« A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation. » – James Freeman Clarke
1. “A Call to Action”
Preserving Our Future for Generations to Come- As a member of a generation that may soon leave this world, I recognize that we also serve as the last line of defence in preserving the remaining natural capital of the country, and by extension, the planet, for future generations. This awareness compels me to speak up and share my ideas, motivated by a strong desire for a better, more sustainable future.
It is critical at this stage to express these concerns and insights because they can motivate action and spark discussions during the electoral campaign about the urgent changes that must be made. In the end, we all need a country that prioritises its people’s well-being while preserving its natural resources, ensuring that those who follow us inherit a healthier and more just environment.
The challenges we face today require courageous discussions, and sometimes that means confronting hard truths that may be uncomfortable for some. Unfortunately, we continue to hear traditional promises to the electorate that will not address our pressing issues.
It is an “Alternative Future” that we all want to see.
2. “Political Disillusionment”
The Urgent Issues Ignored- It’s disheartening to see how our political leaders in the current pre-election period appear more focused on scoring points against each other than on addressing the urgent issues we face.
As of now, we have been presented with the final ecological bill: following the ecocide, we now have a large volume of microplastics in our lagoons that end up in our bodies and even in newborn babies, a high concentration of chemicals in our food chain because we are on top of the world’s top list of pesticides users resulting in an increasing percentage of cancer patients, and an increasing percentage of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.
The social bill is also not looking good: drugs all over the island, including in schoolyards, and rising living costs that enrich the already wealthy while making the poor poorer. The final economic bill is far worse!- It is important to remember that the economic miracle ended a long time ago, and the free market economy has not solved our financial problems, and we are now in a debt bubble of 9.9 billion USD as of March 2024.
None of the leaders are explaining how they intend to address these triple economic, social and environmental challenges. Allow me to give some examples to illustrate what I meant above. We have a pressing issue of waste management and the only landfill is full. We are spending billions of dollars on building one-kilometre long flyovers, traffic jams still persist which continue to cost the country billions of rupees each year. The waste of public funds, as evidenced by audit reports year after year, remains untouched. More police officers are being hired and promoted, yet, the country’s drug problem remains acute.
The list of issues is long …
3.“Holding Leaders Accountable”
Demanding Solutions for Our Interconnected Crises- It’s essential for voters to hold leaders accountable and advocate for policies that genuinely address the complex challenges we’re facing. Limited resources and environmental degradation demand innovative solutions and a commitment to sustainability. The rising tide of consumerism and waste calls for better management practices and a shift towards more sustainable solutions. Injustice and nepotism undermine trust and equity, while rapid digitalization risks leaving the most vulnerable behind. Climate change looms over all of this, exacerbating existing inequalities and creating new ones. It’s time in the coming elections to push for leaders who understand these interconnected crises and are ready to tackle them head-on.
The sense of political uncertainty that looms over the upcoming elections is a fact that may further complicate things. But the most concerning fact is our current leaders’ lack of genuine vision.
For the leaders to delve deeply and urgently into these issues with workable solutions can already be felt like a betrayal.
4.“Calling for Authentic Leadership”
Prioritising Unity and Solutions – Many people want authentic leadership that prioritises national and global well-being over partisan battles. As we approach the elections, they are hoping for a shift in discourse. No leader has yet demonstrated the ability to unite people around shared objectives, transparency, and accountability. It’s more of a battle of words and empty promises than a genuine action plan.
56 years after Independence, our current leaders refuse to evolve. While they simply run out of ideas, they keep favouring the canonization of “personal gain”. On the other hand, businesses run by the big capital taking advantage of the confused situation believe that they can cleverly exploit available natural resources to outperform competitors while the authorities fail to correct them.
5. “Nature’s Silent Crisis”
The Cost of Political Apathy – The end result is that the country is going to drains – Just imagine in only one year, we lost 5005 hectares of forest land. Not a single political leader came forward to question the same. The theory of evolution highlights the necessity of adaptation, emphasising that our survival today is intricately tied to nature; if we neglect this connection, we risk being left behind. Our conventional economic theorists, who often insist that the market’s invisible hand will naturally guide resources to their most efficient use, will find ways to justify this massive deforestation. Our political leaders will believe them – pure nonsense!
