Thursday, 18 December 2014 00:00
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Politics has become the hum of the people’s pulse. And where politics is, so too is economics. Incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa took a decisive lead on Wednesday in convincing the business community of the positives of voting him into a third term in power by doing what he does best – by telling them directly.
It also helps that the accumulated glamour of coal power plants, highways, ports and airports are behind him as well, along with a decade of political stability, which has helped the private sector consolidate. But perhaps Rajapaksa’s core appeal came from his pledge to tackle corruption if given the chance to lead Sri Lanka into the next decade.
Since corruption and nepotism has become the rallying cry of the common candidate and the broad Opposition backing him, it makes sense for the President to take the wind out of their sails by promising reform. However, the pledges, which have been articulated at various rallies before, were not backed with specifics even in this instance.
Without a timeline and detailed proposals on what Rajapaksa would do should he continue at the top job after 8 January, there is little credibility. This is especially true since Sri Lanka is familiar with politicians who fail to carry out their promises or skewer them in a way that does not being the best benefits to the country. It is disappointing that this critical element, that of improving good governance, is so shoddily dealt with by the Government that can otherwise make exhaustive presentations about their past accomplishments including ending the war.
Even as the President was making his latest overtures, goons had attacked a stage set up for common candidate Maithripala Sirisena in Wanduramba, Galle, and election monitors were bemoaning the massive abuse of State property, raising even more questions of Sri Lanka’s institutions and viability of its democracy.
Sirisena for the most part too has dropped the ball or at least delegated it when talking comprehensively of economic policies that the public are desperately seeking from him. His “son of the soil” image may not mesh well with highfaluting economic jargon but for voters to have confidence in him, he has to prove he is capable of wearing both hats.
Discussions on the economy and the common Opposition’s stance have been largely voiced by Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) MP Champika Ranawaka or most recently by UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. While highlighting income disparity and the trickledown effects of corruption are laudable, they will do little to sway a private sector cushioned by infrastructure projects and political stability. Statements of renegotiating or scrapping projects may also have mixed reactions to a public already wary of change.
Ultimately, an election is a numbers game and the public will have their say come what may. However, the aftermath has to be dealt with collectively. Whether they are captains of industry or not, whether politicians land on the winning side or not, the economy effects everyone. Therefore practical reforms with timelines need to be presented by both sides, argued about and hopefully implemented for the benefit of the country.
