Regulatory Capture: The Worst Public Enemy Imaginable
Dr W.A. Wijewardena
The banning of sand mining in rivers in Sri Lanka
In 2008, Sri Lankan authorities, supported by its Supreme Court, banned sand mining in rivers and internal reservoirs. The measure was well-intentioned as proclaimed by many experts on the subject. According to them, sand mining in rivers had caused irreversible environmental damage. Some of these damages had been documented and could not be ignored: Sand mining had caused sea water to seep inland through receded river mouths, destroyed the now fragile river banks and lowered the water table in adjoining areas making the land dry and unsuitable for cultivation. On top of this, rivers which are the main contributors to the natural formation of Sri Lanka’s sandy beaches by depositing the sand which they carry constantly could not do, according to experts, their job effectively without a sufficient quantity of sand available in them. Hence, the country faced the risk of faster sea erosion which had to be prevented through artificial means at great costs. Hence, despite the unaffordable increase in the price of sand which in turn raised the cost of construction, everyone hailed it as a public policy taken in the right direction. So the hope of the public that the measure would bring overall good to society ran very high and there was no doubt about its failure on any count.
The abuse of the good-intentioned public intervention- Read More
Govt rejects resolutions against Sri Lanka - Minister
The government will not welcome any US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council sessions to be held in Geneva next month, Chief Government Whip and Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told the Daily News. |
Minister Dinesh Gunawardena
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"We will explain our human right standards and progress achieved in the sphere of national reconciliation in terms of the previous UN resolution," Minister Gunawardena said.
"This is not the first time that US -sponsored resolutions have come against sovereign states in Asia at the UNHRC. We will not welcome any resolution against the country at the upcoming Geneva sessions since we have fulfilled requirements of the UN as a member country," he said.
Sri Lanka will face a review on its progress achieved in the implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission(LLRC) report and the Human Rights Action Plan. The Minister said " representatives of the US and other UN member countries can visit Sri Lanka and eyewitness the progress in the spheres of post-war development and national reconciliation."
"People's rights have been established by the government. The people are enjoying freedom of movement after a three decade war," he said.
"The country introduced a Human Rights Action Plan by the UN, fulfilling its commitments to the UN. Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathinga carried out the implementation of the LLRC recommendations.
"Steps have been taken by the government to make constitutional changes that are necessary to implement some recommendations in the LLRC report," he said.
"The government is taking steps to change the electoral system. Tamil National Alliance(TNA)'s reluctance to participate in the Parliamentary Select Committee to reach a consensus on sensitive issues on the devolution of power, has delayed the implementation of some recommendations of the LLRC report," he said.
The decision to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to resolve political issues came after lengthy discussions. Both the TNA and the United National Party (UNP) agreed to participate in it.
But the TNA abstained from participating in the process for over a year, which delayed in reaching a legislative consensus on some matters, the minister said.
The Constitution needs to be amended in relation to changes in the field of international humanitarian law, Minister Gunawardena said.
