n a special edition of BENCHMARK, the first in the year 2005, LMD’s ‘Sri Lankan Of The Year’ for 2004 – Commissioner of Elections Dayananda Dissanayake – was featured in an exclusive and candid interview. He began by asserting that the greatest challenge facing the country was to usher in lasting peace to the island, by resolving the ethnic issue permanently and satisfactorily.
In Dissanayake’s opinion, peace can only be achieved if a collective effort is made by all political parties. He said: “Opposition parties cannot say that they have no hand in it. There has to be consensus, debate and dialogue between all parties.” He rejected the tendency to share the onus and relegate all responsibility to the ruling political party of the day.
Dissanayake explained that since Sri Lanka is home to a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-linguistic society, due recognition has to be given to all segments of society.
“The present polling system doesn’t provide for participation of all communities and sectors,” he observed. The elections commissioner was convinced that the greatest obstacle in the way of achieving equity in all aspects of society is the present constitution, which has to be amended accordingly. He added that the present constitution was promulgated in 1978, bringing in the PR system, which paved the way for representation of minority ethnic groups.
“Although this proved advantageous for these groups, it has destabilised the country’s political culture. Most often, the individuals who are elected are not really representatives of the people. This has to be reviewed and remedied by introducing a different system,” he explained.
He said that there should be committees appointed and headed by ministers, which would be collectively responsible to parliament. He felt that such committees would be truly representative of the people and that they could function efficiently.
The senior public official commented on the sad reality that the political leadership of the country is unfortunately partisan, each politician thinking only of his or her party. As a result of this culture, the country and its citizens are lacking in vision and solidarity.
Dissanayake called for a new political culture, one that would bring in sweeping changes “from top to bottom”. He likened the ideal political leadership of the country to ‘ideal parents’, who lead by example.
Recalling the Sri Lanka of the 1950s and 1960s, he cited the fact that other Asian countries looked up to our island as a model nation at that time.
But today, Sri Lanka has to look to countries such as Singapore and Malaysia for inspiration, as these nations have surged ahead in the developmental sphere.
Reflecting on the state sector, Dissanayake pointed out that though people feel the law of the land is insufficient to sustain law and order in the country, he felt otherwise.
He explained that there are adequate written laws to discipline the state sector, but added that this was a good time to reduce excessive paperwork and introduce more IT-based systems.
Commenting on the abysmal productivity in the state sector, Dissanayake pointed out that the lackadaisical attitude of public-sector employees was to blame. He felt that the virtues of punctuality and hard work should be inculcated into the public sector as well.
As for the delicate matter of the executive presidency, and how long the incumbent’s term should last legally, Dissanayake declined to comment – citing the pending court case. He said it was improper for him to comment on this matter, as he is the first respondent in this particular case.
On a personal note, Dissanayake confessed that he has no role models as such and, in fact, is “still looking for one”! But he strongly felt that role models should set examples in every aspect of day-to-day life, whether in administering duties or in one’s social life.
Above all, he concluded that leaders as role models should be faithful and loyal to the public.