Sri Lanka: an exploration of the systemic erosion of stability

Abstract

In Sri Lanka tremendous expertise is employed in thinking and manoeuvring around the personalities that shape the outcomes that beset the country. Such expertise is the bread and butter of the political and business circles, which is equally well reflected in the media and realistically respected in the NGO and international circuit.

What is disconcerting however is the almost oblivious attention paid to matters of structure and functionality. Yet Sri Lanka is rife with structural and functional anomalies, which is positioned to terminally gnaw at advantages gained by changes in governments, peace talks, poverty reduction, etc. Using the example of the Public Administration System and the democratically elected Presidential and Parliamentary process explained is the structural and functional impediments that are crying out for serious remedy.

There is a vital homeostatic balance that is exercised between the parliament and the Public Administration System as a result of the former being elected and the latter employed on tenure. This translates to the Public Administration System being able to afford to think long term (since their tenure is secure) whilst being tempered by parliament's shorter range thinking occasioned by the politician's need to show results to entice its next bout of votes. In essence, this twofold structure serves to foster the seeking of a homeostatic balance between the long-and short-term needs of the country.

In Sri Lanka by constitutional and other legislative enactments various homeostatic relationships between races, languages, time spans etc. have been (un)wittingly flouted. These aspects are diagnosed using the cybernetic concepts of homeostasis and ultrastability.