Sri Lanka cannot go through 5 years of upset

At the UNP’s Special Convention held two weeks ago, President Wickremesinghe declared that the Presidential Election will be held next year as scheduled and put to rest all the rumours that the Government is contemplating to delay the all-important poll. The election to choose the head of state is not an experiment; rather it is a critical exercise that determines the future of the country’s citizens, particularly the youth and children. This must be obvious to the islanders who committed hara-kiri 4 years ago by impetuously selecting an amateur who had no previous political experience.

Meanwhile, the NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) – who has already claimed that he will be contesting for Presidency next year – few weeks ago at a public meeting in Matale remarked that voters do not need to feel sceptical of voting for him, as it would only result in 5 years of upset in the event he fails to deliver considering that all the past 75 years had been failures. This utterance is clearly a sign of an individual who has doubts about his own ability. 

The country’s state of the economy is still fragile, and we are no more than going through the process of economic recovery. The deal with the IMF has only given us a lifeline, and the full recovery warrants far-reaching economic reforms that are politically unpopular. Some view that any missteps or upsets would produce very painful outcomes, and people will have to undergo agonising experiences similar to what they endured under Gotabaya Rajapaksa Presidency or may be even worse. The reckless political choices resulted in the nation unnecessarily witnessing a substantial deterioration in terms of socio-economic conditions whereby per-capita income deplorably declined to US$ 3,474 in 2022 (it was US$ 4,400 in 2017) and the poverty rate rose to 25% in 2022 from just 13.1% in 2021 as per the World Bank. In the wake of having experienced such a drastic decline in the standard of living, why would anybody with a sane mind want to go through another 5 years of mayhem?

Criticism is easy, but governance is difficult. The JVP/NPP’s legacy is one of criticism and opposing reformist initiatives of successive administrations. Many young people are not aware that presidential aspirant AKD was Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation during the UPFA Government from 2004-05 under the then President Chandrika Kumaratunge. Agriculture Ministry, under his leadership, implemented a program to rehabilitate 10,000 ancient tanks throughout the country over that period, and massive publicity was given to the initiative via the media. The project itself was undertaken to boost the image of the JVP without carrying out a feasibility study to evaluate its merits in respect of its costs and benefits to the economy. However, it ended up as a failed scheme, and nobody in the JVP even recalls it. Many tank sites that were opened with pomp and fanfare were later abandoned. Except his short stint as Agriculture Minister with hardly any accomplishments to boast of, AKD has no administrative experience and like most JVP front liners has been a full-time political activist for most part of his life. Hence, it is not surprising that he has qualms with regard to his competence to deliver in the event he becomes commander-in-chief. 

Our nation has stagnated far too long. We need to move forward, and our children deserve a better future. People must be prudent enough to elect a leader who has the maturity and astuteness to take our nation forward and manage the intricate challenges that arise both locally and internationally. The foundation for economic revival has already been laid down, and it is the responsibility of the public to ensure its success by making correct decisions.