For the past few decades, the main component of Sri Lankan politics and governance has been encapsulated in the phrase, “It’s not about what you know, but who you know.” Political clientelism has emerged as a significant factor hindering good governance. Recently, the launch of the book “Political Clientelism in Sri Lanka: A Snapshot” marked the beginning of a series of research projects conducted by The One Text Initiative (OTI) on the obstacles to good governance. This event took place at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Centre.
The central premise of the One Text Initiative is to develop a shared constitutional vision and promote inclusive governance. The aim is to foster consensus among political and other stakeholders to create stable and resilient political structures in which every citizen feels a sense of ownership and inclusion.
Economic stress
Shiral Lakthilaka
Since 2020, Sri Lanka has been facing increasing economic stress, prompting the Government to respond with greater centralisation. In this context, the One Text Initiative (OTI) has observed a widening array of governance challenges that span economic, political, and social dimensions. To address this situation, a clientelism study group was formed to explore the governance crisis in greater depth.
The resulting report is part of OTI’s ongoing efforts to examine governance issues. It includes various case studies that investigate practices of political patronage and clientelism within Sri Lanka’s socio-political landscape. Notably, one of the studies focuses on the social dynamics surrounding the sand mining licensing system in Manampitiya, Polonnaruwa.
The Chief Executive Officer of the One Text Initiative (OTI) and a senior lawyer Shiral Lakthilaka said, “As the OTI, we work closely with the policymakers in the country. Our mission is to provide useful facts and information through various reports and documents that assist policymakers in making necessary shifts and improvements in their decision-making processes.” He said that the OTI collaborates with numerous parliamentarians and their parties to introduce policies that can bring about transitional positive changes in Sri Lanka both in the short term and long term. Lakthilaka reflected on a significant public seminar held just two to three months before the country’s economic collapse, which aimed to discuss the deeply rooted patronage political culture and its manifestations across constitutional, economic, electoral, and social spheres.
The discourse surrounding the governance crisis culminated in the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Governance Diagnostics Assessment (GDA) as part of its technical assistance package. While the GDA addressed critical issues such as widespread corruption and structural weaknesses leading to unaccountable decision-making in economic management, it highlighted that patronage politics posed an even greater challenge than corruption, particularly due to the lack of a shared constitutional vision.
Patronage, as Lakthilaka said has historically been a tool employed by politicians to build, sustain, and project power. This power can serve personal political interests or be wielded to influence Government and public policy. The specific brand of patronage politics in Sri Lanka, deeply rooted in broad social policy and communal dynamics, poses a significant challenge that is entrenched at the constitutional level and manifested socially and culturally.
The aim of the OTI report is to expand the discourse around the governance crisis and illuminate how an ecology of patronage politics has developed across various governance aspects.
Structural change
“The main argument presented in this report is that no matter how much structural change occurs in the economy, it will be ineffective as long as the governance crisis persists,” Lakthilaka added. He highlighted four primary factors contributing to the country’s bankruptcy: debt, corruption, incompetence, and instability. “When analysing these categories, we conclude that the governance crisis arises from a lack of consensus governance. We identify a crisis in the constitution as a fundamental cause of this situation, leading us to label the current state as a patrimonial state,” he said. “This has resulted from a system of clientelism comprising clients and patrons, affecting decision-making throughout Sri Lanka. We experience the repercussions in various aspects of everyday life, from enrolling children in schools to navigating Government processes and applying for high-level business tenders. This culture of corruption can hardly be defined as a welfare state, a liberal state, or a Marxist state; it is, in fact, a patrimonial state.”
The report identifies seven main crises, attributing the crisis in the constitution – specifically the clientelist state – as the primary aspect of the overall crisis. “While some interpret this as an issue of executive powers, it is actually a broader governance concern. In our country, the prevailing governing factor is the ‘winner takes all’ strategy, which needs to be addressed and altered,” he said.
Other crises highlighted in the report include the dangers of the winner-takes-all politics, the crisis in democratic governance, plural governance challenges, deliberative governance issues, participatory and consensual governance crises, decision-making challenges within the economic crisis, rule of law concerns, and the absence of inclusive development.
“We worked on this hypothesis to produce an action report based on extensive discussions over approximately 12 months,” said Lakthilaka. The second chapter of the report outlines their hypothesis, while the third chapter includes insights from several scholars who shared their perspectives on clientelism.
One of the main case studies was conducted by the Sociology Department of Colombo University, focusing on the licensing process for sand mining in the Manampitiya area of Polonnaruwa district, led by Prof. Mohamed Mahees and his research team, which included Keshar Benaragam, Tharaka Kaluarachchi, Nimali Vinishiya, Sanduni Dulani, and Aruni Gayesha.
The report indicates a discernible pattern connected to patronage. Despite Sri Lanka’s significant expenditure of over Rs. 24 billion through the decentralised budgeting process to date, the report notes a glaring absence of comprehensive assessments regarding the use and impact of these public funds. “Unfortunately, no single initiative is tasked with conducting thorough evaluations of this expenditure or analysing the effectiveness of these investments over time,” Lakthilaka said.
“This lack of accountability and oversight is particularly concerning given Sri Lanka’s escalating debt, which reached an astonishing Rs. 26 trillion by 2023. While it would be inaccurate to attribute this monumental debt solely to the decentralised budgeting process, it’s crucial to recognise that the absence of robust mechanisms for accountability, auditing, and feasibility assessment within this framework has worsened governance and financial management challenges.”
Case studies
The report delves into the deeply entrenched and pervasive governance crisis in Sri Lanka, illustrating through various case studies how this crisis perpetuates itself and undermines democratic structures. It emphasizes that a shared constitutional vision that respects pluralism and democratic principles is essential for addressing the governance crisis effectively. “Without moving away from the ‘winner takes all’ mentality that defines social, economic, and political relations among different communities, groups, and political parties, Sri Lanka will struggle to establish a meritocratic state that is free of corruption,” Lakthilaka said.
The One Text Initiative remains committed to further exploring the governance crisis by examining it from diverse perspectives, particularly focusing on the marginalised and vulnerable groups. In pursuit of this goal, OTI actively engages with political and civil society stakeholders to foster broader dialogue and build consensus. Through these efforts, OTI aims to contribute meaningfully to the establishment of a more inclusive and accountable governance framework in Sri Lanka.
