The current year was defined by two very significant events in Sri Lanka – the Easter bombings and the ascension of Gotabaya Rajapaksa to the Presidency. A people who had lost all hope after the tragic events of April 21 saw a saviour in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as national security was uppermost in their minds. Since coming to power in November, he has delivered in spades.
But looking ahead, 2020 will be an even more challenging year for the nation. The biggest event of 2020 from a Sri Lankan perspective is the General Election, to be held around April-May. A common refrain about elections in Sri Lanka is that unsavoury characters are elected to Parliament (and other administrative bodies) and worse, are taken into Parliament through the National List even if they are defeated at the polls.
The next General Election therefore presents a golden opportunity for all political parties to grant nominations only to well educated, honest individuals who will be able to render a yeoman service to the nation. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has already pledged not to take in any defeated candidates from the ‘backdoor’ a.k.a. the National List. This stance should be emulated by all other political parties. Last time, even the JVP was guilty of engaging in this practice.
Even more importantly, all parties must give more nominations to more professionally qualified young women. As things stand, it is difficult for a woman to enter politics without having a family connection such as a father, brother or uncle already in politics. This unhealthy trend must be arrested at the forthcoming General Election.
The Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe administration was marked by nearly five years of political instability that affected everything from national security to overall development, as they represented two different political ideologies and tended to pull in different directions. The people have a duty to elect a strong Government allied with the vision and mission of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the next General Election.
The next year should see action being taken against the real perpetrators of the Easter bombings, as the previous Government did only a half-hearted investigation. This, incidentally, is one of the key pledges of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. It is also essential to punish the culprits of the Central Bank Bond Scam of 2015, the biggest daylight robbery ever committed in the country. The Government should use its good offices to seek the extradition of former Central Bank Governor Arjun Mahendran from Singapore without delay.
One of the major consequences of political instability from 2015-2019 was the huge drain on the economy, as growth stagnated and foreign investors stayed away. The Easter Sunday attack also inflicted further damage, since it also adversely affected tourism. Thus reviving the moribund economy and achieving a growth rate of at least 6 percent is one of the key challenges facing the new Government’s economic planners. Steps have already been taken to streamline the services of the Board of Investment (BOI) to attract more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which is a step in the right direction.
The Mahinda Rajapaksa era from 2005-2014 saw an unprecedented development spree throughout the country, that included expressways, power plants, rural roads and ports. However, development came to a virtual standstill during the last five years.
That Government could not even complete the Central Expressway, which it began with much fanfare soon after coming to power. Its dilly-dallying on the Port City project cost the country dearly in economic terms. Hence, 2020 should be the Year of Development – one that will expedite stalled projects such as the Central Expressway and see the commencement of new projects such as the Ruwanpura Expressway. Priority should be given to public transport projects such as the Colombo Light Rail Transit. It is also vital to expedite rural development – there are many villages in Sri Lanka that lack even basic access roads. Pride of place should be given to agricultural development and modernization, given its major share of the local economy.
The Government also faces the challenge of increasing the efficiency of the public service. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s surprise visit to the RMV last week exposed the many flaws seen in our public service, such as lethargy, inefficiency, delays, redundancy and of course, corruption. This was a very good move on the part of the President, who has been a public servant himself for nearly 30 years. We cannot expect him to personally visit each Government department and agency amidst his busy schedule, but other Government agencies should take a cue and streamline their operations and eliminate corruption to serve the public without sending them from pillar to post, as per the usual practice.
The biggest challenge facing the Government in 2020 is achieving ethnic and religious reconciliation. The Easter Sunday bombings exposed how ethno-religious fanaticism can destroy ethnic and religious harmony. All religious leaders now have the onerous task of ensuring that young people are guided on the correct path. The results of the Presidential Election clearly showed a pattern of ethnic polarization.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa alluded to this in his inaugural address from the Sacred Precincts of the Ruwanweli Maha Seya in Anuradhapura, inviting the Tamil and Muslim communities to join hands with the Sinhala community in the country’s forward march. It is unity that will bring us progress, not division. It is time to forge a truly Sri Lankan identity sans ethnic and religious divisions for the sake of our Motherland.