As trees do not vote, our political leaders have shown no interest at all in this crime against nature. Moreso, there was complete silence from the political floor on the triple side of the Parliament when the “ Forest and Reserve Act 2003” was being amended in the “Finance Act 2024” allowing the conservator of forests to remove protected plants from state lands and reserves for implementation of national projects or in the interest of public safety. Many of these MPs claim to be born defenders of the environment – some even hugged and kissed trees in the past.
We are going for the worst drought the country has ever known since nine to ten decades. The election day may become a dry day where not a single drop of water will come out of.
6. “Beyond the Free Market”
The Need for Intervention in Addressing Economic Inequities and Environmental Challenges – The free market economy has created a slew of serious problems, including income inequality, environmental degradation, and unsustainable consumption patterns, which it can no longer solve on its own. The free market has constantly failed to consider social and environmental costs, resulting in a system that prioritises short-term profits over long-term sustainability pushing responsible governments to intervene and regulate many pressing issues in order to ensure equitable outcomes and promote responsible practices. We haven’t witnessed any such actions from our successive governments since the beginning of this century. They have chosen to follow the “Japanese pictorial maxim of the three wise monkeys” – see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil – while the looters continue to devastate our natural resources.
Without proper government oversight, the inherent flaws of the free market can worsen the complexities of real-world issues like existing inequalities and impede the development of comprehensive solutions to the challenges we face today.
7. “Stagnation in Leadership”
The Urgent Need for Bold Solutions in the 21st Century- Despite the wealth of knowledge and innovative solutions available to tackle the challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, economic inequality, and social injustice we feel the laxism of our political leaders on most issues. Listening to their speeches, it is clear that they seem to struggle with a lack of actionable ideas. This shortfall often stems from a focus on maintaining the status quo rather than embracing transformative change. Additionally, political polarisation and the influence of entrenched interests from the “Big Capital” has stifled creativity and discouraged collaboration across party lines.
Our actual leaders are caught in the cycles of reactionary politics, prioritising immediate gains over long-term vision. As a result, the urgency of pressing issues are overshadowed by a reluctance to engage with bold, forward-thinking strategies that truly address the complexities of our time.
Any outdated leadership cannot address our country’s challenges in this century.
8. “Shaping Our Future”
The Power of Voter Engagement in Overcoming Division – How we, the voters, engage with these elections can shape the path forward and determine whether we move towards healing or deeper despair. It is important at this stage to highlight a deeply entrenched issue: when identity in an election, be it religious or caste supersedes political, environmental and economic needs, it creates a significant barrier to progress. In such a landscape, it can feel hopeless, especially when our leaders seem not only unwilling to challenge the status quo but strengthen them.
While the road ahead may be difficult, challenging the prevailing narratives to foster change seems the only alternative. It often starts small, but each step can contribute to a larger movement towards a more equitable and hopeful future.
Something has to change : that must be clear.
9. “Breaking the Mold- a technical thought to end”
Rethinking Outdated Strategies for Modern Challenges- It’s a critical observation that many of the so-called “modern strategies” we employ today are rooted in frameworks and tools developed over a century ago. This reliance on outdated models often limits our ability to effectively address the complex, multifaceted challenges of the 21st century. While these historical strategies contributed significantly to the rise of the country after Independence, they are no longer adequate for the rapid technological advancements, environmental crises, and shifting social dynamics we face today. Relying on old paradigms have resulted in piecemeal solutions that fail to engage with the nuances of contemporary issues.
To truly innovate, we need to reimagine our approaches, integrating fresh perspectives and interdisciplinary insights that reflect the realities of our time. This shift requires not only creativity and openness to new ideas but also a willingness to question established norms and embrace a more holistic understanding of the world.
I end on this note – “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.” – Abraham Lincoln