By Sanjeewa Jayaweera Courtesy The Island

With less than three weeks left to choose a President who will lead our country for the next five years, the urgency of our decision is palpable. Many of us, including myself, are still weighing our options. We often chose the ‘lesser of two evils’ in past elections. However, this time, the issue of corruption seems to be taking precedence over economic stability for a significant number of voters.

Many I have spoken to, particularly among the working class, have stated, I am planning to vote for the NPP as the others have done nothing but steal when in power, and we feel that only the NPP will tackle the issue of corruption among those in power.”

It’s evident that Ranil Wickramasinghe (RW), the current President, is struggling to convince the public of his commitment to fighting corruption. This is particularly disheartening given the widespread public outcry, including from the corporate sector, expressed in the ‘Aragalaya.’ The economic crisis was a catalyst for this public demand for action. People were fed up with rampant corruption and how politicians have run the country since independence. This collective frustration is not just palpable, it’s a clear sign of the public’s dissatisfaction and the urgent need for change.

The depths to which corruption among politicians had taken root was demonstrated when the former auditor general Gamini Wijesinghe, leading up to the 2019 presidential election, publicly stated that the country would benefit even if the concerned minister were paid a 10% commission on projects promoted rather than allowing the project to go ahead, as the financial burden for the people would be significantly less if the project were not undertaken. Undoubtedly, his comments were based on what he had witnessed over several decades of public service.

Regrettably, this sentiment is shared by a majority of voters, and RW and his cabinet of ministers have not taken any substantial steps against corruption in the past two years. Despite the country’s dire economic situation, this prevailing belief only reinforces the notion that corruption continues to thrive and is a significant factor in our economic woes. This lack of action against corruption is not just a source of disappointment, it’s a cause for disillusionment for many.

The ongoing case against the former Minister of Health and several others involved in importing substandard medicines is a case in point. The concerned minister was allowed to retain the portfolio despite a motion of no confidence against him brought by the opposition in parliament and various other accusations being leveled against him. When the heat was too intense, he was relieved of his portfolio and made the minister of the environment! The fact that he was not banished from the cabinet only fortified the feeling that RW was not serious about tackling corruption.

The controversy surrounding the decision to outsource the visa-granting process to a foreign service provider at a significantly higher cost has deepened the public’s skepticism about corruption within the government. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the cabinet’s ruling until the case is resolved only adds weight to the argument that the process was flawed. The recent cabinet decision to allow citizens of 38 countries to be granted a visa on arrival seems to confirm the government’s mistake in outsourcing the visa-granting process at a higher cost to the tourist.

RW has consistently failed to dispel the widely held belief that he was involved in the Central Bank Fraud.” In addition, the wholehearted support for him by several cabinet ministers perceived by the public as corrupt has further contributed to the public’s disillusionment with RW.

RW has publicly said that he is prepared to prosecute anyone against whom there is hard evidence of corruption. I presume he means that he will ensure that the Attorney General’s department prosecutes the case. It is a bit difficult to agree with him, given that during the last two years under his administration, no progress has been made in the case against a former CEO of Sri Lankan Airlines, who stands accused of having received payments of US $2 million to his wife’s bank account in Singapore.

RW based his campaign on the fact that he took up the Prime Minister’s post and then the President’s post when the country was in dire straits, and no one else was prepared to do so. He states in parrot fashion that Sajith Premadasa ran away from the responsibility and did not have the guts to take on the job. Whether he deserves any credit for that, given that it was a position that he drooled over for many decades but understood that he could not attain through a popular vote, is worthy of analysis outside this article.

His other claim is that he stabilized the economy and ensured it did not go the same way as Lebanon, which is undoubtedly correct. I was someone who supported an IMF programme to overcome the economic crisis. That was the only pragmatic solution then, and RW had no hesitation in accepting such a solution that involved enforcing some harsh measures, which is a credit to him.

In an insightful article titled The Hard Truth; Supporting Ranil Now Could Trigger the Next Crisis”, the author Ravi Ratnasabapathy states, It required substantial behind-the-scenes work, most of it quite invisible to the public, and this is not appreciated. It is notable for what was avoided, most critically a domestic banking crisis, for much as what transpired. A domestic banking crisis is frequently associated with a crisis of this nature, and its avoidance was a mean feat.”

In his article, the author argues for the continuity of RW’s economic policy. However, given his unpopularity with the voters, he proposes that RW withdraw from the election, following in Biden’s footsteps, and his votes be cast for Sajith. This strategy would prevent Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) from winning the election.

There is a valid concern that AKD and his party’s economic policies will trigger another financial crisis that might be worse than the one we endured in the first half of 2022. We must be mindful that the experiment of electing Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as President in 2019 was a disaster. His inexperience in governance and economics was a significant cause of the economic crisis. We must be mindful that a president with hardly any experience holding high office and an inexperienced cabinet (assuming NPP will win the general elections) will be a gamble.

The NPP and ADK have responded by saying that those who claim to have previous experience holding high office are responsible for the economic downfall, which is also valid.

As I write this article, the news that the cabinet has approved for public servants’ salaries to be increased by about 25% effective 01st January 2025 is yet another confirmation that nothing much has changed about how our politicians perceive the public and try to deceive them by making unrealistic promises. That this announcement was made a couple of days before the postal voting by public servants is deplorable. Come the 21st of September, it will undoubtedly be Hobson’s choice for most of the electorate.