Gotabaya: Off to a good start

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

A lot of Sri Lankan politicians forget they are appointed, not anointed. But like anyone elevated, there will come a day when the voter becomes tried of the idiosyncrasies that once amused them and demote them. The Rajapaksa family have learned this the hard way when they were booted out of office in 2015. Life for them has now changed once again for the better. 

Gotabaya Rajapaksa won very convincingly. Instead of throwing his weight around like what most of their advisers and newly-elected leaders do, he has got down to business. He shocked the electorate when he cut down his security by half. 

The man who ruthlessly ended Sri Lanka’s nearly 30-year civil war in the north is both a controversial and a respected figure, where he is considered a ‘war hero’ by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority, but distrusted by the minorities. He can change the distrust by being a President for everyone and being inclusive in his action.

Trendsetter

He is perhaps the only President who has publicly invited professionals to apply for positions in the Government. No other leader has done this before. Generally both parties have had a history of running to their supporters or classmates or relatives to fill the key slots in the government. JRJ was the other President who assembled a great team outside his party. 

For example, Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed his brother-in-law as Chairman of SriLankan Airlines. Nishantha partied with the airline. Ranil Wickremesinghe did even better. He appointed his classmate Ajith Dias, a businessman who had no airline experience, as Chairman of the airline. He even went one step further and appointed his close friend Charitha Ratwatte’s brother, a pilot, as CEO of the airline. Together they closed down the prestigious European routes. 

Given that Gotabaya Rajapaksa is looking to attract people with competence irrespective of race, party affiliations or social standing, there is surely hope for Sri Lanka. 

His tax cuts have been hugely popular. How he is going to cover the shortfall in Government revenue, given that the Treasury could not even pay the salary increase, will certainly be a challenge. Given that the Treasury veteran Dr. PBJ is now back in the saddle, he will find a way, we presume, to balance the budget. Dr. PBJ should start by looking at the Customs and Inland Revenue Departments to squeeze out more revenue. 

The former Finance Minister Samaraweera was urged so many times by business leaders to freshen up the two departments to stop the leaks. The plea to reduce PAYE and corporate tax fell on deaf ears, the easy thing for them was to blame it on the IMF. Whether his advisors and personal aides actually got down to addressing the issue is not known and it is now for the historians to uncover. 

The shine of Gotabaya’s presidency should not be worn off by self-inflicted wounds like the alleged abduction of a Swiss Embassy employee or the highhandedness or impulsiveness of the people around him who are holding top jobs after lapse of five years or for the first time. 

Issuing a statement, Gotabaya’s office has said any individuals that attempt to mislead the public pretending that they are capable of getting political appointments and tenders will be severely dealt with. His office has also stated that the public should not be taken for a ride by individuals who pretend they are capable of influencing the President. 

The office noted that “President Rajapaksa’s policy will always be to adhere to the accepted procedure and process. No one can persuade the President to grant positions, appointments and tenders outside the accepted procedure.” 

One week into his presidency the new President has shown the public that he means business, he has already got the city cleaned up, while the city lady mayor was napping for some time. So it is obvious that Gotabaya has touched a nerve with a certain percentage of the Sri Lankan voters. He needs competent and liberal-minded people working behind the curtain to reach out the balance 50%; if he does that he will do even better than JRJ.