How the Colombo Municipal Council could earn itself an “A” grade
A Voter’s Wishlist
Just an opinion poll
There is a Local Authority Election in the offing. But sadly, for too many people, it is nothing but an opinion poll for the major political parties in parliament, and a precursor to a general or presidential election.
Know it or not, Local Authorities provide important services, and it is our democratic duty to take them and their election seriously.
What exactly do Local Authorities do?
What services do Local Authorities provide?
It’s not just about collecting garbage and keeping the pavements tidy. This Venn Diagram represents the various services provided by Sri Lanka’s three levels of government, including local authorities.
To me, not all Local Authority services are equal. Some services like refuse collection, water supply and sanitation are “must haves”. A local authority needs to satisfy these just to get a pass (P) grade. Neighbourhoods would completely fall apart without these.
Other are “should haves”. Like decent primary health care, roads, housing, environmental protection, cemeteries and crematoria. A local authority satisfying these would get a C grade.
All the rest are “nice to haves” and would earn the local authority a B grade.
[We could argue about my classifications above, but let’s leave that for later. Either way, it is only my opinion, and hence not particularly important.]
For now, let’s ask a more important question? How might a local authority earn itself an A grade?
What an A grade should mean
In our current age of grade inflation, an A grade is neither excellent nor exceptional. Sadly, these are exactly what it should mean, and what it meant when it was first used. Hence, let’s be old fashioned and use this old-fashioned definition.
To me, for a student to get an A, they need to do something truly exceptional; way beyond cramming the notes handed out in class and getting all the basic sums and essays right.
Similarly, for a Local Authority to get an “A” it needs to do some truly outstanding things. What might these be?
As an example, I came up with the following list of “10 A-Grade Goals” that the Colombo Municipal Council (my local authority) could do to earn an A.
The Exam: 10 A-Grade Goals
To get an A grade you must, already have completed the tasks necessary for a “B” grade AND complete a minimum of three of the following tasks by March 2027, in no particular order.
1. Reduce private vehicle driving hours withing the CMC-limits by 70%, by creating comfortable, semi-luxury bus transport on Colombo’s main bus routes.
2. Ban parking around schools during school hours, 10x the number of school busses, and ensure that at least 80% of students commute to schools within the CMC via public transport.
3. Upgrade railway lines from Fort to Dehiwala, Maradana to Nugegoda, and Fort to Kelaniya, to a be a high-speed electric service, with 6 trains an hour during rush hour, and 3 at other times.
4. 20x the amount of Foreign Exchange earned by Technology companies within CMC-limits.
5. 10x the amount of Electricity Produced by Solar Panels within the CMC.
6. Legislate a 1% per annum property tax on all land within the CMC.
7. Reduce the time for getting an Electrical Connection, a Construction Permit, or Registering a property to less than 2 weeks.
8. Make all CMC’s services, and public transport within the CMC, Cashless-friendly.
9. Clean-up Colombo’s complex canal systems and transform them into a tourist eco-system, with accompanying shops, restaurants and travel.
10. Transform the mostly unused or underused strip of beach from Colpetty to Wellawatta into a tourist area, with its own promenade, shopping, and restaurants.
This, of course, is my list. Your list (and local authority) might be different. But you get the idea.
Regardless, over to you, CMC, and any candidates contesting for the CMC in the upcoming Local Elections.
Now you know how you might get my vote!
