{"id":112270,"date":"2023-04-18T10:29:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T10:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=112270"},"modified":"2023-04-18T10:29:53","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T10:29:53","slug":"a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/","title":{"rendered":"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 – By Bernard Fernando"},"content":{"rendered":"

A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 – By Bernard Fernando<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

\u2018\u2019Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future\u2019\u2019\u2014 John F. Kennedy<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ever since we became a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed by United Nations in 1948,our political and Civil democrats constantly agitated for \u00a0\u2018Free and Fair Elections\u2019 whenever \u2018Elections\u2019 are called. This phrase was based on article 21 (3) of the Declaration which reads as follows.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018\u2019The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of Government; this Will <\/strong>shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections<\/strong> which shall be by universal <\/strong>and equal<\/strong> suffrage<\/strong> and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It may be assumed that the words \u2018Free and Fair\u2019 were substitutes for the words \u2018Universal\u2019, \u2018Genuine\u2019 and \u2018equal suffrage\u2019 in article 21(3) above. Recently, a US Senator too urged SL Govt. to hold \u2018Free and Fair Elections\u2019!<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the sad irony we face today is, the relentless clamour to hold\u00a0\u00a0 \u2018Run-of-the-Mill\u2019 \u2018Elections\u2019 by the so called democratic politicians, blinded by power hunger and political expediency very well knowing that our existing Electoral systems\u00a0 are flawed and not genuinely \u00a0\u2018Free and Fair\u2019. In the melee, a coterie of political Pundits, Academics and NGOs too have jumped on to the \u2018band wagon\u2019 hot on the heels of the \u2018Historic and peaceful Aragalaya\u2019 that shook the world when they desperately leveraged on the dire need for \u2018System changes\u2019 in our defective and unproductive Electoral and Political Administration systems through slogans such as \u2018Ditch the 225\u2019 and \u2018Gota go Home\u2019. All of them very well knew that such slogans of the \u2018Aragalaya\u2019 were triggered by the underlying undemocratic and unproductive 04 tiered Political administration structure replete with Nepotism and corruption instead of meritocracy, that led to a politicised, inefficient public service too, over the last several decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0At least now, if our intelligentsia who joined the political \u2018Band wagon\u2019 stop barking at the wrong tree and start to clamour by pen for \u2018system changes\u2019 that ensure a \u2018Genuine Free and Fair\u2019 Electoral system, the country-wide sovereign voters could be assured of \u2018equality of vote\u2019 asserting \u2018Sri Lankan ness\u2019 and advent of best \u2018Fit & Proper\u2019 \u2018Country first- Political Professionals\u2019 to represent them when they face the next Election. It will surely treat the root causes and lead to achievement of real objectives of the Parliament, Provincial Councils and Local Govt. portending a much better future for a \u2018bankrupt Country\u2019.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Previous proposals by the writer on Electoral\/ Political Administration reforms.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is pertinent to keep the readers in context by chronologically recalling the submission of a holistic package of Electoral Reforms\/System changes by the writer to the relevant Authorities\/Organisations over the years as follows.<\/span><\/p>\n

1.Lal Wijenaike\u00a0 Public Committee on\u00a0 new Constitution-2016-January.<\/span><\/p>\n

2.NEC Chairman and senior officers- PP presentation –\u00a0\u00a0 2017-July<\/span><\/p>\n

3.’Legal Experts Committee\u2019 to draft a new\u00a0\u00a0 Constitution -2020-Nov.<\/span><\/p>\n

4.Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms-2021-June<\/span><\/p>\n

