The next few weeks will be pivotal for Sri Lanka as it seeks to emerge from perhaps the greatest socio-economic crisis since Independence in 1948. Sri Lanka has certainly been in dire straits before, especially during the terrorist battle years and the twin Southern insurgencies in 1971 and 1988-89 and most recently due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
While Covid is often cited as the most immediate reason for Sri Lanka’s economic troubles, given its devastating effect on tourism and expatriate remittances, there are many other reasons for the present status quo. In the region, countries such as Nepal and Pakistan are facing much the same predicament – a combination of massive forex reserve losses, political instability and economic turmoil.
As political and financial analysts debate the question of how we got here, it is even more important to ponder on the difficult journey ahead. A new Cabinet is likely to be appointed tomorrow as an interim arrangement. It is likely to have the minimum number of Ministers required for running the country’s affairs. If that is the case, as it should be, there is hardly any doubt that a small Cabinet should be a permanent fixture in our political scene and perhaps even written into the new Constitution.
Even if we were not saddled with the current economic crisis, a country like Sri Lanka can hardly afford a bloated Cabinet, boosted by an equally high number of State Ministers. Countries that have much larger populations including India and the UK have fewer Cabinet Ministers. The average Cabinet in most countries has a maximum of only 15 Ministers. Considering that the State pays a whole host of allowances to Ministers in addition to their salary and allows the Ministers to liberally appoint their family members to various posts, the time has come to drastically cut down on the number of Ministers and their perks.
The public is often told to tighten their belts in view of the economic crisis, but this should begin from the Ministers who are known for their lavish lifestyle. The boru show of backup vehicles must be done away with immediately and Ministers should be given only a very limited number of policemen for security. Only the President and the Prime Minister should be given enhanced security with backup vehicles. These aspects too could be written into law. The duty-free vehicle permit should be scrapped immediately – there is no reason on earth why our Members of Parliament (MPs) need massive gasoline-guzzling SUVs to go about. A pick-up truck is luxurious enough, can go just about anywhere and costs much less, even on a duty-paid basis.
It is also time to reassess the composition of Parliament itself. Do we really need 225 MPs for this small isle? There have been suggestions that 100 MPs could be more than enough. Moreover, the concept of the National List must be re-examined as all political parties have used it to give their defeated candidates a backdoor entry to the House at our expense.
If the National List is retained under a future Constitution, it should be used solely as a pathway to Parliament for professionals, academics and experts. Indeed, as per the popular refrain calling for the ouster of all 225 MPs, the entire House should be an abode for professionals and other qualified persons instead of the mostly uneducated lot we have now.
While the contours of a suitable governance structure deserve our urgent attention in line with the public outcry, the Government must focus its immediate attention on resolving the plethora of issues confronting the nation including the shortages of fuel, LP gas, medicines and other essentials and the external debt situation.
In this context, Finance Minister Ali Sabry, PC, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and a delegation of senior officials are in Washington, DC to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout package. In this regard, Sri Lanka must necessarily improve its relations with the West, which, whether we like it or not, has a bigger say in the Bretton Woods institutions.
Minister Sabry has said in an interview that Sri Lanka expects to negotiate with the IMF and other external donors for a package exceeding US$ 4 billion. India, which has already extended assistance worth US$ 2.5 billion, has also expressed its willingness to provide another US$ 2 billion in aid to Sri Lanka to tide over its difficulties. Sri Lanka has also reached out to China, Bangladesh and several other countries for aid packages.
These funds should be used in the short-term to address the people’s woes such as shortages of fuel and essential items. Any threat of a widespread food shortage, as predicted by several senior politicians and agricultural experts, should be neutralised and a massive crop cultivation drive should be launched. In this respect, we can take a leaf out of the indigenous food drive launched during the 1970-77 era under a different set of circumstances. Food security and energy security, in particular, must be incorporated in the Constitution.
Another Sinhala and Tamil New Year has dawned, though on a somewhat somber note on account of the current atmosphere in the country. But this could be turned into an opportunity to start anew, if all political and civil society forces come together to address the issues facing the nation.
They should formulate urgent solutions to the most pressing problems and then evolve suitable long-term mechanisms to ensure political stability. This could perhaps be the final chance for a complete overhaul of the country’s governance structure and should not be wasted.