Reform needs more than mandate

The present government is keenly aware it came to office with an overwhelming mandate from the people that is widely interpreted as one for “system change”.

- BY JEHAN PERERA

Its leaders often speak as if this mandate is a form of ownership, held in trust by them. This attitude is creating problems for both the government and the country. In democratic theory, legitimacy arises not solely from electoral victory but from the ongoing consent and participation of all citizens. The principle of democracy entails governance that reflects the will of the people, not just the majority, and ensures that minority voices are heard and respected.

Sri Lanka is not a homogenous society. It is plural, layered and rich with many traditions, beliefs and identi-

ties. It was only in 1835 the entire country came under one rule and as one country by the British. A mandate for system change does not mean that those who won the election are its only guardians. It does not entitle them to decide by themselves what that change should look like, nor to act without listening to those who must live with the consequences. As the government enters its second year, it needs to recognise that democracy is not only about the mandate received at election time. This mandate can be lost as former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government experienced in 2022.

Governance in a democracy is about engaging in a process of dialogue and consultation with the people and with other stakeholders that never ceases. One of the key promises in the NPP manifesto was educational reform. The government announced its programme about three months ago to the people of the country who had no clue about it. It is understandable that this announcement was followed not by progress but by protest. The reforms were criticised, sometimes on reasonable grounds and sometimes on imagined ones. The story was spread that history was being de-emphasised. Trade unions claimed that the curriculum changes would commercialise schooling. Others said that local values were being replaced by foreign ones.