Does Politics Play Too Big a Role in Sri Lanka?

"Parliament Complex - Sri Lanka" by Hafiz Issadeen is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Sri Lankan politics plays a big role in its society. I feel that a case could be made that politics plays too big a role in Sri Lanka. A history of bad governance is an issue we unfortunately have experienced. I decided to write an article about this issue. I’ll begin with information on the current government.

Sri Lanka has had a National People’s Power (NPP) government over the last year which won both the presidential and parliamentary elections. I was concerned about the NPP prior to the 2024 Sri Lankan Presidential election. I had expressed my views in the articles “Displeased with All Sides” and “What I Wish to See Happen in Sri Lanka”. I was hoping that the NPP would not derail Sri Lanka’s economic recovery as their campaign rhetoric indicated they might. Thankfully that did not prove to be the case, with the NPP continuing Sri Lanka's economy on the right path.

The NPP is doing a better job than I expected. They are taking steps towards unity and are implementing the positive Clean Sri Lanka initiative. I will however add that I have not become an NPP supporter. I still have ideological differences with them. The leading party of the NPP, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) started as a Marxist party. Some government members have views in that direction and I hope the JVP/NPP will move away from Marxism. I’m not someone who sees the NPP as the saviours or as the villains. My views are that of an independent citizen who isn’t aligned with any political party. In last year's presidential election, I was not enthusiastic about the three leading presidential candidates. While I did not back the NPP, I want them to do a good job. Sri Lanka can’t afford to suffer another political tragedy after all the political problems we’ve had in recent years.

While the NPP is the government in power right now, my article isn’t about them. I gave my views on the NPP to give context to the current state of Sri Lankan politics. Regardless of which party is in power, it’s important to have politics play a healthy role and not a too dominant one. When politics is so entrenched in society, that gives corrupt politicians a greater opportunity to do harm. Another negative of too much politics is creating division between people who support the government and those who don’t.

A bad practice which has been carried for a long time is frequently inviting politicians for events in roles such as the chief guest and/or a speaker. I don’t advocate inviting politicians as the default approach. This practice can result in someone inviting a politician they are against and may believe to be corrupt. I’m not referring to cases where you invite a politician you didn’t vote for as engaging with the relevant Minister can gain their support for just policies you advocate. I’m talking of cases where you invite a politician of the worst type going against the values you believe in. I think politicians should ideally only be invited when there’s a valid reason and their track record should also be taken into consideration.

When dealing with politicians, whether it’s simply having a conversation or working with them, I believe it’s important to be cautious. Don’t let them use you or get you involved in a corrupt scheme. Turn them down if they offer you money to be part of their corruption. Be careful what you say to them. If they request you pay a bribe, say no to them, pointing out that it is against Sri Lanka’s best interest. To go into more positive aspects of engaging with politicians, talking with them gives a great opportunity to share sound policy ideas and initiatives you have. If you are pleased with projects they and/or the government are involved with, it’s good to tell them that.

The Sri Lankan news stories are dominated by politics. The media have a need to report on political matters, but it seems to me that politics is overfocused on at the expense of other sectors. I think positive stories about Sri Lanka is a topic the Sri Lankan media should focus more on.

I think it’s relevant to mention another type of government individual who isn’t a politician that plays an essential role. These are independent public officials. They will meet with and work with politicians, but maintaining their independence is important for them to perform their roles effectively. A positive example of an individual is Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe who played a major role in Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic recovery.

Based on my observations, it seems to me that politics does play too big a role in Sri Lanka. I will add that my views go more generally how it’s been over the years and I’m not criticising the current government in this regard. As I haven’t been to Sri Lanka in nearly six years, I am less familiar with what the situation is like right now. I’m interested to know, do you think politics plays too big a role in Sri Lanka?

The Global South & Dictatorships

 

"Earth - Africa, Middle East and Europe" by Kevin M. Gill is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

I have noticed that there is a concerning viewpoint in my country Sri Lanka to downplay and normalise the evils of dictators. This stems from an over critical view of the West. It’s my understanding these views are a viewpoint prevalent in the Global South which Sri Lanka is part of. The Global South tends to refer to poor countries while the Global North refers to rich countries. I’m writing this article to present my view that the foreign policies of the West don’t make dictators decent leaders worthy of respect. In this article I’m focusing specifically on the Middle Eastern region.

