Wednesday, 14 January 2015 00:00
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The title of president changes people. Newly-elected President Maithripala Sirisena, often seen as soft-spoken, strides toward the forefront of corruption bashing in a tough, no-nonsense style that is refreshing after the excesses of the previous Government.
In his first speech after the new Cabinet was sworn in, Sirisena made sure that his new troops knew how the ground lay. In a short but heartening speech the new president made crystal clear that this was not a Cabinet that could afford to become complacent. Given just 100 days to implement the manifesto presented during a whirlwind campaign before Parliament is dissolved, the new officeholders are certainly under the pump.
Their key target is to trim the powers of the executive presidency and Sirisena already made inroads towards that goal by keeping only the Defence Ministry under him. Other major portfolios such as Finance, Highways and Aviation have been distributed, for the most part, evenly.
While the role of State Ministers is yet to be defined, their presence was clearly to ensure the Cabinet remained below the requisite 30 slots and with just three months on the clock is unlikely to drain State resources significantly.
Sirisena, with decades of political experience under his belt, also honestly acknowledged that some Cabinet members will be dissatisfied by their appointments. What he failed to point out is that many members of the public may feel the same way. Party loyalties and public preferences sometimes form uneasy fellowships and the eventuality of elections allows the public to pick those best suited for a permanent Cabinet.
For the rest of them, especially crossover personalities and minorities, the Cabinet delivered in largely a fair manner. Perhaps the overlapping of Plantation Industries and Plantation Infrastructure would have raised a few eyebrows but again compromises are part and parcel of politics.
Women representation among the 27 members increased and the Women’s Affairs portfolio was handed back to a female politician, though the selection of Chandrani Bandara does not make way for effusive compliments. Yet here again many disgruntled thoughts can be quelled with the thought of 100 days.
But what is most important is Sirisena’s stance that politicians must work to regain their long lost reputation. He rightly pointed out that the majority of Sri Lankans are sick and tired of the shenanigans pulled by their representatives, motivated largely by impunity freely provided by those in power at the top. At least on the surface that seems to be ebbing.
Sirisena did not mince his words when warning his Cabinet of the dire consequences awaiting those guilty of corruption. A statement that gains even more credence when considering public perception is no politician in Sri Lanka has a squeaky clean record. For the first time in possibly decades politicians are being held accountable not just from the top but by the people and fellow politicians themselves. This can be seen in the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s decision not to accept any ministerial hats but rather dedicate themselves as a watchdog to the new administration. It may be the wisest call yet by an increasingly astute party.
Greed for power can be the downfall of anyone. Sirisena musingly commented on his own rise to president by pointing out had he not relinquished his role as health minister and general secretary of the party he would not have become the sixth president of the country. The new Cabinet would do well to heed his word because the people certainly will.
