System change expected by the population from the government of nuclear power plants

The government has already created a competent ministry and qualified advisors in this area. This is a good, positive starting point. People have not yet seen any change in this regard. The NPP government should also encourage industries that promote job creation, especially for the youth, by supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and providing vocational training programs. The curriculum of technical schools should be overhauled and relevant job-oriented vocational training should be further developed.

The NPP, which emerged as a major political force in Sri Lanka’s last parliamentary elections, has presented a vision of system change that many find attractive.

Systems change could be defined as creating an environment in which social equity, economic stability, environmental sustainability, and general well-being can thrive. A nation must radically reinvent the way its many components interact with each other. In order to achieve the goal of sustainable improvements in all spheres of society, comprehensive strategies involving multiple stakeholders in cooperative efforts are necessary. In particular, people anticipate political reforms, changes in the economy and its growth, which lead to significant job creation, debt restructuring, equality, social justice, improving access to education for all and infrastructure, empowering marginalized communities (such as Muslims, Sri Lankans). Lankan Tamils ​​and Upcountry Tamils), environmental sustainability, anti-corruption initiatives, etc.

Anti-corruption initiatives

Since corruption and malpractices are major problems in Sri Lankan politics, the NPP has promised to tackle them directly through transparency initiatives and strengthening anti-corruption agencies. This should include putting in place adequate systems to make procurement and public spending procedures more transparent and encouraging the creation of anti-corruption organizations to operate autonomously, without political influence. It appears that purchasing goods and services from abroad was the main area where politicians from the previous ruling party and their allies resorted to corrupt practices to make money illegally.

Reform in politics

The people of Sri Lanka expect the NPP government to implement substantial reforms in the political, economic, social, environmental and anti-corruption areas.

The population expects comprehensive political change aimed at improving democracy and governance. This is one of the main demands made by the people to the NPP government. It appears that the NPP supports the decentralization of power through the provincial council system. The northerners hugely supported the NPP to form the government by electing many Tamil MPs, which is a turning point in the political history of Tamils. The northern Tamil parties, which used Tamil nationalism as a commodity to “do business” and continued to provide false hopes and misrepresentations in the past, were miserably defeated by the Tamils.

The nuclear power plant should now ensure that decision-making is more representative and more sensitive to local interests. The government can seriously consider the strong argument for strengthening local government authority. For example, school administration, including appointment and transfer of teachers, allocation of other school resources, etc., can be decentralized to local boards.

Changes in the economy and job creation for young people

The country’s economic crisis has sparked widespread discontent and the NPP’s economic agenda is expected to emphasize sustainable development through economic diversification, unlike the past which was oriented towards areas where the share of private profits goes to corporate coffers. politicians. The government should introduce a process that shifts the economy from over-reliance on conventional industries to sectors focused on technology and renewable energy sources.

The government has already created a competent ministry and qualified advisors in this area. This is a good, positive starting point. People have not yet seen any change in this regard. The NPP government should also encourage industries that promote job creation, especially for the youth, by supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and providing vocational training programs. The curriculum of technical schools should be overhauled and relevant job-oriented vocational training should be further developed.

Debt restructuring

It has become a major point on the Government’s agenda and involves many international actors. This would be a process to resolve the country’s debt burden by negotiating with foreign lenders. In this process, the government must ensure that social safety nets are preserved for the disadvantaged. However, the primary objective of debt restructuring should be to make debt more manageable for Sri Lanka. This should involve negotiating lower interest rates, extending repayment periods, or reducing the total amount owed. The extension of the repayment period should not be accompanied by a higher interest rate.

Equality and social justice

This has been lacking in the country for several centuries. Centuries-old problems cannot be solved overnight. However, social equity should be a key element of the nuclear power plant program. In this regard, the government should increase access to health services for all citizens, regardless of their financial situation. It should be about universal access to health care. Private hospitals and doctors who exploit the lack of infrastructure in public hospitals must be taken to task. The medical mafia that exists in the private medical sector should be strictly regularized.

Improving access and educational infrastructure

The NPP government should emphasize high-quality education that prepares students for a ruthless global market through meaningful education reform. The government should completely reform the current education system, which places an undue burden on students and ultimately cannot help them find jobs suitable for their studies. Like the medical mafia, there is the private education mafia in Sri Lanka, which exploits the lack of adequate educational facilities and equipment in public schools and institutes of higher learning. These are the institutions that spoil the quality of education.

Many of these private higher education institutions admit students without even the GCE Ordinary Level Diploma and award degrees in the name of foreign universities. Poor students struggle to gain admission to local state universities, even with three A grades at GCE Advanced level to obtain similar degrees. The government should completely ban private higher education institutions and private tuition.

Empowering marginalized communities

This involves government efforts to design laws and programs that can improve the lives of women, ethnic minorities and other disadvantaged groups. It is appreciable that the government has appointed a woman minister from a minority community exclusively responsible for women and children’s affairs. However, there should be a minister exclusively responsible for minority issues. The government can seriously consider appointing a minister responsible exclusively for minority issues.

Environmental sustainability

The nuclear power plant must prioritize environmental sustainability due to Sri Lanka’s vulnerability to climate change. It is also worth noting that the NPP government has appointed a minister of the environment. The government should put in place the necessary laws to reduce carbon emissions, support renewable energy sources and improve emergency preparedness. The concerned ministry should undertake conservation efforts by preserving biodiversity through community-engaged conservation initiatives and sustainable land use practices.

Therefore, the people of Sri Lanka expect the NPP government to implement substantial reforms in the political, economic, social, environmental and anti-corruption areas. These adjustments are seen as crucial both for short-term recovery and for establishing long-term stability and prosperity.

(The author was previously Dean of Business Studies at Sabaragamuwa University, Dean of Commerce and Management at Eastern University and Principal of the Affiliated University College (EP).)