I’ll begin with a terrible action initiated by the US, which was the Iraq War in 2003. This was an unjust war based on a lie that Iraq stored weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein was a dictator who ruled oppressively in Iraq. His sons were dangerous criminals who terrorised people. While this war succeeded in getting rid of Saddam Hussein, it brought misery, deaths and suffering to the people of Iraq and resulted in the barbaric terrorist group ISIS being formed. This war destabilised Iraq and the Middle Eastern region.

In 2011, the US & NATO intervened in Libya. They said they were getting involved to protect civilians. Some people equate this involvement in the same league as that of the Iraq War. While it’s true that the state of Libya after this conflict has serious problems, I disagree with this assessment. Libya’s dictator Muammar Gaddafi really was responsible for the deaths of his own people. This military operation was much smaller in scale than in Iraq. Many in the Global South dismissed the West’s narrative out of hand. I’m not saying this is a just war that the US & NATO were absolutely right to be involved in. It’s true that the West has their own agendas and the real reason for involvement could be different to the official narrative. My point is that in cases like this there can be valid reasons behind it.

Even if you make a compelling case against the West’s involvement in Libya, that does not invalidate the problems Libyans faced under Muammar Gaddafi’s dictatorship. He had been connected to terrorism and is alleged to have been involved in or masterminded the Lockerbie bombing in the 1980s. There are similarities between the Gaddafi family of Libya and the Rajapaksa family of Sri Lanka. Both are despotic political families which caused damage to their countries. While nowhere near the same scale, you can also see some similarities between Saddam Hussein’s sons and Malaka Silva, the son of former politician Mervyn Silva in Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government. While Libya tragically fell into a state of civil war post-Gaddafi, the movement to establish a stable democratic government in Libya was a just one.

I’ll now move onto Syria. Syria has been in a state of civil war since the early 2010s. In December 2024, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad gave up power and went to Russia. The origins of the Syrian Civil War began with him using force on pro-democracy protests in 2011. His dictatorship and oppressive rule resulted in over half a million deaths in Syria’s civil war. It’s tragic how there are so many factions fighting each other. There was distressing sectarian violence occurring earlier this month. This shows that despite Assad’s exit from power, the Syrian Civil War is still ongoing.

There are some in the Global South who will point out that the West had previously engaged diplomatically with Assad, portraying the West as hypocritical and trying to delegitimise Western criticism of Assad. I don’t agree with this view. Irrespective of whether Western foreign policy towards Syria is sensible or not, they were rightly against the catastrophic governance of Assad. In regard to their previous engagement with the Syrian government, governments change their policies with time. In my view, they made the correct decision to stop engaging with Assad.

Western hypocrisy really does exist and there are instances where it’s wise to call it out. The problem I have is when the Western hypocrisy narrative is used to dismiss valid Western criticisms against crimes and misdemeanours committed by certain governments. Sometimes the global political situation is grey in that while a particular government is involved in Western hypocrisy, they are also spot-on in their condemnation of a dictator.

Regarding Syria, I don’t know what the future of that country holds. My knowledge of their current provisional government is minimal and I don’t have a high regard for them. I hope that with Assad gone, they will be able to come out of the mess they are in and democratically elect a decent government.

To conclude, I will point out ways I think all three sides can contribute regarding the Middle Eastern region. The Global South who has experienced bad governance and corruption can look at the similarities of Middle Eastern dictators and their own governance. Support and understanding can be given to the people of the Middle East. The West would be wise not to focus on a military interventionist approach in dealing with these dictators. It’s important to have policies that help people in this region which would result in Middle Easterners having a more positive view of Western governments. This should include win-win policies which are good for both Middle Eastern people and the security of the West. The Middle Eastern people should not abandon movements for democratic governance. This movement should take a stand against violence & extremism and inspire people for a peaceful and stable Middle East.

What I Wish to See Happen in Sri Lanka

As Sri Lanka is about to have a presidential election, I decided to write about what I wish to see happen in Sri Lanka going forward. It includes what I want to see discontinue and remain of the current happenings. Out of the three main presidential candidates, the one I’m most concerned about coming to power is Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He leads the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance. My issues with the JVP are their communist ideology and the two insurrections they were responsible for. I don’t think they have a viable plan.

I’m pleased with the interim President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s work on Sri Lanka’s economic recovery, but am displeased with his handling of human rights and the politics he’s playing. He is contesting the presidency as an independent candidate. I think Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate Sajith Premadasa has sensible views on human rights, but I do not like his embrace of populism & the politics he’s doing and have concerns about his economic policies. I am not endorsing any political party or individual. I had written an article a few months ago about the current situation called “Displeased with All Sides”.