5.Chairman-NEC-2021-March\/April<\/span><\/p>\n

6.Commissioner General of Elections-2021-June\/July<\/span><\/p>\n

7.PAFFREL\/CMEV\/CaFFe-2020\/2021<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Feature articles and letters to the Editor in the Press\u2013 1997 \u2013 to date.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The outcome so far has been confined to an acknowledgement of receipt without any further ado !<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0A SUMMARY OF HOLISTIC \u2018SYSTEM\u00a0\u00a0 CHANGES\u2019 UNDER ELECTORAL REFORMS <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    1.Abolish \u2018Mixed Member Voting\u2019 (MMV), \u2018Preference voting\u2019 and \u2018Cross over\u2019 mechanisms\u00a0 to pave the way for election of wise and genuine \u2018Country first- Political Professionals\u2019 from \u2018District wise Merit lists\u2019 of Parties selected through a robust, standardised procedure subject to minimum eligibility criteria and a structured interview mechanism with a common marking system laid down by the National Election Commission. (Writer has already spelt out the methodology in articles to the Press) This is a fundamental \u2018system change\u2019 sought by the peaceful youth of \u2018Aragalaya\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Members to Provincial Councils (PCs) and National Parliament to be elected purely on District and country-wide \u2018 % Representation\u2019 basis respectively, enabling all voters in North, South, East and West to vote for only the party of their choice as \u2018True Sri Lankans\u2019 carrying\u00a0 a ballot paper of \u2018equal value \u2018untainted by Race, Caste or Religion as proclaimed under UN convention-1948. This is an important pre-requisite for the success of National Reconciliation exercise.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Secure Women and Youth representation (20% each) by mandating inclusion of at least 01 woman and 01 Youth (Below 35 years) among every 05 persons in all District\/ Electorate nominee lists in merit order.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. A \u2018Sustainable \u2018Sri Lankan\u2019 Cabinet\u2019 to be constituted based on National vote %, so that smaller parties too will be entitled to join the Cabinet. This step will greatly assist in resolving our National Question paving the way for our country to become a model \u2018Five-Star\u2019 democracy with \u2018Sri Lankans\u2019 as its citizens.<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Brand the 5 year Party Election manifestos as regulated, prosecutable documents that would primarily determine voter decision.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      6.Objectively strengthen PCs and rationalize the role and fringe benefits of MPs.<\/span><\/p>\n

      \u00a07.Take cost-effective steps to ensure maximum productivity of the Electoral system. E.g. Hold General and PC Elections and if possible, the relevant Referenda too on the same day after introducing Electronic voting system.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Recently improved \u2018System changes\u2019 to rationalize the Political Administration structure<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. A Method to rationalise corrupt and unproductive bottom LG Tier to achieve its real objective. <\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \u00a0As far back as in April 1997, the writer proposed a simple alternative based on \u2018Grama Rajya\u2019 concept to rationalise the bottom layer of our Political Administartion system through an article to the press titled \u2018An alternate system to local Govt. Elections\u2019. As usual it fell on deaf ears of the authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

        As the rates\/Tax paying citizens are now fed up with the existing politicised Local Govt.Administration where political bias, corruption, arrogance and self-aggrandizement are the hall marks, they desperately look forward for\u00a0 \u2018System changes\u2019 to ensure;<\/span><\/p>\n

        i.Real needs of the specific locality are identified and resolved under an intensive approach.<\/span><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Real objectives of Local Govt. Machinery are met.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          iii.A sustained impartiality sans any political bias or corruption.<\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Simplicity of the system in keeping with SL\u2019s size.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            v.Cost effectiveness of the system.<\/span><\/p>\n

            Independent \u2018Jana Sabhas\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

            With the upcoming establishment of \u2018Jana Sabhas\u2019<\/strong> proposed by the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ),to create a sustainable Nation through an advanced participatory Democracy, the writer proposed the following simple\u00a0 method to depoliticise LG machinery and integrate it with the Divisional Secretary Divisions (DSD).<\/span><\/p>\n

