A scan of last week is sufficient to observe much effort is needed to push through the ‘system changes’ many Sri Lankans marched for in the recent past. Several incidents pointed to how deep the culture of corruption and entitlement is entrenched, and how widespread the lack of accountability and dereliction of duty is in the State sector. It also showed how unprepared and inexperienced the current Government is, despite its massive mandate for change.

The behaviour of troubled Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, following his court proceedings in Galle, and subsequent revelations which led him to be charged with contempt of court, is indicative of how deep the rot has sent in within the Sri Lankan law enforcement community and the judicial apparatus. It also indicates the entitlement with which such senior State officials, many closely linked to political forces, behave in Sri Lanka. According to reports from the Galle Magistrate’s Court, where representatives from the prosecution had painted in detail how the disgraced police chief left the court complex, allegedly in breach of court orders. The matter is expected to be taken up in the Appeals Court later on. Meanwhile, the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Priyantha Weerasuriya has named a four-member police team to assist the investigation of the Committee of Inquiry appointed to inquire and report its findings on IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon in respect of acts of gross abuse of power. The Committee of Inquiry previously informed the Acting IGP in writing to nominate a police investigation team to assist the on-going investigation into IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon. Accordingly, a four-member team including an Assistant Superintendent of Police attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been assigned for the task, media reports stated.

 Over in the public health sector, the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) has had to write to the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital (RTH) administration to act on a major dengue outbreak at the hospital premises, which has reportedly nearly 150 staff members testing positive for dengue! Are these instructions a hospital needs to be told to implement, within its own perimeter? Is that not dereliction of duty on the part of the hospital administration? Should they not have acted sooner? Many questions remain unanswered, while the public wonders if those in leadership positions at such institutions warrant an inquiry into their conduct and why was no action taken before? Sri Lanka being a tropical country has a long history with dengue with ups and downs. Dengue numbers are seasonal, and there has been awareness building about how to counter its growth, from school level to institutional programmes and guidelines which have been issued for a long time. As such, such inactions are symptoms of systematic lack of accountability. This Government came to power on the promise of change, and righting wrongs. Will they act on such matters, where some of their own trade union colleagues and political supporters will likely be impacted? Time will tell.

The Government’s inexperience, lack of flexibility and arrogance in messaging is also showing more clearly. Despite the landmark mandate, and the so-called leadership team of ‘professionals’ and ‘experts’, the State keeps putting its foot in its mouth and tripping over their own incompetence. Case and point, the poorly-organised public management system for the special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic, ‘Siri Dalada Wandanawa’, which ended yesterday (27). From day one, it was clear that the Government had different designs to seek the period of mid-late April for the exposition, with many observers stating that it was intended to have an political impact on the upcoming Local Government Elections. It is clear that the Government underestimated the nature of such an event and the public desire to view the Sacred Tooth Relic. To say preparations were inadequate would be an understatement. This is not to say, managing such an exposition is an easy task. Previous Government have tried the same and had similar results. However, it’s clear this Government had not learnt from the mistakes of their predecessors, who they have claimed to be very different from. The lack of lessons learned, even in such domestic matters, raises concerns about how they will manage more serious issues of international nature?