A collective effort

The All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) has given their proposals to the President and they have also been released to the media. As expected, the proposals have generated a healthy debate among not only the intelligentsia but also among the general populace.

This is a sign of a vibrant democracy and we expect that over some time, the proposals would be enriched by positive contributions from political parties and other stakeholders.

A broad agreement has already emerged that devolution or power sharing is essential as a core element of a political solution, although there may be various ideas on the unit and extent of devolution. The APRC has also suggested that the unitary framework of governance be continued. Again, there is a majority consensus on this issue.

Consensus will indeed be required in far greater measure in the implementation of some of the proposals which essentially call for a new Constitution. The present electoral system ensures that no single party commands a two-thirds majority in the House. Thus there will be a need for Government-Opposition unity on resolving the ethnic conflict.

Moreover, the people’s mandate will be directly required for some proposals to come into effect. This will call for an awareness drive on the APRC proposals and any eventual peace proposal, especially among the Southern masses.

Most political parties agree that Sri Lanka does need a new electoral system to replace the existing flawed electoral system and in the end, a new Constitution. As APRC Chairman Prof. Tissa Vitarana has said, the APRC can be a firm and reliable foundation to develop a new Constitution for the nation.

It is a long-term process, requiring a step-by-step approach. Where possible, the good elements of the present Constitution should be retained and refined.

In this exercise, it will be very important to listen to the views of the residents of Northern and Eastern provinces who have borne the brunt of the conflict, although people in nearly all the provinces have felt the adverse effects of terrorism.

The Batticaloa Local Government Election will give policymakers an opportunity to hear the collective voice of voters at this crucial juncture. Elections should eventually encompass the whole Eastern and Northern provinces.

Peace will be a prerequisite for such an exercise. With the Government’s twin objectives of defeating terrorism and evolving a political solution, that day should not be far away.

Popularising rice-based products

It was just yesterday that we commented on the importance of rice in these columns. With the Government attempting to bring down the price of rice, it is vital to reduce the consumption of wheat flour around the country as well.

It is with this aim in mind that President Mahinda Rajapaksa will launch a new programme to popularise the consumption of rice and rice flour within the estate sector.

The consumption of wheat flour is very high in the estates. But most estate workers increasingly cannot afford to buy and consume wheat products. This is a timely opportunity to popularise rice and rice flour products in the estate sector.

Rice will thus be provided to the estate sector at concessionary rates, benefitting around 200,000 people. At the same time, the cooperatives in the estate sector will benefit under this programme.

It is also heartening to note that the Government has prohibited the sale of rice and paddy to various traders and companies for making animal feed. Although the farmers have benefitted by being able to command higher prices for their harvest, it is believed to have led to an artificial increase in the retail prices paid by the consumer.

In this context, the ban imposed on the sale of paddy and rice for animal feed production is a timely move. Tough action must be taken against farmers and traders violating this directive.

In any case, balancing the farmers’ and consumers’ interests has always been a difficult task, be it rice or any other commodity. In the past, there have been many instances of farmers committing suicide because they were unable to sell their stocks of paddy even at very low prices. The glut of rice in the market was nevertheless a boon for the consumer.

Sri Lanka has achieved near self sufficiency in rice and it is the duty of all those concerned to evolve a satisfactory mechanism to ensure fair prices for both the consumer and the farmer.

The elimination of middlemen, plus an increase in the guaranteed price, could benefit both parties. The newly revived Paddy Marketing Board should also be heavily involved in this exercise. It must be a win-win situation for both the farmer and the consumer.