              \n
            1. At the next LG election, allow each JS to nominate 03 honest, impartial and socially acceptable candidates (01 Male, 01 Female and 01 youth -below 35 years of age) with high integrity residing in the GND, so that the highest vote receiver shall become the JS representative for the GND taking up their JS recommendations and issues with LG authorities at \u2018Pradeshiya Sabha\u2019\/Urban Council\/Municipal Council level and at Divisional Secretary Division (DSD) level.<\/span><\/li>\n
            2. To avoid wasteful costs and administrative bottlenecks, each Divisional Secretary should conduct the Election using the officers in his\/her DSD in the presence of polling agents from each JS in the Division.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              iii. The Office bearers at \u2018Pradeshiya Sabha\u2019, Urban and Municipal Council level can be elected from among JS Representatives by vote.<\/span><\/p>\n

              iv.The 14,000 strong JS Representatives will surely make the LG machinery more objective,meaningful and effective than the existing politically biased and corrupt LG system.<\/span><\/p>\n

              v.They may be paid a monthly allowance that ensures a lesser total outlay compared to that of the existing Politicised members.<\/span><\/p>\n

              vi.These Representatives will eventually graduate as proven Provincial Councilors and MPs by becoming members of political parties of their choice with \u2018Country first\u2019 attitude.<\/span><\/p>\n

                \n
              1. RATIONALISATION OF THE TOP TIER- EXECUTIVE PRESIDENCY<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                Executive Presidency to be abolished with effect from a specified date, through a referendum, (if possible on the same day of the General and PC Elections) and replaced with a Parliament and PC member appointed hybrid \u2018Executive Governor General\u2019 as the Commander- in -chief with usual ceremonial powers plus limited powers to enforce and execute Parliament approved Laws, Programmes, and National and decentralized budgets through Provincial Governors appointed by him\/her. The Constitutional Council shall nominate 03 Candidates for the post of \u2018Executive Governor General\u2019 who when elected will report to the Supreme Parliament.<\/span><\/p>\n

                3.KEY \u2018SYSTEM CHANGES\u2019 TO RATIONALIZE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION STRUCTURE.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                i.Re-engineering and rationalising the Public Service Administration Structure.<\/span><\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Infusing appropriate Work ethics, Discipline, Technology and methods for Productivity enhancement of our workforce through training.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  iii. Instilling \u2018Country first\u2019 attitude among the Human capital involved in above areas plus Schools and Universities.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

                  CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                  Due to corrupt, unprofessional, parochial and confrontational\u00a0 Party politics, SL has missed several golden opportunities to change systems after overcoming uprisings\/disasters such as 1971 Insurrection,1989\/90 Insurrection, 2004 Tsunami, 30 year War, 2019 Easter- Carnage and Covid-19. Now, the 2022 \u2019Aragalaya\u2019 did pave the way for an \u2018Interim Multi-party Govt.\u2019which is the ideal body to forge above \u2018System changes\u2019 without leaving room for any single Party\/Alliance to take political advantage in the process. At the beginning, it received blessings of the people, all Religious leaders, Scholars, BASL and Political Parties. Unfortunately, it has not seen the light of the day yet, as the aforesaid collectives have mysteriously given up their struggle towards crucial \u2018System changes\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

                  Therefore, we as citizens with country at heart, re-appeal to the Hon. President, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and the entire Parliament to place the Country first and exercise their political will in unison, irrespective of narrow Party politics, Colour, Creed and Caste, to speedily legalise the above objective \u2018System changes\u2019 leading to \u2018Genuine Free and Fair\u00a0 Elections\u2019 and an efficient Political\/Public Administration system as suggested above and replace this failed and rotten system of \u2018Corrupt and Confrontational\u2019 politics with a \u2018Clean and Consensual political culture\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

                  Such a paradigm shift combined with corresponding changes in our Peoples\u2019 and Media \u00a0culture to reflect a staunchly independent, \u2018Country first\u2019 outlook will surely convince and prevent our frustrated new generation and Professionals from seeking greener pastures. Thereby, our bankrupt Nation can be saved from being thrown to the dust bin of History. If the latest news report that 4 Elections will be held in 2024 is correct, there is more than ample time to ensure passage of the aforesaid \u2018system changes\u2019.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                  Therefore, let us all unite and make this \u2018Cultural Revolution\u2019 etched in golden letters in our History books so that the world at large will not only hasten to pay a glorious tribute to Sri Lanka but also provide us with the much needed economic assistance to redeem our country from its present plight !<\/span><\/p>\n

