Sri Lankan governments do not respond to early warnings and thereby invite trouble
Sri Lankan governments do not respond to early warnings and thereby invite trouble. The Easter Sunday carnage (2019) could have been prevented if the Sirisena-Wickramesinghe government had heeded repeated intelligence warnings of impending terror attacks. It let the grass grow under its feet, and disaster struck. It has now been revealed that the Gotabaya Rajapakse government did not care two hoots about dire warnings the Central Bank, etc.,issued about economic crisis.
The incumbent Rajapakse-Wickramesinghe administration also tries to wish away trouble. Health sector trade unions have warned that they will resume their suspended trade union action come 19 March 2024. The non-physician health workers went on a strike, a few weeks ago, crippling the state-run hospitals to all intents and purposes. The government acted in a such a manner that it was seen to be labouring under the misconception that doctors and nurses could run hospitals.
The government promptly unleashes the riot police on its rivals, who take to the streets; it does not care to eliminate the causes of the protesters’ discontent and resentment; instead of resolving labour issues, it sets trade unions against one another. Doctors’ trade unions and non-physician health workers, the government seems to think that if the doctors prevail in the trade union battle, others will give in and the problem will go away.
The government act instead of being intransigent, and engage the warning workers in negotiations and make a serious effort to patch up a compromise. It ought to get all stakeholders around the tables; but it exudes hubris and antagonises some trade unions, driving them to extreme actions, such as continuous strikes.
The manner in which the government handle the situation cannot be countenanced on any grounds because that only aggravates the crisis in the health sector.
The state-run hospitals are experiencing shortage of all sorts, and it has been revealed that some medicinal drugs and equipment are of poor quality. Thanks to economic crisis, more and more people are becoming dependent on the overcrowded government hospitals for want of a better alternative.
