Needed: Action not words
Editorial-March 5, 2015
Various allegations are being hurled against the leaders of the previous government. President Maithripala Sirisena has told Parliament that one of them got a huge bribe to shelve the national drug policy. Yes, that vital Bill went missing under mysterious circumstances from the Legal Draftsman’s Department. Obviously, someone got his or her palm greased.
President Sirisena is now in a position to tell the public who the culprit is. Now that he has access to all necessary information to prefer charges against the bribe taker concerned he should get cracking. Mere allegations won’t do. Those who believed in his pre-election pledge that he would bring the corrupt to justice as a national priority and voted for him expect him to act. They must not be let down.
Big Pharma works in mysterious ways like the tobacco industry. If drug companies fail to prevent legislation inimical to their interests from being passed they have such laws rendered weak. It will be interesting to see whether the national drug policy before Parliament has been watered down.
Some of those who relentlessly campaigned for liberating the sick from the clutches of the pharmaceutical giants are disappointed. They are of the view that the government’s drug policy is not a patch on the original one proposed by Prof. Senaka Bibile. Today, we quote All Ceylon Medical Officers’ Association General Secretary Dr. Jayantha Bandara as having said that the proposed National Drug Regulatory Authority Act is not consistent with the original Senaka Bibile National Drug Policy. Let’s see what other experts have to say about the new Bill.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne has threatened to sue the National Organiser of Wimal Weerawansa’s NFF for having lodged a complaint against him with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). He has dismissed as baseless the complaint that he has misappropriated two billion rupees when he was the Fisheries Minister of the Rajapaksa government. Yes, he should institute legal action if that complaint is proved to be baseless. Similarly, the government members who rush to the CIABOC with allegations against their rivals also run the risk of being sued for damages.
The previous government used the CID as a bludgeon against its rivals and the practice continues. Instead of conducting criminal investigations it is doing full-time political work for its new masters. However, let no one say that the CID has gone to the dogs; canines should not be insulted.
It hurts people to be accused of corruption as evident from Minister Senaratne’s outburst of anger. Hence, the need for everyone to refrain from hurling wild allegations against others for political reasons! Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Why bash Mathew?
The UPFA is planning to move courts for a second time against the change of the Uva Provincial Council administration. Its first attempt came a cropper owing to a flaw in its petition.
UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha has taken a swipe at the then Governor of Uva Province Nanda Mathew, who appointed UNP Councillor Harin Fernando Chief Minister on the basis of some affidavits submitted by a group of councillors. Premajayantha is not being fair by the former Governor. For, the latter took his cue from President Maithripala Sirisena, who caused an SLFP-led government to be dislodged to pave the way for a UNP-led administration on Jan. 09. Mathew at least had some proof that Harin commanded a majority in the council!
Before bashing Mathew for the manner in which the new Uva CM was appointed, Premajayantha and others ought to tell us whether they approve of the way President Sirisena had the UPFA government dislodged.
