Progress of Government’s 100-day program after two years is at 71%

President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday marked two years in office following his election on 8 January, 2015. The newly-elected President pledged that within 100 days of taking office his Government would fulfil 100 tasks delivering necessary reforms and fundamental and structural changes.

Manthri.lk, a website dedicated to monitoring the performance of Parliamentarians, under an initiative of Verité Research, has evaluated the progress of the President’s program at his two-year anniversary and given the Maithripala Sirisena administration a score of 71%, based on its latest assessment on the promises fulfilled in terms of the Government’s first 100-day program.

The report states that, despite failures to fulfil several of the 100-day program pledges, notable progress has been made with regard to key pledges, such as the introduction of a Right to Information (RTI) Act and the setting up of Independent Commissions and a Constitutional Council.

Following is the full report:

Maithripala Sirisena was sworn in as the 6th Executive President of Sri Lanka on 9 January 2015. President Sirisena’s campaign was driven by the promise of a 100-day program that pledged short-term relief and long-term structural reforms. The promises made were to be completed by the 100th day of President Sirisena’s tenure. While many of these promises have now been fulfilled, certain key promises remain incomplete 730 days later.

The Maithrimeter on manthri.lk , a parliamentary monitoring initiative by Verité Research, created a weighted system to measure the progress made under the 100-day program, scoring ‘100 days out of 100’. While scoring less than 50 at the 100-day mark, many promises such as the passage of ‘Right to Information’ act were eventually fulfilled increasing the total score to 71.

This is in part because some promises, including the campaign’s central promise of abolishing the executive presidency (addressed in part through the 19th Amendment to the constitution) remain within the ongoing constitutional reform process. However, two key promises - the introduction of the National Audit Bill and the Ethical Code of Conduct - are notable delays.

According to President Sirisena’s manifesto, the introduction of the National Audit Bill, with the intention of enhancing the mechanisms of state financial oversight, was scheduled for 19 February 2015. Additionally, the introduction of the Bill was also a manifesto promise of both major parliamentary coalitions (the United National Front for Good Governance and the United People’s Freedom Alliance) of the ruling National Unity Government. However, progress pertaining to this pledge has been limited to the approval of the draft bill by the Cabinet of Ministers. The presidential campaign manifesto also promised the introduction and adoption of a legally enforceable Ethical Code of Conduct for Members of the Parliament. 

After an extended delay, the finalised copy of the ‘Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament’ was tabled and presented for the approval of the House by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, on 10 December 2016. Nonetheless, the draft Code of Conduct presented to Parliament is limited in its ability to ensure an enforcement mechanism and falls short of the actual pledge. The adoption of a Code of Conduct was originally slated for 2 February 2015.

Despite these shortfalls, notable progress has been made with regard to pledges such as the introduction of the Right to Information (RTI) Bill, the establishment of a) commissions to investigate corruption, b) independent commissions and c) the Constitutional Council, and the adoption of the National Drugs policy. 

Among the successes, the passage of the Right to Information Act in the Parliament on 24 June 2016 and the establishment of the RTI Commission is a highlight. The purpose of the Bill is to provide for the right of access to information with the intention of increasing transparency and accountability.

Overall, achieving completion on the now long elapsed 100-day program will depend on two factors. First, progress on abolishing the Executive Presidential System and adopting a new electoral system remain tied to the outcomes of the constitutional reform process. Second, progress can also be achieved through the simpler but highly significant ‘good governance’ promises; the National Audit Commission (through the audit bill) and the legally enforceable Code of Conduct for MPs, both of which remain pending two years into President Sirisena’s Government.