The commencement of duties of the new Government armed with a robust mandate provided at back to back Presidential and Parliamentary Elections is a clear indication that Sri Lanka has spoken; empowered by a movement for change. There is much to accomplish, and the aspirations of a nation rests on the shoulders of a very ‘new’ Government, and a Parliament which has been replenished and revived with new blood.

One of the key reasons that Sri Lanka stumbled many times and fell into crisis is the fact that the elected lawmakers and the Legislature which they gathered at led down the citizenry in policy-making and not representing their aspirations in the House. As such, over the last few decades the trust deficit between the Parliament, the State and the public had widened to a dangerous extent. As such, the new Government and indeed, the Opposition must act to bridge the trust gap which exists. This will go a long way in reinforcing Sri Lanka’s democratic values, credentials and improve governance of the island nation. 

The results of the elections and the formulation of the new Parliament completes a historic chain of events that have brought about extraordinary change in Sri Lanka’s political landscape. Gone is the old guard. It seems that a new social contract has been signed by the citizens. It gives way to a new leadership, hopefully an improvement in the island's political culture and style of governance. It also means that the voters will hold the lawmakers and the government accountable more diligently from on. 

Comments made by the Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya during a Parliamentary training session yesterday, gives hope that the new Government will walk the talk on the matter. "If we are to restore the Parliament as a supreme institution, which has faced public scorn and disapproval in the past, we must act with the awareness that we are the representatives of the people," The Prime Minister stated. She made these remarks during the inaugural session of the awareness workshop on Parliamentary procedures for new members of the 10th, held last morning (25). Addressing the newly-elected Members of Parliament, Dr. Amarasuriya said: "I extend my congratulations to all of you who have been elected to serve as members of the Tenth Parliament. This Parliament holds a historic and special significance. We must approach our duties with a profound understanding of the responsibilities this institution entails. This Parliament is historic for several reasons. Notably, 22 female MPs have been elected, marking the highest representation of women in our Parliamentary history. Furthermore, 162 out of the 225 MPs are newly-elected members. This remarkable turnover reflects the public's sentiment and the rejection of previous Parliamentary practices. The people of our country, who are politically mature, have sent a strong message through the General Election. All MPs, irrespective of their positions, must recognise that they are first and foremost representatives of the people. Whether holding ministerial or deputy ministerial positions, we must prioritise the hopes and trust placed in us by the citizens. The disapproval of Parliament in recent years can only be reversed if we collectively work to meet the people's expectations and uphold their aspirations.” 

While the Premier’s approach and words are important and welcomed, it is now the duty of the new Government to convert the ideals to action. One key area where not only the Parliament and the governments of the past have failed is in not being transparent enough and not allowing the public to be involved in the process of governance. It has been observed that the new NPP Government is, up to now, guarded about access to the press and media institutions. If such a guarded approach, where all information is channeled through one centralised entity continues, it will do little to improve transparency and accountability of the Government. 

This method, which others have used in the past, is often tied with party control of members while in Government. Since the NPP, built on the JVP chassis is directly and indirectly linked to Sri Lanka’s vast trade union movement, and has with its membership a large portion of nearly 1.5 million state employees, it seems a new and tight information control regime is now in effect. This dries up sources and puts serious pressure on whistleblowers to ‘tow the party line’ and is unhealthy for an active, investigative media landscape. If the people who elected a government and gave them a significant mandate are shut away from their understanding of how the government is running the State through tight information control, then eventually the lack of accountability may cause unintended consequences, ones’ Sri Lanka, nor the new Government can afford. As such, in bridging the trust deficit between the governance and the governed, it is imperative that the Government becomes more transparent and accessible.