Abolish the Executive Presidency

I am of the view that the executive presidency should be abolished. The amount of power corrupts the person holding office. Recent cases of presidential abuse of power include President Ranil Wickremesinghe delaying the local government elections last year. The Supreme Court last month declared this to be a violation of voters’ essential rights. It was distressing to hear the President say following this that he wasn’t sorry for postponing the election.

In February this year, the President appointed the controversial Deshabandu Tennakoon as Inspector General of Police (IGP). This appointment was made a few months after the Supreme Court ordered Deshabandu Tennakoon to pay compensation for violating a citizen's fundamental rights and appeared to be unconstitutional. In July, the Supreme Court gave an interim order preventing Deshabandu Tennakoon from functioning as the IGP. It’s disappointing to see a lack of commitment from Ranil Wickremesinghe to abolish the executive presidency. Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake have committed to abolish the executive presidency.

Sensible Government

I wish to see a sensible government elected with sound policies. This would be a transparent government that follows proper processes and good governance. They would rectify the bad human rights situation currently going on, bring good human rights policies and repeal the controversial Online Safety Act. This government would not be corrupt and be without scandals. System change which people have been calling for would be implemented. Unity is needed in Sri Lanka with it being important for the government unifying the country including winning the trust of the minorities.

No More SLPP

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is the party of the Rajapaksas which caused Sri Lanka to be in the mess that it’s in. There are members aligned with the Rajapaksas who have been part of the interim government and the SLPP independent group known as the Freedom People’s Congress (FPC) who are with the SJB. With the presidential election, some changes have been made. The SLPP decided to field their own candidate Namal Rajapaksa, yet most SLPP MPs chose to support Ranil Wickremesinghe. Two SLPP members who were in the interim government decided to contest this presidential election. I consider the SLPP to be a toxic party so I don’t wish to see any faction of them having a presence in the government.

Action Against Bribery and Corruption

Bribery and Corruption are major problems occurring in Sri Lanka. Action needs to be taken against politicians who’ve been engaging in these practices, especially those responsible for Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. We also need to work on bribery and corruption prevention. Sri Lanka is reported to have stolen assets stashed abroad, with serious allegations against the Rajapaksa political family. It’s essential to recover stolen assets utilising the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR) of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) & the World Bank Group.

Reducing the Crime Rate

Sri Lanka unfortunately has a high crime rate. Criminal activity seems to have been growing over the last five years. It’s distressing to hear of shootings going on causing loss of life. This gun violence needs to stop. The government needs to take action to reduce the crime rate as this is a serious national security concern. It’s important to incorporate teaching against crime in the school curriculum. It’s imperative to establish the rule of law in Sri Lanka.

Economic Recovery

I am of the view that Sri Lanka’s economic recovery is one present initiative going in the right direction. It’s good that the IMF program was secured. Both the SJB and NPP have said they would renegotiate the IMF agreement if they come to power. My view on the issue is this. If the IMF is willing to renegotiate and the new government comes up with sensible modifications which are able to ease the burden on the people and better reach the targets, then I am for it. My concern is of the government playing politics with Sri Lanka’s recovery where their attempts at renegotiation results in the IMF agreement being withdrawn or it’s approved with changes which makes the situation worse. I think the SJB is more sensible than the NPP when it comes to the IMF agreement.

In April this year, the ADB forecasted Sri Lanka to reach 1.9% and 2.5% growth in 2024 and 2025 after two years of negative growth. I hope to see economic growth exceeding those numbers. A few years ago, the State Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit (SOERU) was set up at the Ministry of Finance. Many State-Owned-Enterprises (SOEs) are a drain on the economy with their losses so this is an important move. Unfortunately, the restructuring unit has been facing delays and hasn’t restructured a single SOE so far. I hope that the SOERU would be strengthened enabling it to successfully restructure SOEs.

I’m writing this just before the presidential election has occurred. When you read this, the results of the election may have come out. I know that some of these topics I’ve written about are unrealistic. I see indications to some of them in different parties, but I don’t see one party having all of them. Our messed-up politics is causing so much damage and needs to transform into something new.

Displeased with All Sides

I decided to express my views about Sri Lanka’s politics right now. I’m displeased with all sides. I feel that when Gotabaya Rajapaksa came to power, the qualities of all the political parties deteriorated further from its already bad state. This is a serious problem that must be rectified. Sri Lanka needs to be saved from its destructive politics.

