Spending billions on a useless talk shop

“Whatever be the repercussions, the conference will be held, the politicians and their leader have decided! They have been given a mandate to govern as they deem fit, they claim, and who cares if the citizens suffer?”

by Rue Avis

(July 28, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Much is being said about the SAARC conference to be held in Colombo this week.

On the one hand government politicians are of the opinion that it would boost the image of our country and it is worth the money spent. Sri Lanka and its President would become the regional head of a very large population in this part of the world. They say, we should take pride in this and all who oppose it are not patriots, and are connected to the Tigers.

On the other hand, some feel it is a tremendous loss of money at a time when the cost of food, travelling etc., is unbearable to the majority of our citizens. Salary increases are not possible due to the high cost. The Treasury has said that it does not have the money to grant the salary increases requested by the workers.

It is said that the conference is simply a political exercise to boost the ego of the ruling politicians and their leader. Hundreds of thousands of our citizens who work hard for a living are being inconvenienced and will be inconvenienced further during the conference, while the politicians and their catchers run around in luxury.

Whatever be the repercussions, the conference will be held, the politicians and their leader have decided! They have been given a mandate to govern as they deem fit, they claim, and who cares if the citizens suffer?

We cannot change the situation, but we can question it. As simple citizens we ask simple questions. What was discussed during the past conferences and the conferences before that?

Other than holding useless meetings and the heads of states and government officials attending these meetings and functions spending the ratepayers’ money what has been achieved for the common citizens? Have the many ‘impressive’ speeches and promises made by the leaders including our own at SAARC summits resulted in improving the lives of our citizens?

Will somebody please tell us. Give us some examples. Maybe, we simple citizens could tolerate the waste of funds and bear the intolerable inconvenience during the SAARC conference, if we receive a reasonable explanation.
- Sri Lanka Guardian