Today is the very first day of the New Year. This year is more crucial than any other year we passed because this year, people will have to make crucial decisions in the name of this country and future generations. In accordance with the Constitution, the country has already elected its ninth Executive President towards the end of last year—incidentally, the first ‘outsider,’ deviating from the tradition of voters electing the country’s leaders from among the two main political parties since Independence.
Regardless of electoral politics, there is no argument that the former administration led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe saved the country from its gravest financial crisis, though it was not able to completely fulfil that task in its totality. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, no doubt, will complete the remaining task within the next five years, taking the country and its economy to new heights.
Whatever happens, there is no doubt that the present course of action has to be continued at least until 2030 to see the country through the economic crisis. The present crusade has to continue without let or hindrance, lest the country goes back to the dark days of 2022.
To his credit, President Wickremesinghe, by deftly managing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and other entities/countries, had chosen the most successful way out of the financial crisis. It is heartening to note that President Dissanayake has not deviated from this path in engaging with the IMF, whatever may have been said on political platforms. Several politicians who shied away when they were offered the opportunity of leading the country have since suggested other ways to walk out of the crisis, but Sri Lanka is not in a position to test a new method at this particular juncture.
Sri Lanka does not have the required economic strength to do any more experiments. It can do so only after fully recovering from the current financial crisis. Moreover, talk of abolishing or reworking the IMF agreement is not practical given the dire economic condition we are facing.
Therefore, all must support the President and his team to pull the country out of the financial crisis and ensure a smooth journey without any trouble for future generations. But this is complicated by the fact that people have short memories and also tend to believe false narratives of those who wish to undo the present gains. It is one thing to make lofty promises from the political stage, but delivering those promises in actual practice is quite another matter.
The track record of all political parties and leaders who make such rosy promises is rather well-known. The people do not need to listen to or believe the lies and misinterpretations of politicians belonging to any political party. After all, they can save a lot of money spent on electricity bills if they refrain from watching useless political arguments on television until dawn.
The people can simply recall where the country was in 2022 and where it is now and come to their own conclusions. Indeed, the President should be given all credit for staying the course of his predecessor, which has resulted in the country being given a fresh outlook. In the past, the practice has always been for all incoming Governments to halt or wreck the development work undertaken and projects initiated by the predecessor. The result is the country remaining in a state of stagnation perennially. It is indeed a happy augury that this is no longer the case, giving hope for the future of the country while saving it from the quagmire it was hitherto placed in.
Hopefully, the authorities will be able to net in more individual taxpayers so that indirect taxes, such as VAT, can be reduced over the next few years.
One crucial factor that all Sri Lankan voters should understand is that nothing comes free in this world, and what happened during the past several decades was that we received many goods and services for free or at concessionary prices. These subsidies for fuel and many other goods came at a huge cost to the Government. Hence, the decision to impose cost-reflective pricing on utilities is correct, even though it may not be popular.
In fact, previous Sri Lankan Governments actually secured foreign loans for such subsidies. But this system failed with Covid-19, and now everyone everywhere in the world has to pay for what they consume. It is only fair that we pay the actual prices for what we want or consume.
Talking of Covid-19, there were signs from neighboring countries that the disease could make a comeback in 2024. That this failed to materialize is indeed cause for satisfaction. At least two Sri Lankans also died due to Covid last year—an indication that the threat has not entirely vanished from our midst.
This year will be a crucial year in more ways than one. We as a nation will have to face many challenges this year in the journey towards economic emancipation, but with a collective will, Sri Lankans have the capacity to surmount all these challenges and obstacles. We must look beyond mere short-term gains at the broader picture of where this country should be headed in the next few decades.