I’ll begin with President Ranil Wickremesinghe. I think he’s doing a good job with Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and engagement with the international community. After taking office in July 2022, he was able to end the queues and increase the amount of Sri Lanka’s reserves. The 5 year graph on the Trading Economics website shows reserves increasing from 1.82 billion US dollars in July 2022 to 5.37 billion US dollars in May 2024. In March 2023, Sri Lanka secured an IMF program with the third tranche approved last month. Ranil initiated reforming of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) that’s ongoing which is a welcome move due to the drain SOEs have on the country.

The reason why I’m not very enthusiastic about Ranil is because of his politics. I don’t like him teaming up with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the party of the Rajapaksas who consist of most of his government. These are individuals who were part of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government. It was not good to see Ranil and his government delaying the local government elections last year which still hasn’t been held. I don’t like Ranil’s handling of human rights issues, including the targeting of protestors. It was distressing to see the controversial Online Safety Bill passed earlier this year.

Ranil acted shamefully in an address to Parliament last November where he accused some members in the Constitutional Council (an independent body) of sabotage. He appointed Deshabandu Tennekoon as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in February via the Constitutional Council. The current IGP had been ordered by the Supreme Court to pay compensation for violating a person’s fundamental rights a few months prior to his appointment. This appointment was strongly condemned by the Sri Lankan Collective Against Torture (SLCAT).

The Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa stated that this appointment was unconstitutional. Five votes are required to approve a President’s nomination. Sajith pointed out that there were four yes votes, two no votes and two abstentions. The Speaker of Parliament can only have a casting vote when there’s a tie and he voted for this appointment. It seems that the Speaker abused his power by equating the two abstentions as votes against the appointment.

Sajith Premadasa leads the main opposition party the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). They are a breakaway party of Ranil’s party the United National Party (UNP). I have not been pleased with the conduct of Sajith Premadasa and the SJB. It’s disappointing to see him embracing populism including plans for it if the SJB comes to power. When he met with the Norwegian Ambassador a few months ago, he spoke of SJB’s plans for a “populist government”. At this year’s SJB May Day rally, Sajith mentioned “populist” as one of the changes an SJB government would make to the IMF agreement.

Sajith has been teaming up with the independent group of the SLPP that eventually became the breakaway party the Freedom People’s Congress (FPC). I did not support Sajith backing Dullas Alahapperuma from that group in the 2022 Parliamentary vote for Sri Lanka’s new President. I provided my views on this in the article “Thoughts on Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Resignation & Aftermath”. Even though these individuals are no longer officially with the Rajapaksas, I’m not convinced they are against the Rajapaksas now. I wonder if they broke away from the Rajapaksas due to not getting the power they wanted. It’s worth noting that Dullas Alahapperuma attended the book launch of “Nine: The Hidden Story” by Wimal Weerawansa. At this event, Wimal made wild accusations against the US including being responsible for Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s exit from power.

One example of Sajith collaborating with FPC MPs is having Nalaka Godahewa as an economic advisor. Nalaka had previously been an economic advisor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa and a founding member of Viyathmaga. His tenure as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) a decade ago was controversial and faced corruption allegations.

The SJB is opposing everything the government is doing for the sake of opposing. My point isn’t to defend the government or to dismiss all criticisms of the SJB. The SJB is correct to speak out against the bad governance that’s going on. The problem I have is their constant opposition to economic recovery initiatives. When it came to the 21st Amendment to reduce presidential powers following Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s exit, they voted for it. I would have liked to see them similarly vote and participate in some of the economic recovery efforts. They were previously with Ranil and can easily find common ground with him on this front. I think it was immature of them refraining from voting in Parliament for the IMF agreement in April last year. This is despite previously calling for IMF assistance.

I’ll now mention issues I have with both Ranil and Sajith. Dr. Nihal Jayawickrema mentioned in his article “The Constitutional Council – Is It Under Threat?” of Ranil stating that the Constitutional Council is an “executive body” and Sajith stating that it’s “part of the legislature”. They are both incorrect as the Constitutional Council is an independent office of seven parliamentarians and three civil society members who approve or reject the President’s nominations to head state institutions. I don’t like the fact that both Ranil and Sajith have a group of SLPP members with them. It seems to me like they’re trying to compete with who has more SLPP parliamentarians. I want to see a government formed with no SLPP members of any faction including under different names like the FPC.

