The IMF has called for the privatization of public enterprises. Will you comply with their demands if you come to power?
We need modern and comprehensive safety, securit,self defence act. About 10 to 15 people die due to road accidents every day. So many youth die drowning in the rivers and tanks. We badly need awareness programme through schools and teach them basic safety and security methods to school children Sunil Peiris
I have served in politics for more than 25 years, was the former Tourist Board Chairman W.P., With my loads of experience especially the Tourism, Aviation, I want to serve my country on a voluntary basis, and could help me achieve this. I represent the Gampaha District.
I looked at the available environmental policy on your website, and I hope it is being updated. Please convey these suggestions to the environmental policy development team. Definitions One of the key challenges in policies is the lack of clarity in core definitions. This makes it difficult to interpret, implement and enforce on practical grounds. In the current NPP policy, "ecological balance" is referred to on several occasions. Although a balanced approach between economic development and environmental management is widely discussed (for example the circular economy discussions) among scientists, it is meaningless when a policy aims to protect the "ENVIRONMENTAL/ ECOLOGICAL BALANCE" within itself. This is because there is no such balance in the natural environment since none has ever existed or is likely to exist. The natural environment always evolves through a series of changes. If this change did not happen, humans would not have evolved in the first place. A better choice of wording is "ECOLOGICAL HEALTH", which is clearly interpretable and measurable. This distinction is important because it helps develop meaningful regulatory and management plans based on such principles. For instance, in the implementation of freshwater management policies, it will be more practical to archive a given set of ecological health indicators (such as water quality limits) than sustain a so-called 'ecological balance'. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions There is little or no mention of the ecosystem functions protection and enhancement in the currently available policy. Our heritage agricultural systems such as 'Ellanga Systems" performed to sustain these ecosystem functions including provisioning of basic human supplies, climate regulations, soil protection, filtering of pollutants and many other duties carried out by the natural environment that supported humanity. I believe that ecosystem function protection must be a fundamental principle in a sound environmental policy. Ecological Data In most developed countries, a vast range of data and information is available for policymakers, researchers and regulatory authorities. In Sri Lanka, we don't have a central policy on how ecological data can be gathered and managed. While there is a large number of research activities are undertaken each year, the use of these data is currently limited to producing a target research paper or a report. There must be a centralised data repository to sustain this data for future use including management policy development and pollution limit analyses. A series of research aiming to develop standardised field data collection methods and biomonitoring indices could be a good approach to implementing the environmental data policy. Further National Databases (GIS-based) must be developed to enable repeated use of environmental data. Integrating Traditional Knowlege The traditional knowledge is based on practice and evidence. In a country with a long history like Sri Lanka, traditional knowledge inescapably embodies a significant amount of information and understanding about the structure and functions of the natural environment and its uses. The challenge is that we do not have a central policy to help align this knowledge in the development process. On the other hand, there is a lack of institutional approach to gathering, studying and conserving Sri Lankan traditional knowledge. This in turn leaves a vacuum where the traditional knowledge is presented, shared and interpreted in arenas such as social media of which the reliability of information remains questionable. I believe that the national environmental policy must aim to integrate traditional knowledge into natural resource management. These are some of the many concerns that I have regarding a robust, implementable and achievable environmental policy for the country. I am more than happy to discuss further if there is an opportunity.
What's the EXACT political system that the NPP follows? Socialist or Capitalist? If it is Socialist, how does NPP differ from the existing socialist movements(including the socialist context of the current constitution) in Sri Lanka? If it is Capitalist, how does NPP differ from the existing capitalist movements in Sri Lanka? I need a direct & clear answer. Thanks.