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Encouraging Presidential perceptions

The time honoured principle of 'country before self' is President Kumaratunga's motto and guiding light as Sri Lanka enters a most decisive phase in its post independence history. A wide ranging interview carried in the Sunday Observer yesterday, detailed the considerations which led to her crucial decision to form an alliance with the JVP, whose chequered history is now under scrutiny in some political circles which are intent on exhuming the country's political past for cheap, electoral gain.

It is clear that the need to serve the national interest led to the President forming the alliance with the JVP. In other words, 'country before self'. It was perceived that some vital interests were compromised by the UNF government, in the peace-making context, and this led to the shoring-up of the SLFP-JVP pact, which, if voted to power, would have to shoulder the precious responsibility of taking Sri Lanka to a just peace - our number one priority.

The interview, among other salient features, highlights a refreshing approach on the part of President Kumaratunga to the present JVP leadership. While there is no gainsaying the fact that the JVP of the past did not operate within democratic, civilized norms, the same strictures could not be levelled at the present JVP leadership which has chosen to tread the democratic path. This drastic change of policy, the President clearly perceives. It is this perception, besides the national interest, which has made the UPFA, a feasible proposition.

The challenge before the Freedom Alliance would be to come to grips with what really constitutes the national interest. That the JVP is finally treading the democratic path is likely to be widely appreciated but this approach would need to be pursued consistently and vigorously to cover issues pertaining to the national question and peace. For, the future of Sri Lanka depends on how justly this problem is resolved and in double quick time, too. In short, the JVP would have to help in addressing the legitimate needs of all our minorities and collaborate in finding a political solution to them. If this vital need is compromised in the name of power, nothing would have been gained and all lost.

Meanwhile, we could take heart from the President's pronouncement that she would be forging ahead with the peace process, with direct talks with the LTTE figuring prominently as a principled approach to the negotiations. Besides, the conditions she has stipulated for such negotiations would strike anyone as just. For instance, the LTTE would need to respect the rights of all communities, and desist from violence against those seen as political opponents.

Consumer culture

Everyone wants to lead a happy life. But in our quest to achieve happiness we actually end up feeling miserable. This is the gist of a recent report on the State of the World from Worldwatch Institute.

The report concludes that consumer appetite has eroded the quality of life for rich and poor and that the world is consuming goods and services at an unsustainable pace with serious consequences for the wellbeing of the planet. In short, the world is richer, fatter and not much happier.

Worldwatch notes that around 1.7 billion people worldwide - more than a quarter of humanity - have entered the 'consumer class', adopting the diets, transportation systems and lifestyles that were limited to the rich nations of Europe and North America during most of the past century. Classified as those who use televisions, telephones, and the Internet, along with the culture and ideals these products transmit, almost half of this consumer class live in developing countries.

The consumer culture has resulted in many adverse effects, which we are witnessing in Sri Lanka and other developing countries. Higher levels of obesity and personal debt, chronic time shortages and a degraded environment are all signs of excessive consumption.

Beneath this veneer lie, unseen and unheard, great disparities that divide the world on the lines of wealth. Consumers across the globe spend an estimated $35 billion a year on bottled water, but an estimated 1.1 billion people still lack reasonable access to safe drinking water. As many as 2.8 billion people on the planet struggle to survive on less than $2 a day. The world's richest people use on average 25 times more energy than the world's poorest. Providing adequate food, clean water, and basic education for the world's poorest would cost less than the amount people spend annually on makeup and ice cream.

The quest for a "happy life" has seen the destruction of forests, wetlands, and other natural places to make way for people and their homes, farms, malls, and factories. These trends lead to some difficult questions on the state of our world. Can buying a new TV set necessarily bring you happiness ? Does a shopping mall spell development ?

As Worldwatch contends, there is a need for innovative responses to these issues. We must learn to consider the plight of the planet and neglected sections of society before being carried away by the torrent of consumerism.

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