A growing force is the National People’s Power (NPP). The main party in the NPP is the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake. I’m concerned that the NPP will come to power. While the JVP is a legitimate political party now, they were previously responsible for two insurrections. This brings risks of them governing in a brutal, violent and oppressive way. I don’t agree with their communist ideology which I feel could derail Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and make the situation even worse. Sri Lanka already has a bloated public sector and I could see the NPP expanding that.

I wish to see the SJB re-integrated with the UNP and the UNP being headed by neither Ranil nor Sajith. I think this fighting between the SJB and the UNP is not in Sri Lanka’s best interest and could enable the NPP to win at the coming elections. It’s my view that the UNP’s policies are more sensible than the SJB’s, but the UNP has many influential figures who reflect what’s wrong with Sri Lanka’s politics such as Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, Palitha Range Bandara, Wajira Abeywardana, Ravi Karunanayake and Sagala Ratnayaka. A rejuvenated UNP should not have such persons in leadership. One person in the UNP who I think may be suitable to lead the party is Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene.

A re-integration of the two parties could bring the best qualities from them. The economic recovery and reforming of state owned enterprises that the UNP is currently involved in should continue. The SJB is rightly against the bad human rights policies of the government that the UNP is engaging in. Having the two parties together could bring back sensible human rights policies. I want the UNP to take a stand against the Rajapaksas like they used to.

Elections are coming up with a Presidential election later this year followed by a Parliamentary election that’s likely to be held next year. We need to elect a stable government with sound policies who will focus on delivering system change that the protests two years ago were calling for.

System Change in Sri Lanka

 

A key demand of the protests in Sri Lanka which kicked the Rajapaksas out of power last year is system change. This is something we have yet to see. In this article, I’ll be giving my thoughts on how system change can be carried out.

Constitution of Sri Lanka

One aspect relates to the Sri Lankan Constitution. Both Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, during their presidencies introduced draconian undemocratic amendments to the Constitution strengthening the power of the President, doing harm to rule of law and independence of government institutions which were the 18th Amendment in 2010 and the 20th Amendment in 2020. Following these two Rajapaksa presidencies, there were restorative amendments to the Constitution passed which were the 19th Amendment in 2015 and the 21st Amendment in 2022.

We can’t keep going back and forth between authoritarian and restorative constitutional amendments. This cycle must end. What’s tragic is that many parliamentarians voted for the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st Amendments. They didn’t see the dangers of draconian amendments and even if they did, their thirst for power prevented them from voting sensibly. Then with the 20th Amendment, they went back to voting for an authoritarian amendment again not learning their lesson.

Firstly, it’s important that we learn not to vote again for rulers who seek to strengthen their powers and engage in corruption. Secondly, we need to elect sensible parliamentarians who won’t vote for such authoritarian laws. In the Parliament we should have, the government and opposition members will have different ideologies and policies, but they would all believe in values such as rule of law, integrity, good governance and serving the country well. Both sides should be competing to perform better in these fronts which would be a healthy competition.

Unity

Unity is an issue Sri Lanka has had a problem with for many years with mistrust occurring among different communities. A positive factor of last year’s protests is that it was a rare case of Sri Lankans of different ethnicities being part of a common movement. While that was one moment which didn’t solve unity, it’s imperative that we don’t go back to the way we used to be. That can very easily happen.

We need to have a united Sri Lanka with a common Sri Lankan identity. We should use what happened last year as a stepping stone to overcome our divisions and make permanent unity. It’s important to reflect on how politicians divided Sri Lankans. Unity is a valuable subject to be taught in schools. This issue ties into my previous point of the need for common values across parliamentarians. Unity should be another common value across the political divide.

Abolishing the Executive Presidency

I am of the view that the Executive Presidency needs to be abolished. This concentrates too much power on one individual. I believe it has caused much damage to Sri Lanka and is a major factor which contributed to Sri Lanka’s present state. A President who gets elected on a reform mandate gets corrupted by the system resulting in him or her not performing as promised and infuriating much of Sri Lanka.

It’s worth noting that Gotabaya Rajapaksa got elected President when the 19th Amendment was in force. The 19th Amendment greatly reduced the powers of the President. A parliamentary system could make it less likely for an individual with no political experience to be elected Head of Government. I think that we should transition into having an Executive Prime Minister with a ceremonial President.

Bribery and Corruption

Bribery and corruption unfortunately is very common in Sri Lanka including politics, the public and private sector. We need to have systems in place to deter individuals from engaging in these practices. There needs to be successful bribery and corruption prosecutions especially politicians.

