They say that good people who do not oppose bad people cause as much harm to society as bad people. Sri Lanka’s past bears witness to that notion, and the number of instances the country had to face catastrophes because those who were tasked with stopping the bad people did not, or failed to do so because of their ignorance and/or lackadaisicalness, is countless. The country has suffered due to armed wars, ethnic/religious conflicts among civilians, large-scale embezzlement, and the squandering of resources and public funds, among many other issues, which were all preventable but were not prevented.
While the country was dealing with the aforementioned ills, the biggest threat to the country – environmental destruction – was intensifying slowly, and the country has now come to a point where the issue cannot be ignored any longer. Activists from various walks of life started standing up against environmental destruction recently, and they accused politicians of setting in motion activities that cause environmental destruction directly or indirectly, and environmental officers of not taking action to prevent the same.
However, some environmental officers, such as Gampaha District Forest Officer Devani Jayathilaka, were not only reactive, but were also proactive. The recent discussion, where Jayathilaka boldly spoke for the environment with several ministers who seemed to be interested in initiating new projects while neglecting existing environmental issues, gave hope to Sri Lankans. Her bravery and unbridled enthusiasm is something Sri Lanka seldom gets to see from a public official speaking in front of ministers, especially when they were trying to guilt trip her into doing what they wanted.
The issue at hand is a matter of choosing the right person for the right job, which is instrumental to ensuring the proper performance of duties in the public sector. It is also important that officials of all levels have the competency and enthusiasm required for their role. What Sri Lanka saw at the aforementioned meeting is a consequence of qualified officials having to work with ministers who show no interest or ability to understand what Jayathilaka tried to point out. Also, them attempting to place the blame on Jayathilaka for the delay in granting approval for a new project, while conveniently ignoring the existing issues she highlighted, shows the self-serving nature of Sri Lanka's political culture.
At the end of the day, environmental officers have to work with and under politicians who are appointed to ministries not necessarily due to their competencies, but due to political and other reasons. In this context, it is doubtful whether long-term, uniform approaches to address environmental issues would be taken by the two parties.
Also, Sri Lanka having environmental policies that depend on and change according to the primary interests of the governments that come to power is a reality that has been identified by environmental officers as a factor that hinders their performance. Environmental officers who have spoken with The Morning have underscored that the political and policy aspect of environmental conservation changing every couple of years has caused negative impacts on environmental officers whose priorities do not change.
The truth is, Sri Lanka has seen more than enough progressive development. However, now that environmental officers representing state institutions have formed a new coalition to make a more meaningful intervention at the decision-making level with regard to matters concerning environmental issues as opposed to politicians’ myopic approaches, Sri Lanka can look forward to progressive decisions and actions in the future. However, how the implementation would pan out remains a question, as a large part of this process is in the hands of politicians.
The day political interest and national interest align is the day the country would reap the harvest of the efforts of environmental officers. After all, politicians not extending assistance to environmental officers to deal with environmental issues amounts to assisting those causing environmental destruction.
Saving environment from politicos
02 Apr 2021
Saving environment from politicos
02 Apr 2021
They say that good people who do not oppose bad people cause as much harm to society as bad people. Sri Lanka’s past bears witness to that notion, and the number of instances the country had to face catastrophes because those who were tasked with stopping the bad people did not, or failed to do so because of their ignorance and/or lackadaisicalness, is countless. The country has suffered due to armed wars, ethnic/religious conflicts among civilians, large-scale embezzlement, and the squandering of resources and public funds, among many other issues, which were all preventable but were not prevented.
While the country was dealing with the aforementioned ills, the biggest threat to the country – environmental destruction – was intensifying slowly, and the country has now come to a point where the issue cannot be ignored any longer. Activists from various walks of life started standing up against environmental destruction recently, and they accused politicians of setting in motion activities that cause environmental destruction directly or indirectly, and environmental officers of not taking action to prevent the same.
However, some environmental officers, such as Gampaha District Forest Officer Devani Jayathilaka, were not only reactive, but were also proactive. The recent discussion, where Jayathilaka boldly spoke for the environment with several ministers who seemed to be interested in initiating new projects while neglecting existing environmental issues, gave hope to Sri Lankans. Her bravery and unbridled enthusiasm is something Sri Lanka seldom gets to see from a public official speaking in front of ministers, especially when they were trying to guilt trip her into doing what they wanted.
The issue at hand is a matter of choosing the right person for the right job, which is instrumental to ensuring the proper performance of duties in the public sector. It is also important that officials of all levels have the competency and enthusiasm required for their role. What Sri Lanka saw at the aforementioned meeting is a consequence of qualified officials having to work with ministers who show no interest or ability to understand what Jayathilaka tried to point out. Also, them attempting to place the blame on Jayathilaka for the delay in granting approval for a new project, while conveniently ignoring the existing issues she highlighted, shows the self-serving nature of Sri Lanka's political culture.
At the end of the day, environmental officers have to work with and under politicians who are appointed to ministries not necessarily due to their competencies, but due to political and other reasons. In this context, it is doubtful whether long-term, uniform approaches to address environmental issues would be taken by the two parties.
Also, Sri Lanka having environmental policies that depend on and change according to the primary interests of the governments that come to power is a reality that has been identified by environmental officers as a factor that hinders their performance. Environmental officers who have spoken with The Morning have underscored that the political and policy aspect of environmental conservation changing every couple of years has caused negative impacts on environmental officers whose priorities do not change.
The truth is, Sri Lanka has seen more than enough progressive development. However, now that environmental officers representing state institutions have formed a new coalition to make a more meaningful intervention at the decision-making level with regard to matters concerning environmental issues as opposed to politicians’ myopic approaches, Sri Lanka can look forward to progressive decisions and actions in the future. However, how the implementation would pan out remains a question, as a large part of this process is in the hands of politicians.
The day political interest and national interest align is the day the country would reap the harvest of the efforts of environmental officers. After all, politicians not extending assistance to environmental officers to deal with environmental issues amounts to assisting those causing environmental destruction.
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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!