Al Jazeera published an article titled “Sri Lanka declares food emergency as forex crisis worsens” on 31 August, in which the Qatar-based global news provider had compiled a report on Sri Lanka’s economic situation. It reported that long queues have formed outside stores in Sri Lanka due to a shortage of milk powder, kerosene oil, and cooking gas. Soon after this, the Government, in a media statement issued on 4 September by Department of Government Information (DGI) Director General Mohan Samaranayake, retorted that these queues are the result of “social distancing” and not shortages and that stating otherwise is mischievous. In simple terms, it was an unequivocal denial.
As the long list of challenges Sri Lanka has to deal with due to the Covid-19 pandemic keeps growing, this culture of denial seems to be growing too. On top of the need to vaccinate millions, the declining economy and disrupted education, Sri Lanka has been struggling with overpriced essential food items and a scarcity of the same during the past few weeks, if not months. There was a severe shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and milk powder, while sugar and rice were sold at exorbitant prices, despites the authorities’ usual assurance that this situation would be resolved in no time and that there is no reason to panic. Even though some of the said items are now more available than during the last few weeks, the relief the public received was not adequate to claim that the situation has been managed.
It is true that the Government took some measures to strengthen the existing laws by declaring new maximum retail prices (MRPs) for rice and proposing fine hikes against those selling consumer goods at higher prices. Before taking these measures, the Government claimed that the situation was not as bad as it seemed, and later, they expressed confidence that these changes would resolve the issues pertaining to food shortages and overpriced food items.
However, the reality is that the ground level situation has not returned to normalcy, and even today, retail traders having only a limited supply of rice and milk powder and selling sugar at higher prices than the MRP is not at all uncommon. According to consumer rights activists, even though wholesale traders and importers have to adhere to the new regulations due to their direct transactions with the authorities, there is no proper mechanism to see to it that retail traders also follow the new regulations. They also allege that even though the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) is continuing raids, with a small workforce that is not adequate to cover all Districts, the situation in remote areas remains more or less the same.
However, placing the blame on retail traders does not seem to be completely fair, because, if the supply is limited, considering the prices at which they receive goods, they tend to sell goods at higher prices in order to cover their costs and maintain the profit margin. At the same time, we cannot blame consumers for not opposing it and not knowing their rights and the law, because in a lot of cases, they have to purchase goods at the nearest store because State-operated Sathosa branches cannot be found in every part of the island. Therefore, restoring the supply of food items of which there is a scarcity should be the authorities’ priority.
The issue, although somewhat managed, still exists.
However, by ignoring this simple but undeniable truth, the authorities seem to be ignoring this issue; perhaps, they are too hopeful of the changes the new regulations regarding food prices could bring about. That is the statement that was made by the Department of Government Information Director General Mohan Samaranayake, following a report by Al Jazeera that that long queues have formed outside stores due to a shortage of milk powder. He claimed that there is no such shortage in the country, and that these long queues are a result of the people adhering to social distancing. The statement went on to express overconfidence, saying that stating otherwise is mischievous.
Perhaps, it is time to understand that the usual strategies the authorities adopt to deal with national level issues, such as ignoring, underestimating or taking temporary measures to make people forget burning issues, are unlikely to make the people forget about this particular issue, simply because food is an everyday necessity. The first step to addressing an issue is acknowledging that there is an issue, and as long as the authorities do not do that, the country will have to suffer the adverse impacts of the crisis it is in. Denial is also the first reason that causes issues to exacerbate.No shortage of denial
07 Sep 2021
No shortage of denial
07 Sep 2021
Al Jazeera published an article titled “Sri Lanka declares food emergency as forex crisis worsens” on 31 August, in which the Qatar-based global news provider had compiled a report on Sri Lanka’s economic situation. It reported that long queues have formed outside stores in Sri Lanka due to a shortage of milk powder, kerosene oil, and cooking gas. Soon after this, the Government, in a media statement issued on 4 September by Department of Government Information (DGI) Director General Mohan Samaranayake, retorted that these queues are the result of “social distancing” and not shortages and that stating otherwise is mischievous. In simple terms, it was an unequivocal denial.
As the long list of challenges Sri Lanka has to deal with due to the Covid-19 pandemic keeps growing, this culture of denial seems to be growing too. On top of the need to vaccinate millions, the declining economy and disrupted education, Sri Lanka has been struggling with overpriced essential food items and a scarcity of the same during the past few weeks, if not months. There was a severe shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and milk powder, while sugar and rice were sold at exorbitant prices, despites the authorities’ usual assurance that this situation would be resolved in no time and that there is no reason to panic. Even though some of the said items are now more available than during the last few weeks, the relief the public received was not adequate to claim that the situation has been managed.
It is true that the Government took some measures to strengthen the existing laws by declaring new maximum retail prices (MRPs) for rice and proposing fine hikes against those selling consumer goods at higher prices. Before taking these measures, the Government claimed that the situation was not as bad as it seemed, and later, they expressed confidence that these changes would resolve the issues pertaining to food shortages and overpriced food items.
However, the reality is that the ground level situation has not returned to normalcy, and even today, retail traders having only a limited supply of rice and milk powder and selling sugar at higher prices than the MRP is not at all uncommon. According to consumer rights activists, even though wholesale traders and importers have to adhere to the new regulations due to their direct transactions with the authorities, there is no proper mechanism to see to it that retail traders also follow the new regulations. They also allege that even though the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) is continuing raids, with a small workforce that is not adequate to cover all Districts, the situation in remote areas remains more or less the same.
However, placing the blame on retail traders does not seem to be completely fair, because, if the supply is limited, considering the prices at which they receive goods, they tend to sell goods at higher prices in order to cover their costs and maintain the profit margin. At the same time, we cannot blame consumers for not opposing it and not knowing their rights and the law, because in a lot of cases, they have to purchase goods at the nearest store because State-operated Sathosa branches cannot be found in every part of the island. Therefore, restoring the supply of food items of which there is a scarcity should be the authorities’ priority.
The issue, although somewhat managed, still exists.
However, by ignoring this simple but undeniable truth, the authorities seem to be ignoring this issue; perhaps, they are too hopeful of the changes the new regulations regarding food prices could bring about. That is the statement that was made by the Department of Government Information Director General Mohan Samaranayake, following a report by Al Jazeera that that long queues have formed outside stores due to a shortage of milk powder. He claimed that there is no such shortage in the country, and that these long queues are a result of the people adhering to social distancing. The statement went on to express overconfidence, saying that stating otherwise is mischievous.
Perhaps, it is time to understand that the usual strategies the authorities adopt to deal with national level issues, such as ignoring, underestimating or taking temporary measures to make people forget burning issues, are unlikely to make the people forget about this particular issue, simply because food is an everyday necessity. The first step to addressing an issue is acknowledging that there is an issue, and as long as the authorities do not do that, the country will have to suffer the adverse impacts of the crisis it is in. Denial is also the first reason that causes issues to exacerbate.Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!