Imagine A Citizen Whose Lands Are Occupied By The Military
By C.V Wigneswaran -January 20, 2014
C.V Wigneswaran
New Year 2014 is starting well for us. The War had got us into a cocoon in which we managed howsoever we could, not really appreciating the changes taking place locally and globally all around us. We failed to appreciate the nuances of political or administrative terminology too. We are thankful to ICES for coming forward to help us to get out of our niche by introducing to us the processes that are functioning in the field of Governance and Development not forgetting to identify areas of vulnerability.
The term “good governance” is a loaded term. It is viewed in the modem Sri Lankan context as a term used to criticize or stifle or malign a regime even if that regime itself may pay lip service to the term. Espousing “good governance” would be met with a cheer in certain quarters of our society and would be decried as an instrument of Western conspiracy in others. The more restrained may refer to it as a Western philosophic terminology that requires a home grown alternative. These variegated views arise because each person has his or her own conditioned background and agenda whether in espousing good governance or seeking to undermine its significance. Let me be candid and state that my views on good governance are shaped no doubt by the challenges that we face in the Northern Province.
Good governance has many facets and it may be useful to clarify the different ways in which we could understand it. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) defines good governance as “the process of decision making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented)”. Put differently, good governance is about how we make decisions. The UNESCAP identifies the following eight characteristics of good governance viz
| 1. Participatory |
| 2. Consensus oriented |
| 3. Accountable |
| 4. Transparent |
| 5. Responsive |
| 6. Effective and efficient |
| 7. Equitable and inclusive |
| 8. Follows the rule of law |
Good governance could also be understood as the successful relationship between the different stakeholders in society. Sam Agere notes in the Commonwealth publication “Promoting Good Governance – Principles, Practices and Perspectives” that good governance could be understood through the following Governance structures:
- the relationship between governments and citizens
- the relationship between governments and markets
- the relationship between governments and the voluntary or private sector
- the relationship between elected (politicians) and appointed (civil servants)
- the relationship between local government institutions and urban and rural dwellers
- the relationship between the legislature and the executive
- the relationship between nation states and international institutions.
In other words, good governance is about the intricate web of interconnection that forms the fabric of society and how well those connections function in relation to and in conjunction with each other.