We have been enabling bribery and corruption for a long time. This needs to change. Saying no to paying bribes including politicians will make a difference. If a politician asks for a bribe, when saying no there are important points to tell them. They are, this is causing damage to Sri Lanka, the need for system change and mention their election comments against bribery if they said it. Sri Lankan businesses should implement policies of not paying bribes to the government and for their staff not to solicit bribes from customers.

It’s important to teach school students the dangers of bribery and corruption including not participating in it and saying no to paying bribes. It would be useful for public servants and elected representatives to be instructed not to get involved in bribery and corruption when they start their roles. While this won’t prevent all public servants and elected representatives from engaging in these practices, it has the potential to noticeably reduce it.

Conclusion

I gave my perspective on four issues I think need to be fulfilled for system change in Sri Lanka. This is a small selection I gave with many more issues relating to system change needed. This process is an enormous challenge for us to undertake, but that shouldn’t deter us. We can accomplish system change. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on this topic.

Sri Lanka's Role in the World's Most Populous Region

Tomas Pueyo recently wrote an article “Why Half of Humanity Lives in This Circle”. The circle he is referring to is known as the Valeriepieris circle as it was posted on the site Reddit by Ken Myers under the username valeriepieris. This circle is in much of Asia. I found it interesting as Sri Lanka is part of this circle. Sri Lanka is also part of the world’s most populated continent, Asia. I decided to write an article about Sri Lanka’s role in the circle which can also extend to Sri Lanka’s role in Asia. I’m presenting a positive fact about Sri Lanka with suggestions on how Sri Lanka can take advantage of this, especially during its current economic crisis.

Ken Myers’ Valeriepieris Circle from Reddit

Exports

This is a region that Sri Lanka can work on increasing its exports. Exporters of food should look for countries in this region who have a demand for agricultural items and packaged goods. Some packaged goods can be popular in regions nearby due to similarities in culture with Sri Lanka including neighbour India that is one of the world’s most populous countries. Items can be produced in Sri Lanka to support products manufactured in this region e.g. car parts. In the process of our export diversification, it’s important to look at how it can support this region.

FDI & Business Collaboration

Sri Lanka should try to seek foreign direct investment (FDI) from this region. We need to attract investment from successful industries in these countries to improve their counterparts in Sri Lanka. Companies from these countries can open offices in Sri Lanka to provide jobs with higher salaries than average. Sri Lankan businesses can seek business projects servicing clients in this region to cater to the majority of the world’s population.

Two years ago on this blog, I had mentioned an agreement signed between Sri Lanka’s Confederation of Micro, Small and Medium Industries (COSMI) and the European Association for Trade - Crafts - Industries (EIVHGI) in Vienna. Similar agreements can be signed with business organisations in this region.

Learn from Countries’ Successes

Countries in this circle have successes they are highly regarded for which Sri Lanka can learn from. I’ll give two countries’ successes. The South Korean economy went from an agricultural economy like Sri Lanka to one of the world’s leading economies. South Korea initiated policy reforms that led to significant growth in exports. Two important factors are the improvements they made in performing business and policies in support of innovation.

Singapore has taken strides in the fight against corruption. Their government agency responsible for investigating bribery and corruption is the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB). When Singapore received self-governance in 1959, corruption was very prevalent in the government. Years later, following Singapore’s independence, laws were updated to strengthen the powers of CPIB officers and increase penalties for those guilty of corruption. It’s important to note that the CPIB’s powers to investigate corruption includes the private sector. These are a few positive changes initiated in these countries with many more successes to learn from. We can invite professionals from these countries to bring their expertise to help improve Sri Lanka.

Movement

This idea goes beyond Sri Lanka with the potential for a movement that can invite people from all these countries to have a voice on the world stage. This should be carried out by ordinary people and not involve politicians due to issues of bribery, corruption and bad character being unfortunately present among politicians in Asia. A focus on this movement should be on common improvements people in this circle wish to see.

This was a simple exercise I carried out. Sri Lanka being part of the world’s most populous region is a little-known positive fact for Sri Lankans to enjoy. I invite others to contribute on this topic. I’m keen to see what others can come up with using an in-depth analysis for Sri Lanka and other countries in the Valeriepieris circle. If you enjoyed reading this, you may be interested in my blog posts “Virtually Exploring Five Asian Cities” or “Sri Lankan Private Sector Development Proposal”.