Questions Being Asked About the Government:
- Have the thieves been caught?
- Has the tax been reduced?
- Has the IMF agreement been changed?
- Have they stopped corruption and brought prices down?
- Have they stopped privatization?
When the opposition raised these questions during the early days of Anura’s presidency, the JVP responded, “Just as it takes 9 months to have a baby, these complex problems cannot be solved in just two months. Don’t worry—work is happening behind the scenes.”
However, by August, Anura will have been President for 11 months. Using the JVP’s own analogy, someone on Facebook pointed out: “If it takes 9 months to have a baby, then by now the baby should have been born” – implying that enough time has passed to expect concrete results.
This post criticizes the government for using the “it takes time” excuse when they’ve now had more than enough time (according to their own timeline) to deliver on their promises.
It is said that you can feel the growth of a tree by its two branches, but 11 months or a year is enough to measure the work of a government. If you start with Sri Lanka’s first Executive President J.R., this is clearly seen.
J.R. he came to power in 1977 and made a great economic revolution in the country in the first year. He opened up the economy and made a great revolution in the eyes of the people. Also, the Greater Colombo Economic Commission for foreign investment and the Free Trade Zones were passed in the first few months. To the people who suffered in the queues, J.R.’s first few months seemed like magic. While Lalith was building the Free Market, Gamini started making money for the Mahaweli. Premadasa started building houses for the villagers in that first year.
Premadasa became President when the Indian army was in the North and the JVP was covering the country with a piece of tinder in the South. They said that they had a fire that would burn both sides.
Premadasa had two election promises. The first promise was to withdraw the Indian troops. The second promise was to implement Janasaviya. Both of these were promises that could not be fulfilled.
Former Finance Minister Ronnie de Mal had predicted that Janasavya would not receive financial assistance from the World Bank. Everyone except Premadasa knew that India would not withdraw Indian troops.
Premadasa somehow started providing aid to Janasaviya in the first year, amidst the terror of the JVP. He brought the LTTE to the negotiating table and showed India that the LTTE was willing to come to a solution with the Sri Lankan government, and pressured India every day to withdraw the Indian troops.
A.J. Ranasinghe had said that he once threatened to commit suicide in front of the Indian High Commission. Unexpectedly, in March 1990, India announced that the Indian troops would withdraw. Premadasa became President on December 19, 1988. Exactly one year and three months after Premadasa became President, he fulfilled his dificult promise to send the Indian troops.
One of Chandrika’s biggest promises when she came to power in 1994 was to give bread at 3.50 and bring peace to the North. She gave bread at 3.50 as promised. Later, she increased the price of bread. She started peace talks in the first year to bring peace to the North. She promised to abolish the executive presidency, but did not fulfill it. But in the first year, she appointed a parliamentary committee to bring a new constitution to abolish the executive presidency.
She promised that she would appoint a commission to investigate the Kobbekaduwa murder, the Vijaya murder, the Lalith murder, and the murders of JVP members and to investigate the disappearances. She appointed commissions in the first few months and started examining evidence. She appointed a separate commission to investigate bribery and corruption. She showed the people that she would fulfill the promises she made in the first few months. Later, that commission became a joke. But she did what she said.
Mahinda, who became president in 2005, made the only promise to free the country from the clutches of the LTTE. He also promised to restore the fertilizer subsidy and stop privatization. Mahinda started the war through Mavil Aru in his first year. Mahinda became president on November 17, 2005. Mahinda started the war to open the Mavil Aru sluice in July 2006. He restored the fertilizer subsidy as soon as he came to power. He did not privatize any state institution. He took over the privatized Sri Lanka Airlines back to the government.
The Maithri and Ranil government was formed in 2015. The government made several promises. Among them were abolishing the executive presidency, punishing thieves, reducing the prices of goods, and increasing the salaries of government employees.
In April 2015, the 19th amendment to Constitution, which aimed to vest executive powers of presidency upon Prime Minister, was passed at a time when the Maithri-Ranil government did not have a parliamentary majority.
The Supreme Court ruled that the executive presidency system could not be completely abolished, so the unlimited powers of the executive were curtailed. In January 2015, the budget increased the salaries of government employees by 10,000 for the first time in Sri Lanka’s history.
Oil price decreased by 33 rupees price of a gas cylinder decreased by 300 rupees. The price of milk powder and many other essential goods decreased. It was a shame to catch thieves. But what it said was fulfilled in the first few months of the first year. The capitalists were taxed.
Gota became president in 2019 and even in the midst of the Covid pandemic; he immediately abolished the taxes imposed by Maithri-Ranil. He abolished the Maithri-Ranil agreement to give the eastern terminal of the port to India and showed in the first few months that he would uphold the policies he had given against privatization.
Abolished the Millennium Program as promised. The US Secretary of State came to Sri Lanka to tell them not to abolish the Millennium Program. But the SLPP had lied a lot about the Millennium Program. Those lies told during the election, even though they were lies, they fulfilled the promises made to the people in a few months without showing the people that they were lies. Gota did all this in the midst of the Covid pandemic. He did not break his promises despite Covid. The country fell by fulfilling those promises. But the word he gave to the people was kept in the first few months.
‘Then Anura’s government…?’
It is now almost 11 months. The baby has arrived as the JVP say. But the people are still in need of food.