                  \u201cChange is the only constant in life. Thus, if there is a will there is a way too\u201d!<\/span><\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Bernard Fernando,<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

                  Former Deputy General Manager-BOC<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

                  Email: jbvfernando@yahoo.com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

                  \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                  \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 – By Bernard Fernando \u2018\u2019Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future\u2019\u2019\u2014 John F. Kennedy Introduction Ever since we became a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed by United Nations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":43892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[43435,50797,44365,52321],"class_list":{"0":"post-112270","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-aragalaya","9":"tag-elections","10":"tag-government","11":"tag-human-rights","12":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"\nA bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 - By Bernard Fernando - eLanka<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019\u2018\u2019Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or the present are\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 - By Bernard Fernando\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019\u2018\u2019Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or the present are\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"eLanka\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-18T10:29:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-18T10:29:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/flag_of_sri_lanka-svg-e1588235345816.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\"},\"headline\":\"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 – By Bernard Fernando\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-18T10:29:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-18T10:29:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/\"},\"wordCount\":1784,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/flag_of_sri_lanka-svg-e1588235345816.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Aragalaya\",\"Elections\",\"government\",\"Human Rights\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/\",\"name\":\"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 - By Bernard Fernando - eLanka\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/flag_of_sri_lanka-svg-e1588235345816.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-18T10:29:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-18T10:29:53+00:00\",\"description\":\"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019\u2018\u2019Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or the present are\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/flag_of_sri_lanka-svg-e1588235345816.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/flag_of_sri_lanka-svg-e1588235345816.png\",\"width\":600,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"INTRODUCTION As of 2010, there were 45,159 Sri Lankans living in the US. Substantial immigration began in the 1990s when many fled the violence of the Sri Lankan Civil War. The majority of Sri Lankan-Americans live in the vicinity of either New York City (where there\u2019s a Little Sri Lanka on Staten Island), central New Jersey, or Los Angeles.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 – By Bernard Fernando\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"description\":\"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"width\":192,\"height\":82,\"caption\":\"eLanka\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\",\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"eLanka admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 - By Bernard Fernando - eLanka","description":"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019\u2018\u2019Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or the present are","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 - By Bernard Fernando","og_description":"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019\u2018\u2019Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or the present are","og_url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/","og_site_name":"eLanka","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","article_published_time":"2023-04-18T10:29:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-18T10:29:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/flag_of_sri_lanka-svg-e1588235345816.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"eLanka admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"eLanka admin","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/"},"author":{"name":"eLanka admin","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd"},"headline":"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 – By Bernard Fernando","datePublished":"2023-04-18T10:29:04+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-18T10:29:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/"},"wordCount":1784,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/flag_of_sri_lanka-svg-e1588235345816.png","keywords":["Aragalaya","Elections","government","Human Rights"],"articleSection":["Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/","name":"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 - By Bernard Fernando - eLanka","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/flag_of_sri_lanka-svg-e1588235345816.png","datePublished":"2023-04-18T10:29:04+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-18T10:29:53+00:00","description":"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019\u2018\u2019Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or the present are","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/flag_of_sri_lanka-svg-e1588235345816.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/flag_of_sri_lanka-svg-e1588235345816.png","width":600,"height":300,"caption":"INTRODUCTION As of 2010, there were 45,159 Sri Lankans living in the US. Substantial immigration began in the 1990s when many fled the violence of the Sri Lankan Civil War. The majority of Sri Lankan-Americans live in the vicinity of either New York City (where there\u2019s a Little Sri Lanka on Staten Island), central New Jersey, or Los Angeles."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-bankrupt-country-craves-for-urgent-system-changes-by-bernard-fernando\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Articles","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"A bankrupt Country craves for urgent \u2018system changes\u2019 – By Bernard Fernando"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","name":"eLanka","description":"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization","name":"eLanka","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","width":192,"height":82,"caption":"eLanka"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd","name":"eLanka admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"eLanka admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew"],"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112270"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112271,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112270\/revisions\/112271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}