litany of media related problems goes on, with GL Peiris adding his two cents wondering why the foreign missions are not issuing communiqués wrapping the PM for his remarks.

We then have the unsolved VAT issue, where we don’t know what amount to charge or pay, and small traders are up in arms over this as they are NOT aware of the reasons, and the recording and processing procedures. Uncertainty is resented, and the blame falls to the Govt. The reality is different as it forces discipline in recording, and paying, and this will eventually throw up those who should be submitting Tax Returns, as 90% of those who should be paying even Income Taxes don’t.

We then have the saga of the members of the NIE being fired, with no explanation and that too falling on the PM’s feet as if it is his making. In the end the system must be improved, and NIE revamped, where their primary purpose being the revamp of syllabi takes place without delay for the benefit of our students.

Then there is ETCA with India, which is causing a lot of dissension amongst professionals who can’t compete with India on a level playing field. This had therefore been also used by the press who don’t understand it as another whip to hit the PM with. For soe reason no one talks about its benefit to SL~!

The clash of the students in Jaffna has caused ethnic strife as it is billed as a mini war between the Sinhala and Tamil factions, inside the same university, and it is another proxy war for other parties, with the Govt. made a scapegoat for not restraining the Tamil students who attacked the Sinhala students. Another shot at the Govt.

The delay in bringing up the proposals for the new Constitution is another one blamed on the Govt. which is trying to pacify different factions, one which does not want much change, and at the other extreme others that wish to see drastic change, with the Cardinal chirping in saying Buddhism should take pride of place in the Constitution, being seen by many as being partial to his Govt. and not to his God.

This litany of woes has hit the PM who is increasingly facing dissention amongst his own ranks, not happy with the lack of largess doled out to UNP supporters. So to pacify them, he had a HOPPER NIGHT last night at the Havelock City with his supporters.  Going around pacifying interested parties without grappling with the serious affairs of the day that people want answers, to build a POLICY framework on which to build the economy and attract foreign investment, to once and for all put to bed the allegations that the UNHRC have not lifted or loosened the VICE, and overhaul of the Health and Education Sectors, and possibly removing the wastage of Samurdhi money that non-entitled people are sharing in saving a lot of money have NOT had the attention due.

The debt service which the New CB Governor is supposed to tackle is also in limbo, and where we are NOT taking adequate steps to solve without delay, and the allegation that Professor Sally said and blogged yesterday, about the fact that we are losing our window of DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY mean to the fly on the wall in the PMs office that he is in fact beleaguered and NOT getting on with the real matters of the day he needs to tackle with.