Success of “Clean SL” program depends on public support 

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake launched the “Clean Sri Lanka” national initiative yesterday, a laudable exercise that should be supported by all.

“Clean Sri Lanka is not just about cleaning up the environment. Our ambition is to clean the entire society and the country, but the initiative will not be successful without the active participation of the people. It cannot be achieved only through the actions of the Government, laws and officials appointed by the Government,” the President said at the event held to launch the program.

We will focus on cleaning up the environment and not on cleaning up society, the latter being a problematic issue and needs more discussion.

President Dissanayake is not the only executive of the country who has focused on cleaning up the environment. Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence began several programs to clean and beautify the Colombo city, suburbs as well as many of the larger cities across the country. The Environmental Protection Police Division which had been inactive for many years was reestablished and there was a visible presence of the police personnel with the words “Environment Police” on display on their uniforms. The initiative also continued after he became president with many ambitious programs in the pipeline that were focussed on cleaning up the big cities in the country.

It’s important to give the devil his due where the clean-up programs initiated by the former President are concerned. Large areas were opened up for public recreation and were well-maintained and this encouraged the public also to become a part of keeping their environs clear and tidy.

The once ubiquitous Environment Police has all but vanished now and many of the areas in Colombo and suburbs that were opened up for public recreation have fallen into disrepair.

The key to the success of any such programs is public participation and cooperation as the President rightly pointed out. What such an initiative entails are public awareness as well as discipline.

Many Sri Lankans want the country to be a Singapore but how many Sri Lankans are willing to do their part to take the country to achieve a “renaissance,” if we are to use the word from NPP’s election manifesto. That answer is not many.

Since independence Sri Lankans generally have been spoon-fed by successive Governments, who, instead of trying to make them stand on their own feet have made them too dependent on the State.

There is no denying that while the country’s economic indicators were excellent when the British left the country, millions of Sri Lankans were living in abject poverty with no basic health, education, housing and other basic facilities. Hence since independence, successive Governments have had to assist them to steady their lives and move ahead but now the numbers dependent on welfare are increasing than decreasing even though the country has made significant progress in all sectors. It is said that the success of welfare programs is measured not by an increase in the number of people on welfare but on how many you manage to get off welfare.

The new Government has won an unprecedented electoral victory and has public goodwill on its side. People who voted overwhelmingly for change as well as others need to do their part in moving the country forward without putting all the responsibility on the Government. One area where the public can play an active role is in the “Clean Sri Lanka” program. Every citizen can take responsibility for keeping his/her environment clear, take responsibility for disposing of garbage in a sustainable manner, ensuring that they don’t litter and spit and do their bit so the country can transform into a clean Sri Lanka which is the wish of all Lankans.