GOTABAYA RAJAPAKSE A VISIONARY LEADER
Posted on April 14th, 2019
By M D P DISSANAYAKE
Mr Gotabaya Rajapakse has created his own political platform providing a nation friendly economic and socially cohesive vision to integrate all ethnic groups of the island. He has clearly identified to distance himself from the free-flow open market economy. Instead, he is committed to provide leadership to accelerate investing capacity of local entrepreneurs for all goods and services which can be locally manufactured, instead of importing. It is in this context local manufacturers will be provided further assistance by means of technological transfer from advanced industrial nations, taking into consideration opportunity costs.
Sri Lanka is a rich island, with vast untapped economic resources. Projects such as Tyre, Steel, Engineering, Textile, Ceramics, Paper, Hardware, Mineral Sands, Cement, Timber were commissioned to kick start the economy, which filters to benefit directly and indirectly to the rest of the areas of economy.
Sri Lankan economy is stagnating or gradually moving backwards at the moment. The taxation system is being changed in an ad-hoc manner, tax revenue is declining and at the same time tax revenue is directed for consumption instead of capital investment.
No short and medium term tax incentives are given to local entrepreneurs. The financial institutions are reluctant to release long term loans to private sector, as local businessmen are unable to investing in modern technology to upgrade or replace existing plant and machinery. As a consequence their Business Plans fail to meet the required standards of Due diligence Tests.
During last four years, we have been pushed to those issues which further divided the nation instead of integrating. Our current inefficient rulers with no positive action plan were pampered by Groups and Nations thus successfully elevated ethnic issues above economic and social issues.
GR is the overwhelming future leader for Sri Lanka and Asia to change the direction and overall the economy.
April 14th, 2019 at 4:43 pm
Will India let Gota succeed?
The recent case by Indian Colonial Parasite Yasmin Sooka is another Indian attempt to scuttle Gota.
Sinhalese have to realize what India has been up to over the years.
These Indian Colonial Parasites and India have destroyed the Sinhala economic uprising every time Sinhalese tried to regain their economic and political independence.
April 14th, 2019 at 6:00 pm
However, there is a bigger trap here. Gota will not win more than 10% of Tamil and Muslim votes. From Day 1 he may try to win them over by wasting taxpayer funds in excess of the population percentage in the north and east. If Gota tries to win “hearts and minds” of Tamil people by doing what Mahinda did after 2010, Sri Lanka will be doomed and he will be doomed too. The north and the east will never contribute to state revenue proportionately. It is economic suicide. He must not go down the path Mahinda went after 2010.
This is what I fear most, the beggars, not the jokers.
Gota must invest in the North-Western, Western, North Central, Southern, Uva, Sabaragamuwa and Central Provinces predominantly in that order if he is going to save the economy and the country. They have national economic and tax potential far greater than the north and east.
Sri Lankan economy did well during the war despite no positive economic contribution from the north. But when the southern economy went bad, GDP growth became negative or very low.
I wish he will have competent advisors and the vision that economically benefits (not ruins) the nation as a whole.
What Christie says above is partly correct but it goes beyond that. India will not resist if it benefits those people he mentioned to the detriment of the majority.
April 15th, 2019 at 4:12 pm
There is no one closer to him in the race. But there are so many lined up to get a portion of Sinhala votes pie so that Gota will not win. There is a big plan in place. People should act and vote intelligently.
Gota will definitely get some votes from N&E as the moderate voters know that he is not a racist. But he has to approach them and hold a few rallies in N&E to convey his message of providing equal opportunities to all Sri Lankans.
As Dilrook said, He should treat all the provinces equally without favouring minorities which will be detrimental and wastage of tax payers money. He should learn a lesson from MR in this regard who burnt his hand by spending 80% of his budget in N&E but the people were not grateful.