Politicians and public trust

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya spoke recently on the importance of trust between the rulers and citizens. Speaking at a public event, she said voters want a government they can trust. She noted that the erosion of public trust in politicians since the end of the war was a primary cause of Sri Lanka’s ongoing crises. One does not have to be a genius to know that there is a serious trust deficit in Government as politicians are rarely upfront and honest with the public but how much have the recent actions by the new Government helped build public trust? 

Take for example the recent travel advisory issued by the United States Embassy in Colombo warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area. The warning came like a bolt from the blues for Sri Lankans as there was absolutely no intimation from the Government that they were privy to any such information on such threats. A Government that talks of building public first had no qualms about keeping the public in the dark on such a serious matter and only disclosed the information after it was made public by a foreign mission in Colombo.

Another ongoing discussion is the issue of the abolition of the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The NPP in its election manifesto promised to abolish the law but is now back peddling saying they will amend the law once a new parliament is elected. This has drawn flack, mainly from human rights activists and civil society groups, who are understandably upset given that many were vocal supporter of the NPP in the run up to September’s Presidential poll.

The NPP also went gung ho with promises to abolish the Presidents’ Entitlements Act, which enables former presidents to get a pension, additional security, an official’s residence, etc. and do away with MPs’ pensions, duty-free vehicle permits, etc. but since taking office, has realised that these are easier said than done.

The Prime Minister seems to be the strongest advocate among the three-member cabinet of replicating the style of governance in more enlightened European capitals where the systems work to precision and where the existence of politicians are remotely of interest to the public except maybe at the time of an election or some crisis unlike Sri Lankans and their daily obsession with their politicians who like to minutely dissect very word or deed they say and do. By her own admission, Amarasuriya has learnt that VIPs going around with a slimmed down security entourage (or bicycles or public transport) is not for Sri Lanka when she was told by the head of her security team, “Madam, this is not Sweden or Switzerland yet” and she will have to get used to having the kind of security that a Prime Minister of Sri Lanka requires based on security assessments done by the relevant authorities.

No one grudges the additional security, perks, privileges held by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake nor members of his cabinet. Most Sri Lankans don’t live in ‘Land Utopia’ to believe that a change in government has transformed Sri Lanka into a fairyland where VIPs will not be targeted by terrorists or criminals. But talking of trust, is it important for the President and those in his team to be honest about these ground realities and admit that the security and some other facilities given to former presidents or MPs is necessary and that even former presidents could still be targets of terrorist attacks and require adequate protection.

A government earns public trust by being upfront with the public and not hiding behind false bravados. Some truths are inconvenient and uncomfortable but it’s not easy to hide the truth for long. The new Government is learning the hard way that you can’t hide the truth from the people for too long.